 Birth of an Oil Cooler... |
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| Darren65 |
 Jul 11 2025, 03:03 PM
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#21
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Newbie  Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None  |
At the same time discussions were had regarding the core to be used and here there was a bit of a compromise...
....the engineering company recommended the same core being used on the original RSR cooler. Initially I fought against this as the core construction is what's known as tube and fin rather than bar and plate as it would have been. No doubt what I was ideally after could have been made somewhere but at what cost! I was also informed that this could be done in other parts of the world although I was strongly advised, through experience, that the end result would be a heavy inefficient core made from poor quality material that ultimately would hardly work! Whilst I wanted my oil coolers to look as original as possible the main criteria was for them to be fully functioning motorsport quality items. Accepting the professional advice the cores used were UK manufactured of high quality, super lightweight and I was informed likely more efficient than the originals.... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752267836.1.jpg) ... |
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| live free & drive |
Jul 11 2025, 04:28 PM
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#22
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Member Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 29-June 16 From: New Hampshire Member No.: 20,159 Region Association: None 
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Did you investigate the Robert Puekert (sp) oil coolers? They had weldments as end caps and not castings:
https://www.carpoint.de/porsche-ersatzteile...914-6_2646_3704 |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 12:24 AM
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#23
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
The end tanks were then machined and threaded. The oil tanks work with a pretty rudimentary relief valve which opens slightly if there's a surge to prevent the core from blowing, with the help of @sixnotfour on here I was able to have these made with special springs fabricated to match the originals in length, width, number of coils and wire diameter etc so that they perform as they should....
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752301486.1.jpg) ...with the coolers then beautifully fabricated the final piece of the jigsaw was to have them applied with a protective coating. The modern options for this give a clear finish which doesn't look right imo although I learnt that in period this would have been an Alocrom 407 coating which gives that distinctive greenish tinge to old aluminium products. Not common these days but I was put in touch with a manufacturing company that still employed the process... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752301486.2.jpg) ....and finally I had a proper authentic reproduction for my 3.0RS project.... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752301486.3.jpg) |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 12:24 AM
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#24
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
QUOTE(live free & drive @ Jul 11 2025, 04:28 PM)  Did you investigate the Robert Puekert (sp) oil coolers? They had weldments as end caps and not castings: https://www.carpoint.de/porsche-ersatzteile...914-6_2646_3704 I have seen them but wouldn't know how they perform and obviously they don't look very authentic and are a modern solution for a rare part. Other than the look, the main thing I would query with this cooler is the weight as it's super heavy. For ours we could have gone with a core from China although I was strongly advised against as through experience it was found that these were made with poor quality aluminium with thick pathways that restricted oil flow and rendered the core pretty inefficient. That's where the weight comes from. I'm not suggesting that's the case with these cores but if considering one would want to know that the core came a good quality supplier. If you could live with the look and it performs well then a decent priced option for sure. |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 01:01 AM
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#25
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
With my own need satisfied and one cooler set aside for a friend I now had 8 very authentic 3.0RS/RSR oil coolers for sale....
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303670.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303670.2.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303671.3.jpg) ...with such a small target audience these were never going to romp away but did prove popular over the next several months and went to some very nice cars and received high praise with one customer saying 'that it matched his original RS cooler perfectly with the exception being that mine was better and it didn't leak!' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I was also thrilled to supply one to Racing Driver George Dyer for his recreation of his original RSR #9048 in which he won the 12-Hours of Sebring back in 1977 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) ... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303671.4.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303671.5.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303671.6.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752303671.7.jpg) ...with the remaining 8 coolers sold I was happy and sorted, ultimately it hadn't cost me a fortune and I figured I was done with making oil coolers. But then two things happened that were to change that... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 06:01 AM
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#26
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
The first thing to happen was when I was approached by a well known early Porsche Race Team owner who was running a few cars at Rennsport Reunion who asked if I could supply an oil cooler for one of his customers who was racing an original 3.0RSR at the event.
Obviously the thought of having one of my coolers in a real RSR racing at Laguna Seca was too exciting a prospect to pass up and I had one cooler that was ready to go however this was being saved for a friend and therefore I agreed to help but only if I could get a second batch made. The problem I now had was the engineering company that first helped had been purchased by a far larger organisation who weren't at all interested in small projects like mine. I therefore reached out to the casting and core companies we had used previously and went back to Bob and Clare at Concept Racing who all said they could help and we were in business. It's not practical to fabricate these things one at a time and therefore a new small batch was commissioned. And I sent a cooler to be used at Rennsport Reunion in an original 3.0RSR (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) .... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752321695.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752321696.2.jpg) ... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 06:26 AM
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#27
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
At the same time I was approached by my friend, long time early Porsche enthusiast and racer Paul Howells. Paul is lucky enough to own an original 911 2.8RSR #1054.
Paul had some years previously purchased an untouched NOS 2.8RSR oil cooler and suggested that as the 3.0 coolers had turned out so well we do the same and use his cooler to help fabricate a batch of reproduction coolers for the 2.8RSR and 914-6 GT. I had now developed good relationships with the anally obsessive engineer draughtsman, the precision casting company and core supplier as well as the company that applied the Alocrom protective coating. I had made good friends with the guy that helped with machining and made the relief valves and Paul is long time best friends with Clare and Bob at Concept Racing and therefore it would have been mad not too! Whilst Paul wanted to use one in his real RSR I obviously didn't need one so offered to help Paul with the contacts for him to complete the project. Paul suggested a partnership and this is the way we went.... This is what we hoped to copy exactly (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) ... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752323199.1.jpg) ....although this project took a little longer!!! |
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| Montreal914 |
Jul 12 2025, 10:05 AM
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#28
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1,903 Joined: 8-August 10 From: Claremont, CA Member No.: 12,023 Region Association: Southern California
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Speachless. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pray.gif)
Thank you for sharing. |
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| live free & drive |
Jul 12 2025, 10:11 AM
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#29
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Member Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 29-June 16 From: New Hampshire Member No.: 20,159 Region Association: None
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Really excellent - the proper coating/plating is hard to find and the icing on the cake! Do you have any that have not had the ears welded on yet?
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:32 PM
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#30
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
Thank you guys, appreciate the kind comments and @live free & drive we certainly do - more info to follow.
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:42 PM
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#31
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
The reason this particular project stalled for circa 18 months or so was because we wanted to explore core options and how accurate we could get thing.....and after searching high and low and around the world.....
....we went back to our original UK source!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752352943.1.jpg)r ....and absolutely nothing wrong with that! The cores are motorsport quality, super lightweight, fully pressure tested, made to the exact length and height of the original with the exact number of oil tubes. And as I mentioned earlier, Bob at Concept Racing expects these to be more efficient than the original and provide superior cooling. These worked out just fine! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) .... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:45 PM
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#32
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
In the interim we were busy with having the CAD files produced to create the castings...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353146.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353147.2.jpg) .... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:49 PM
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#33
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
And this time we also had the end tanks 3D Printed to check against Paul's original Behr cooler....note the brackets for the 2.8RSR version were also to be cast as per the factory originals...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353381.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353381.2.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353381.3.jpg) ..... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:52 PM
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#34
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
Then it was the familiar process of having the end tanks cast...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353562.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353563.2.jpg) .... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 02:55 PM
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#35
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
...followed by machining and producing the relief valves...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353757.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752353757.2.jpg) ..... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 03:02 PM
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#36
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
...fabrication of the highest and most beautiful standard (you really should check out some of Bob's work at https://conceptracing.co.uk ) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) ...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354169.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354169.2.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354169.3.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354169.4.jpg) ... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 03:05 PM
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#37
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
....and finally dipping and protection....
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354306.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-28677-1752354306.2.jpg) ..... |
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| Darren65 |
Jul 12 2025, 03:12 PM
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#38
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 38 Joined: 25-March 25 From: Wiltshire Member No.: 28,677 Region Association: None |
Of course none of this is due to any talent from Paul and I, we're just the instigators who nudged this project along....
....the real praise goes to the skills and passion of the people who helped put these together (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) As I said earlier I've always been lucky with my projects and we couldn't have been more fortunate to find such a great bunch of talented people to help us along the way. We're really please with the end result....following is few photos of our reproduction 2.8RSR cooler side by side with Paul's original NOS Behr cooler... .... |
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