james944

Hi Guys,
My alternator and / or fan bearing started making the most terrible sound last week and so I've ordered a rebuilt alternator and the parts to do the RS hub - single belt conversion like Mr. Risky. I need advice though, on what to do about my fan. As you can see from this photo it's filthy! Because it doesn't look like it was ever painted (only coated) I was thinking I would just clean it. But, it seems that Rennlist wisdom says to paint it. How hard is this to do? What paint should I use?

I'm pretty sure I want to keep it plain looking (I don't think I want to paint it red), but I'd appreciate any input and would love to see pictures of what you guys have done with your fans.

Thanks,
James

warmfuzzies

Do you have to ask?

dutchcrunch

i painted mine silver and it looks factory, i will post picture later this morning. i still have the can of paint and if you like i can tell you the color. i think the paint is made by dulpli color. i will see and let you know for sure. i do remember buying it at pep boys. its a known paint brand. see you later this morning.

polar964

James,
I just cleaned mine when it was out as you are doing replacing the alternator(which is much easier to do when its away from the car) Mine came up like new and decided it didn't require painting. Your alternator/fan housing look in good condition. Many oxidise in time like mine had done so i took the opportunity to refub that at the same time. Like you i wanted to keep mine with the original look. Here's a couple of pics

MisterRisky

Do a quick sand blast and then paint it with gray high heat paint for a more plain look. you might try blast followed by high heat clear coat for a more raw metal look. You dont need the 1200 degree paint, the 500+ will be plenty. I used what they were pimpin at my local Advance Auto.

ddubois

I had planned to powder coat mine while everything was out doing the clutch. Tending towards keeping things stock, I decided to take it off and give it a good cleaning instead. I think it came out fine.
BTW, while it was apart I replaced the three hub stud/nuts with the 993 bolts, 900-119-026-02-M100.

deep_uv

I just cleaned mine up with WD40 and a rag. I used a scotch brite pad on some of the stubborn stains and put it back in as is. That magnesium fan is so light weight, I did not want to add the extra weight of the paint to it.

JasonAndreas

The problem with conventional wisdom is that he doesn't have a daily driver. Painted and powder coated fans have a habit of flaking after a while, clean it and be done with it. Unless the finish is so far gone that it has already begun to fall apart on its own.

t-shark

Is there a benefit of painting the thing?

garrett376

Looks prettier...

I ordered polar silver in a spray can to match the body...

dutchcrunch

here is my painted fan

MisterRisky

Totally aesthetic.

james944

Wow, Your fans look great!

On mine the finish appears to be in pretty good shape under all that dirt (here's a better picture). Since I'm not much of a painter I may just clean it up. That way I don't have to worry about the paint cracking and flaking off.

Garrett376, that polar silver looks awesome and it looks like you really drive your car, how has the paint held up?

For those of you who have cleaned and polished your fans (Paul, Doug, Steve, and Jason Andreas), after you got the crud off did you do anything to brighten it up? Did you wax it or coat it with anything to make it easier to keep clean? Jason, I think you mentioned some metal and paint polish in another thread, did that hold up?

polar964

James, once cleaned (with alloy wheel cleaner 'wonder wheels' and rinsed with warm water), i figured I'll just clean it as and when (without removal that is ! with wd40 or something similar, as has already been mentioned) and hopefully it will stay looking like new, only time will tell. Obviously when you have cleaned all the grime off yours you'll have a better idea whether you think it needs a coat of paint or not. As you can see from the pics posted, once clean it makes a huge difference to the aesthetic look.

Canneryrow

Here's my fan. It's really ropey looking. Each blade is de-laminating. Is it enough just to get it out, clean it up and stick it back in? What other signs of wear should I be looking for? Damage to the fan tips? Anything else?

While it's out. What else is worth investigating and/or replacing?

Thanks.