Oil cooler for C6 transmission

Cool Hand Lurker

Cool Hand Lurker

Well-known member
I am sticking a 302V8 with a C6 automatic transmission in my 1959 F100 pickup. What size ****** oil cooler will I need to put in front of the radiator?
This is for recreational highway and town travel with occasional car trailer hauling when I find an old Ford that I can't pass by.
 
They are usually rated for the amount of weight your transmission is going to pull. If you go with the stacked plate type they are kind of self regulating. Ford has used this type for years. Bigger would be better. You can find some adaptable ones on Super Duty's, if you go used make sure transmission fluid that was in it is clean and not burned. Almost impossible to clean stacked plate coolers, unlike tube and fin type.
 
The C6 is kind of overkill for a small block Ford unless its 300+ horse power. There should be some radiators out there that would work for that application in a 59 square top or do you already have that & just want additional cooling?

I've towed long distance with a 302 a quite few times and came to the conclusion that bigger is better. I was towing helicopters and empty fuel tanks on trailers. I wouldn't use anything less than a 351 anymore.
 
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rotorwrench said:
. . .
I've towed long distance with a 302 a quite few times and came to the conclusion that bigger is better. ...
I wouldn't use anything less than a 351 anymore.
Click to expand...
Apologies for slightly derailing the original post but I couldn't help it, had to post the photo around here somewhere. At least it's Ford and 'bigger is better' related.

I rented this rig to haul a new project home. Super Duty F350 6.7 turbo diesel. Of course it very easily handled the long 4% grades on both sides of Tehachapi pass at speeds I can't admit to. Capable of passing 'anything but a gas station' as the old saying goes.
 

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Go to a Pull-A-Part and get one out of any F250. Be sure to keep the radiator "cooler"hooked up, that transmission likes to be warm to keep moisture out as well as cool. Ford pays those engineers a bunch of money to figure that stuff out.
 
Back when diesel was cheaper, that would have been the way to go. Now days a person would only want to rent one for a while. The new stuff is getting way past my affordability line.

When I was in high school, we had an ex air force 59 six pack square top that we used for a parts chaser in the carpentry classes I took. The damn thing only had a 223 but it would haul anything. It just went real slow doing it. It took all crap that a bunch of rowdy school boys could give it and kept on a tickin like a Timex. That was one tough truck.
 
On my '54 panel with a 390, I couldn't get to the cooler ports in the radiator. I mounted 2 stacked coolers side by side at the bottom of the radiator, I also had a trans temp gauge.....it rarely saw 125 deg.


transcooler-1a.jpg
 
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