Original Painted Fan Spacer

[Greg]

I have researched and from all the pictures I find, the fan spacer is shown as cast. 

The engine in 5S109 was pulled in the early 70's and the original owner put a Boss 302 in it but stored the original engine.  The engine wasn't restored but it was put aside and left untouched for 40+ years.  When I bought the car I started the rebuild of the engine so I got to clean a lot of parts  .  The fan spacer was clearly painted black, the fan had not been painted and neither had any of the pulleys.  There wouldn't have been any reason for anyone to have messed with it.  I am wondering if anyone else has seen this?  Thanks

[Bob Gaines]

I have researched and from all the pictures I find, the fan spacer is shown as cast. 

The engine in 5S109 was pulled in the early 70's and the original owner put a Boss 302 in it but stored the original engine.  The engine wasn't restored but it was put aside and left untouched for 40+ years.  When I bought the car I started the rebuild of the engine so I got to clean a lot of parts  .  The fan spacer was clearly painted black, the fan had not been painted and neither had any of the pulleys.  There wouldn't have been any reason for anyone to have messed with it.  I am wondering if anyone else has seen this?  Thanks

Yes I have . It is when people mess with them. They were  typically bare metal diecast which a silver color.

[J_Speegle]

........... There wouldn't have been any reason for anyone to have messed with it.  I am wondering if anyone else has seen this?  Thanks

Agree with Bob's comments as to finish.

Why, or how did they get this way?   Gave up trying to guess why PO's did things in the past. Sometimes it's simple but other times it makes little sense looking backwards with 20-20 eyesight.  Bottom line is you don't need a reason why,  just a choice to be made at this point in the cars history going forward . 

[Greg]

The spacer looks like magnesium.  It's possible the owner saw it start to corrode and decided to try to protect it? 

[CharlesTurner]

Original spacers were die cast aluminum.  There are identifying marks.  Post some pics of what you have, could be a replacement piece.

[Bob Gaines]

The spacer looks like magnesium.  It's possible the owner saw it start to corrode and decided to try to protect it?

Some were cast out of the darker material and were some kind of other material mix. I have had some hipo spacers like that before. I don't think magnesium but maybe in the mix given they are lighter. As Charles said they were typically diecast aluminum.Ether is good if the correct length.

[Dan Case]

Some 1960s Ford fans spacers were apparently made of a magnesium alloy. I brought a machine shop to a dead stop to change protocols when my "aluminum alloy" part turned out to be a magnesium alloy part. Chips cut during lathe modification instantly turned into super bright burning flares that turned to ash before getting to the catch tray or floor. The machine shop foreman was not pleased as the shop was not clean enough to be turning magnesium and didn't have the correct type fire fighting equipment in that part of the facility to deal with a magnesium fire. After some equipment cleaning and getting some safety set ups for cutting magnesium, the machinist finished the modification I wanted.

The freshly cut areas tarnished to gray quickly in humid Alabama.

I can't tell you what car it came off of, lots of 1965-67 Mustangs and GT350s were in that shop before that time.

[Greg]

Here are some pictures of the fan and spacer before I took them apart.  It has the FOMOCO, flag and the raised embossed T.

[Greg]

More photo's

[s2ms]

The spacer looks like magnesium.  It's possible the owner saw it start to corrode and decided to try to protect it?

Greg,

Is it possible to weigh your spacer?

In the 65-66 HiPo fan spacer variation thread - http://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=3585 - weight was one of the variations. Very small sample size but basically I found 2 weights, 5.0-5.1 oz (3 spacers), and 7.8 oz (1 spacer). That difference perfectly matches the weight difference between magnesium and aluminum alloys. Also, might be just coincidence but the lighter spacers do show a small amount of corrosion, the heavier spacer does not.

Thanks,
Dave

[CharlesTurner]

Thanks for posting Dan.  Most I have run across had the appearance of aluminum die-cast, especially when cleaned or lightly blasted.

In the pics, looks like it was painted still attached... probably because it started corroding.

[Dan Case]

Thanks for posting Dan.  Most I have run across had the appearance of aluminum die-cast, especially when cleaned or lightly blasted.

In the pics, looks like it was painted still attached... probably because it started corroding.

You are welcome. Most I have handled were aluminum based on the lack of corrosion. 

[Greg]

Thanks for posting Dan.  Most I have run across had the appearance of aluminum die-cast, especially when cleaned or lightly blasted.

In the pics, looks like it was painted still attached... probably because it started corroding.

Charles, when I cleaned this one it only got darker which lead me to believe it was magnesium.  Dave, yes I will weigh it and see what it is.

[gt350hr]

    Made by Dorman for Ford and yes both in "mag alloy" and aluminum. "Some" mostly the aluminum version have the Dorman "winged" logo.
    Randy

[Bobby Crumpley]

I have vapor blasted several of these spacers over the last year and haven't come across a magnesium alloy one so far.  The interesting thing about magnesium parts is they take twice as long to restore the finish as otherwise identical aluminum parts.