Interesting Oil Cooler

[MikeAH100M]

I have a friend who is doing a frame up restoration on a 1956 BN2. The car came with an oil cooler that I had never seen before. It was mounted on the distributor side of the engine (not easy to see in the old picture). Has anyone seen an oil cooler like this or know anything about it? There are no markings that we can find. Seems like an odd location.
Thanks
Mike
PS: Most of the car is rot. He found an all-alloy body for the car, is converting to 4 wheel disc, alloy head, and has built 100S type seats for it.

 

[HealeyRick]

Almost looks like an auto trans cooler, which I suppose you could use as an oil cooler if the passages were large enough.

 

[number6]

Looks like part of an AC or refrigeration unit re purposed as an oil cooler.

 

[Jim 58 BN6]

Almost looks like an auto trans cooler, which I suppose you could use as an oil cooler if the passages were large enough.

That was my first impression as well. It doesn't look like other engine oil coolers that Ive seen. An A/C condenser would have more fins (I think), but it could also be some sort of industrial heat exchanger.

I guess it is providing more surface area for cooling, but its orientation surely isn't optimal. Jim

 

[moremonkey]

That looks very similar to the power steering fluid cooler from an Infiniti G35. I never knew such things existed until the one on my wife's car started leaking.

-Jonathan

 

[MikeAH100M]

The car sat for more than 30 years so the cooler has been in there for awhile.

 

[petnatcar]

Sure looks like a homemade contraption to me.
Somebody took a transmission cooler off an old car and adapted it to the Healey.
Not the most efficient location but if nothing else it allowed the owner to carry an extra couple quarts of oil. I used the conventional location with a slightly larger cooler and adapters from Denis Welch and #12 AN fittings from Russell.
I also added a shroud to help funnel the air.
I drilled the holes with a 2" hole saw and covered the back with Stainless Steel 304 Mesh #8 .035 Wire screen to keep the big bugs out and glued it on with GOOP adhesive. It's been there for 15 years!