Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

spearfish25 · 11-07-2010, 06:01 PM

I just got finished installing an oil cooler cover with a friend and had a breakthrough that's worth sharing.

My initial plan was to use some 1/16" aluminum from Home Depot (heating/AC section) which comes in 12" by 36" sheets for about $10. I have a Setrab cooler which came with two L-brackets for mounting. Since I only used one bracket, I used the second bracket for the cover (mounts to the top of the cooler since the top and bottom cooler mounts are identical). The issue was that I was initially planning to bolt the aluminum sheet (cut to size) to the bracket and bolt it to the cooler. The problem was that there is no way to remove the cover with the bracket attached unless you remove the front bumper.

***The breakthrough was Velcro. Instead of screws, we Velcro'd the aluminum cover to the perimeter of the oil cooler. Voila! Simple installation and removal from above via the engine bay. No more L-bracket required. No bumper removal for initial installation

Installation time <10min

Materials:
1. 12"x~10" (measure your cooler) aluminum sheet (thin is fine)
2. Heavy duty Velcro
3. Dremel or metal shears

Instructions:
1. Open the hood and remove the push-grommets that hold the black plastic cover just behind the lip of the front fascia and before the radiator. There are ~6 grommets in the front fascia and ~6 more in the black plastic cover you're removing.
2. The black plastic cover then pulls out, but you have to gently lift straight up to release two tabs from the leading edge under the fascia lip.
3. Look up the size of your cooler or measure through the front grille. Alternatively you can pull the fascia to facilitate things, but it's not necessary.
4. Cut the aluminum sheet to fit the front of the cooler. File the edges a bit to remove any sharp areas.
5. Apply Velcro to the side edges of the cooler via the access you got by removing the black plastic cover in the engine bay. A few 2-3" strips on each side edge and the top edge is plenty.
6. Apply the opposite Velco (hooks vs loops) to one side of the aluminum cover you've cut to size. Try to align them as best you can. If you've measured the cover well, you can simply combine the Velcro strips, apply one side of them to the cover and then apply the cover and exposed Velcro backing to the cooler all in one move.
7. Replace black plastic cover and grommets in reverse order.
8. Admire your work and warmer engine temps.

Images:
1. Cooler cover from front with fascia removed (not necessary but simplifies cover placement). Notice the cover overlaps the edges of the cooler a bit so the Velcro has a good landing zone on the cooler edges. It won't stick as well to the cooler grille.
2. View from above through the opening after removing the black plastic engine bay cover. Flush fit against the cooler face. I used the second Setrab bracket but it's not necessary.
3. View from side with front fascia removed.