I am going to try to make the Griffin 'Nascar' Radiator deal workout, but there are the major problems inherant with it. I can fabricate brackes, straps, and lines no problem; I am worried about choosing the right parts. 2 Qs-

What is the size? I have heard a couple numbers going around...

What tranny cooler should I go with in terms of my Th700-R4? Is there a 'too cool' for automatic trannies?

Thanks all!

BTW- Is there anyone who has actually done this?

 

I used Summit part #: GRI-1-25272-X in my '88 TA with some mods. As you know there is no tranny cooler lines; nor is there a port for heater hose stuff. Works fine as long as you've got that covered. It's 31" x 19" and fits nicely side to side, but it is a bit taller, so you have to lean it back towards the engine to clear the hood AND the stock radiator cover thing won't work - so you have to fab one up of your own.

Well at least I did.

I went with the biggest stacked plate style tranny cooler that Summit has (B&M) and haven't had any problems - haven't gotten over 150 degrees yet.

Steve

Go here: http://www.transamtemple.com/griffin.htm and just ignore the errors.

 

Coolness!

I think that I will knock out the stock bottom piece and fab up some alluminum bracets to get rid of the tilt... Beautiful piece!

 

ttt

 

dont get a plate cooler , get a tube cooler from perma cool with a fan............i mounted mine in front of the griffin rad, just had to remove the hood saftey latch so i installed hood pins ....and yeah youll ahev to make brackets to support the top of the fan and routes houses a little diff but its cake otherwise just measure the one ya have now,,i forget what my dimensions were......

 

How thick is the radiator?

 

It's a 3 core, I forget the one I ordered but I called summit cause some companies measure from fins to fins while others do the whole radiator. I was able to put the black plastic support cover back on, though it doesn't fit down as tight. It fit on the bottom fine though.

 

Stacked plate coolers are more efficient at removing heat by something like 40% - but do whatever you want. I didn't have to remove anything to put two stacked plate coolers in front of my Griffin; one for the oil and the other for the tranny. I'm running a 450ish horse 383 and she runs nice and cool.

My two cents,

S.

 

Thanks guys, so far! Any more pics or advice?

 

oh yeah , huh..thats not what this guy said.......http://www.levelten.com/.............and he rebuilds trannys for a living ..........oh well live and learn

 

What did he say? (Link is dead...)

 

um remove the and from that addy hehehehe and here ya go .....


Prelude: How Oil Coolers Work


The two primary oil cooler designs are tube-and-fin style coolers and stacked-plate coolers. As oil cycles through tube-and-fin style coolers, heat is extracted through the tubes to the external fins where it is absorbed by the air flowing through the cooler. In ordinary coolers, the oil nearest the wall of the tube cools quickly, forming a thin, sludge-like insulating layer. The oil flowing through the center of the tube remains hot, never receiving proper cooling.

Some manufacturers use "Swizzle Stick" style agitators in the tubes to prevent the build-up of sludge. The result is random, uncontrolled oil flow which does little to improve the efficiency of the cooler.

Stacked-plate coolers extract heat by flowing the oil through multiple passages in the stacked cooling plates. The plates are stacked so close together that they impede the flow of air through the cooler. The result is diminished heat extraction and a less efficient cooler. The oven brazed construction is prone to failure when the cooler is used in stressful environments such as auto racing, marine applications, etc.

 

and then theres this

The tube and fin cooler has little to offer in the way of efficient oil cooling. Its typical serpentine design has a large pressure drop due to the tube length and to the restricted bends. The tube and fin cooler cannot approach the cooling efficiency of Earl's Fin density and oil side to air side mechanical bond. If the tube and fin serpentine style were the most efficient in terms of cooling, wouldn't you expect to see this design used for radiators on OEM installations and racing cars?




welp that proves it , i guess its who ya talk ,to mine works fine

 

What do I want, enneficient cooling or sludge buildup? He is a little unclear on which is better...

 

Sludge buildup in your ATF fluid is more worrysome than what type of cooler you run. My 2c:

Get a stacked plate cooler. I am running B&M's biggest which doesn't come with an install kit and has 1/2" pipe thread. A couple fittings later and I can unbolt and put it back in less than a minute. Plus you don't have to worry about smashing the core all to hell like tube&fin deals with their tin foil like heat sink that looks like crap the first time you tap it with a tool or graze across something putting it in.