It’s actually fiberglass, not that that really matters. I got one from Paul Grant. It had two holes drilled into it for draining, which the first owner of it must have done, that is a good idea.If you are under it frequently it is a bit of a pain, but when I recently changed my starter I just moved it out of the way, and for my CPS job, it was not in the way at all.The only benefits I have noticed are first, it make it quieter. Second, it keeps Med etc. from the front of the engine. I decided to put one back on after my intermediate steering shaft rotted at the lower U Joint and was caked in dirt. I am hoping this prevents that happening to the new one.As for Electric fans, it is something you could accomplish at a later date. The reason I say this is that you could get the headgasket job done and have one less variable to isolate once it is back up and running. I am sure you will be obsessing about temps for a while. Once you’ve determined it’s operating normally, then you could switch. Just a thought.I have a Ron Francis AR99 controller, which is much beefier than the flex a lite, with relays etc., and fans out of an ‘05 GTO that needed trimming, but give me the most fan coverage possible IMO. As far as being waterproof, I used waterproof connectors from amazon for the connections for the fans, the controller in in my compartment behind the BCU/ABS. Also, they come with electric A/C fans, so will those blow out? I don’t know, I am not crossing rivers anytime soon so I am not concerned about it.Good luck! If you are **** retentive like me, I’d get the push in zip tie connectors for the injector wiring and other wiring along with any other ancillaries. Good luck!!

To be honest, I wouldn’t know the difference, between those materials, but it is definitely not plastic. You can see the fibers.

You learn something new every day! No wonder my fiberglass “glue” didn’t fix the crack!