Lets talk Tranny Coolers?

[Tman]

Hey transmissiion guys, crosley,shifts,others. I have some cooler questions.

I have heard from a reputable source that in a non towing capacity you can get by with simply getting the fluid out of the tranny for a bit. Like in plumbing a loop of harline in and out? It will cool enough by this alone.

If not, in a small car like my Touring, what is required? It has a t350 with a 2400 stall behind my 348.

Also, is there any cool late model coolers that are small that could be found in the boneyard? I hate hoseclamps, I am looking for something with NPT or AN fittings. I could order but would like to show more creativity!

[squirrel]

If you didn't have so much stall speed you could get away without a cooler, but 2400 stall will slip quite a bit and that's where most of the heat comes from.

Might be difficult to mount any cooler so it gets airflow when you're moving slowly, and doesn't look like crap, so you may need a fan on the cooler.

Maybe someone else has some better sounding ideas?

[Tman]

Car is an open hooded touring car. I even drilled cooling holes in the frame! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (yer new here, prob havent seen it or heard the jokes of Swisscheese)

You raise a good point on the stall, yes, it will slip a bit more.

[slammed]

Should plan on a cooler. The slipage and 'hot' motor w/driver being agreesive. Street-Strip shift kit in tran's?

[Tman]

Yes, shift kit, hardened sprag and extra hi gear clutch.

So, any cool ideas on factory coolers?

[choprods]

what gear ratio did you finally settle on?

[Tman]

Looking for inside information Kenny? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Tony]

Tman,
On my '33 p-up i have a small cooler mounted under the pass side floor pan, kinda on an angle to catch some air.
I'm running a 400 in mine, and it's basically stock.

It may not have needed it, but figured it was a little insurance.

When i built my old malibu, it had a built turbo350 in it, and 3500 stahl..the guy who built it is a very schooled on transmission's.
He basically said just run the biggest one you can. Too big is not a problem, to small could be.

I'm no expert, but i do know i've run them in all the car's i've built with auto's, and never had a problem with any overheating.

Just my worthless 2cents. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW, the motor looks GOOD! 348-409's are my FAV motor!I got a '09 for my '32 5 window project.
Tony.

[lakes modified]

I always figure the bigger the better.i use the biggest i can fit in the space available. you'd be supprised at the trans. temps if you run a temp guage, as i do. i also run an engine oil cooler. when the oil pressure goes up, i know the bi-metal spring on the cooler is working. it's usually good for 5-10 lbs more pressure when it's working. all this stuff is on my 72 merc. pickup w/a 460 and a c-6. going to Billetproof this last week with the modified, the coolers were on overtime when pulling the mountains in so. oregon and no. calif. the sacto i-5 parking lot didnot help either.

[Radshit]

Anybody know if these coolers work?....A friend bought one a while back but hasn't installed it yet....I might get one for a project but was wondering if they are worth a shit........

[C9]

The front crossmember/spreader in my 32 roadster is a 2" OD tube plumbed for AN fittings.
Trans oil circulates from trans to tubing & back to trans.

I built a similar oil cooler for my 31 on 32 rails roadster, but used 1 3/4" OD tubing.
Plumbing is the same on both cars, #6 Earls lines & fitting.

The cooler works very well, the only place where the trans gets warm is on the tight mountain switchbacks leading into Sequoia National Park.

Trans is a T-400 behind a 462" Buick and runs a 2400 rpm stall speed.
Diff gears are 3.70's and rear tire diameter is 30".

The higher than stock stall speed in the converter is what contributes to heating when running the twisty mountain road.
In second gear for what that's worth.
If the weather is real hot out - read high 90's, low 100's taking a break at the view site for about 20 minutes is enough to get the car over the summit.

In general driving, no problem.
Including no problem in running the long grade over the Ridge Route (I-5) from the San Joaquin Valley into LA.
The higher speeds with good airflow over the cooler and the rpms about 3000 rpm - which means the converter is locked up - is also no problem.

Slow traffic on summer days is not a problem either.

I do have an accurate trans temp gauge on the 32 so I'm not just quoting wishful figures.

I'd post a pic, but I don't have any sized small enough on my new computer.
Someone else may have a pic saved of it and perhaps they could post it.

About the November 2002 issue of rod & Custom, I wrote a short article in the mag and the coolers for both cars were pictured.
The 32 in finished form and the 31 in an exploded view.

[Blownolds]

Since I don't want to have a tranny cooler as part of my radiator, I plan on using one or two auxillary coolers for the tranny, up under the chassis. But what types are recommended? I understand the Earl's coolers to work really well (Baker also sells), but they don't look traditional at all. I was wondering what the options were???

Anyone know how well that billet-mobile cooler posted works? I'm thinking NOWHERE as good as something like an Earl's. Anyone used either?

[FKNPOZER]

those finned tranni coolers do work.a buddy and I have used them on different projects.just make sure you get a dual pass.
mine was in a nailhead powered model a.
my buds is in a 40 zephyr.
hope this helps

[Boones]

Radshit, I am running a 24" one in my wagon. Never had an issue an I believe it gets enough air. I mounted to the outside frame rail, it is hidden by the rocker so you can not see it. Gets better air out there then inside the frame I think.

[Hot Rod To Hell]

I have a th400 with a 4000 stall in a 3000lb car, and I have a tranny temp gauge (Cuz I assumed it would run hot).

I have one of the deep, finned, cast aluminum pans (like 1 quart extra capacity I think...).
For a cooler, I run the Derale unit with the electric fan on it, mounted under the floor, right below the passenger seat. I built standoffs so there's about 1" between the cooler and the floor. There's about 12-18" of line each way to the cooler.

Well anyway, I run synthetic tranny fluid, and I have NEVER had to turn the fan on the cooler on. Even on a 95 degree day idling up and down woodward for 8 hours, the tranny runs at 175 degrees. Cruising on the expresswayabout 3300 rpm, it'll get to about 165.

[Tman]

C9, long story but I planned on doing the same to my front crossmember. I cant do it now, looking at the options.

Radshit, I sell those coolers but I dont have one in stock now! Other wise I would have snagged it.They work well.

[C9]

I forgot to add that the 32 has one of the Derale trans pans with tubes running through it and a remote PH8a filter which adds capacity both oil and cooling-wise.
The pan is about 1" deeper than a stocker and hangs down low enough that it looks like airflow has a fairly straight shot at the longitudinally aligned tubing pieces.
Course, with airflow in an aerodynamically dirty area of the car, who knows?

The Derale probably helps, but the tubing cooler up front throws off a lot of heat.
It's powdered black fwiw, but touching it (quickly) and touching the surrounding poly black paint on the frame shows quite a disparity in temps.


[ QUOTE ]
C9, long story

[/ QUOTE ]
So when did I ever post a short story? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Anyway, there's nothing to stop you from making an even higher capacity tubing cooler and placing it longitudinally under the car.
Every little bit helps.
You may want to give some thought to making the long cooler out of copper tubing.
Maybe even multiple runs so as to gain some oil capacity, but mainly to gain some heat radiation capacity.
There's lots of interesting little parts in the plumbing depts' of hardware stores.

And just to make a short story longer - here's a bit more.

Little Brother used to work in the California oil fields.
They had a compressor plant that had huge industrial radiators for cooling the big compressors.
When they put another compressor on line, instead of buying another huge - like in expensive - they did a few calculations on radiation area of the big radiators, figured out the radiation area of a length of 2 1/2" pipe and made what is called a 'skin effect' radiator.
They plumbed the new compressor so the 2 1/2" line ran out of the plant, crossed the dirt oilfield road underground, went vertical for about 3' then went out maybe 40-50' in a supported off the ground horizontal run, came back past the in and out vertical feed pipes, went out 40-50' the other way and looped back in.
The home-made radiator worked great.
The little fact that the radiator was hung on the side of the dirt road overlooking a canyon didn't hurt.
It also had the added benefit of being a guard rail of sorts.
Did look kinda funny to see steam coming off a 'guard rail' in the winter though.

Other story, I borrowed the skin effects radiator bit for the roadster from WW2 British warplanes.
Some of them used tanks that doubled as the wing leading edge close to the fuselage for oil coolers.
The oil could get overly hot on a hot day if there was a lot of taxiing going on, but once in the air the oil temps came down to the desired levels.

==================================

I know I write long answers sometimes.
Just gotta decide if you want to wade through them.
I feel that having some background info on some things helps to explain what I'm doing, planning to do or have done.

'Sides, I type real fast.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Digger_Dave]

[ QUOTE ]
I feel that having some background info on some things helps to explain what I'm doing, planning to do or have done.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jay, I remember the pictures you posted. You showed a couple of pictures of the spreader bar from above, with stainless lines running in one end and out the other. You asked if anyone could figure out what they were for.

After explaining how the "leading wing edge" oil coolers worked; I did some experimenting using the front bumper on my "41 Ford truck. (it's 350/350 powered and tended to get hot with the trans cooler in the radiator)

The front bumper is concave; so I took another bumper (spare) and fitted a back on the entire length of the bumper. (it created a shallow tank) Before welding the back on I ran steel tubing out to either end from the center that were attached to fittings. (made "stand offs" like your "crush tubes" to take the bumper bolts)

From the fittings on the bumper (came out at the bumper irons) I ran hoses to the heater outlets on the waterpump.

Still need to weld up some pin holes; BUT it WORKED! Dropped the temp about 20 - 25 deg.

One thing I did learn is, chrome is a lousy "dissipater" of heat. (called emmisivity; learned about this from my nephue) so for the best results it was painted flat black.

People looked at me as if I was a "brick short of a full load" when they walked up with bare legs to take a look under the hood and I would warn them, "Careful the BUMPER is REAL HOT!"




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[slammed]

This thread is turning into a keeper. This 'tech' shall apply to any auto tran's cooling question's.