Wolverine finned oil lines, anybody use these? Options

[JimmyG]

For the fall, I am interested in getting my 6 conversion car completed. I am going with a Mocal front cooler and wanted a little extra cooling for the hot Alabama summers. I am considering using the Wolverine boiler finned cooling lines to run up the longitudinal and putting a 12an fitting on each end to help the cooling to the cooler and back to the engine. I don't know anything about these lines or if this would help any. Can someone who has used this stuff give me a little feedback so I don't make a mistake.

Thanks!

Jimmy

[SirAndy]

Dunno about those lines, but generally, the more surface area, the more cooling you get.

I run my oil lines inside the cabin and i can tell you that they DO get hot. Very hot.

If you run them outside along the long, find a way to get airflow on them, maybe open the rocker covers front and rear to let air go through.

That should help with the cooling as well ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy

PS: You have to run a thermostat, ideally as close to the engine as possible. There is such a thing as too much cooling and a thermostat will ensure the engine gets up to operating temps.

[JimmyG]

Yeah, Andy,

I can imagine that running them inside the cab would reduce the cooling. I do have a thermostat that Iam going to mount next to the firewall engine mount and run the lines up the outside of the long to the cooler in the front. During the summer months on the interstate and at Barber's track it gets really hot and I am looking for a little extra. My plan was to use this finned tube if someone has used it without any problems on the outside long location. I had planned on cutting a hole in the front and rear and putting a screen on the rocker cover to let the air in and the heat out. I'm jusy concerned about using this tube and wanted to make sure with some of you gurus if the application was ok running hot oil through this copper tube made for high pressure coolant.

BTW, I haven't read all 5 or 6 pages of the trans clinic in Hotlanta. What is the date?

Dunno about those lines, but generally, the more surface area, the more cooling you get.

I run my oil lines inside the cabin and i can tell you that they DO get hot. Very hot.

If you run them outside along the long, find a way to get airflow on them, maybe open the rocker covers front and rear to let air go through.

That should help with the cooling as well ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy

PS: You have to run a thermostat, ideally as close to the engine as possible. There is such a thing as too much cooling and a thermostat will ensure the engine gets up to operating temps.

[tomeric914]

Wolverine tubes are a mainstay of the HVAC industry. Enhanced tubes (both inner and outer) are used mainly in large centrifugal chillers where water is on one side of the tube and refrigerant on the other. They do provide a marginal increase in heat transfer over smooth tubes for this application. Not so much in boilers though due to the increased likelihood of tube fouling.

HVAC heating and cooling coils on the other hand use smooth bore tubes both inside and out. There is little heat transfer benefit on an enhanced (expensive) tube as a liquid to air heat exchanger.

Want a better idea? Go down to your local home improvement store and pick up some 1/2" or 3/4" baseboard radiation (the stuff with the aluminum fins on it). If I remember correctly, 3/4" baseboard radiation is good for 600-700 btuh per foot with a 180 degree fluid temperature.