For those of us that live in a warmer climate than the Sunbeam was designed to run in, additional cooling is desirable. I've seen folks add an extended sump. Well, that's more oil to circulate, but when its all hot you are back to the situation of the standard sump, it doesn't help the engine run any cooler. It just allows you to run farther between topping up the oil. Fiddler Fred went to extremes and added an oil cooler and an oil powered grip warmer. I was looking for a quick solution that doesn't disturb my original machine too much, but just enhances its range and tolerance to warm ambients.
So I was thinking. If I add some more fins to the engine, I can make it cool better. The sump pan is already pretty low, so I can't add much, but its the most logical place. Its a nice flat area where I can strap a heat sink. The trick was how to attach it. I drilled hole at the back of the heat sink to locate the rear center sump stud. This keeps the heat sink from moving around. Then I made two clips to pull the heat sink to the sump securely. This locates the heat sink left and right, as well as keeping it secure. Thermal Mastic compound (a.k.a. "monkey shit") is a must!
It's a fairly inconspicuous modification and easily reversible. I'll have to take it out on a hot day and see if it helps. Any little bit of energy rejection has to help. The heat sink is rated for four Solid State "hockey puck" Relays, which handle 10 amperes a piece. It will handle more watts of energy in this application, but it will also be running at a higher temperature differential.
From the side
The ground clearance is only reduced by about 1.1". And no one will really notice the mod unless I point it out.
