Is running the early metal cooling fan on a daily driver really a bad thing? I seem to have heard that it is hard on water pumps. Is it all that bad though for a daily driver? Or is it only a problem for sustained high RPM use?

It is just bad for the water pump which is bad for the radiator(the pump bearings give up and the fan goes through the radiator) The added weight of the metal fan added to the stress of a properly tensioned belt takes out the bearings.

Will

I had a metal fan go through a radiator back in the day, it is not fun.

If you are going to drive the car switch to the plastic fan.

Thanks, guys. Sounds like the problem is real, even for a street car. I will use a plastic fan instead.

When I bought my car from original owner, it still had the metal fan. It's been sitting in a box in my garage since 2 weeks after I bought the car. (took that long to get a plastic one , and the correct fan clutch from Nissan)

If you choose to replace your metal fan with a plastic fan, remember that your fan clutch won't fit a plastic fan.

Thought of tossing it a dozen times, but I figure there is a "rocket scientist" out there that will buy it on ebay someday. Maybe not, but I know one thing, it'll never be on a Z of mine, ever again.

Thought of tossing it a dozen times, but I figure there is a "rocket scientist" out there that will buy it on ebay someday.

Hmm, maybe not. Here's one that is cheap, closes really soon, and has no bids.

Metal fan and clutch on eBay

I also experienced water pump failure on my 240Z. The water pump shaft breaks which turns the metal fan fan into a projectile. In my case the fan destroyed the radiator.

If you ever decide to enter your car in a competition in the stock class you might want to hold on to the metal fan.

Since there's bound to be other things on my car that won't be stock when I finish it, I don't think competing in a stock class will be anything I need to worry about. But it's a good thing to remember.

When I bought my '71 last year, it had 86K on. It had the stock metal fan. It seemed to be OK for 34 years. (The water pump was hurting with a LOT of bearing play, however!) I have a '68 Dart with a 6-bladed steel fan. It came stock on the 340 HiPro engine. It is very heavy compared to the Datsun fan. I guess they just had not perfected the plastics that well in the 60's and early 70's.

Arne those metal fan blades look real cool sticking through the hood. Didn't help the radiator either. I lost two of those in the early 70's. Have run a plastic one for the last 20 years. Cools better also. My car will never make it in the stock class it never had stock wheels on since it came off the boat. Replaced at the dealship. Seat covers and a few other things not right.

Are all the plastic fans interchangeable? Can I use one from a 260 or 280Z? Or do I need to get one for a '72 240Z?

Fan clutches for 72-83 (Non-Turbo) are all the same.

There are different fans for 72-73, 74-78, and 79-83

I'm not sure what the differences are, but I'd think that if the diameter is comparible (to clear any fan shroud that you may have) you'd be OK