i'm looking at getting a trans cooler for my 78. has c6 trans. is there a way to go "over kill" with how big of one i get? and what is the proper way to hook it up. from trans to rad to cooler bk to trans OR trans to cooler to rad bk to trans. i've read both ways on the internet.

and any one know how to hook up a trans temp sensor on that? i figured it'd be a nice mod to have...thanks for any input

 

I would get one off a JY Ford truck (look for a old u-haul Ford or F250) that way you have all the fittings and guidance to follow reinstalling if on yours.

Also flush it out before installing.....

They are fairly small and mounted in front of the regular radiator, at least thats how it is on my F250 ext cab parts truck.

 

If you run it through the radiator your tranny fluid will never get below your water temp. If you buy one from the local auto parts store they go by GVWR, the one I had on my camper special was 10k-15k range.

 

I am installing a parts store special on the '79 and went slightly larger than what my requirements are as the radiator is being completely bypassed.

Generally it goes trans, rad, and then cooler as it is only supposed to act as an auxilliary cooler to the radiator.

As for the trans temp sensor, those install on the side of the pan and look like a drain plug.

Here is a pic of my mounted cooler:

 

here's a pic of my coolers, if it helps you any.

IIRC, mine is a 25,000lbs GCWR unit. It is a plate and fin type cooler, which is a little more efficient than the tube and fin design. Nothing wrong with either, the plate type is just smaller for the same cooling capacity.



The black one on the left is the trans cooler, the silver one on the right is the engine oil cooler.




Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

Mine is plumbed in after the radiator cooler, as described above. There are some specific situations where plumbing in before the radiator cooler has some advantages, but for the most part, it is better to have it after such that the fluid going back into the trans is as cool as possible.

as for where to install your trans temp gauge ... you are on your own .. i'm not getting in to that pi$$ing match again ... but for a good read:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...emp-gauge.html

The good news, IMO, is that no matter what you do you are right and doing something is better than nothing.
good luck!

 

thanks for the replies. AND PICS! i was going to go with the 20K one just because it's only a few bucks more on jegs, and figured it couldnt hurt...right?(seriously, it wont right? haha) and i never thought of an engine oil cooler, are those special or could a trans one be used for that too? i might be able to answer that once i look into it which will be as soon as this is posted haha. THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS!

 

Oil is the blood of an engine or trans. Keep it from thermally breaking down and it will last longer between change intervals. Oil cooler is almost a necessity when hauling heavy loads and haulin ***.

 

an engine oil cooler will require 1/2" lines. Most mid level and down trans coolers are plumbed for 3/8" oil lines and are not safe to use for engine oil. It's a flow thing.

if you are going to do both, Delray makes a super cool 2-in-1 cooler with a fan on it which allows you to run your engine oil and transmission oil to the same cooler. It also has a provision for a thermostat to control the fan automatically. The simplest thing would be to just get an engine oil cooler kit.

FWIW, my engine oil cooler is an Flex-a-lite kit from sumit. Around $100 if i remember right. It uses a sandwich plate between the engine block and oil filter. pretty nice kit for the money.

The only side effect is that you cannot use your FL-1A oil filter as it wont clear the frame member with the plate installed.. There is a shorter filter available, something for a dodge minivan or something (i'd have to look it up again).

Unless you use your truck in very cold climates, i don't think i'd worry about over cooling. If, however, you do use them in the extreme cold, the best solution would be to install a thermostatic bypass valve. these (mostly) bypass the cooler until a specified temperature is reached, and then open to all the coolers to do their thing. Those are available from sumit as well.