Trans cooler questions

[transman]

Look into 'Tru-Cool' transmission coolers. Same stacked plate coolers as the B&M supercoolers, but less expensive.

Tru-Cool LPD Transmission Oil Coolers. Protect Your Investment. | Tru-Cool

B & M and others buy Tru-Cool coolers and then package them in their own packages. Stacked plate coolers are the most effective cooler there in the market. Tube and fin style coolers use a "skin effect" to cool and are not the most efficient. Google transmission coolers and skin effect.

 

[mopowers]

B & M and others buy Tru-Cool coolers and then package them in their own packages.

Absolutely! I bought a B&M super cooler years ago and noticed the Tru-Cool part number on it. I guess the B&M name is worth the 50% mark-up?

 

[Mike69cuda]

I don't know how much experience you've had with rubber trans cooling lines, but I've run into 3 different occasions in the past 10yrs: 2 intrepids and a stratus where rubber hoses have leaked. 2 of the three were due to barbed fittings, overtightened gear drive hose clamps shredding the hoses. The third was a factory rubber hose in the middle of two steel lines which became saturated with oil and just sweated ATF. So, yeah rubber hose may work for you, but I don't think the convenience of rubber hose is worth the risks.

Not that I haven’t and don’t continue to make mistakes and screw things up, but if you want good results you have to do it right. you cant really blame the parts for poor installation.

I have said this before, but this forum tends to “one up” on advice a lot. The first guy says you need steel lines. The next guy says you need stainless lines. The guy after that says you need platinum lines. It may all be good advice to someone building a high end show car, but what about the guy who just wants to get his heap running? Is all this really meaningful? Does he need $500 worth of transmission lines on his $2000 beater?

Transmission hose failure is very low on the list of things that cause me problems.

 

[rustycowll69]

I must have missed the stainless and platinum cooling lines suggestions. Hard cooling lines are "not hard" to install. Simple to make up. Probably the hardest thing about them is rounding up the fittings.

 

[Krooser]

no need for hi dollar coolers , I `ve run regular aftermarket coolers with and without going thru the rad , and never had a heat related problem.
I run my ''hose '' that I bought from american hose supply, and barbed fittings thru the rad. , and then thru the cooler and back to the trans , it runs cooler than the engine does that way . Always be sure to insulate where its close to headers tho----

No need to spend big dollars on them... I used an old Lincoln radiator core that I had sliced apart and made into four stacked plate oil coolers. I think the shop charged me $200.00 for the work and the smaller tanks that they sourced from their supplier.

When Peterbilt was designing their 379 trucks in the early 80's one of their requirements was to build the trucks with a one million mile radiator. They chose a stacked plate design. My last 379's radiator lasted about 1,600.000 until a mixup with a drunk illegal alien sent it to the junkyard.

 

[Mike69cuda]

I must have missed the stainless and platinum cooling lines suggestions. Hard cooling lines are "not hard" to install. Simple to make up. Probably the hardest thing about them is rounding up the fittings.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I think we are doing a big disservice to novices on any subject by telling them very commonly done things are not “good enough “. They may not be good enough for the very high skilled, and very well funded, but but for the general population, common is the rule. I had a friend who used to say: “Better is the enemy of good enough”. End of my soapbox rant.....

 

[moparmat2000]

Here is what I mocked up. Keep in mind, fitting one in a 69 barracuda is a bit tougher than in a 69 dart. I am dealing with the inset grilles, and a valance. I also need space for an eventual condenser foran eventual A/C install at a later date. The cooler i specced is a Derale 23,500 BTU 17 row. I made a cardboard mock up in the size of this thing to get an idea how I want to fit it. I am also going to plumb an inline thermostat.

This will not be plumbed thru the radiator because its cooler is 5/16" but as a stand alone unit. Mild 318. Maybe 275-300hp. The trans will be a stock rebuild with a shift kit higher stall converter but not real high.

I am hoping this will be enough.

 

[moparmat2000]

Since i will not have the benefit of the engine being able to warm up the trans fluid to operating temp because I cannot use the trans cooler in the radiator, I will be adding one of these trans fluid coolers inline. Will be using AN-6 fittings and hard line from the cooler to the transmission thermostat. Then braded lines from the thermostat to a set of 3/8" trans cooler lines from a 1991 B350 Ram Van that I'm gonna pick up at the boneyard this weekend. I will cut those at the very front where they poke out between and under the engine damper and PS pump, and flare them for AN-6 fittings. I will post up more pix when I get that far.