correct cooling fan and horn colours

hi my 73 dino gt which I believe hasn't been restored has cooling fans with yellow blades, black motors and silver horns (self colour) with painted black fiamm covers. Could these be original colours? the compendium and dino blog would suggest not.

 

Fans are black, horns are candy-apple red. I believe fan motors are black, although I've seen the same motors on British cars painted hammerite silver.

 

Dino 246 Restoration Blog: Radiator fan motor restoration. Giving our Lucas units new life.

 

thanks I have read the blog before, but still puzzled that my horns show no trace of red, and the fans show no sign of black, did Ferrari try to save money on later cars doing less fancy finishes? was there any variation in these colours on later cars?

 

The fan motors were also left in the silver metal finish. I don't know when this commenced on E series models but several of my cars had silver motors. Your horns may not be original if there are no traces of the candy apple red paint. Some cars had blue Fiamm horns but I believe those were earlier model variants though stand to be corrected. All of my E series cars have had the red horns. The fans were a three blade type and were a satin black finish. I've seen quite a few cars, including one of mine, with four bladed black fans from the 308 and can only surmise these have been fitted later on in the car's life as either an attempt to improve cooling performance or because the original 3 bladed type were NLA during a previous restoration. When dealing with 40 + year old cars it's likely you'll find some parts fitted to the car are not OEM equipment.

Here are my fan blades.
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hi iain, thanks I think that settles it, your parts are looking good! I bought new lucas motors for the fans and they are silver zinc finish so may leave as is. where did you source the candy apple paint? I have found caswell do semi transparent red power coat which is the closest I have got so far.

 

I used new Lucas fan motors as well Brian as that was more cost effective than trying to restore the originals. I bought NOS FIAMM horns as opposed to repainting mine as the originals were in a pretty poor state.
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ok are they the superformance ones?

 

No, they are correct genuine original FIAMM ones and came with all the items shown in this photo. The ones Superformance sell are modern horns which are different.
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Snowsports,

If you need them I still have a few of the original Fiamm airhorn kits, NOS, available. For your reference, the photo Iain posted above is one I sent him some time back of the kit I have. All of the M and E series cars, along with the later 308 series cars use this horn/compressor set up. It is a model Fiamm 2000. Colours of all the components remained unchanged throughout production.

BTW same horn was also used in the Daytona, 365gtc, and I am sure quite a few other Ferraris of the era.

Best Regards,
Paul

 

Iain
I have blue fiammi air horns on my car and this is a E series motor
Also have 4 bladed fan blades which again as far as I am aware was original too.
I have an invoice from Maranello UK showing a new fan motor and blade as one got damaged in an accident back in 1981, I guess spares were still available in those days and it does match the other one that survived.

 

silver motors, 3 bladed fan blades in black and the already shown red met. air horns would be original for the E-series!

 

don't think I can agree entirely with that Mathias.

 

Paul ( Rosemeyer ) I sent you a PM

 

Hi paul, PM sent

 

At the risk of angering the Dino Gods I have to partially disagree with you Matthias. While I agree that for all M and E series cars the horns are indeed Fiamm series 2000 with the red horns, with regards to the fan blades I have seen several of the later E series Dinos with 4 bladed fans. The 3 blade ones, as pictured by Iain above, and as on my car, are earlier style. I have seen them on L and M series, but I believe a change to 4 blade was made on the E.

As an aside, the 3 blade are made of magnesium while the later ones went to a different production material/method.

Best Regards,
Paul

 

The three bladed fans on my '74 GTS (07924) were plastic. Look just like the mag blades but plastic.

 

Paul,

Just to add further confusion my GTS #07610 (Dec '73 production so only 6 months from the end of the model series) has it's original 3 bladed fans. The only E series I have which has four bladed fans has a documented change of both motors and fans in 1990. I suspect a lot of cars had fan changes during their earlier lives and the most common solution would have been to fit the four bladed type from the 308 series when the original 3 bladed type were NLA. Doubtless fans were changed in pairs to maintain similar cooling performance.

The factory spare parts catalogue that was drawn up in November 1975, a year and half after production ended, also only shows the 3 bladed fan (TAV.14 item 35 Ventola a tre pale). There is no mention of a subsequent part number for a different item from a chassis number change over point. Whilst anyone familiar with trying to locate parts for their car will know the parts catalogue is not comprehensive by any means it is usually reliable for the parts it does show in my experience.

 

Hello Iain,

that`s spot on....
Originally Dino 246 had only 3 bladed fans.
But there was actually a slight change during E-series production.
From chassis no. #02924 you have a different parts no. The later blade looks a fraction different (see picture)
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Plastic, grey painted black and 4 blades on 73 gts
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ditto mine are the same as Luigi's, could it be that Ferrari changed suppliers mid / late 73 or even sourced temporary parts if stock was low?
These fans are similar if not identical to the GT4 fans so it could be a running down of stock on the 246 in time for the changeover to GT4.

who really knows
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Tony, documentation within Ferrari isn`t perfect but not as bad as people think... so that`s very unlikely
The Dino E-series was a mass production car, no prototype stuff where they put in what was available....
#07390 (Oct. 1973) for example has original the correct 3 blades in the later version post #02924....
Regards Matthias
BTW my #06830 and #06856 three blades in the later version post #02924 originally too

 

So what's the answer?
Anyone else with 4 blades?

 

As the Dino and Daytona's were built on the same line, I guess they share a few components.
My 73 Daytona fan blades are the black 3 blade type as first shown. This is my horn before and after a few coats of paint and a lot of rubbing down. Plus maintenance instructions which seldom gets done!
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