Oil cooler question

[ttchevelle]

Any recommendation for a -10 oil cooler to mount under the car?

[chicane]

Where exactly 'under the car' we you thinking...?? as this may point the direction to which type of cooler to use.

For instance, if you were thinking of under the floor board... a round tube/finned type would work better... and if you were thinking somewhere on or near the core support, a stack plate would be better suited. There are even a couple of cylindrical flow thru types that might be worth consideration.

Anyway... Setrab (or Earls) for a stack plate... and there are numerous tube type manufacturers, so the selection might be overwhelming... but Ron Davis, C&R, Griffen, Baker Precision and even Durale... have a few to choose from.

The question is... I guess... where were you thinking of mounting it ?

[Steve1968LS2]

I need an oil cooler as well.. my issue is where to put it.

Is there a distance issue? In other words should the oil lines not exceed a given distance?I was thinking of a tube type under the floor board. The lines would run back from the engine then forward to the remote oil filter and then back to the engine.

All I know is that my oil temp went WAY up after a few laps at the track.

[chicane]

Where to put it ???

In the radiator... where it belongs. I would have the drivers side tank modified for a heat exchanger... there really is no other choice for what you are trying to accomplish. Not to mention that when looking at it from a cost / performance point of view... it's a no brainer.

Suck it up... and just do it... halfassing it isnt an option.

[Blown353]

Originally Posted by chicane

In the radiator... where it belongs. I would have the drivers side tank modified for a heat exchanger... there really is no other choice for what you are trying to accomplish. Not to mention that when looking at it from a cost / performance point of view... it's a no brainer.

I agree with Tom. After messing with air/oil & water/oil coolers, a properly sized in-radiator heat exchanger is the way to go. Another benefit is that it gets the oil up to temp faster. Also, unlike an air/oil setup there is no need for a thermostat in the oil cooler lines which is strongly recommended on a street car so the oil doesn't stay too cool under "normal" driving conditions-- no such problem of "too cool" oil with a heat exchanger in the radiator if you size it properly for the job.

Plus, it can be a real PITA on some vehicles to fit a properly sized air/oil cooler within the confines of the nose and still expose it to enough airflow to be effective. It's a lot easier to stick a heat exchanger in the hot side tank of the radiator.

[Steve1968LS2]

Originally Posted by chicane

Where to put it ???

In the radiator... where it belongs. I would have the drivers side tank modified for a heat exchanger... there really is no other choice for what you are trying to accomplish. Not to mention that when looking at it from a cost / performance point of view... it's a no brainer.

Suck it up... and just do it... halfassing it isnt an option.

That's not really cost effective if you already own a radiator... lol

Option #2?

[Vegas69]

Could it be welded onto your current setup? I don't have room but you may.

[chicane]

Originally Posted by Steve1968LS2

That's not really cost effective if you already own a radiator... lol

Option #2?

Well... yeah, it can be. Doing the math, after the cost of the cooler, the lines, the fittings and the time... the cost of modifying the tank and adding the cooler... is close. And then... the function aspects of what was done by that, clearly out perform the other options by a long shot. I'd give Chet a call at C&R (and the others as well) just to see what it would take.

I mean... if you look at what CarlC has into his set up and what it does performance wise... the $695 he spent on the radiator... would tell me to sell the current radiator and step up to what it is that you really need vice that of slapping a bandaid on your current cooling system.

Option #2...

Hang a stack cooler on the front of the core support and deal with it. It's the only other choice that will actually provide enough of a cooling benifit for the cost involved.

Anything that you place under the car, under the trunk etc etc... will need dedicated, directed air and an external fan for it to even worth it's consideration. But, that increases it's complexity ten fold....

[Roadbuster]

Originally Posted by chicane

Where to put it ???

In the radiator... where it belongs. I would have the drivers side tank modified for a heat exchanger... there really is no other choice for what you are trying to accomplish. Not to mention that when looking at it from a cost / performance point of view... it's a no brainer.

Suck it up... and just do it... halfassing it isnt an option.

Is the automatic transmission cooling connections in an aluminum radiator sufficient for this purpose? It would be nice to be able to reuse that when I swap to a manual trans.

Jon

[chicane]

Originally Posted by Roadbuster

Is the automatic transmission cooling connections in an aluminum radiator sufficient for this purpose? It would be nice to be able to reuse that when I swap to a manual trans.

Jon

In short... no.

The minimum line size for an enginer oil cooler in any application is -10 (1/2")... and allow me to stress this... the very minimum size. Ideally, -12 is perfectly suited for the majority of applications here... but there are some that may even require -16 for the feed with multiple -12 returns.

The associated in tank auto trans cooler is much too small fitting-wise and capacity as well.

Although... it may be used for the return side of the power steering... in lighter duty applications.