Trying to finish up my International KB6 on a chevy chassis project. Question - do I need a trans cooler on a TH350 or 400 auto tranny? I'm not going to pull anything or carry heavy loads. Can I just loop the lines together? Thanks much! ScottInIowa
you can loop the lines together, and the trans will live for a while....one guy I know had this setup on his truck for years on a th350 and it is still driving as far as I know. If it were mine, I'd run a cooler. If the automakers felt it was necessary to spend the extra money, it probably is a good idea.
I agree with Squirrel, go with the trans cooler. Went through 4 trans rebuilds many years ago with looped cooler lines. Carl
You can get a new Trans cooler at most parts houses for around 30 bucks that will do fine as long as you aren't trying to tow something heavy. Why run the risk of burning one up to save 30 bucks? A couple of examples here http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/search.oap?keyword=transmission+coolers+&+accessories
I got my aux cooler from a Mazda RX7 in a junk yard for 5 bucks. It is a pretty serious oil cooler. No reason to not run a cooler other than to wanting to backyard it. I have used A/C condensers, in radiator cooler and after market coolers, but I would not run a loped line unless I was out in the sticks and needed it to get to work or the auto parts to buy a cooler. Heat is the enemy of an auto trans.
heh....I wouldn't either. But the other day I was swapping the front bumper on my truck that I wrecked years ago and just got running a couple months ago. What do you know...I looped the line on it, and forgot all about it. I need to get a cooler on it, since it has a 2500 stall switch pitch converter. The trans didn't blow up yet, and I've put maybe 500 miles on it.
Yea, I'd run a radiator with a cooler built in, but I just bought one online. Not many options for a 350 chevy in a '47 International KB. Stock radiator won't come close. When I scrapped the van chassis I must have tossed the tranny cooler, or it was built in to the radiator. Trying to scramble to get this done to take to the Iron Invasion in a month...
RUN THE COOLER!!.heat gets alot of transmissions. ive replaced a bunch of 350s because of looped lines, one of them was mine!
I have had good luck using one off a ford ranger/bronco ll. They are cheap at the junk yard.and have good mounting brackets. They are built like a radiator not fin and tube lake aftermarket. Good luck russ
Why not loop them thru a cooler? If you didn't need a cooler there wouldn't be any transmission cooler lines" coming out of the side. HD chevy application have an auxiliary factory trans cooler as well the one in the radiator.
On my Turbo 400 ... I have a cooler off a Ford Explorer. 5 dollars at Pick-N-Pull. I also use the cooler in the Walker radiator ... because I have a small stall convertor.
If you LOOK closely ... the line is from the Turbo 400 to a extra filter. The line is formed as to be able to move slightly without a problem. The 32 Roadster has 52 thousand miles on it without a issue ... about the lines.
Every automatic needs a cooler. Heat is the quickest way to trans failure. The actual trans doesn't make much heat, but the convertor generates a large amount of heat. Just don't get one that is too big, and keeps the trans temp too cold.
I wouldn't even start it with out a cooler. The best one I ever used was a stacked plate design made by B&M. JC
Worked on a lincoln last year. Who ever the fella that owns it bought it from is about as back yard as you can get and stay in business. it gets worse. The T 350 had a looped copper line, the fella had the transmission serviced by a local shop and drove the lincoln to Cruising the coast and back. I had to replace the pan gasket because the new gasket would let all the fluid out on the floor and it still had the looped line for a cooler, and about 1/8" of sludge in the bottom of the pan. I installed a cooler for him but told him that I am not responsable if the tranny takes a dump on him.
Good news on this - my radiator actually did have a trans cooler built in. So hooked up now and all good. Thanks all!
A friend of mine built a pro-street '70 Z28 with a blown and injected BBC for the street. 400th with a 5000 stall converter. On it's maiden voyage, he took it up a freeway ramp and nailed it. Car ran great, then he drove it home. He lived in a hilly area. Got home and fried the trans going up driveway. Now he has a 3000 stall converter and 2 trans coolers with electric fans.
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