EMPI Super Kooler + Super Shroud Kit | Doghouse | VW Type 1/2/3 1971–1979 | Cerakote
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Super Kooler + Super Shroud — the Doghouse Kit
For doghouse engines — 1971 and later. Open your engine lid: if there's a rectangular oil cooler box hanging off the outside of the fan shroud on the driver's side, you have a doghouse and this is your kit. If the cooler stands upright inside the shroud, you want the upright kit instead. Can't tell? Send us a photo of your engine bay and we'll tell you.
What's in the kit
- EMPI Super Kooler oil cooler (98-1189-B) — bar-and-plate CSF core, Cerakote coated, 120 psi tested, with the Hoover bit air tin and Elring seals in the box
- EMPI Super Shroud (00-8755-0) — doghouse, no heater ducts, CFD-balanced airflow, takes a 28–30mm or 37mm fan
Bought separately that's $723. Together, $679.
Why they work better as a pair
A cooler can only reject the heat that air actually carries through it. The shroud is what puts the air there. EMPI's published figures: the Super Kooler alone runs 47% colder at the outlet than the OE cooler; paired with the Super Shroud, 86% colder. Those are EMPI's test numbers, not ours — and they describe the oil leaving the cooler, not the temperature in your sump. Your sump temp still depends on your tin, your timing and your jetting.
- Directed airflow: the Super Shroud's CFD-tuned internal fins correct the OE imbalance that over-cools cylinders 1 and 2 and starves 3 and 4, and force air through the cooler's core rather than around it.
- Cerakote efficiency: the ceramic coating rejects heat faster than raw aluminum or paint.
- No pressure drops: both parts are built for high RPM and high oil pressure and stay sealed.
Vehicle Fitment
Fits 1300cc–1600cc Type 1 engines with doghouse cooling, stock through built:
- VW Beetle & Super Beetle: 1971–1979
- VW Bus (Type 2): 1971–1979, Type 1 / doghouse engine only
- VW Karmann Ghia: 1971–1974
- VW Thing (Type 181): 1973–1974
- VW Type 3: 1971–1973, doghouse-equipped engines
- Dune buggy / sand rail: any doghouse Type 1 build
Note: this kit uses the no-heater shroud. If you run heater boxes and want to keep your defrost, tell us at checkout and we'll swap in the heater version (00-8678-0) instead — same price.
Best for
- High-performance street engines
- Heavy-duty Bus applications
- Track-driven Type 1 and Type 3 builds
- Anything running hot in traffic in summer
Before you buy it
An oil cooler doesn't fix ignition timing that's too far advanced, or a lean carb, or a tired engine pumping combustion heat into the oil, or missing tin. If you're running hot, check the free stuff first — timing, jetting, tin, and whether the fan belt is tight. Then, if you're still hot, this is the right upgrade. Call the shop if you want a second opinion before you spend the money.