The Official 356Talk Forum

I get this question a lot. I've started sending people this pic of my engine room. If they are worth anything, I'm going to be rich! But alas, most people use new ones when doing re-builds now.

Hi Adam
when Stoddard had a lot of oversize pistons available they would have Ray Litz bore a cylinder and would give him a piston for his trouble or so the story goes.
j

Sometimes Adam you have to simply let go.
I had a huge plastic tub full of those and finally tossed them. Couldn't give them away.

When you consider the labor involved, most of the time it doesn't make sense to use other than new parts. Years ago, when the cars were worth less, folks sometimes only changed one piston & cylinder to cure a problem. It might have made more sense to those who didn't have the money for a complete new set.

Start making lamps out of them, Adam. You might make out yet!

Hi Adam
i sell oversize pistons and have the cylinders bored. if they don't have cylinders i will refer them to you. the most popular ones called for are the 912 birals.
j

I would NEVER bore a 912 biral cylinder. Too thin. Have seen enough cracked stock-size ones.

This was more a diatribe about something that happens fairly often. I go to a guy's place to buy some stuff and he has stuff that I already have hundreds of. So if I have 200 oil coolers, how much is the 201st worth to me? (The shelf pictured is 2 feet deep) I politely explain this and the guy starts telling me he has been on the internet all night and Part X is worth $500! I'm just a scoundrel for trying to give him pennies on the dollar. When the reality is while much of the 356 parts are worth a lot of money, a lot of it isn't worth "the powder to blow it up" to quote my friend Dick Hyland.
Also, the things that used to be coveted like decent pistons and cylinders, because no one was making new ones, are now virtually worthless because the new ones are superior, and cheap.

Does anyone even buy used oil coolers anymore? I could never get rid of mine when I tried to sell them. Same with old tear drop lenses...now jacks, they aren't reproducing them yet.

Dan Epperly wrote:Does anyone even buy used oil coolers anymore? I could never get rid of mine when I tried to sell them. Same with old tear drop lenses...now jacks, they aren't reproducing them yet.

The stuff that sells, does so quickly, the rest piles up. I remember when Parker Tyler wanted me to buy his stuff, he had 275 B/C steering columns, I bet he never sold many of those.
Now A steering wheels, they sell!

Adam,
Looking at those photos I know what I'll be taking to the metal pile at the dump this weekend. I even pressure tested the oil coolers to make sure that they didn't leak but nobody wants them.

Rather than throwing away, perhaps contacting the "Steam Punk Art" makers for these items that seemingly have no value.

https://www.google.com/search?q=steampu ... 00&bih=511

I was just reading that the oil coolers could be full of dangerous bits - like piston fragments. Could ruin an engine.

Steven Murray wrote:I was just reading that the oil coolers could be full of dangerous bits - like piston fragments. Could ruin an engine.

When rebuilding the engine for our 63 Cab, went to my local FBO and talked to the A&P shop mechanic for their recommendation on cleaning the oil cooler, they suggested the following and the results were perfect:

http://www.oilcoolers.com/

Well if the oil cooler is out of your sweetheart I could see having a shop clean it but if you don't know where it's been it could have ingested hard bits from an engine blow-up. I was also reading alot about the bypass filter system on these engines, which don't filter much (so straight into the oil cooler) . I think this all hurts the value of oil coolers more than any other used part.

I have to admit I didn't read all the material in the link - maybe these guys have this all under control. The book I'm reading is 25 years old.

Adam

With that many used coolers, you should look into a cleaning and pressure test fixture. Fixtures are pretty simple and you could make the value of the inventory higher. It takes a coupe hours to clean, flush, leak check and paint one, Most of that time is unattended, flushing, but plastic leak check tub and paint is easy.
Buying one "as removed" is often sketchy, but overhauled or tested and repaired makes a valuable asset, espically with the increase requirements for originality in restorations.