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ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

On Friday, I received the oil cooler from AznDrgn, and I got it installed on the 81 NA this weekend. Now look, I know this is a bit of overkill for a street NA, but I figure anything to reduce the running temp will prolong the life of the motor...so don't anyone bust my chops for doing this. Besides it was a lot of fun fabbing up the parts, and all doable with hand tools. Here's a step by step.

Photo of raw materials

1. MOUNTING BRACKET for REMOTE FILTER MOUNT
Using a 6"x18" inch sheet of 16 gauge sheet metal (item 2), I used a hack saw to cut out a piece that measured 3" wide by 5" long. I scribed a line at two inches, and clamped this piece between a 2x4 and my work bench, leaving three inches sticking out. I then used another piece of 2x4 to bend the piece at a 90 degree angle, using a hammer for some fine tuning. I then cut angles on the bracket (item 5) to match the shape of the remote filter mount (item 6). It's hard to see this detail above, but is clearer in the finished pic below. Finishing touches were to drill holes for the remote filter mount and also to mount the bracket to the frame rail (mounting location detailed below), followed by a coat of dark blue paint to match my engine compartment.

2. MOUNTING BRACKET for OIL COOLER
Using a 48"x1" piece of 1/8" steel (item 3), I cut out a piece that was just over 26" long. Using the same technique described above, I formed two 90 degree bends, each an inch long on the ends of this piece to form the mounting bracket (item 1) for the oil cooler (item 7). Finishing touches involved drilling two holes to mount the cooler, and two holes to mount the bracket in front of the AC condensor (mounting location detailed below). Also pictured above is the block adapter (item 4).

3. MOUNTING LOCATION for OIL COOLER
Underneath the nose header panel, and in front of the rad / ac condensor, there is enough room for the oil cooler. I found very nice points on a vertically oriented, front-to-back surface between the headlight and the rad where I drilled mounting holes, as pictured below
Pass. side oil cooler mounting location from beneath the nose:

Same mounting location viewed topside:

Driver side oil cooler mounting location viewed topside

4. MOUNTING LOCATION for REMOTE FILTER MOUNT
On the passenger side frame rail, in front of the wheel well, there were already three very nicely positioned holes that were already tapped for 6mmx1.0 threads. I made a pattern of these holes when drilling the holes on the mounting surface of the bracket for the remote filter mount:

5. INSTALL PARTS!
Here is a pic of the mounted cooler from beneath the nose. As you can see, the bracket can be swivelled on its mounting points to accomodate the desired clearance and angle to keep the cooler about an inch or so from the AC condenser:

Here is a pic of the installed block adapter:

Here is a pic of the installed remote filter mount. In this photo, you can see how nice it looks having the bracket follow the shape of the top of the remote filter mount:

Here is another pic of the installed remote filter mount:

Here is another pic of the installed cooler with hoses attached:

Getting the three hoses oriented and situated was a bit of a trick...they were actually a little long, so I had to be somewhat creative in how I routed them to avoid pinch points, abrasion points, and kinks. I will be using a bunch of 8" zip ties to secure everything once I'm satisfied with how they're all routed. Getting them just right required removal of the belly pan.

SUPPLIES:
18"x6" sheet of 16 gauge sheet metal
48"x1" stick of 1/8" galvanized steel
Two 8mm x 1.0 thread x 40mm bolts for mounting cooler bracket, along with the requisite nuts and lock washers
Two 6mm x 1.0 thread x 30mm bolts for mounting the cooler to its bracket, along with the requisite lock nuts and washers
Three 8mm x 1.0 thread x 50mm bolts for mounting the remote filter mount to its bracket, along with the requisite lock nuts and washers
Three 6mm x 1.0 thread x 30mm bolts for mounting the remote filter mount bracket to the frame rail
Four 8mm washers to shim the gap between the oil cooler bracket and the mounting points on the car (the bracket ended up being 24" long, but the mounting points were just slight further apart ... I used two washers on each side to provide a flush mount).
Several 8" zip ties

TOOLS:
Hack saw with one fresh 18T blade
Drill with 8mm and 6mm bits
13mm wrench and socket
10mm wrench and socket
3/8" drive ratchet
3/8" ratchet swivel adapter
3/8" various ratchet extenders
Hammer
Two pieces of 2x4, about 1' long
Sturdy work bench
Two 4" C Clamps
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

AznDrgn · Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 3:51 am Post subject:

Looks good. You installed it almost in the exact places that I did except for I didn't fab any brackets and I just zip tied everything in place. You'll definately notice your oil pressure staying up higher and you'll rarely if ever see the oil light blip on after a hard run. Only thing I didn't like about this setup was that it retains 2 quarts in the cooler and lines that doesn't come out during an oil change unless you unmount it and dump it.
_________________
-'87 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 6" of lift 33" Super Swampers

-'83 Callaway 944 2.5L turbo, 300HP, 1 of 42 ever made

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

AznDrgn · Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 4:16 am Post subject:

leadfoot · Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 7:27 pm Post subject:

Where is your thermostat?? Wont the cold oil pressure split the hoses.??
I like the idea of not having to take off the oil filter to get at the starter motor though.
Looks like a nice job... well done, I too will be following in your footsteps shortly. I found a local guy who is selling an oil cooler he had on a '78 924.
No remote mount but it has a thermostat.
Leadfoot

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

There was no thermostat that came with it, so I didn't even think about it. I ran it some last night, and the oil pressure doesn't seem too high. When cold, it runs at 4 bar at idle, and not quite 6 bar under acceleration. When hot, it runs at normal pressures, about 2 bar at idle and 4-5 bar under accleration.

Any suggestions on a oil temp thermostat? Where would be the best place to install it?

The hoses seem to be pretty darn beefy. I secured all of the hoses last night and put some protective shielding around them in a few worrisome spots. I'll post pix later tonite.
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

AznDrgn · Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 5:52 am Post subject:

Won't be a problem during the warm months but you should look into getting one before winter. It's not 100% neccessary but it's very nice to have. Just install it on the outlet of the remote filter mount. I believe 924Racer has the setup on his website wit hpictures as well as where to get them.
_________________
-'87 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 6" of lift 33" Super Swampers

-'83 Callaway 944 2.5L turbo, 300HP, 1 of 42 ever made

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

Cool, thanks, I'll add one of those to my to-do list. Should be do-able before winter.

New question: how do you attach the hose ends to the hose???

If it's easy to do, I may get some new fittings and trim my hoses so they're not so dang long...

TIA
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

AznDrgn · Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 11:23 am Post subject:

The hose ends just push on or twist on.
_________________
-'87 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 6" of lift 33" Super Swampers

-'83 Callaway 944 2.5L turbo, 300HP, 1 of 42 ever made

endwrench · Joined: 07 Dec 2002 Posts: 1631 Location: Victor, Montana

Nice photo tech! I wouldn't consider it overkill at all. Even the Major manufactures have figured this out. You can hardly buy a truck or SUV without one and half the cars do to. Definetly extends oil life so therefore extends engine life.

Todd

leadfoot · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 1:02 pm Post subject:

I just picked up mine the other day, not a remote mount though, utillises a sandwich plate to seperate the filter/cooler.
Thermostat runs inline between the cooler and sandwich plate, dual inlet and outlet.
According to the guy I bought it from it came from Automotion. I have to do a search via the patent number as it's got no brand markings on it at all.
You might still be able to purchase a thermostat through them?? Although it has no electrical connections so a custom fitting would need to be employed in order to mount a sender.
Leadfoot

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

Racer Parts Wholesale has exactly what I need in a thermostat. When I get the new oil cooler for the 931 rebuild, I'll pick up an extra thermostat and some new hose fittings. I have enough extra hose with this setup that I can "splice" the hose, add the new fittings, and add the thermostat with very little difficulty.
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made