looking at installing an add on tranny oil cooler for the 68 Barracuda, a few questions.

for now the car is strip only,

1) I am thinking that I want the add on cooler to 100% replace the existing tranny cooler that is integral with the OE radiator.
Thought being that, eventually I will make the car a 4 speed car and run an after market aluminum radiator,, I have not looked into this but my assumption is after market radiators are available with and without integral transmission coolers, is that correct?

2) For now with a 904, with some: car-engine-transmission improvements for drag racing, how do I size the tranny cooler?

too small will not cool enough?
is too large a problem?

3) Concerning the lines from the tranny to the cooler, the stock lines on the 68 Cuda run from the tranny, up high on the block then back down by the front motor mount to the radiator. Looks restricted with many turns. To replace those lines and run a less convoluted path, is it recommend to use braided hose or hard tubing?

4) any recommendations for a tranny temp gauge, I plan to use the
stock pan, weld a bung in the rear side for the temp sensor,, then when I want to drain the tranny, disconnect the temp sensor harness, un screw the sensor and drain the fluid..
or,
I have seen posts where folks used one of the transmission pressure test ports as a site for the temp sensor
any thoughts on that

thanks

Aftermarket rads are available without coolers.

You may not even need a cooler or a small cooler. I ran my mudbogger with a simple "loop" cooler. This is just a small loop of steel tubing between the cooling line ports. I never had a problem (375 hp 4500 rpm stall)

I small cooler is fine if you are not towing.

Steel tube lines are easy and cheap. If you want new you can buy new tube and add the tube nuts and double flare.

Dont know about temp gauges,,,,never used one.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

John, take a look at the lines and cooler in the red car. That's all the cooler I ran on the street with a 3500+ stall converter.

Too big of a cooler is worse than no cooler. Transmissions have a happy place they need to run at to work and live well.

Put a bung in the pan for the gauge. I have also seen them teed into the line to the cooler.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

thanks guys,,

I may improve the routing of the stock lines, because I already have the bending / flairing equipment to do so,,
and add a temp gauge sensor to the stock pan, and will leave the stock radiator cooling.

That was my question, do you even need an external cooler? What about deeper pan for more fluid and no extra cooler? Should be fine, easy swap.

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I have used the 100% replacement on a few cars and setups. My 68 Dart and Project V have that now, with aftermarket alum rads (no coolers in those). They are med-large size coolers (~9X12" tube type). I have never monitored trans temp. For drags, you don't need the extra cooler, methinks. For towing or road racing or sustained corner/hill carving on the street, I would run an med/large external. I often beat on my car for 20-40 min at a time, and the trans/cooler/lines get hot.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I ran a small add-on system (cobbled up) on El Toad for five years, with no issues I'm aware of.

I haven't a clue at what temp it's intended to run, but perhaps keeping the radiator bottom in the loop kept the temp closer to the water's temp?

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Sex, drags, and rock & roll.
Dick, 225% crazy.
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I have always run a extra cooler, on performance/towing cars. I run the lines so the fluid comes from the trans, into the aux cooler, then to the radiator cooler, and back to the trans. The reason I use that flow path is, the aux cooler cools the fluid first, and keeps some of heat load off the radiator. Also the warm water in the radiator, will then reheat the trans fluid, if it is cool, or cool it further, if it is hot, keeping the trans temp more consistant.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Old6rodder, I was curious as to your comment on aluminum rads not having oil coolers in them, the one's I've used have had them. Though, I wasn't happy to find that when one sprung a leak, nobody would fix aluminum rads - expensive lesson. I switched back to copper for that reason alone.

brian

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I use this transmission cooler on my LeMons car, a 1964 Dart with a slightly built 225 and a 904 that is stock aside from a 1" extended pan. We also use an aftermarket aluminum radiator with no built-in trans cooler.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CIKCQ2/ref ... 90_TE_dp_1

This is hilariously oversized for most applications on these cars. We run 8+ hour endurance racing sessions on road courses, and the trans fluid never gets above 175 F. If you're only drag racing, you probably don't need a cooler at all. (I have no actual experience in this.) Towing is where you really need the extra cooling.

Big +1 to what Charlie said. If it's a street-driven car, an in-radiator trans cooler will also get the fluid up to temp faster, which is good. Especially in colder climates.

I wouldn't use the test ports for a temp sensor since I'm not sure how much fluid is actually flowing past those locations; the temp there might not be very relevant. The pan is a good location for average fluid temp.

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Somehow I ended up owning three 1964 slant six A-bodies. I race one of them.
Escape Velocity Racing

?????? I said only that I ran a small add-on system (in series with the copper rad in my street daily actually, I hadn't even mentioned the aluminum that until recently was in my HAMBster).
Aluminum, both shelf and custom, can be had either way. And, yes, it's very hard to get'em serviced. Typically, even the manufacturers'll only replace'em.

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Dick, 225% crazy.
Hobby (cars, that is) Photos link

I have the Smallest Sized Hayden Add on cooler on ruster - It's outside under the Pass seat area. - I put it on when I chucked the OE radiator.

I never measured the trans temps but I never had any problems, You do need to make a few warm up laps off of the trailer, to get everything up to correct operating temp.

I think I would like to get trans temp gauge sometime.

Additionally I have been known to hop lap ruster which is unusual for most dragstrip applications so It is useful there, as I enter more than one class sometimes


Greg

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