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Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:04 pm

Where can I purchase the side scoops that go where the bus vents are located, any info would be helpful thanks

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:07 pm

i believe i have a brand new in the packaging set.......where are you located? if i still have them are you interested?

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:17 pm

Your talking some Old School :lol:

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:29 pm

:D Still available at the BAP VW stores in Phoenix--

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:37 pm

ok, what is the deal with the side scoops? you have to drill them in correct? why would you want to do that? I took mine off the minute I got my bus home, I figue why mess with factory cooling. does it really make them cool better? I would like to see someone with head temp and oil temp gauges check that out. whose tested it before?

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:46 pm

:roll: There IS a lot of debate on this issue--But a VW Friend of mine DID use a temp gauge -- And it was cooler with the scoops--If you notice VW buses later on had sort of a scoop built in-- Some question the Lack of air at idle with scoops ?? seal your engine compatment well--keep a tuned motor--perhaps improve your exhaust sysrem--at 114+ here in Phoenix running straight 40W all is well so far--hopefully by November we will break under 90 degrees--

Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:47 pm

I know A friend of mine would not even drive his Bus home until he took them off. The only thing you gane is some holes. Half the splits around seem to have the holes but no vents. This is just what I think and adds up to nothing :cry:

Mon Aug 11, 2003 6:48 pm

Yeah, but if the motor is set up correctly the fan is intended to PULL air through the vents on the side. Therefore the side scoop aftermarket things are not necessary.
Plus they're ugly as hell.

Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:28 pm

Erik G wrote: does it really make them cool better? I would like to see someone with head temp and oil temp gauges check that out. whose tested it before?

I have done tests with the custom scoops I made for my bus. Mine are removable and actually grab ahold of the vents, thus requiring NO HOLES to be drilled. The real key, i've found, to running cool temps is to have ALL your engine tin in place, good engine seals in place and a properly sealed engine lid and apron. How many folks out there are missing engine tin?? Have bad seals?? These simple things will make a HUGE difference in how cool your engine runs w/ OR w/o scoops!!

The benefit that scoops make is that they create positive air pressure in the engine compartment hwich forces air into the fan rather than the fan relying on drawing the air in. A simple way to demonstrate this is to open up your heater boxes and observe the flow of air coming out @ hwy speeds. Now add scoops and see how much more air is coming out. The difference is comparative to a breeze and a gail force wind! If you don't believe me, just try it (but make sure you have all tin and good seals so that you are comparing apples to apples).

Here's a re-print of my unscientific findings that were posted in another board. . .

Posted: 2002-06-04
I finally got around to hooking up my gauges in my overhead gauge panel (Tach, oil pres., and oil temp.). I was picking up a couple parts for my T-4 motor at a fellow club members house on Sunday and he commented about my air scoops I made basically saying, "wha-cha runnin' those for,. . . They don't do nuthin' but heat up your motor." At the time I shrugged and said, "They can't hurt", But then it occured to me; NOW I CAN TEST THEM!!

So on the ride home from Fresno, CA to Lemoore, CA (about a 55 to 60 mile trip) I put them to the test. First here's what I'm running:

1776cc engine and a freeway flier tranny in my '66 E-Z Camper. The oil temp sensor is a VDO oil temp dipstick. The pressure sensor is a VDO dual sensing unit. Both oil gauges are VDO with the tack being a SUN mini tach. The road was hwy 41 south which is PERFECTLY FLAT and straight as an arrow for about 50 miles (GREAT for testing stuff like this but darned boring to drive).

The test:

SCOOPS ON: I drove the first 30 minutes in approx. 95F heat the oil temps stabilized in about 20 minutes at 205F - 207F with the engine turning 3400 RPMs ( about 65mph). Running pressure was 70 PSI with the idle pressure at 40 PSI.

After 30 minutes, I noted the readings and pulled over. It took me about 2 minutes to remove the scoops (I designed them to be easily removable) and was back on my way.

SCOOPS OFF: After driving another 30 minutes the readings were VERY different. The oil temps stablized after about 10 minutes at 225F - 227F with the engine turning 3400 RPMs. The added heat thinned the oil enough that the pressure dipped to 65 PSI at speed and about 37 PSI at idle.

CONCLUSION: I'm NOT going to say that ALL scoops will lower your temps on a splitty bus. I can attest with fairly good data though that the scoops on MY bus that I made work as intended and literally dropped my oil temps by 20F across the board. All I can say is that my scoops help my bus run cooler and I will be running them from now on when the weather gets warm.

Those of us that have been into VWs a while know that there is a lot of "hear-say" about things and side scoops on splitties is one that everyone seems to have an opinion on but few have ever really tested it out for themselves. Well now I have and I agree that scoops (well MY scoops anyway) help to cool an engine on a splitty bus.

Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:39 pm

you dont need them.....but if you want them i got them...cheap.

Mon Aug 11, 2003 8:14 pm

I've heard lots of debate over this, as well. The general concensus is that they disrupt the natural airflow over the vents, causing decreased cooling. Don't have any personal experience with them, just passing on the words of others.

Mon Aug 11, 2003 8:21 pm

good scientific experiment Nate. now get your page up its killing me!

Mon Aug 11, 2003 11:03 pm

I think they are ugly. But that does not matter. You dont live in AZ. so I would not bother. Unless you like the looks.

Tue Aug 12, 2003 3:52 am

oil temps and head temps are two different things though, I would be curious to find out about change in head temp as well

Tue Aug 12, 2003 3:55 am

also, about that test, really, you would want to drive around with them off first, and then put them on and see if it cools down.

Also I find that my engine is much hotter after a 2 minute sink in period.

Tue Aug 12, 2003 7:43 am

this has been an ongoing debate. i think while you're moving, they are helping. while you are stopped they restrict airflow. i could see the advantage of them in a bus with a bigger motor, but i agree if the motor is set up right, scoops shouldnt be necessary. maybe get a kymco thermo controlled fan. scoops predate fans and at this point are "old school". later (bay window) buses have scoops. they also have bigger motors.

i agree with erik g that the test control data is backwards.

Tue Aug 12, 2003 8:27 am

I wish I had a head temp gauge for my tests; but I don't. I have a feeling though that even IF I did, the folks who don't like scoops would find a reason not to believe the results. . . And that's cool. . . If you want tests done exactly the way you want them, step away from the computer and DO it. Don't just sit there and theorize about it. . .

That's why I added the simple air volume test about the heater air. . . The scoops DO positively pressurize the engine compartment and allow more air to pass through the fan at a given RPM (when the bus is in motion). If you don't believe me; TRY IT!

Even I prefer the looks of a clean bus with no scoops. But I can't deny the fact that my scoops cool the motor better at hwy speeds. That's why I made them removable with no holes drilled. I only use them if I need them. To each his/her own. . .

Tue Aug 12, 2003 8:47 am

Hey Norcal Nick Im in yuba city, Im intrested in getting them.

Tue Aug 12, 2003 8:58 am

Nate, I got the idea for the scoops from reading your site before it was taken off, could you send me the instructions for making them removable or post them here. When's your site coming back up any idea?

Tue Aug 12, 2003 9:29 am

I live in livermore where it get's a little warner than Yuba City and I have never overheated my bus. As was stated make sure all of your engine seals are present and in good shape and you should be fine.

Mounting an external cooler underneath the bus would eliminate the need to drill visable holes into the body.