Glen & Kris

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1990 Volkswagen Corrado Oil Cooler Installation

Here is the Mocal 13-row oil cooler and 180° thermostatic oil filter adapter plate I installed in the VW Corrado.

This shows the upper mount for the oil cooler in the right front fender. The front of the vehicle is at the lower right in this photo.

Here is another view of the upper oil cooler mount. The outer mount is attached to the fender with rivets and the inner mount is attached to a bumper standoff with a pair of M5 bolts.

A view of the oil cooler from the front. Despite appearances, there is about ½" clearance between the cooler and the frame.

Here is the lower oil cooler mount. It is made from 1/8" 3003 H14 (half-hard) aluminum. This alloy is often used for tanks, heat exchangers, and general sheet metal work. It welds and forms well and it has good corrosion resistance.

This shows the lower mount in place. The aluminum mount is riveted to a steel strip that bolts through the spoiler lip and into a steel superstructure that supports the valance below the bumper cap.

Here is a view of the oil cooler from slightly below.

This picture shows a shield I installed underneath the oil cooler to protect it from debris. The shield is made of 1/8" thick UHMW plastic - this material is very tough and will not crack in low temperatures.

The oil cooler and mount are above the lip of the spoiler and are protected by the steel superstructure to which the spoiler mounts.

The air-to-air heat exchanger for the supercharger sits in the left front wheel well. The oil cooler has a similar air path as the intercooler.

Here is the right front fender liner with louvres cut into it. I used a heat gun set at about 350 F° to heat the high density polyethylene fender liner. Then I bent the louvres to shape with a pair of pliers.

Another view of the fender liner.

The fender liner originally located an air duct for cooling the brakes — I removed the duct to make way for the cooler. The duct opening is covered with aluminum mesh to keep rocks from striking the oil cooler. The mesh is painted with a stone guard coating (like what's used on rocker panels).

This is the side of the fender liner that is towards the oil cooler.

Here is the fender liner installed.

The evaporative system was removed to make room for the cooler. All these parts plus 12 feet of ¼" line were removed. The old water-to-oil oil cooler is at the bottom of the photo. The water lines on the vehicle were replaced with parts off a Mk1 Golf that do not have the T for the oil cooler (VW part numbers 026 121 053 G and 068 121 063 M).

I had to rebuild the gas tank to account for the change in venting. Three different sizes of gas and alcohol resistant rubber line were used to re-plumb the tank. The old lines were cracked and weeping at the joints; the hose clamps were all solid lumps of rust.

After running the oil cooler a few months, I've decided to put a pair of Spal 4" fans on the cooler. Here is a picture of one of the fans and the parts I fabricated to mount them.

I created an 1/8" neoprene gasket to sit between the fan body and the cooler. On the opposite side of the cooler, an aluminum C channel clamps the fan in place with two M5 x 90mm screws and locknuts.

Here are the fans mounted on the back side of the cooler — they are puller fans. Rubber fuel line slipped over the long mounting screws prevents metal to metal contact.

Here is a photo of the C channels on the front of the cooler. They sit on 1/8" neoprene pads and are cut out in the middle to maximize air flow.