Oil cooler reinforcement question

RVNewsletter · Post by **RVNewsletter** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:47 pm

Howdy: The baffles are almost done on the project, so I can go ahead and get going on cutting the hole for the oil cooler and shoring up that corner of the baffling. The question: How MUCH shoring up? It's about a 1" flange, I think. I suppose I could order a 1" angle of.063 to put there, or maybe just cut and bend a piece of .032.

What do you recommend?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:27 pm

Hey Bob! Mine did crack in that corner (so did Brian's, Brantel), and I ended up putting a .125 angle there...

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:54 pm

I too beefed up my installation with .125 angle in 2 places.
See pictures below.

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:11 pm

Am I the only lucky one who has gotten away with an un-cracked baffle?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:03 pm

bullojm1 wrote:Am I the only lucky one who has gotten away with an un-cracked baffle?

Must be that super smooth flying you do!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:09 am

Same as Chad, .125 angle.. grind a radius on the vertex of the angle to allow it to sit flush with the radius of the corner.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:05 am

bullojm1 wrote:Am I the only lucky one who has gotten away with an un-cracked baffle?

I beefed up mine from the get-go, so I wouldn't have to deal with any cracking

.

Eventually your's may crack, let us know how many hours you get when it starts to show up

itisgood · Post by **itisgood** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:56 pm

I visited a man who built a Glassair. He mounted his oil cooler on the lower cowling, with a piano hinge, to remove it when he removed the cowling. He used a louver under the cooler and scat tubing from the upper cooling baffeling for the air scoop. He had no cooling problems. I think I will do that when the time comes.
Thought I would pass on a different application.
Dave

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 6:47 pm

I've seen that type of install before, but not on an RV...interesting. Lots of firewall mounted oil coolers on RV's.

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:05 pm

My RV-6A has the oil cooler mounted at the rear of Cyl '#4 in the baffeling and I have 130 hours on it. I used the angle on the baffel rienforcement called for in Van's plans for the baffel. I will knock on my wooden head that it doesn't crack on me.

I will be keeping an eye on it.