frame rail auto trans cooler vs rad support mounted

[jay-dawg]

Hi guys,

I'm getting a radiator built for me and we decided that separating the auto trans cooler & the radiator would be best. Would a framerail type be enough to cool the 4l60e?

Thanks,
Jay

[chevydog66]

Does the truck have A/C? I would install a big trans cooler in front of the radiator. Talk to a trans shop and see what a good temp to run that trans. at, and install a trans. temp guage.

[72armyswbtruck]

Alot depends on the exact location on the frame, how much heavy work and how long the truck will be working hard. The better air flow the better. Why not just put it with the radiator, infront of it, mounted with the trans cooler zip strips that are made especially to go thru the radiator?
JM2C

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Jay you may want to look into one with a fan built into it.. Should be ok mounting it on the frame rail..

[cdowns]

get the right tool for the right job

[LONGHAIR]

I'm getting a radiator built for me and we decided that separating the auto trans cooler & the radiator would be best.

Why is this "best"? Is it just making the radiator cheaper/easier or something? It is generally not recommended that the trans cooler be seperated. I would be interested in hearing the theory on why it is "best"?

[jay-dawg]

Originally Posted by chevydog66

Does the truck have A/C? I would install a big trans cooler in front of the radiator. Talk to a trans shop and see what a good temp to run that trans. at, and install a trans. temp guage.

Eventually it will. Right now, I will be running a delete pulley. I'll have to cough up the dough for either the corvette pulley setup or the s&p brackets. I found another bracket from bowersrodshop or something like that, it's cheap but it looks kinda funky. Anyway...that's gonna be another thread when I get to it. Right now, I'm trying to get it to run, but I want to do it right the first time and not half @ss it only to change it later.

Hmm...maybe I should mention that in the future, I'd like to take it on the road course once in awhile.

Keep it coming guys,
jay

[jay-dawg]

Originally Posted by cdowns

get the right tool for the right job

I think this would be more hardy than the other one that I was looking at which was basically a copper line through some fins. since it's gonna be lowered, I think I'd need more protection than that.

jay

[DTerry]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

...It is generally not recommended that the trans cooler be seperated...

By who?

The reason to separate is simple. Engines run hotter than trannys should. Run both in the same radiator and tranny gets heat from the engine. Manufactures used to do it to save money. Most newer trucks have them separated for this very reason.

Let the engine get hot somehow - and not only do you decrease the life of the motor, but the tranny too.

[gator2511]

I don't run my tranny fluid through the radiator. I have a separate cooler in front of the radiator with a fan on it. It runs to an external filter to help keep the fluid clean. The shops down here say to run them this way cause we don't need the heat from the motor to help warm up the tranny and it runs cooler without picking up the motor heat in the radiator.

[NPilot1975]

Jay-

If you are going to pull a trailer at all, use one with a fan or put one in front of the radiator. I ran one like cdowns on my truck and it wasn't enough pulling a trailer. Pretty much cooked the tranny. I put a B&M plate style cooler in front of the radiator when I replaced the trans and it works great.

[LONGHAIR]

The liquid to liquid heat transfer in the radiator takes the initial heat away from the transmission fluid then it runs thru the auxillary cooler to get rid of some more. It becomes a two-stage thing...

That stuff about an over-heating engine is BS........If your engine over-heats...stop. Yes, an over-heated engine will over-heat the trans too, especially if there is not auxillary cooler, but that doesn't mean you should drive it that way. Continuing to drive is at your own risk either way. The biggest killer is to the fluid....which doesn't get near the attention that it deserves from most drivers.

Most of the auxillary coolers on the market are just that... auxillary meaning that they cannot cool well enough on their own. They tell you right in the instructions not to seperate them from the factory cooler. It would take a considerably bigger unit to do that alone. Certainly one of those little hidden under the vehicle things can't handle it.

[hilljob26]

i used a a/c condenser out of these trucks,and it works awesome