Dog house oil cooler conversion

[louisb]

Quick question. A friend of mine is trying to upgrade his 1500 to a 1600 with a dog house cooler. He has the cooler and the adapter. What else does he need as far as the seals and the studs.

Thanks,

--louis

[Sam K]

The seals you need are commonly called "queer seals". They are basically single port seals on one side and doghouse seals on the other. As far as the studs go, you need to drill out the two hole that protrude over the #3/4 cylinders to accomodate the larger (8mm) studs on the doghouse adapter. The 6mm stud that sticks out of the case is usually too short as well. You can either replace it with a longer 6mm stud and use a washer to hold it on or drill and tap it for an 8 x 1.25 stud. I  prefer the latter. I also use a flat washer and a wavy washer on all the bolts/studs to prevent them coming loose. Another thing you should think about doing is to install the treaded insert from a dual port case into the upper engine to transmission bolt on the drivers side. The tin for the doghouse covers the hole up, making the single port nut and bolt combo hard to use. The last thing you will need is the appropriate fan shroud, triangle tin exhaust duct, rear tin and the seals for them. I also like to put some foam strips for door weatherstripping on the outside of the cooler to make sure all the air goes through the cooler rather than around it. It's available at any hardware store. Good luck!

[Jim Ratto]

The seals you need are commonly called "queer seals". They are basically single port seals on one side and doghouse seals on the other. As far as the studs go, you need to drill out the two hole that protrude over the #3/4 cylinders to accomodate the larger (8mm) studs on the doghouse adapter. The 6mm stud that sticks out of the case is usually too short as well. You can either replace it with a longer 6mm stud and use a washer to hold it on or drill and tap it for an 8 x 1.25 stud. I  prefer the latter. I also use a flat washer and a wavy washer on all the bolts/studs to prevent them coming loose. Another thing you should think about doing is to install the treaded insert from a dual port case into the upper engine to transmission bolt on the drivers side. The tin for the doghouse covers the hole up, making the single port nut and bolt combo hard to use. The last thing you will need is the appropriate fan shroud, triangle tin exhaust duct, rear tin and the seals for them. I also like to put some foam strips for door weatherstripping on the outside of the cooler to make sure all the air goes through the cooler rather than around it. It's available at any hardware store. Good luck!

Dude, you hit the nail on the head! Even down to the 10mm insert for the upper LH mounting bolt. Great advice.
If a guy was afraid of drilling case for 8mm, he could use  8-6mm stepstuds, but drilling the holes is no big deal.

[Sam K]

Thanks! I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to my oil and cooling systems. One thing I forgot to add, though, is that dual port fans are bigger than single port fans so that should be changed as well. 

[louisb]

Thanks! I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to my oil and cooling systems. One thing I forgot to add, though, is that dual port fans are bigger than single port fans so that should be changed as well. 

Thanks! That is just what I needed. I am not sure how he will feel about drilling the case. I may have to hunt up those step studs.

--louis

[Donny B.]

Louis, let me know if you can't find the step studs.  I have some.  I have also used them to repair stripped out studs in the bottom of an old case for the drain plate.  That is sometimes easier than an helicoil.

[louisb]

Thanks Donny. I will let you know if we need them.

--louis