What ever you do, don't let any metal be rubbing on a line. I wore through a line that way. Bruce Roe
@2001ws6 are the flex lines better in your opinion? I need to swap out my leaky lines that the owner before me installed
Apachepat, I like the flex lines because I was able to get away from the headers and hook them into a B&M trans cooler. I did try repro metal lines at first but I couldn't get them to line up correctly.
I used flexible steel braided up from the trans, over the headers, and up the inner fender, away from all the heat. Don't cheat on the fittings. get the good ones, or you will pay later. Left me a good spot to put in my trans temp gauge too. Also, use that shielded wrap on the lines anywhere they are near heat.
Hi Guys, I used to sell a kit to do this, but lost my local industrial hose supplier, so now I just tell folks to go and buy them at Hose Warehouse.com I also found the direct fit push-lock fittings, that screw right into the trans and radiator cooler. This simplified and reduced the cost of the kit.. vs hose ends and adapters.. Here is the shoppng cart for the exact parts you need, to run thru the frame, on your 68-72 GS, small or big block, with headers. Enter the frame at the slot on the back of the frame, just at the dog leg on the passenger side.. push lines up past the coil spring opening, and down the front of the horn, to the large round hole just behind the radiator. The fittings screw directly into the trans adapters and the radiator cooler. Use the -4 hose.. .it is .250 id... while the factory steel tubing is 5/16, that is OD. Typical 5/16 trans line tubing has a .028 wall thickness, that makes the ID of the tube .256. -4 hose fits better and is much easier to work with than -6. I also recommend that you go to oreilly and pick up a piece of heat sleeve, to run the lines in, as they pass over the header. JW
So I guess you have never worked with push-lock fittings and hose. They look like this, https://www.racerpartswholesale.com/category/Mocal_Socketless_Fittings Believe me, once you get the fitting into the hose, it isn't coming off, unless you cut it off. No clamp required.
You're correct Larry, I do not. I need to do this mod. My transmission lines in the BBB with headers are routed just like the pics in the op.
The fittings can be difficult to fully insert in the hose, but once they are in, they won't come out. Do it, it's very worthwhile.
Do you know what size 90 I would need to screw into the stock radiator transmission cooler? And while I'm asking questions, roughly, how many feet of hose?... Not hoes.
Read through this thread. You'll see how I did it. I used =6AN push-lock hose, but I used conversion fittings at the transmission and radiator. http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/transmission-cooler-recommendation.299758/ Go to page 2 for fittings.
Yup, plenty ways to do it, I was always looking for the least expensive, yet reliable and functional setup. Initially I was using and adapter fitting in the trans and radiator, until aeroquip quadrupled the price on it (went from $5 to 20 each, and you needed 4 for one kit.. so that shot the price thru the roof on that kit. In conduction with that -4 to -5 inverted flare adapter, I used neat steel 45* hose ends at the trans, and 90* fittings at the radiator.. was a very clean install, but that kit got to be about $160, which I though was too much for trans cooler lines.. Not long after this, the adapter fitting was discontinued, I learned that the bean counters raise the price on a fitting they want to discontinue, so they can say to their bosses "look, no one is buying it".. I have not seen a -5 inverted flare 90* fitting, that is what you would need at the radiator upper hose. You have go to the racing stuff and -4 or -6 braided. And then the price goes way back up. JW
