1969 or 1970 Boss 302 Oil Cooler Block Adaptor

[Cobra Pack]

Looking for an oil cooler block adaptor for my April 1969 build Boss 302 (prefer '69 but okay with '70).  It did not have one originally, but I have the rest of the setup and would like to install when I get it back on the road/track after 48 years of sitting in the prior owner's garage.  If it's part of a complete setup, that would be fine too.

[shelbydoug]

What are you calling the adapter? I have an extra hollow bolt if that helps?

I would call the reducer for the bolt to the block an "adapter".

I have not seen one with a C9 engineering number. Only a D0 like this one.

[Bob Gaines]

Looking for an oil cooler block adaptor for my April 1969 build Boss 302 (prefer '69 but okay with '70).  It did not have one originally, but I have the rest of the setup and would like to install when I get it back on the road/track after 48 years of sitting in the prior owner's garage.  If it's part of a complete setup, that would be fine too.

I was talking to a B302 head concours judge who recently said that the consensus is changing to only the factory 4.30 equipped cars came with a oil cooler on a B302 so you may want to research that.

[Special Ed]

70 w-codes had the oil coolers even thou the 69 had the oil cooler lines holes and both horns on the rh side they were built to have oil coolers but never did so it would be an easy  added install on a 69 and not have to cut any holes in rad support.

[J_Speegle]

70 w-codes had the oil coolers even thou the 69 had the oil cooler lines holes and both horns on the rh side.......

Ed do you mean to state that 69 Boss 302's had holes cut for oil cooler lines from the factory on the drivers side radiator support on all, some, with certain gear rations or for some other application or option?

[Pcunder]

I've got C9ZE & a D0ZE B2 oil cooler adapters that I'd collected over the years for my 69 & 70 B2s.

Neither are 4.30 'W' code cars so likely overkill on the resto and I'll let 1 of em go.

One is bolted up on my 70, iirc, so the other is available. I'll check which one is loose. PM me if interested.

I'm going with the S1MS adapter setup on my 69 as it's a Shelby Tribute TA car and my cooler/rad has the larger AN fittings to match. (#12AN?)

Phil

[pbf777]

Neither are 4.30 'W' code cars so likely overkill on the resto.

    Do realize that the oil actually does need to get "hot" (up to reasonable operational temperature) and that excessive cooling function that prevents this, isn't "overkill", it's a "killer"! 

    Scott.

[Pcunder]

I get that.

The BOSS 302 adapters have a sort of thermostatic bypass circuit that I'll accept works on the drag cars good enough to maintain oil temps within spec for warranty purposes. 

It's a spring loaded steel ball bearing that, when seated, seals the passage to the radiator...I'm assuming.


When it's pushed off the seat with hot/thin oil, I'm assuming enough oil gets routed through the cooler to bring down the temps. 

Seems kinda primal to me but as long as it was properly made to use the physics of pressure/volume/temp, I trust it'll work as designed.

Other than:
-not using the spec'd oil viscosity the -calibrated spring being out of spec

...I'm not sure what could go wrong. 

[shelbydoug]

I get that.

The BOSS 302 adapters have a sort of thermostatic bypass circuit that I'll accept works on the drag cars good enough to maintain oil temps within spec for warranty purposes. 

It's a spring loaded steel ball bearing that, when seated, seals the passage to the radiator...I'm assuming.


When it's pushed off the seat with hot/thin oil, I'm assuming enough oil gets routed through the cooler to bring down the temps. 

Seems kinda primal to me but as long as it was properly made to use the physics of pressure/volume/temp, I trust it'll work as designed.

Other than:
-not using the spec'd oil viscosity the -calibrated spring being out of spec

...I'm not sure what could go wrong.

You won't find any kind of mention in any Ford literature or specifications on the bypass.
Officially it is called a pressure release valve.

To my knowledge it is in fact an oil thermostat opening around 180° F. The same "technology of a ball on a seat and a thermal spring expanding with heat is still used today for the same reasons.


PBF777's comment about the oil NEEDING to be a certain operating temperature is very accurate and it is possible to damage the engine internally in trying to turn high rpm's with the oil cold.

Many professional drag race cars in fact use oil heaters to get to operating temps.


I have the 70 B2 adapter with a 68 Shelby cooler in my 68 GT350. In my Pantera I have a separate thermostat that is set to open at 210°F. The Shelby has a total of 10 quarts in the system with a Canton road race pan and the Pantera takes 12 quarts with an Aviad pan.

That's an awful lot of oil to get hot in both instances. I don't run either in under 40° F temps. They get parked until spring comes around.


One reason that you need to run not just warm oil, but hot oil is that the bearing clearances are set by standardizing what the thickness of the oil will be at operating temps.

High performance oils are formulated with those requirements in mind so don't worry about hurting it.
When you get up around 250°F, then that's when you need the oil cooler.


Although Ford recommended 20-50 weight oil in the "high performance Clevelands" caution should prevail on reving the engine particularly if you live in a cold climate and you are driving in winter temps.

The Ford FE's are also sensitive to the oil temp thing. The 289's are the least sensitive to it.


Over cooling the oil is actually your enemy and in reality you want to run at least 210° F in order to boil off the water that has accumulated in the oil. That's the white stuff that you see when you change the oil. Left to sit for long periods it actually can be quite destructive creating internal rust and corrosion if constantly run too cold.

If in doubt about oil temps being too low, increase the pressure in the cooling system to 15psi. The new cars run a zero oil because they are designed to run hot in the 220° to 250° range using a high pressure cooling system. You aren't in trouble with them until you are a good deal over that.

[pbf777]

The BOSS 302 adapters have a sort of thermostatic bypass circuit . . . . 

It's a spring loaded steel ball bearing that, when seated, seals the passage to the radiator...I'm assuming.

When it's pushed off the seat with hot/thin oil, I'm assuming enough oil gets routed through the cooler to bring down the temps.

 

To my knowledge it is in fact an oil thermostat opening around 180° F. The same "technology of a ball on a seat and a thermal spring expanding with heat . . . . 

    I don't think so . . . . . Rather, there 'is' a spring-loaded ball valving function provided that is "pressure" sensitive, and that will unseat and allow (some) oil to bypass the cooler routing 'if' the pressure differential between the adapter's "outlet" (to cooler) and "inlet" (from cooler) is to great; the threshold being the pressure differential, as acting on the exposed area of the ball vs. the spring pressure value, aka. the cooler becomes plugged or a hose-line becomes crimped or crushed.   

    But I suppose, if the oil is so cold and thick as to create the pressure differential effect. this in the attempt to pump the oil the distance through the cooler and it's associated plumbing, then O.K., this might qualify as temperature responsive, but I don't think that was actually the intended function, but more of a "possible" side effect? 

    Scott

[shelbydoug]

The BOSS 302 adapters have a sort of thermostatic bypass circuit . . . . 

It's a spring loaded steel ball bearing that, when seated, seals the passage to the radiator...I'm assuming.

When it's pushed off the seat with hot/thin oil, I'm assuming enough oil gets routed through the cooler to bring down the temps.

To my knowledge it is in fact an oil thermostat opening around 180° F. The same "technology of a ball on a seat and a thermal spring expanding with heat . . . . 

    I don't think so . . . . . Rather, there 'is' a spring-loaded ball valving function provided that is "pressure" sensitive, and that will unseat and allow (some) oil to bypass the cooler routing 'if' the pressure differential between the adapter's "outlet" (to cooler) and "inlet" (from cooler) is to great; the threshold being the pressure differential, as acting on the exposed area of the ball vs. the spring pressure value, aka. the cooler becomes plugged or a hose-line becomes crimped or crushed.   

    But I suppose, if the oil is so cold and thick as to create the pressure differential effect. this in the attempt to pump the oil the distance through the cooler and it's associated plumbing, then O.K., this might qualify as temperature responsive, but I don't think that was actually the intended function, but more of a "possible" side effect? 

    Scott

It is VERY difficult to get the engineering details on the intent of the "pressure valve".
Even people like Jon Vermersch can't answer that question.

The 67-8 GT500's with the Shelby oil cooler have no "pressure relief valve"  but they do need an oil thermostat.

Since generally they run on a stock pan with just 5 quarts and the FE is a heat pump itself, particularly with A/C, it doesn't take much to heat up the oil.

There is no need for a pressure relief valve on these adapters. You are not going to blow up the oil filter. It is much more likely for thermal control and if you want to mess with it there ARE aftermarket thermal spring available that are actually quite accurate in their advertised heat ranges. On a car like a 70 B2, who's going to go racing with it now and need to mess with it?

IF you run the setup now, the oil cooler and output hoses will be closer to air temp until the engine gets hot. I've measured this and although at my age now sometimes I question my sanity not my incompetence, that is what I have experienced.

I will point out however that apparently I am not an Earthling and originate on the planet Zluto. So that might explain why I see things differently on occasion? At least that is what my wife insists. She claims to have proof after 40 years together?
Who knew? Don't trust Martians though. They're no good.

[pbf777]

It is VERY difficult to get the engineering details on the intent of the "pressure valve".
Even people like Jon Vermersch can't answer that question.

I see things differently on occasion?

    Well. . . . lets' see if "we" can aid you in seeing things . . . . "differently"!    

    How bout maybe, you grab one of these a-dap-tors and wrap your lips around one of the steel hose fittings sticking out of the aluminum casting, and blow!     And in doing so, noting where your effort might emanate from, and then practice the same with the other fitting.  If the valving is functioning correctly, I think you'll conclude that this "by-pass" valving 'is' presenting a "normally closed" positioning; this dictating, before any heat is considered, that the flow 'is' being routed out through the cooler plumbing, then received back and routed to the block; therefore this as being the "normal" function.   

There is no need for a pressure relief valve on these adapters. You are not going to blow up the oil filter.

    As for the "need", well, if the cooler plumbing were to become blocked, it would be very possible, if the pressure achieved that as required, and the pump 'is' very capable of such, the oil filter could "blow up", or off, or more commonly just dislodge the soft ring seal and result in a horrendous oil leak!       But probably the engineers were perhaps every bit as concerned with just a "restricted" flow problem, that beyond which is already created even when everything is functioning as delivered, and this might lead to an oil starvation issue for the engine.     

The 67-8 GT500's with the Shelby oil cooler have no "pressure relief valve"

     True, but this would appear to have been a Shelby "buy-out" product without Ford Motor Company engineering participation.  But later, when Ford decided that something was needed in other production applications, the cooler adapter devices, whether for the FE, the BOSS 302 (the topic of discussion here) or others, incorporated the "pressure" (differential) relief valve engineering.   

     So, how's your eyesight doing?    

     Scott. 

[Pcunder]

Yes, so glad I'm not the only 1 trusting in the Ford Voodoo.

Keep in mind, there are 8-9 months of summer in South Tx... so the 3-4 days each year below 40 degrees are not the issue.

Sometimes, it even gets below 80 @5AM during summer..

I do know about oil temps needing to be 180-210 F or so (with bean/Dino oil) & cooling it may be less of a need than being properly equipped for the upcoming "Death-Race 2000" event.. I love being prepared...though I hated earning merit badges. Lol

I'll likely run full synth after breaking so it's ALL OVERKILL....I.e. my middle name.


Again, I've offered to sell my B2 adapter to the OP...& the rest of this is fluff.

...but alllllways willing to learn. 

[TA Coupe]

Pcunder, you and me both,take a look at my signature 🤣

      Roy