[PunchT37]

Got a 600hp 463 with a THM400. Continental "Tight 10" converter. Car will have A/C. Does anyone think that the internal cooler of a Cold Case radiator be sufficient? Mostly street.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Made my own & mounted on the Pass floorboard out of the way.

[shaker455]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Made my own & mounted on the Pass floorboard out of the way.

Pretty Slick!

[chuckies76ta]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

Got a 600hp 463 with a THM400. Continental "Tight 10" converter. Car will have A/C. Does anyone think that the internal cooler of a Cold Case radiator be sufficient? Mostly street.

In my opinion you'll still need an external cooler to get rid of the Tranny fluid heat. The hotter the fluid up around 200 deg F and beyond shortens the fluid life very fast.

https://www.tciauto.com/trans-life-expectancy

[Steve C.]

Stacked plate design

https://www.earls.com.au/product-cat...e-oil-coolers/


.

[PunchT37]

Iv`e got an external cooler on this already. Bypass the radiator. I`m adding A/C and the cooler is where I need to put the condenser. Just wanted to know how much more heat that converter will put to the trans oil. And, will the rad cooler be enough, or do I relocate the cooler I have.

[PunchT37]

I probably wouldn`t be game on a stock radiator, but might be on a modern aluminum radiator.

[Schurkey]

Weld a bung into the pan. Install a gauge. Know for sure.

Anything else is just a guess.

If you already own a decent aftermarket coolant-temp gauge, you could reposition the sending unit in the trans pan long enough to discover typical trans temperature, and not have to buy another gauge. If your gauge is electric, just buy another sending unit and re-route the existing wires.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

If the engine runs at or below 210°F how would the radiator not keep the transmission fluid cool enough? Let's say the torque converter is tight, gearing is suitable and engine runs at the thermostat temp of 180°F. How would the Cold Case not keep transmission fluid temps in check? I'm no expert, just a gear head asking questions to learn.

[chuckies76ta]

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

If the engine runs at or below 210°F how would the radiator not keep the transmission fluid cool enough? Let's say the torque converter is tight, gearing is suitable and engine runs at the thermostat temp of 180°F. How would the Cold Case not keep transmission fluid temps in check? I'm no expert, just a gear head asking questions to learn.

You need a transmission cooler no matter what radiator you put in a vehicle.


The transmission fluid will start to heat the coolant up at some point. You have to remove heat from the transmission fluid.



Go google transmission and heat and decide from there. Transmissions do not like heat up and over 200F.


Here's a start.
https://www.bowlertransmissions.com/...missions-heat/

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Originally Posted by chuckies76ta

You need a transmission cooler no matter what radiator you put in a vehicle.


The transmission fluid will start to heat the coolant up at some point. You have to remove heat from the transmission fluid.



Go google transmission and heat and decide from there. Transmissions do not like heat up and over 200F.


Here's a start.
https://www.bowlertransmissions.com/...missions-heat/

If the transmission fluid heats up the coolant then you are removing heat from the fluid, no?

[ta man]

Cooler is cheap insurance and easy install.

[AIR RAM]

You need to be careful not to "OVER-COOL" the trans as well... You need the fluid to reach the optimal temp quickly and stay there without exceeding it. This is why you should consider running an inline thermostat that allows 10% of the fluid to pass to the cooler at all times yet directs most the fluid back to the trans if its below the optimal temp. Only when that temp is exceeded do you want it to pass to the cooler.

I run these t-stats in both my oil and trans cooling systems. They make for a much more consistent operating temp and i have witnessed coolant temps stabilize after installing them.

Cooling performance is a thing.

SPEED SAFE, NICK

[78w72]

Originally Posted by AIR RAM

You need to be careful not to "OVER-COOL" the trans as well... You need the fluid to reach the optimal temp quickly and stay there without exceeding it.

x2 on this.

the proper way to run an aux trans cooler for an automatic street or street/strip car is inline with the rad cooler. as mentioned above, the trans fluid needs to get to operating temp asap, then stay there. the cooler in the radiator heats it up to op temp & most are sufficient for cooling all but high stall loose converters, but if you tow or race etc then you probably want an aux cooler as well.

the aux cooler ran after the rad cooler then cools the fluid as much as it can & returns the radiator & aux cooler cooled fluid to the trans. this is how all trans & cooler companies recommend running an aux trans cooler for the average street car & thats how GM & others did it for decades. especially in cooler climates... yes guys in the desert & florida & manual trans radiators etc can run just an aux cooler, but why not have both to warm & cool better than just one or the other?

[ponjohn]

I ran a stand alone cooler only, manual trans radiator...no problems.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

I ran a stand alone cooler only, manual trans radiator...no problems.

That’s how it is now. Been this way for many years. Thinking about a cold case rad. Don’t know if I’m just gonna get the auto version with new lines and use the rad cooler only.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

Got a 600hp 463 with a THM400. Continental "Tight 10" converter. Car will have A/C. Does anyone think that the internal cooler of a Cold Case radiator be sufficient? Mostly street.

Nope. I have one car here with a Griffin radiator, and it had a very mild 11 inch converter in it that drove pretty well, and not much rear gear in it either. Climbing a long mountain grade at 65 mph eventually got the trans warm enough to start pushing fluid out of the vent tube.

I put an extra external cooler on it, never a problem since.

[chuckies76ta]

All I can say is at 200 f Tranny fluid. Transmission don’t like. Shortens life of tranny. Gotta get rid of heat. Especially if converter is not locked up or slipping lots. Converter slip causes excessive heat.

[chuckies76ta]

I believe the radiator tranny coolers are designed to heat the fluid up from cold. At some point with outside temperatures in the 80f the rad cooler just can’t remove the heat, hence why external cooler.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by chuckies76ta

I believe the radiator tranny coolers are designed to heat the fluid up from cold. At some point with outside temperatures in the 80f the rad cooler just can’t remove the heat, hence why external cooler.

cars came from the factory with no aux cooler & did fine for decades at 80f or above & lasted for ~100k miles or more.

i had a 78 t/a back in the 90's with a stock, partially clogged radiator & no aux cooler. ran a mild converter about 1000rpm over stock, i beat the crap out of that car every day for almost 10 years & 100k miles in all temps & the stock th400 trans with no regular maint worked great the entire time... & it was pulled from a 74 firebird that had ~50k already on it.

i agree too high of trans fluid temps for prolonged periods can cause damage... but stock radiator trans coolers do very well if the coolant temps are kept within reason & most people today run 180 or lower t-stats or use better aftermarket radiators that keep the trans fluid within acceptable ranges.

& most say 200 & below is not that bad, its 220 & above that causes the most damage. also consider that todays trans fluids are much better than older fluids & can handle heat better.