Oil cooler kit VS building my own kit
 

Hey guys! Don't get mad, I know this has been posted but my
Phone is wonky with this site so I can't search threads..
Anyway would it be more cost effective to piece together my own oil cooler kit or buy a premade kit? Would a universal kit work? Thanks ~~~kev

Do you have access to build custom AN lines and buy the correct fittings? And build your own mount? Those are really the biggest of the reasons to piece your own together, to customize those things.

First off, I suggest you get a new phone - ;)

Second off, unless you're tracking your car, I don't reckon it needs an oil cooler.

I'll summon ol @Ultramaroon for you - he has an oil cooler but doesn't track his car, nor does he live in a hot climate.

(so, why did he install an oil cooler? - :iono:)

:scared0016:

I am now 6 for 6 for building my own setups with zero issues. Pretty simple and easy really. Saves a decent amount of money too.

Second that. I really wanted JR one but during 2020 it was a shitshow shipping anything from US/UK to Poland so I did my own heavily inspired by JR mounting style but using only Setrab/Aeroquip parts. Can't remember the total cost of the build but it was quite a bit cheaper than buying any kit available locally to me. After getting the Setrab core and doing all the measurements designing mounting solution became a fun little project.

https://i.ibb.co/8df9p80/mount.png

rivnuts, straight brackets, and L brackets. Make mounting oil coolers / trans coolers a breeze.

I vote for R&D and tried and true but it's a little costly.

I went with peace of mind and use the HKS cooler. Works great! Highly recommend.
https://youtu.be/JiXGFHgva5o

Good luck with your project!

Definitely a nice kit for sure.

But there is nothing special or propriety about it, or any kit.
It’s basically just an oil cooler, some fittings, some hoses, a sandwich plate, and a method for mounting.

Can purchase all that for about 1/3rd the price yourself. Coming up with a mounting solution is also incredibly simple.

You can always piece together your own kit for less, but what is the value of your own time? Do you already own the necessary equipment to fabricate the parts?

Most folks will go with a pre-made kit that's tried and true, for just plug and play ease. Some folks like to make their own stuff, and will go that way.

If you want a ready to go kit, CSG has many options in stock.

For an oil cooler you can literally buy all the exact same components used, same setrab cooler mocal thermo plate or whatever brands of your liking. Can literally peice together a replica without the markup.

The only thing remotely “proprietary” is the mounting solution.

With rivnuts, straight brackets, and L brackets you can easily mount the cooler in any fashion you like, almost exactly replicating any other kits or doing it a unique method/location of your liking. No frabrication, R&D etc… does not take much time at all either. If you have the ability to install an oil cooler you can make your own that’ll be just as effective.

You can obviously start adding some complexity with a ducting solution if desired. How you bring air in / vent air out etc.. but most kits solution for this is either little to none, or incredibly easy to replicate. IE just dremel out fog light bezel and installing a vent/screen on fender liner.

I agree with everyone else here. If you have mechanical fabrication skills and tooling then yes you can put your own setup together with no issues. If not buy a pre made kit it will be less expensive in the long run.

FreeCAD


respect

https://i.imgur.com/1o6ohVI.jpg

Hah that's it . I never did anything else than 2d vector graphics before but it's quite a friendly software once you start going. Not my preferred one (I did try a few else too) but for such an easy project it wasn't bad and too time consuming.