Fuel and transmission line.

[Babaganoosh]

I want to build new lines in hard line, I keep seeing multiple materials. Which one will last the longest and not fall apart? Willing to spend some coin if it matters.

Thanks!

 

[Wes Harden]

stainless steel tubing. in line tube might have a sale right now.

if you are doing custom trans cooler lines eliminate the radiator cooler, esp since you are in AZ this will help keep the engine cool and the trans.

 

[skunked]

if you are doing custom trans cooler lines eliminate the radiator cooler, esp since you are in AZ this will help keep the engine cool and the trans.

I found just the opposite with my 454/TH400 combo.

 

[Wes Harden]

I had both coolers running and at100°-110°ish, never mind 115°+, the trans heats the coolant and the engine gets hotter trans gets hotter, viscous circle, the only way to cool was to coast down hill.
Forget running the a/c.
My cooling system was/is in premium condition, external trans cooler was a large staked plate, possibly a early B&M supper cooler, with it's own 8" fan. 5 blade and 6 blade fan severe and extreme fan clutches, nothing worked to my satisfaction, esp keeping the trans temps down. Removing the trans cooler from the rad made keeping both temps down so much easier.
Engine temp stays just above t stat temp no matter what, hill no hill, towing, a/c didn't matter. Trans will still see 200° temps, but much less often, and cools down faster.
I wish I had a big block maybe it wouldn't need to work as hard and make less heat

 

[Babaganoosh]

I currently have the trans running through a cooler only, on one of my transmissions blowing up it knocked out the radiator.

 

[skunked]

I had both coolers running and at100°-110°ish, never mind 115°+, the trans heats the coolant and the engine gets hotter trans gets hotter, viscous circle, the only way to cool was to coast down hill.
Forget running the a/c.
My cooling system was/is in premium condition, external trans cooler was a large staked plate, possibly a early B&M supper cooler, with it's own 8" fan. 5 blade and 6 blade fan severe and extreme fan clutches, nothing worked to my satisfaction, esp keeping the trans temps down. Removing the trans cooler from the rad made keeping both temps down so much easier.
Engine temp stays just above t stat temp no matter what, hill no hill, towing, a/c didn't matter. Trans will still see 200° temps, but much less often, and cools down faster.
I wish I had a big block maybe it wouldn't need to work as hard and make less heat

The fact your engine stays just above t-stat temp through all these conditions and the radiator is a more effective cooling option (liquid vs air), I don't see the reason to bypass it.

The second issue introduced when you bypass the radiator is reaching proper operating temp for the transmission. That can be just as harmful as the excessive heat. When I bypassed the radiator I was either hitting 230+ lugging up the road (pulling over multiple times) or sitting at 150-160. With it routed through the transmission it's at 180 cruising around/crawling and it might hit 210-220 when I'm lugging up the highway loaded at 8K+ feet. Keep in mind this rig also see's hot weather, it's not uncommon to hit 110 here and I wheel in the snow. Cooling specs- BBC radiator, windstar fans @ 190, -8AN Derale transmission cooler & fan.

Based on my personal experience and how @Babaganoosh uses his truck , I wouldn't recommend bypassing the radiator.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I have it currently running through a trans cooler only, it warms up fast on grades it has seen 235, if anything I need to add more cooling or replace the radiator and run it through the rad and into a cooler.

anyone else have recomendations on tubing? Also how is everyone straigtening these coils? The tools are expensive!

 

[Wes Harden]

I stay at just above t stat after bypass before, it would over heat, both the trans and engine, just towing the boat from the ramp 5 miles away. Or a light trailer up a 2% grade at neighborhood speeds. Even not towing the temps where to high for a non computerized engine.
Bypassed my trans gets to 140 easily and stays @160. Big hills heavy loads, high ambient temps creeps up to 200, before would peg gauge, and stay there. It will cool way down on a long coast.
I mentioned warming up the oil to the trans builder, he didn't seem to concerned about. I am not anymore. My rig weighs over 6k lb, in town never gets into 4th, until the highway, plenty of ways to avoid highway.
Maybe if I start spending time where the lows are below 55 I'll put a switch on the fan, that will help get the temps up.

 

[Wes Harden]

I use a pick to straighten fins. That said I only do slightly bent, small areas

 

[Wes Harden]

Might have misunderstood your last post.
Are you asking about tube bending?
I like to start with straight sections esp stainless, nickle copper is ok in a coil. I have never used nickle copper for anything other than brake lines.
Not sure how it would work for trans lines. Fuel would probably be ok, if it were secured we'll to frame.

Cheap tube benders are frustrating as hell. Do your self a favor and get decent tools.
Sometimes is better to lock the bender in vice a move to tube.
There are various technics, you'll have experiment. Get extra tube.

Have you considered braided hose for trans lines ?

 

[skunked]

I have it currently running through a trans cooler only, it warms up fast on grades it has seen 235, if anything I need to add more cooling or replace the radiator and run it through the rad and into a cooler.

anyone else have recomendations on tubing? Also how is everyone straigtening these coils? The tools are expensive!

I bought rolls of steel tubing from Summit (summit brand) for the crawler and bent my own hard lines for fuel and brakes. The straightening tools work awesome however you can get away with carefully using a vise.

I stay at just above t stat after bypass before, it would over heat, both the trans and engine, just towing the boat from the ramp 5 miles away. Or a light trailer up a 2% grade at neighborhood speeds. Even not towing the temps where to high for a non computerized engine.
Bypassed my trans gets to 140 easily and stays @160. Big hills heavy loads, high ambient temps creeps up to 200, before would peg gauge, and stay there. It will cool way down on a long coast.
I mentioned warming up the oil to the trans builder, he didn't seem to concerned about. I am not anymore. My rig weighs over 6k lb, in town never gets into 4th, until the highway, plenty of ways to avoid highway.
Maybe if I start spending time where the lows are below 55 I'll put a switch on the fan, that will help get the temps up.

You have a very unusual situation and the fact your transmission will cause your radiator to heat up like that leads me to believe your radiator is insufficient. My engine is ALWAYS hotter than my transmission but my radiator and the derale cooler after, handle the job.

Funny you mention the transmission builder, he's the person that warned me about the warm up concern when I asked about bypassing the radiator. I still bypassed it and had to redo the lines later after I made that mistake.

 

[Wes Harden]

yes well i never worried about th400 temperature ever, course I wasn't driving in 110+ ambient temps either. Having a 700r4 I watch it like a hawk. Don't think i would be to worried about a th350.

I don't want my engine temp over 200°, prefer it at 180°.

I did have to different radiator cores one brass 4 row with some age, I then had it re-cored brass 4 row with a higher fin per inch count, temps only improved slightly.