Transmission line size and cooler install help.

[Phoenyx]

OK, well my water pump failed and I'm in the middle of replacing it. Then I thought to myself, will all this stuff removed it's a good time to install the transmission cooler.

I have never installed one before myself (but I have seen some pretty 'redneckish' installs). So I have read a few articles and watched a few videos, and it looks pretty simple.

So here's what i have:
-TH350 (2400 stall) with stock lines going into a stock type rad cooler.
-a cooler (that will finally get payed for in the next few weeks lol) that's about 12" X 8" or 10" (not to sure, it's out in the car and I'm to lazy to go get it lol). The cooler looks something like this with these type of hose connectors:

-a mount kit like this:

First off I'm still debating weather or not to run the rad cooler with it. Originally I was, because I planned to drive this car next winter. And -30 isn't uncommon here. But now I don't think it will see anymore snow, so I might bypass the stock one.

I plan to use that mount kit and put it in front of the rad. But I have a question first. When that idiot ripped my a/c out, he left the condenser in front of the rad. Can I simply just remove this, or is it keeping the rad in place in any way?

Now the important part, how to connect the hoses. The way I've seen it done in the past, was just to cut off the end of the transmission line, and clamp some rubber hose to connect to the cooler. First off I don't want any metal getting in the lines, and second I'm trying to cut as little as possible on this car. So cutting the lines is not part of my plan. I was wondering if theres a fitting I can just put on the end of the line that will have something like a barbed hose end on the other side? Kind of like a female version of the brass fitting seen in this pic:

(note: if I use the rad cooler, I was thinking one of these fitting for the rad too?)

Next question, what size and type of hose do I need for this? I don't want to use the wrong kind.

So what do you all think? Any extra tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[RITTER]

You can get a female inverted flare fitting with 3/8" barb and you must use transmission oil cooler line If you want to run it through the radiator cooler and the auxilury oil cooler, use that male inverted flare barb off the radiator and run the transmission oil cooler hose. Now one of your obstacles will be going from the 5/16" transmission line from the transmission itself, to the more common 3/8" barb size on the oil cooler

 

[RITTER]

...oh and yes, you can just remove the A/C condensor if the rest of your system is already gone 8)

 

[Phoenyx]

Cool, thanks. Now I have to do some hunting for fittings. And I'll have to double check tomorrow, but I think that the lines on the cooler looked pretty close to the size of the transmission lines.

 

[85GPLef41]

Agree with Ritter 8) I have heard of people running the fluid to the cooler first then the radiator to avoid it being too "cold" in cold weather. Seeing as i don't drive my GP in winter i ran my fluid radiator first then cooler and then back to the transmission. I ran a 2004r out of a Olds 88 for years and was constantly beating it up behind my oh so powerfull 305 with no issues :lol: I accredit the trans cooler seeing how hot it got.. I have even read of guys who tow with big trucks using there a/c condensors as trans coolers in for a low budget route... 8) Use good hose and clamps and the proper fittings to make the cooler work.

 

[383S10]

On mine I used braided lines with Earls fittings connect mine trans cooler I had the push on hoses but they leaked from time to time......switching over to a trans cooler with -an style female fittings I had no leaks anymore..............

 

[tc1959]

I got my stuff from http://www.bulkpart.com ordered a install kit and compresion fittings and hose barbs 5/16.

 

[Phoenyx]

Well I got the cooler mounted, but not plumbed in yet (tomorrow I hope). Here are a few pics:

The first 2 are pics with the grill off.

The next 2 show the mounts.

The last 2 are a closer look at the cooler. You can see in the 1st one that the tubing is small, close to if not the same as the factory lines.

So tomorrow I will try to get the fittings and finish it up. I decided I'm going to just bypass the cooler in the rad. If for some reason have to drive it in the winter, I'll just re plumb it and run both.

 

[Phoenyx]

OK, so what is the fitting size of the factory lines? 8)

 

[85GPLef41]

Not sure but make sure you check the cooler every so often using those mounts have been known to rub through the radiator causing a leak. I made a cheesy mount for mine and then bolted it on the core support away from the hot radiator about 4-6 inches.