The Official 356Talk Forum

I was on the Vintage speed list on the Samba and saw the 36hp weirdos talking about this little item.
It's basically a stock looking VW steel cooler but made of aluminum for "superior cooling." It has the larger oil holes that came on later cases, which means early engine guys have to use adapter seals, the green ones.
It's a sixth of the price of the ones made for 356s, which got me thinking, are these a possible alternative to the crazy expensive ones?

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 17-021-EAL

Dan, I do believe that the oil coolers fired to the small oil pump engines were the same as the VW ones so it should be a direct replacement with the correct seal adapters. If I had a cooling problem I would probably take the risk and try one.

Dan,

The cooler shown looks like the early VW all metal version used on the early A/B series--real early's didn't have any 'mesh' between the vertical tubes; The next steel series had some mesh, and the later C's had a lotta mesh which required the 28-blade fan.
Finally, the 912 cooler has a tab @ the top for an upper soft-mount to the fan shroud and parts to soft-mount the slightly longer mounting studs to fit the case's pad having the O-ring seats and spacers.
None of the above were aluminum until the aftermarkets came along; Several versions--either 5-or 6-vert. tubes!

Dick
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I just ordered one to check it out. It will get a pressure test first, then a douche with brake cleaner to see if anything foreign is inside. I'll also weigh it compared to original coolers and the nice alu coolers we have available now from Porsche vendors. I wouldn't use this cooler on a later engine, but for early or low compression/HP engines that don't get used often, it could be a good option. It is cheaper than ultrasonic cleaning and pressure test of an old cooler, but it is new at least. I suspect there might be quality issues given the price.

EW

Aluminum studs? Powder coated? Be careful!

DonCichocki wrote:Aluminum studs? Powder coated? Be careful!

+1

Aluminum studs would be questionable where vibration is great enough to actually crack an engine case.

The aluminum studs would be a deal breaker for me. It appears that the entire unit is powder coated which ought to help keep the temperature in rather than dissipating it.

The first word in the title of this thread might be a clue.

....and cheap isn't usually the least expensive.

.. and cheap usually ends up making you do the job twice. Once cheap and once right.

Anything "Cheap" in a motor will probably not be. We use nothing but the best parts we can find. Price is secondary. The labor is the same, so always use the best. ……….…...Jim.

Sage advice from some very knowledgeable veterans of 356 lore!
Ray

Well, will see what I get and report back. I can't imagine it really has aluminum studs, but will find out. If it's a POS, you all can laugh at me for buying a $100 paperweight.

No, Eric, we won't laugh at you. We need guys who have the guts to check out this stuff. You're doing us a service. If it turns out to a piece of junk, we should take up a collection to offset your cost.

Interesting. My B cooler is in good condition and cools effectively. It has a fine mesh between the uprights. A question - what colour were they originally? Also what colour is the best for heat dissipation? Black I assume.