How to recreate our Elva Mk VI’s original oil cooler setup

Update by Tim Suddard to the Elva Mk VI project car
Feb 11, 2025 | Elva, Restoration, Elva Mk VI

Photography by Tim Suddard

From looking at old pictures, we knew our Elva Mk VI sports racer would have had an oil cooler. We could even see the remains of an oil cooler mounted next to the engine.

For some strange reason, these mounts had long been cut off. As usual, this project took ever more sleuth work to reconstruct.

Judging from these pictures, this oil cooler measured about 12x3 inches tall and had an aluminum duct in the floor area before it. For best airflow, we’d need to recreate that duct as well.

We sourced a similar 10-row, 13.3x3 oil cooler (part No. OC5103) from British America Transfer.

We cut off the remnants of the old brackets from the frame tubes and welded up a new pair of mounting brackets. We could then mount the cooler in the same position that it was in originally.

The lines needed to plumb the oil cooler came from BAT as well. Our Coventry Climax engine and the oil cooler both use British threads (1/2" BSP) and not the more typical (at least in this country) AN threads.

To protect our engine and keep our oil filtered, we would need to include an inline oil filter which would also need a mount–and, again, BAT had it in stock.

They sent us a right-to-left flow (part No. RFH1B) spin-on oil filter mount. These mounts take a ¾" x16 thread oil filter, which we readily found at a local auto parts store. We used a Mobil 1 No. M1-204A.

When we go to a concours event, we can paint over the modern marking on the filter to make it look more original–or at least less blatantly unoriginal. This mount featured the same ½" BSP thread as our engine and oil cooler inlet and outlet.

[Video: Judges reveal how to win at a Concours d’Elegance]

With our oil cooler and our oil filter mounted, we could determine what length and angle lines we would need. We also wanted these lines to look period correct. In 1962, line fittings were not bright red or blue. Those colors first came into vogue in the late ’60s.

The lines we chose are made from similar components as to what was used in the era. The plated steel 1/2" BSP hose ends were crimped (swaged) onto high-temperature rubber hose. In this case, BAT used a version with a stainless-steel cover over a similar interior specification hose. These types of hoses are originally used on ’50s and ’60s British sports cars optioned with front-mount oil coolers.

BAT still sells hose like this as service replacements in stock/standard lengths or as custom with options of 00º, 45º or 90º hose ends.

So, for less than $300, we had an oil cooler, filter, filter adapter and oil cooler lines all set up. And, again, we solved another system seemingly out of thin air.