Meade asked about this in another thread so I thought I would start one over here for him. I used a DeRale 16-pass cooler with integral fan, which I wrapped with 1/2" spacing, wire cloth:
It was then dry-fitted in the Driver's rear wheel well. The mounting bracket spaces it up off of the mounting surface enough so that it does not need any holes in the mounting surface for air. I mounted an external spin-on (Ford style) oil filter to the frame member just behind the cooler so everything is easily accessible. If you're careful about placement of the filter (and exhaust) then you can easily pop the valve covers off to check valve lash without removing anything major:
The cooler has a fan thermostat switch on the cooler's output to turn the fan on when the oil temp there goes above 180º F. The oil hoses are all stainless Braid protected because of the proximity to the exhaust pipes. This was done years ago and I had a spare Fram filter kicking around for mock-up. I wouldn't recommend them for our engines. A Wix/NAPA Gold 1515 does a better job. I have also added a thermostatic oil routing switch (a Mocal Sandwich plate) between the oil filter and mount since these photos were taken, and that handles quick warm-up duties and only runs the cooler when needed (over 180º F):
This is the empty space in the wheel well before the cooler was mounted. Plenty of room, and no interference with the wheel/tire in 15 years.
This is the DeRale cooler before installation. I forget the dimensions precisely, but IIRC it was about 13" X 16" and about 3" from surface to top of fan. Comes with AN-8 fittings mounted (1/2"). Setrab fan-assist coolers are pretty similar but are sold (I believe) as 96-row, meaning that there are 96 rows of aluminum fins on the pipes for cooling. It also comes with the mounting brackets installed (gives about 3/4" clearance off the mounting surface) and the fan can pull or push, depending on wiring polarity (mine pulls).
It has been very effective and trouble free since 2004 when I installed it. Took about a day, but you also have to figure in the time for hose fabrication at a jobber's shop, so the whole thing might eat up a week. I found a guy who could work with a flow diagram, coat-hanger wire bent to the angles I needed for each hose and directions to orient the end fittings. He gave me the hoses and fittings separate to dry-fit so I could mark orientation, then I returned to his shop to have him assemble fittings to hoses - everything fit perfectly when assembled to the car.
Good Luck!
