Transmission Cooler for 700R$4

[Already Gone]

I am going to get the completely rebulit with mild shift kit 700R4 I picked up installed in my C10 this coming Spring. I have hidden hotch as well and may tow the odd time so i'm thinking I'd like to install a trans cooler at the same time. My truck has Factory A/C that works, couldn't resist saying that, and I'm wondering does anyone have a trans cooler on their truck and if so what brand, style and where did you mount it? I also have an Autometer Trans Temp gauge I bought in the 80's and never used and would like to install it but I hatethe look of accessory gauges hanging under the dash in anything.

[jocko]

Might find a way to get a trans temp gauge in the unused dash slot to the right of the column, though I'm not sure if any particular brand fits and has the right sweep. Unless you have a vac gauge or something there already. Could do it how some do the squarebody clock in that slot or something like that. I'm like you Greg, I prefer to have no under-dash aftermarket gauges either, no matter how useful they might be. As for the cooler - I haven't installed one before other than to use the factory setup. I have installed aftermarket engine oil coolers though, and the common place seems to be in front of the radiator - but that was always on non-a/c vehicles, so not so sure it's a great idea to stack things three deep between it, the a/c, and the radiator. I've seen some installed kind of on the outside of the toe-boards, to a side, under the truck - but I'd be concerned about taking a rock and getting a leak and not finding out til I smoked the trans. Probably just paranoid. There, I've been zero help, but at least the world knows we both don't like aftermarket gauges under the dash

[Smitty]

When I put mine in years ago, purchased from Bow tie Overdrive. They recommended using a heavy duty cooler. Might check their website and see what they recommend there. They have all the info for the tv cable and also sell adapters for the carb linkage. Mine is mounted to the front side of the core support on the passenger side. Will try to get a couple pictures for you tomorrow.

[Smitty]

More thought. It is routed through the cooling lines in the radiator. As I recall you want the aux.cooler utilized after the fluid passes through the radiator. Admit I have the ugly gauge below the dash. But like to keep an eye on the temp which has historically run at about 195 degrees.

[Andy4639]

GM states 200* are less for the transmission. I used a aux cooler from O-Rielly's. It was used for the 700R-4 with over 250,000 miles on it when I did the LS-6.0 4L80E swap. I ran mine through the radator then the aux and back to transmission.

[davischevy]

I also ran the fluid through the radiator then the cooler.

My AC also works and the mounting of the trans cooler is a teaser.

I mounted mine through the AC condenser with spacers and clips from the parts store. Don't do that.

The best mount I have seen was on a Custom Camper I have out back, fabricated with one inch angle on the drivers side of the hood latch support. One side was attached to the support and the other to the angle. I will get pics if I can think of it.

I Googled trans cooler mounting and saw a few good ideas.

[rjs53]

I had a cooler under passenger side floor board then ran lines up to trans cooler. Never had a problem.

[57taskforce]

My 57 is on a square body blazer frame and has the factory 350/700r in it. I did like others above, mounted it to the ac condensor and plumbed it after the cooler In the radiator then back to the transmission. Never had any issues. The one I have came from jegs but it’s been so long I don’t recall the specifics.

[Andy4639]

Here is how mine was installed. You can see the hoses in between the condenser and radiator. You also see the 4 mounts. I also cut foam to be placed in the upper opening to block the air flow from going around it plus I have the radiator panels also to force the air through the condenser and radiator.

[HO455]

I plumb my coolers differently. Through the aftermarket cooler then through the radiator. I started doing it this way when my GTO was daily driver. The car was running a 2500 stall convertor and would run 13.25 at SRP on a good day. I had installed a B&M plate cooler after the radiator and a filter with a temperature sensor after the cooler.
Living in Northern Idaho and driving 40 miles to work in the winter I noticed that the tranny temperature would never get above 100 degrees on the highway when the outside temperature would drop below 30 degrees. I called TCI (I was running one of their transmissions at the time) and they felt that was too low. So I replumbed the system so the cooler was in front of the radiator. That allowed the radiator to add some heat to the oil. In addition in hot weather heat is removed from the transmission oil before it adds heat to the engine coolant. When it got really cold (below 15*) I would have to put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to get the engine to stay warm enough to keep the carb (blocked off heat riser) and me from icing up.

[davischevy]

Originally Posted by HO455

I plumb my coolers differently. Through the aftermarket cooler then through the radiator. I started doing it this way when my GTO was daily driver. The car was running a 2500 stall convertor and would run 13.25 at SRP on a good day. I had installed a B&M plate cooler after the radiator and a filter with a temperature sensor after the cooler.
Living in Northern Idaho and driving 40 miles to work in the winter I noticed that the tranny temperature would never get above 100 degrees on the highway when the outside temperature would drop below 30 degrees. I called TCI (I was running one of their transmissions at the time) and they felt that was too low. So I replumbed the system so the cooler was in front of the radiator. That allowed the radiator to add some heat to the oil. In addition in hot weather heat is removed from the transmission oil before it adds heat to the engine coolant. When it got really cold (below 15*) I would have to put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to get the engine to stay warm enough to keep the carb (blocked off heat riser) and me from icing up.

I love my 700R's, but I hate cold weather.

[6T7 C10]

Just another option to consider if you do not already have one is a deep finned aluminum transmission pan may suit your needs enough without the additional plumbing and space required for an auxiliary cooler. (I would still use the stock cooler in the radiator to help modulate transmission temperatures.)

[Already Gone]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and info. Maybe the deep fined aluminum pan would be all I need. I do not use the truck in Winter so the exterior cooler will work for me if I go that route. HO455 when you metioned cardboard in front of the rad that's just a common occurance up here in the Great White North. In fact my eldest daughter took out the engine on a nice Cutlass cause when she went on a trip in early April and it got unseasonably warm coming back from Calgary and the cardboard was still in front of the rad from the Winter and all the car had was idiot lights and I'm sure she wasn't paying attention when the hot light came on and she seized the engine 100 miles from home at 08:00 on a Sunday morning so guess what i did that day.

Mark I do have a vacuum gauge in my dash. I bought the dash from Paul ( PT's 70CST who did consoles as well ) in 2012 for my pink truck but never installed it and put it in my Highlander 2/3 years ago. You don't see Paul on the boards much anymore and his last post was August 2017.

[mrein3]

It does matter where you live. Down south, you want to cool your tranny fluid as much as possible. Up north, you want to heat it.

I'm in Minnesota and do drive my truck in the winter. Calm down, it doesn't see salt, it stays in my driveway doing plow duty and and gets me to my fish house when the ice is thick enough. My transmission fluid runs from the transmission (hot) to the external cooler in front of my factory working AC condenser (cold) to the radiator (warm) then back to the transmission. I plumbed it this way 15 or so years ago and never looked back. I pull boats, plow snow, pull boat docks out of the lake, it gets used.

That said, do get that trans temp cooler installed. Mine is hanging knee-knocker style under the middle of the dash. I too dislike knee-knocker items but form follows function.

Originally Posted by davischevy

I also ran the fluid through the radiator then the cooler.

...snip

Originally Posted by HO455

I plumb my coolers differently. Through the aftermarket cooler then through the radiator. I started doing it this way when my GTO was daily driver. The car was running a 2500 stall convertor and would run 13.25 at SRP on a good day. I had installed a B&M plate cooler after the radiator and a filter with a temperature sensor after the cooler.
Living in Northern Idaho and driving 40 miles to work in the winter I noticed that the tranny temperature would never get above 100 degrees on the highway when the outside temperature would drop below 30 degrees. I called TCI (I was running one of their transmissions at the time) and they felt that was too low. So I replumbed the system so the cooler was in front of the radiator. That allowed the radiator to add some heat to the oil. In addition in hot weather heat is removed from the transmission oil before it adds heat to the engine coolant. When it got really cold (below 15*) I would have to put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to get the engine to stay warm enough to keep the carb (blocked off heat riser) and me from icing up.

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by mrein3

It does matter where you live. Down south, you want to cool your tranny fluid as much as possible. Up north, you want to heat it.

I'm in Minnesota and do drive my truck in the winter. Calm down, it doesn't see salt, it stays in my driveway doing plow duty and and gets me to my fish house when the ice is thick enough. My transmission fluid runs from the transmission (hot) to the external cooler in front of my factory working AC condenser (cold) to the radiator (warm) then back to the transmission. I plumbed it this way 15 or so years ago and never looked back. I pull boats, plow snow, pull boat docks out of the lake, it gets used.

That said, do get that trans temp cooler installed. Mine is hanging knee-knocker style under the middle of the dash. I too dislike knee-knocker items but form follows function.

Thanks for your post. Your the first person who said they mounted it in front of the A/C condenser and to me that wouls be the logical place but was wondering if it would interfere with the operation of the A/C and from what you siad I guess it shouldn't.

[Smitty]

Mine! I believe it was a Hayden cooler and the application was for an RV. But it has been around 15 yrs. since I did it so am not sure.

[First c10]

I put a hayden -6AN fitting cooler in.
link also has cooling size charts
https://www.haydenauto.com/featured%...s/content.aspx
I used the #689
i also put a bowtie OD lockup kit
http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/cata...php?ITEMID=332

[BLT gmc]

Local guys who haul with their 700R4 and a local trans shop have a really good results with the Derale pan that has the tubes with spirals inside the tube. Significant reductions in oil temp. Good luck, Bruce