Rumpity Rump

Tell me in detail, how you ran your oil hoses underneath the car to the oil cooler in front of your radiator. Thanks, Dave.

1970 BB.

Rumpity Rump

Someone once said to go on the inside of the frame rail...but i dont see how that can be done. Dave.

ZD75blue

I would think you could run it up beside the engine mount along the brake line to the front end. Or use a frame rail cooler

ZD

john73bb

I did this on my 73. I got the oil filter adapter that has an internal thermostat. It came with two hose barbs for 1/2" hose. I also had an oil cooler with 1/2" hose barbs (the cooler and adapter were a kit I got from Summit). I got some 1/2" copper pipe (the kind that comes in a roll -- not the rigid stuff) from a hardware store and ran them from about 6" in front of the oil filter, up under the cross member, routed them up behind the valence and to about 6" from the oil cooler which I had mounted, with an attached fan, just above the valence. Before permanently mounting the copper lines I soldered hose barbs on both ends of each (actually, I put a threaded barb on one end of one of them so I could put in a T and an oil pressure switch to run the fan). To mount the pipes, I took a 1" long piece of 3/4" steel pipe and cut it longitudinally to get a couple of "C" shapes. I welded the two "C" shapped pieces to a metal bar with the "C" shapes about 1" apart so I could use a single bolt (through the cross member) to hold them in place. I then wrapped the copper pipe in some plastic hose sliced longitudinally to protect it and bolted them to the frame. After that, I spray painted them with underhood black so the roadkill animals couldn't easily see what Bubba had done :p: . This little operation lowered my water temperature by probably 20 degrees or so. Make sure you put in an extra quart or so of oil. The only thing that was in the way was the hoses from the power steering. They move when you turn the wheels and I had to move the copper pipes to not be hit by them.

Good luck.

Rumpity Rump

John,

Do u or can u, post a pic of the installation ? Or, in great detail, tell me how you ran the copper pipes starting at the sandwich . How come you didnt just use high pressure rubber hoses al the way ?

Dave. P.S. I have headers on my vette. Do u.? Was that a problem ?

flynhi

John, Another request for pics. This would make a good tech article for the archives.

8T1-7T9 BIONIC VETTE

I want to see this too......I need to lower my temps......oil and water :confused:

spikezz4

I picked up a Z-51 oil cooler from a C-4 at a swap meet two years ago. I have a still picture, but no way to get it to you digitally. We bought the stock aluminum tubes that are part of the assembly, and used a couple other hoses and clamps. Once I quit spending dollars on the Corvette, maybe I can get a digital camera.

Spike

john73bb

Now, how am I going to get pictures? :confused: That would take a really wide angle lens since there is only about 6 inches between the ground and the lines and the camera is a couple of inches thick already .
:rolleyes:
The 1/2" copper pipe is pretty easy to bend although it can crinkle if you bend it too tight. The pipe loses some diameter when you bend it and it can take on an oblong cross section if you bend it a lot but with 1/2" pipe, it can still pass lots of oil. You just have to get under there and craft the pipe to fit. You can solder fittings on just like you solder the copper pipe for your house -- all you need is flux, solder, and a torch.

I used pipe because I wanted it to hold its form without having to tie it up in multiple places and because I know that copper pipe is not going to leak (unless it gets hit real hard and punctured). I think the copper pipe also dissipates quite a bit of extra heat.

Next time I get the car up on jackstands (pretty soon probably because I am wiring in a new fuel injection system and putting in a different set of electric fans) I will take a picture and post to this thread.

BB68Vett

It is my understanding that Mark IV big blocks already have a provision for oil cooler fittings. They are right around the oil filter housing. There is no need for a sandwich adapter. This is according to the GM Power Catalog and my '68 BB definitely has these fittings. There is a bypass valve that you must purchase but it is inexpensive. The GM Power Catalog describes which of the two fittings is the "in" and which one is the "out" I can't remember off the top of my head.

71coupe

I've been thinking of an oil cooler too. I would rather install it in the left hand side vent. Probably one of the smaller types - like the B&M Supercooler, with a small fan attached.
The location is not as good as mounting it in the front, but I think it would work & the lines would be shorter. :p:

Mark69

I am interested in pictures, too. Is it necessary to prelube the engine after installing an oil cooler? I guess pretty much oil needs to be pumped into the oil cooler the first time....

BB68Vett

I forgot to add to my prior post that I would recommend against using copper lines. They are easy to plumb but through vibration can crack and fail.