Transmission Cooler Lines With Headers Question - 340

[plymouthman72]

Hi everyone,

I am in the final stages of my restoration and have run into a bit of a snag... well several snags. I have a 1972 Roadrunner 340/727 with Doug Headers and my factory hard lines no longer work. That's my first issue. My first solutions was to remove all of the fittings in the transmission and radiator and replace with an-6 fittings and run braided steel line around the driver side. That is still my preferred method but that leads me to my second issue. The front brass fitting on the transmission stripped the socket area and I can not get it off now.I probably can but it will require me to drop the transmission Line threads are still good though thankfully.

This is where my question comes in. Can I cut my hard lines about 4 inches from the transmission and radiator and safely run steel braided hose clamped to the ends of those and run it along the frame rail like I would with the an-6 fittings? It would not be the prettiest but this would keep it away from the headers and cooler but I didn't know if that kind of set up would leak and last long term. It's also a lot less expensive that buying all the AN fittings.

Next year I am going to replace my 727 with the A41 set up from Silver Sport but wanted something usable in the mean time and was hopeful this would work.

Any help or advise is greatly appreciated!

 

[493 Mike]

Drive a "Easy out" into the fitting and unscrew it. Remember stock tubing is 5/16" and -3AN is 3/8".
Mike

 

[33 IMP]

Yes, there are compression fittings to adapt from a hardline to an A.N. line. They use a ferrule on the hard line that is squeezed around it, so your hard line has to be clean and round. Mine worked very well to adapt a 1/2 aluminum fuel line to braided line to the regulator.
I would not use regular braided line, however. The teflon line would be a much better choice in your application, even though it's more $ up front. It will last much longer, less suseptable to leaks or fatigue.

 

[plymouthman72]

Drive a "Easy out" into the fitting and unscrew it. Remember stock tubing is 5/16" and -3AN is 3/8".
Mike

Mike, thank you! I had the tool the whole time and I got it out with ease. Never even crossed my mind. I was going to use a -6AN fitting instead of the 3 since that seemed small. Do you think I should go smaller?

 

[493 Mike]

3/8" will certainly flow enough for cooling and keep costs lower. That is what I used to feed the rear, fan equipped cooler in my 65 Belvedere.
Mike

 

[forphorty]

Drive a "Easy out" into the fitting and unscrew it. Remember stock tubing is 5/16" and -3AN is 3/8".
Mike

-3 is only 3/16. http://www.racelinecentral.com/AN_NPT_Metric_SAE.html

 

[493 Mike]

-3 is only 3/16. http://www.racelinecentral.com/AN_NPT_Metric_SAE.html

Old guy brain fart!
Mike

 

[wyrmrider]

I run half inch oil proof rubber hose and route away from anything sharp or hot
Diesels use half inch for a reason
I tested with gauges at trans in and out and at radiator cooler in and out
backpressure was about 50 lbs stock 3/8
drops about 15 lbs with each hose changed to 1/2 and another 15 eliminating the in radiator cooler/ heater
That's about 30-45 lbs of backpressure removed
as to flow- they are related
MOPAR has a standard test of so much oil into a container in so much time- I'd have to look it up
but changing hoses makes a big difference
and cooler oil is what lubes the back end of the trans
I use a 100 plate plate cooler made by Borg Warner Canada- you can see a picture in the EMPI catalog- available lots of places
it has half inch in and out and is about 11x11
no tube and fin cooler works
I put in an inline filter on a transdap adapter as I do notlike changing coolers if the converter lets go- been there done that
cutting filters so far has shown no contaminants
best oil is the fully synthetic CITGO Quatrosyn then the older semi synthetic and cost effective for short runs +4
quatrosyn is more cost effective in long drain time fleet use and has both lower and higher temp ratings

 

[dvw]

I ran 3/8 steel straight out to the drivers inner frame rail. The forward along the rail . Then back across the core support to the cooler. No need for any flex line. Been this way 20 years. Doug