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I recently purchased a 65 f100 with a GT390. It has the original 3 speed cruisomatic. I am planning to pull a 4000 lb trailer several times during the summer and want to make sure the transmission is up to the task. I typically hang out in the 61-66 forum but thought I would get input form the "transmission guru's". What are the opinions about the capabilities of the cruisomatic?
The cruisomatic that is in the truck has an external trans cooler. It is a seperate unit and does not go through the radiator. The unot sits in front of the radiator. I am thinking about moving it to a different location since I think it is blocking air flow through the radiator and causing the engine to read a bit warmer than I want.
You would normally plumb your trans cooler so the auxilary unit is first in line, then the one in the bottom of the radiator. That way, your fluid doesn't get too cold to work properly.
Now if your radiator does not have an auto trans cooler, then you may want to hunt one down.
Why? Because it sounds like your radiator is marginal at this point. If the trans cooler is blocking it a bit (air goes through that cooler, so it's not blocking it much) and THAT is causing overheating, you will never hold your temp with a big load on a long hill. Note most cars now have another full radiator (for the AC) in front of the engine radiator, plus oil and trans coolers. And most have no trouble overheating.
Perhaps your radiator just needs a cleaning, but check it out.