I am to a point where I need my oil cooler modified by welding an aluminum AN-16 elbow fitting to the aluminum tube just below the engine mounted oil cooler.

I am looking for suggestions...

Who currently does a good job welding the aluminum fitting on and what kind of pricing?

(If it was steel, I'd do it myself)

I will do it for free.

I'm a somewhat accomplished TIG welder in aluminum. I have to do this mod on Liz's engine, but have not done it before. The narrow space between the cooler and the fitting on the top presents some welding challenges, but I'm pretty sure I have the knowledge to make the mod.

If you send the cooler and the fitting, it'll be free but there won't be a warranty.

What's to loose?

this mod?

QUOTE (Aaron Cox @ Nov 29 2005, 08:51 PM)

this mod?

No, you have to shorten the pipe/tube about half as long as it is, then weld a new AN fitting on there with a brace. This is so stock 91406 oil lines will mount up properly.

QUOTE

No, you have to shorten the pipe/tube about half as long as it is, then weld a new AN fitting on there with a brace. This is so stock 91406 oil lines will mount up properly.

no brandoholio....

you make a right angle....here. to clear the inner suspension ear

Yes, this mod is what I am needing to have done.

I will probably want to duplicate the one in the race car (since I know it works well). It is a -16 Aluminum elbow.


Joe, I may take you up on your offer. (I'll take some pics of how I would like the fitting installed)

Thanks.

I sent mine to PMS. In all candor I have not been happy with this particular transaction. PMS did a good job with everything I've up to this point. He's had the cooler for 4 weeks. This afternoon I had a come Jesus talk with him. It's come down to either send my old cooler back or send me a modified cooler...he claims he's sending me a modified cooler and came up with a UPS tracking number.

Just prior to the talk I had been checking my options. Clewett Engineering in LA does them as does Rich Johnson. Right now I just can't recommend PMS for this work.

Later,
Kevin

Here's what mine will look like...

Stock 914/6 oil coolers on the motor have the cooler as attached (unless you have a 964 motor).

2 solutions apparently.

cool.

AA

I'll take some better pics, but this is what I could dig up at the moment. The fitting is aimed slightly down (which gives a little more clearance to the exhaust valve cover yet still keeps it away from the header tube).

This one was done 13-14 years ago. I think my dad had it done by Galen Bieker (Beiker Engineering???) out in California. But I may not recall correctly.

Words to the wise. Media blast off the anodizing to get a good weld.

My welder did the mod for $100. Let me watch,too.


KT

The 90 degree modification makes me a tad nervous about cavitating oil flow. A stock cooler bend appears to be more gentle....



I would think that a 90 degree -16 AN elbow could be heliarced in place with a support and provide that gentle bend.

But I could be wrong....

I just cut off the tube flush with the end of the cooler, and tap the tube with a 3/4 NPT tap and screw in a 3/4NPT to -12AN fitting. The only difficult part is to index the tap and the fitting so the fitting bottoms out (for max clearance) pointed in the right direction, which is towards the front of the car angled about 15* down.

I wouldn't worry about the flow on a 90* fitting, full flow fittings mean just that, and that is on the suction side of the oil pump, so as long as you've got oil there should be no worries.

QUOTE (9146986 @ Nov 30 2005, 06:42 AM)

I just cut off the tube flush with the end of the cooler, and tap the tube with a 3/4 NPT tap and screw in a 3/4NPT to -12AN fitting. The only difficult part is to index the tap and the fitting so the fitting bottoms out (for max clearance) pointed in the right direction, which is towards the front of the car angled about 15* down.

I like this idea, but the fitting should really be a -16. I don't know if there's enough material to tap that area for a 1" fitting.

I'm thinking that I might want to cut the pipe off flush and then weld a -16 fitting to the flange from the INSIDE (flange side). I'll have to look, but that might be the most reliable access for the torch. Access for the torch is really the main issue here. If I can get the torch in there, I'm confident I can make a fluid-tight weld.

Otto's does a very nice job of what AAaron has in his pic.
What passes these days for the "stock 914/6" line fits nicely.

This is a pretty clean solution...it was on a 2.0 six I had:

Goose, thats the modification i was speaking of.