Canister-type Oil Filter

They are bypass filters- they don't filter all the oil all the time, the way a properly set up full flow system does. They're neat to look at but... Al

Put one on your VW fan shroud if you want to fool yourself into thinking your driving a P car, hang the lines off of it, unconnected, and use it to store some tools wrapped in a shop rag. That is about it's maximum utility.

$350 is an awful expensive toolbox.  The parts of this CB "system" can't be over $50, what am I missing here?

Art:

Original canisters and brackets can be found on the Samba, some with the original decals, although repop decals can be had from Sierra Madre, but the old ones aren't cheap either from what I've seen. I don't know of a cheap imitation, but one may be available from somewhere.

I agree, expensive tool box. My point was that they don't hold a candle to a good full flow system as ALB said.

They will hold 1/2 quart or so, which is a good thing, but so will the hoses and filter in a full flow filter assembly. I can't tell by the CB info, but these kits typically have 1/4" lines, so as well as being a bypass system instead of full flow (which filters all the oil before going to the bearings), the smaller lines restrict the volume of oil which will pass through at any given time. And yes, some of it will drain back in the case. In short, it only filters SOME OF THE OIL SOME OF THE TIME. An engine set up for full flow DELIVERS CLEAN OIL TO THE BEARINGS, LIFTERS, PUSHRODS AND HEADS 100% OF THE TIME.

Although adding a filter adds to the amount of oil available to the engine, oil in a filter (either bypass or full flow) is not in the sump so is of no use to the motor if the pick up should come uncovered (long sweeping turn on a freeway entrance, for eg). For $354.95 you could install either a full flow system or an oil pump/filter assembly AND a deep sump, have far better protection and have money left over in your pocket. Or, if you're worried about ground clearance with a deep sump (it will add 2- 2 1/2" to the bottom of the engine) you could plumb in a 1 or 2 quart oil accumulator after the filter to protect said bearings et al.  Guess which I vote for? Al

PS- if you want one because it looks vintage (and more Porsche-like) I get it, but remember that our fiberglass abortions (as one 911 owner called them when the subject of replica speedsters was brought up in conversation) are not generally accepted by the P-world, so respect or genuine interest is usually not forthcoming. Our cars don't have Porsche factory vin #'s, and that's the end of the conversation as far as a lot of 356 and 911 owners are concerned. But with that exclusion from the purists' circle comes freedom; we can personalize our cars any way we want, and don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks. There'd be no room for creativity and our cars would be pretty boring if we all built them to some antique factory build sheet. I mean, there'd be no room for suspension or brake upgrades, bigger, more powerful motors, 5 speed transaxles, deciding on colour and whether the car runs trim pieces and scripts, wheel and tire choices (do you really want to run 155/15's?)....  

Bob, Thanks.  I think I will follow Al's and your advice, make sure my full flow is up to par. I did some time back ran across a web site, that describes how to print your own decals;  type of paper etc.  If I run across it, I'll post for those interested in the P car look.  Happy New Year.

"Put one on your VW fan shroud if you want to fool yourself into thinking your driving a P car, .......That is about it's maximum utility."

Kind of disparaging, although probably not meant that way. Not a few of these cars have no filtration aside from a stock oil screen. Of course a full flow system is better, although this filter could be incorporated into one of those and look neat too, very few of us are driving the Nürburgring . Most just to get coffee on a Sunday drive or 100 mile excursion, or to try and get laid! (By our wives of course,if they're still talking to us after buying,building a PCar lookalike and thereby trying to be lookalike Pcar drivers)LOL

I don't get it. What is the maximum utility of gold plated emblems or $3000 steering wheels, 911 shrouds or any of the myopically,hyperfocused almost compulsive attention to detail to make these things look like Pcars for those who choose to.

isnt anyone who has one of these rigs at least pretending to some small degree to be driving or thought to be driving a Pcar. Otherwise we would be driving a less expensive yet easily higher performing .Wake up and smell the delusion.

A huge percentage of these cars are aesthetics.

Speedbucket:

My apologies if I sounded condescending. You're right, didn't mean to leave that impression. 

After all, I own one of these myself and once you pop the decklid it is pretty clear that the engine is a T1 VW with some enhancements. 

Happy New Year!

From my reading of this thread, the earlier posters are merely pointing out that, while we all march to different drummers, form vs. function is always relevant.  Some owners want "period correct", while others, like myself, are only interested in function.  If someone wants to spend $350 on his replica, there are wiser investments than a bypass oil filter, if oil filtration is actually the point of the exercise, and not cosmetics.  Of course, there are no "one size fits all" solutions to the many different kinds of replica owners.  Our big tent has room for all of us knuckleheads.

Bob thats what I thought, I appreciate your posts,everyone be SAFE this year, all other years too!

Well said Jim, the big tent full of knuckleheads is why I check in, although this is sending Vince's Kumbuya meter into the redline!

entirely too NICE lately :-)

Not nearly enough RFing!

I like everybody's car and can't question anybody else's choices.  Personally, I've leaned towards authentic appearance and invisible performance enhancement.  

Nobody can see my larger engine, upgraded trans, extended sump, disc brakes, hydraulic clutch, breather box, heater mods, louder horn, camber compensator, full-flow oil filter, A1 Sidewinder (well maybe), powerpoint, fire suppression system, LED tail lights, heated seats.....I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

On the other hand, I've sacrificed some appearance for improved performance like my CSP shifter, zip out rear window, custom side curtains, cup holders, cylinder head temp gauge, etc.

I tend to lean towards performance enhancements, but have done a few appearance upgrades, like my exhaust tips, Nardi wheel, badging, etc.

I guess the idea of spending money on an item for appearance under hood where the only people that can appreciate it are experts that know it's a replica AND messes with performance wouldn't be high on my list.

I started out wanting to get as close to an original look to my Speedster because I like the aesthetics. I have kind of evolved my take on it now, and am toying with some changes to a more outlaw theme.

If I had sprung for an original Speedster in the same trim as my replica I would be way past reluctant to even consider changing it. An original Speedster is an investment type of vehicle. My lowly replica isn't, and I'm happy to "experiment" with it and know that I can change it and change it again for short money, and not lose sleep over it.

I also know that my compadres in the SOC won't look down their noses at whatever I decide and accuse me of messing with the car's DNA. May think I did something silly or created something weird or ugly, but no sin.

Life's good.

I'm thinking about modifying my replica speedster to look like a 1970 VW bug.

Great idea! Would you then have a replica replica or a replica squared?

No, Bob. I'd have a donor car.

But I'd install Porsche badging to f*ck with the VW purists...

I'm sending myself to my room now to contemplate what I have done here.

Are you guys sure the systems are full flow 100% of the time?  I thought the Ford type spin on filters the remote filter mounts use have an internal bypass.  This supposedly works when oil is thick and cold on initial start up to stop the filter from blowing off and also if the filter gets plugged it won't block oil to the engine.  Does anyone know for sure?

I see no reason why it could not be used for fulltime filtering. there were many that had this type of canaster,hell my old hemi stuff had a canaster on the engine block.hmm I wonder where that stuff is now?? the $350 price is inline with all flat4 stuff....I dont buy into that kind of look at what I got stuff that I paid oh so much for.

       As far as the replica squared?? no I think it would be pie.

   with that said,I do like the tool/rag parts idea,I had seen that befor somewhere...probably hear on the osc...cos??ocs!!hmm, pvs? pop? oh ya soc thats it.

fpcoppo, that depends on the filter you use,but for the most part the filter bypass opens when there is a restriction from dirty filter.there are bypass filters,they usualy have small holes around and a tiny one in the middle as in about .040" to meeter the amount of oil filtered so no pressure loss is seen. they do filter extreamly well.just dont flow enough to use by them selves,they should be used inconjunction with a std filter.your oil will look cleaner a lot longer.

   I use total seal rings(piston rings) witch reduce the blow by,so the oil stays cleaner longer.I change it once a year.synthetic oil&dfl coated bearings&parts.but I only putbetween 8000&12000 miles a year. it still looks cleaner than the oil that comes out of my wifes honda 2x a year.

I don't think any filter manufacturer would build a "full-flow" oil filter that doesn's contain an internal bypass.  Pressure differentials may vary from one make to another, but the primary concern of any oil system is to ensure that clean oil gets to the internal parts it is intended to lubricate.  Absence of a bypass valve would mean that oil circulation stops when the filter is plugged, either by contaminants or oil that exceeds the viscosity of the system design, such as very cold weather starts.

The best value for a more efficient system is the addition of a bypass filter to work with your full flow filter.  The bypass filter should pay for itself as oil life can be extended.  Bypass filters can have smaller micron levels of filtration, since they only filter about 10% of the oil pumped, thus taking longer to plug. 

Next levels of performance for an oil system are an accumulator like Accusump that supplies pressurized oil on startup, then an external wet pump with filter and cooler like Moroso, then the top dog is a dry sump system like Peterson.  Performance cars, whether drag, circle track, or road race, all need to keep clean oil in the engine, free of air and contaminants.  Dry sump systems accomplish that, while freeing up additional HP by eliminating the effects of windage.  Very few street cars feel the need for a dry sump system, that can cost as much as $6-8K, but the addition of a bypass filter makes economic sense for all of us.  A good rule of thumb is to use quality lubrication fluids and filters, and change them at recommonded intervals. 

I have an old 356 oil filter that I am willing to sell, as well as a shroud and generator too. I've been told they are all worth something, should probably put them on the samba and pelican and rennlist so I can get my money's worth. Why should I sell them to you faker cheapskates?

be cuz our checks, will clear the bank.

Remember the old by pass filters that used a roll of toilet paper?  Filtered by Charmin. The old 356/912 filter canisters used to go for $50 complete on ebay - now they are over $200 for nasty dirty one.

I had a Frantz filter on my '55 F-100 years ago:

http://www.frantzoil.com/catal.../4746217/8990607.htm

I can't believe they're still available. 

A couple of others said it as well, but well put Jim.

And yes, most spin on filters have an internal bypass, but that only comes into play when the pressure difference between before and after the filter reaches a specific value (usually 4 or 5 lbs. I believe; if anyone  knows more details please chime in). A partly plugged filter will begin to open the bypass valve, but only if it's way overdue for a change. I'm not sure if high oil pressure at cold start up will do it (maybe for a minute or 2?), but the point is the oil in your motor will be significantly cleaner when set up with a full flow filter. 

And Speedbucket is right; some guys run around without an extra filter and their engines are fine. After all, VW built millions of these engines without filters and some amazing mileage figures (for the time) were reached. But if you want the engine to last longer (especially if there's a fair chunk of money tied up in it) a full flow filter is the way to go. And with the filter you can go a little longer between oil changes as well.

And although I haven't met any of you, this is a great bunch of knuckleheads! Happy new year, all! Al

When I met my wife, she had a '74 VW type 1.....   When we stupidly sold the car, it had over 100,000 mi. on it.....  The engine never had an oil filter....  The wife had been religiously prompt with the 2,000mi. oil change / service routine.....  The engine had never been removed from the car except for one clutch replacement....  She drove 120mi., round trip to her job, daily.....   

Greg and Terry:

My Dad ran Frantz filters on 16 school buses for 20 years with terrific results.  We didn't have "Charmin" back then, but used Scott rolls with great results.  We replaced filter rolls every 2 weeks on each bus (about 2,500 miles) and replaced the oil when the acidity level started to climb (usually around 20,000 miles) which coincided with a drop in viscosity.  We got oil samples tested at a local truck stop for a while, but eventually just went to a calendar based change cycle.

I must have thrown out a dozen Frantz filter systems when I cleaned out his garage, all of them 30 years old and all of them still good.......

Modern "cartridge" oil filters available today are made to wildly divergent qualities, particularly with respect to their internal sealing and their bypass mechanism.  I recall, quite a few years ago now, reading about a study that someone did comparing various different brands of filters, and some were basically in bypass whenever the engine was running above idle speed.

Regarding the square inches of filter paper built into the internal element (a function of the pleats), the quality of the filter media itself (the size of the "holes" in the paper), and the bypass mechanism employed, Fram filters were probably the bottom of the barrel.

I looked at the web site for the Frantz filter that Gordon posted the link to, and it makes me wonder if all of those dead Germans didn't know what they were doing after all.

(I always told people that used Fram filters that they might as well be using a coffee can with a roll of toilet paper.  I may have been giving Fram too much credit!)

yes there are filters with no bypass at all,Ive used many. A major issue with filters on new engines is they do clog with debris quickely,and cam lube can clog one very quick.thus the need to change oil&filter after the first 30~40min but before the first hour of run time.(I change oil/filter 5 times befor the first week is up. Ive used enough fram filters to fill a truck or two.only one issue with 1 filter. with that said I look at them and if they say made in china as a lot do now I pass.I had to get a purolator filter for my kids toyota last week,made in the usa.same cost as the china fram.effing tiodie uses just the element,not a std car type spin on filter.so ofcorse they cost 2x as much for 1/4 of what used to be there..go figure? my favorite filter??AC used to have the most pleats,I liked them but they did not have a real wide coverage. I would not use charmin or scott for filtering anything more than a fart.well thats not true as I do use scott towls for covering the filter on my home ac whenIm dont some dusty work or painting ,just to add a pree filter to the already 3 filter system,it does work. also if any of you out there have a camper or motor home with the roof ac/heet and the heet dont heet for squat...well most units are wired rong and the heet fan is too high so they dont put out mush heet at all.by adding 1 sheet of paper towell to the intake it will slow the incoming air and give it time to remove heat from the electrick heet element.

  leons wife had a good oil change schedule for non filtered oil systems.and can be time consuming &expensive too.well at todays oil prices any way.