The stock cooling system on a 5.0 Mustang works very well. Properly maintained, it will keep even heavily modded Stang's as cool as the temperature of the thermostat is set for.

However, on those really hot and humid days, and especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the stock clutch fan can sometimes succumb to the heat. This is especially true if you run underdrive pulleys, or some sort of power adder.

This is where the Police Fan Clutch available from Performance Parts, Inc. (PPI) comes into the picture. This fan clutch was standard issue on police-spec Mustangs, and will draw significantly more air through the radiator when you need it most - at idle and very low-speed situations.

Installation of the fan clutch is a breeze, and can be accomplished in less than 1/2 hour. The first step is to remove the stock fan. It is held in place by four 7/16th bolts. The easiest way to remove these bolts is to leave the serpentine belt on (it should be left on the entire time), and loosen 3 bolts with a box-end wrench. Leave the bolt nearest the passenger side tight until the other 3 are out. Then loosen and remove the 4th bolt. You can then pull the fan off the water pump snout. It sometimes takes some persuasion to get the fan out of the shroud area, but it will come out. Just be careful not to damage the radiator, or any other parts that may be in the way.

Once the fan is off, set it down with the water pump side up. There are 4 more bolts that hold the fan onto the clutch. Remove these, and you can pick the clutch right up off the fan.

Set the new Police Fan Clutch onto the stock fan, put the 4 bolts back in, and re-install the fan on t he water pump. You should tighten those 4 bolts until the water pump pulley slips on the belt. Remember - leave the belt on.

That's it! Check to insure you didn't damage or move anything during the procedure, then start it up. On the highway, the car should run about the same temperature. But in traffic, you should see a definite decrease in coolant temperature.

You can purchase these fan clutches exclusively through PPI by visiting their webpage, or by calling them at (703) 742-6207. INFO