Shelby Dakota Replacement Fans

[ajakeski]

I found some info out there on the world wide web stating there is a bolt in replacement fan for the Shelby Dakota.

http://forums.moparmusclemagazine.com/70/9151326/dodge-performance-cars-and-trucks/1989-shelby-dakota/page2.html

Since one fan was dead in my Dakota and the other worked when it wanted to, I ordered two of these fans.

The fan is made by SPAL and goes by part number 30100365. It moves more air than the original and pulls less amps. The SPAL fan is also about half as thick as the original fan and a bit lighter.

I put the fans in today. Working on the fan assembly requires you remove the radiator.
The whole job took about 4 hours because I made the mistake of unbolting the fan assembly from the radiator without tying it to the radiator support. The fan assembly fell down into the radiator opening and made it impossible to get the radiator out. There is very little room between the radiator and the engine. Every millimeter counts.

I had to remove the AC condensor to lift the fan assembly up enough to get the radiator out. If your AC works, you may not want to do this.

If you leave the fan assembly bolted to the radiator when you unbolt the radiator from the radiator support, you can then tie the fan assembly to the upper tie bar of the radiator support with a long zip tie. Now when you unbolt the fan assembly from the radiator it won't get in the way.
I did this when I reinstalled my fans and radiator. It made life much easier.

The original Bosch fans are held to the fan support frame with four bolts and rubber isolators for each fan.
These bolts transfer over to the SPAL fans and the SPAL fans bolt right into place.

There are no typical Turbo Mopar modifications or re-engineering required.

The electrical connector on the SPAL fan is the female version of the electrical fan lead already on your Shelby Dakota (assuming someone has not modified the wiring)
You just need to swap the wires on either the fan connector or the truck wiring connector so everything works correctly.

The temperature in the shop was about 75º today. I ran the Dakota until the fans came on. They ran for 45 seconds and shut off. The temp gauge stayed well below half the entire time the Dakota sat idling.

Life is good.

51298512995130051301

[cordes]

That's some great info. I'm guessing the Shelby Daks have the least support for the Shelby specific stuff. I can't imagine trying to track stuff like this down.

[ajakeski]

Since I got this Dakota a couple weeks ago I have come to realize it the reddest of the red headed step children.
The V8 Mopar guys turn up their noses at it because it's a 318.
Then it gets worse because it's a swirl combustion chamber head with TBI. Even less love out there for that.

But it tunes the same as our turbos do, just with four more cylinders and two less injectors. It uses the same air density fuel injection with all the same sensors. In fact most of the sensors are interchangable with the turbo engines.

It was running rich and stumbling at light throttle. I changed the O2 sensor, installed new injectors and set the timing. Now I can't pull away from a stop sign without lighting up the rear tires.

There is very little information out there about tuning and troubleshooting the Shelby Dakota 318. The 1989 318 and 360 were different than the earlier LA engines. They have roller cam and lifters and different heads. I found the most useful info on a Dodge Diplomat forum and a Dodge Truck forum.
TBI heads and intakes are hard to find, but would go a long way to making more power.

The computer is a SMEC and I would bet tuning that SMEC is similar to tuning a turbo SMEC. As far as I have read the only difference between the Shelby Dakota SMEC and a regular Dodge Truck SMEC is the controller for the electric fans.

There was an upgrade computer available back in the day, but I would guess they are tough to find now.
Maybe Rob Lloyd could do something with this?

[shelbyconcepts]

Yes, There was a upgraded computer..... 30HP with 360 TB.... I have one for sale on craigslist locally...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/pts/4546675883.html

[ajakeski]

Update to an old thread.
You can socket any 1989 truck SMEC and install the Shelby Performance cal on an EPROM. (Boost Button can burn it for you)
I have this cal in my Dakota along with a 5.9 TBI throttle body. It made a fun truck even more fun. Even at 175,000 miles.

The Shelby 318 Performance package sold in 1989 consisted of the upgraded computer, 5.9 TBI throttle body, low restriction muffler and a template for opening up the throttle body hole in the intake manifold.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=58940&stc=1