Front bumper mounted oil cooler questions

[BK911]

I am installing a front bumper mounted oil cooler on a 73T with a carb'd 3.0. It is used primarily for DEs with an occasional mountain run.

Currently the car has a 28 row oil cooler in the passenger side fender. Should I remove this one and just use the front one? Or keep both in series? I really want to use the 28 row on another car.

ALso, how do you attach the mesh screen? Maybe some caulk on the inside of the bumper?

Thanks!

[KTL]

Are you installing a completely new bumper or using the factory bumper and valance?

For a carb'd 3.0L, only the center mounted cooler would be necessary. I have a Fluidyne large center cooler on my 3.0L and it runs no more than 210 even on the hottest of days. A friend has a much smaller Mocal on his carb'd 3.3L (3.0L with 100mm pistons) and it runs at 200 all day long.

The mesh screen is attached in all sorts of ways. I've seen some people make frames around the mesh and then attach the frame with bolts. I've attached the mesh with blind rivets backed with washers by drilling thru the fiberglass. I've even seen tiny holes drilled in the bumper and fine safety wire twisted around the mesh like a twist tie on a loaf of bread. I suggest using a mesh that has good sized openings to allow good airflow, but not too thick of a wire. Stainless mesh typically fits this description. Stainless is strong so rocks won't go thru it and damage your cooler. But the thin wire is also more manageable than the thick stuff, in terms of shaping the edges around the bumper surface to fasten it.

[IROC]

Brian - we need to have an oil cooler installation festival. I have a large Mocal that I need to install in my car and have the option (depending on how creative I am) to install it in either the fender or front bumper location...

[BK911]

Kevin - I used a fiberglass RS front bumper, which had to be cut and reformed a little to fit the oil cooler and lines. My first attempt at FG work. Not pretty, but should be functional.

Mike - Mine is all installed except the oil lines. I was waiting to see if I should use both coolers or if just the bumper mounted would be ok. Now that I know I can order the oil lines.

VIR in 2 weeks!
Barber in ~6 weeks!
Dragon runs every weekend.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by BK911

Kevin - I used a fiberglass RS front bumper, which had to be cut and reformed a little to fit the oil cooler and lines. My first attempt at FG work. Not pretty, but should be functional.

Mike - Mine is all installed except the oil lines. I was waiting to see if I should use both coolers or if just the bumper mounted would be ok. Now that I know I can order the oil lines.

VIR in 2 weeks!
Barber in ~6 weeks!
Dragon runs every weekend.

I finally got my car down off the jack stands. New brakes and adjustable sway bars front and rear. That target change wiped out my free time for weeks...

[BK911]

Originally Posted by IROC

I finally got my car down off the jack stands. New brakes and adjustable sway bars front and rear. That target change wiped out my free time for weeks...

Let me know when you want to test out the new suspension and brakes! I heard there are some good roads around here.

[aston@ultrasw.c]

Keep them both. Route the hot oil to the bottom of the center mounted cooler and then return via the fender cooler.

[KTL]

Mike,

What brakes did you end up installing? You guys are lucky dogs you get to visit Barber. I saw it for the first time via television this year with the Grand Am coverage. Wow, what a beautiful place to track your cars.

I don't know if i'd keep both coolers. If you're not ducting any air to the fender cooler, it's really not that effective (nothing more than a radiator in stagnant air) and also leaves you with more connections to ensure are leak free?

[IROC]

Originally Posted by KTL

What brakes did you end up installing? You guys are lucky dogs you get to visit Barber. I saw it for the first time via television this year with the Grand Am coverage. Wow, what a beautiful place to track your cars.

Yeah, great track. Basically a country club where large amounts of fossil fuels are burned in vehicles that make a lot of noise and have the potential to kill you. It's great!!

I had to wimp out on the brake upgrade. I bought some 993 calipers (F/R) along with the front adapters but they wouldn't work with my track wheels. It would have required spacing out my wheels too much. I simply rebuilt my Carrera calipers and installed new slotted rotors, etc. I'll probably hang on to the 993 calipers for awhile in the event I come up with something different for track wheels...

[KTL]

Yeah in our short exchanges about the brakes, we didn't touch on the fitment of the 993 calipers under what wheels. I found that the 993/Wilwood combo requires a 951 Fuchs (16x7 = ok, but tight and 16x8 = better) up front to get the caliper clearance from the rim and the wheel petals. I used the BBS RS 1980's MC Hammer gold wheels for track wheels and they have much more caliper clearance than the Fuchs.

[grizzfan]

Keep in touch.

I also have a '73 911T with an RS type fiberglass front bumper. The mounting place for the front oil cooler is not there but the recess is molded in and it doesn't look like too tough a job to cut it out professionally.

I've been wanting to do this too as I have a '75 2.7L engine in it and they have a reputation for running hot.

What brand of cooler and hoses/fitting did you use?

I'm all ears!

Tom