917 frame technical question

The following is a very interesting video concerning a 917 restoration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIdbXsvPZrU

The whole thing is worth watching, but for those with a short attention span, fast forward to 1:10 and listen to the discussion concerning the frame. The engineer mentions that the frame was used as an oil cooler. I thought I read several places that the frame was pressurized with gas (nitrogen ??) in order to detect cracks, but I had never heard that it was used to cool the engine oil. Anybody know if this is true, only certain 917 versions, or ??

If true, that sounds like a very clever trick and might at least in part, explain why drivers complained how hot the cockpit was. I always attributed that to the proximity of the engine and general lack of insulation in the vehicle, but having hot engine oil circulating around you wouldn't help, either.

- MR

Some of the tubes were used as oil lines to transport oil between engine, radiator cooler, and maybe oil tank; so in that regard, they were oil coolers just like the trombone coolers on 911s. If the frame cracked in one of these, there would be a visible oil leak. The rest of the tubes were interconnected so that they could pressurize it with air and measure the leakdown numbers. If the leakdown was to great, they would repair the frame or get a new one.

The Ferrari 250LM used four of the frame tubes as oil and coolant lines between the front mounted radiators and the mid-engine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flieger

Some of the tubes were used as oil lines to transport oil between engine, radiator cooler, and maybe oil tank; so in that regard, they were oil coolers just like the trombone coolers on 911s. If the frame cracked in one of these, there would be a visible oil leak. The rest of the tubes were interconnected so that they could pressurize it with air and measure the leakdown numbers. If the leakdown was to great, they would repair the frame or get a new one.

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Thanks for filling in the blanks. Interesting. I hadn't heard that before. Peter's post above shows that the prancing horse also factored in some double-duty uses. Very cool stuff.

- MR