at what poin does the stock oil cooler not cut it anymore? my cooling system was from a 89 454 with 1 cooler for oil and steering. my new motor is a gen 6 454 with a airgap intake, gil exhaust and crane 731 cam, i am not sure but i think it will be between 400-450 hp so i am not sure this cooler is gonna cut it?? if i get a new one how do i go about doing the hoses? most coolers are not looking too compatable with my setup that bolts on under the motor mount. i am doing this on a tight budget, people with used parts trying to sell i am intersted! i am not planning to take this motor befond what it is now. thanks!

I am glad to see you are looking into this. The stock setup is designed for what it is, STOCK. When you do engine upgrades the oiling system just won't cut it. Here is what I did.
#1 Replaced the stock relocator with Canton Racing (EMI)
#2 Replaced the stock oil cooler with a EMI Combo Cooler PS/Oil
#3 Upgraded the oil lines with 12AN fittings and hoses
#4 Modified the filter housing by opening up the passages and removing casting defects. It could also be replaced with one of better quallity.
#5 Be sure you do the 30 psi valve upgrade and remove the one on the filter pad.
#6 Use a good synthetic oil. I use Amsoil.

taht sounds more like what i would want to do if i had a blower or similar??? no offense, i just dont see billet parts and an fittings needed on something this mild?

you are correct. look at smittys thread on oil system hardware. the stock plumbing on a gen 6 502 is , essentially 3/8 inside dia , with JIC type ends. no big deal and it works fine at 415 hp. i would suggest it would work equally well at 450 even tho smitty would like to see slightly larger fittings and slightly bigger inside diameters...and what he suggests can't hurt. either way... the answer to your question is the oil temp gage. you need to be able to run WOT for an extended period and see the oil temp stay at between 220 to 260. if it never stops climbing, then the cooler is too small. if it never gets to 220, then its too big and just get yourself a thermostat which is a good idea anyway.

I have the combo coolers I took off my 540's. They are not the prettiest (needs powdercoat), but they worked good when I took them off. If you are interested I can send you a pic and some dimensions. Shoot me a PM.

I had problems when I had 450HP. Do what you want, you asked for advise and I gave it. After you start breaking parts you will wish you had spent the money. I wish I had known about the oiling system when I started upgrading. It would have saved me a lot of headachs later.

What engine did the oil cooler come from? Was it a magnum or a standard 454? I started with the Non-Magnum and the oil cooler was the size of a beer can. The Magnum oil cooler is a little bigger.

i think it was the non mag 330, i got all the parts off of a pallet so i dont know much info on it. i thinki have a deal for the powersteering cooler and a 12x2 cooler which is like the stock 502 size for cheap. also looking at one off of a 575 merc

The "Blue Motor" equipment is usually much better than the standard Merc. If you do not want to get the AN quallity, some people have gotten upgraded rubber hose with better flow fittings. If you have a rotory tool grind out the passages on the filter housing. The block adaptor it really not very good. I could not see any way to modify that to make it flow any better. The one I got from EMI was built completly different. The center stud for the filter was completly removed and bolted up to the block. No restrictions at all.

i can get the stock coolers from a omc 460, there is a 2x12 oil cooler, steering cooler and several braided oil lines and fittings. i am pretty sure the 2x12 should cut it?