So, as I understand it, all of the current and likely blowers are going to require a cooler in the radiator area. First off, is this statement accurate?

Assuming it is, real estate in that area is going to get scarce fast. My question is what are people planning to do about transmission cooling with a blower installed? I plan to get to get a blower eventually but prior to that will get a converter. Would like to plan ahead and get a trans cooler that I won't have to replace when I put on the blower.

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

So, as I understand it, all of the current and likely blowers are going to require a cooler in the radiator area. First off, is this statement accurate?

Assuming it is, real estate in that area is going to get scarce fast. My question is what are people planning to do about transmission cooling with a blower installed? I plan to get to get a blower eventually but prior to that will get a converter. Would like to plan ahead and get a trans cooler that I won't have to replace when I put on the blower.

Thanks for any thoughts on this!
If you are going the converter route then you really should put an auxillary cooler in line with the factory cooling. Keep in mind that if you install one with an integral cooling fan mounted on it you do not need to mount it in the front . You can install it almost anywhere except close to the exhaust. I did just that with my '96 770 hp blown Impala SS and had absolutely no problems ever with trans. cooling and this car had a 3600 rpm stall converter. I do have a question though.....are you sure you really want to put a converter in this car if you fully intend to install a blower also? With the torque it will make with the blower, if you also have an after market converter your first gear will be pretty much totally useless with street tires, and will severely test a drag radial's grip also.

i'm pretty sure i remember reading that the magnacharger does not have a separate upfront intercooler, but somehow manages to squeeze one between the engine and the unit itself? I could be wrong though

If you are going the converter route then you really should put an auxillary cooler in line with the factory cooling. Keep in mind that if you install one with an integral cooling fan mounted on it you do not need to mount it in the front . You can install it almost anywhere except close to the exhaust. I did just that with my '96 770 hp blown Impala SS and had absolutely no problems ever with trans. cooling and this car had a 3600 rpm stall converter. I do have a question though.....are you sure you really want to put a converter in this car if you fully intend to install a blower also? With the torque it will make with the blower, if you also have an after market converter your first gear will be pretty much totally useless with street tires, and will severely test a drag radial's grip also.

hey doc, thanks for the reply. So you used something like this?:
http://www.bmracing.com/s.nl/c.723089/n.2/it.A/id.123/.f?sc=17&category=6173

If I might ask, where did you mount it? Frame rail maybe?

As for the traction issue, I have thought about that. If, when all is said and done, I can't get the power to the ground and get a decent launch , I can always put the stock converter back in.

The most unfortunate thing about the traction situation is that there are no drag radials or slicks for 19" wheels. That change is going to be expensive but I'm hopeful something will come along soon.

Wreck, a Porsche 944 Turbo trans, while being a manual, has some finned tubing wound in a couple circles that it uses for cooling. This stuff:
http://www.unitytube.com/images/back.jpg

I wonder if there is some way you could do something similar and/or perhaps replace some of the hard line with that. The GTO has a similar setup that runs under the radiator or something too, but I think it's for the power steering.

i'm pretty sure i remember reading that the magnacharger does not have a separate upfront intercooler, but somehow manages to squeeze one between the engine and the unit itself? I could be wrong though

The intercooler is part of the intake manifold and is under the blower, the heat-exchanger is mounted up front. Common misconception. :)

So, as I understand it, all of the current and likely blowers are going to require a cooler in the radiator area. First off, is this statement accurate?

Assuming it is, real estate in that area is going to get scarce fast. My question is what are people planning to do about transmission cooling with a blower installed? I plan to get to get a blower eventually but prior to that will get a converter. Would like to plan ahead and get a trans cooler that I won't have to replace when I put on the blower.

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

Even though I've got a Corvette, I thought I might be able to offer some advice.

After installing a Yank 3600 converter last week I decided that I needed a cooler since my trans temps started to hover right around 200 on the freeway after putting in the converter.

I bought the B&M model that comes with the fan but when I tried to install it I noticed that my Vararam CAI didn't leave me enough room to install the cooler and the fan. I decided to install it anyway but without the fan and found that it works quite well. Driving into work this morning my transmission temp didn't exceed 135 which means that the cooler dropped the operating temperature by over 60 degrees.

I do however believe that you really need to mount this up in front because it needs a source of cool air to work properly. Several people on the Corvette forum have tried installing it somewhere other than up front and even with the fan they've found it doesn't work as good as it probably should.

Hope that helps,
Christopher

Even though I've got a Corvette, I thought I might be able to offer some advice.

After installing a Yank 3600 converter last week I decided that I needed a cooler since my trans temps started to hover right around 200 on the freeway after putting in the converter.

I bought the B&M model that comes with the fan but when I tried to install it I noticed that my Vararam CAI didn't leave me enough room to install the cooler and the fan. I decided to install it anyway but without the fan and found that it works quite well. Driving into work this morning my transmission temp didn't exceed 135 which means that the cooler dropped the operating temperature by over 60 degrees.

I do however believe that you really need to mount this up in front because it needs a source of cool air to work properly. Several people on the Corvette forum have tried installing it somewhere other than up front and even with the fan they've found it doesn't work as good as it probably should.

Hope that helps,
Christopher

Thanks, it gives me an idea of what may not work. This leads down the road of figuring out what will work :)

One location that worked well on the F-bodies was to mount the cooler parallel to the road on the passengers side. Make a cutout similar to the panel mod on the drivers side, but sized to the cooler. B&M makes a line of "supercooler" pick the largest one that fits. It will get plenty of air flow and wont crowd the radiator.

hey doc, thanks for the reply. So you used something like this?:
http://www.bmracing.com/s.nl/c.723089/n.2/it.A/id.123/.f?sc=17&category=6173

If I might ask, where did you mount it? Frame rail maybe?

As for the traction issue, I have thought about that. If, when all is said and done, I can't get the power to the ground and get a decent launch , I can always put the stock converter back in.

The most unfortunate thing about the traction situation is that there are no drag radials or slicks for 19" wheels. That change is going to be expensive but I'm hopeful something will come along soon.

Yes....I used a B&M unit and mounted it parallel to the ground just above the bottom of my frame rail, near the radiator support toward the front of the car. This way ground clearance and objects in the road would not put the cooler at risk. Temporarily mounted a trans. temp gauge and found that the fluid never got above 180 degrees no matter how/where I drove it. Removed the gauge and never had any type of problem. Going to do the same thing again after Vector installs my converter in the next couple of weeks. Good Luck!!

OK guys, I have my converter ordered so I need to make a cooler choice quickly. I've decided that since the blower is long-term and might not even happen, I will go with a standard front mount cooler. Looking for specific recommendation on which one will do the trick.