OK. going to make up my new tranny cooling lines....I had marked them when they came off as lower connection on tranny goes to top rad fitting and vice versa. Thought I woulod double check that so looked it up in my service manual: the (4d, 4F, 4G,4H) series shows that but the picture for the full size cars shows the lower tranny fitting line going to the lower rad fitting. I thought those rads were the same...so which way does it go???? :laugh: later Tim
Tim, Its funny that I seen this thread since I just put a NOS set of tranny lines on my 70 Skylark tonight.The book is correct,as you put the lower line on the radiator in the lower port of the tranny.Upper in upper.Ihave a nice detailed picture of this in the 1971 Chassis Service Manual page 76-59 (for big cars with TH-400)and there is also the same for all with TH-350 on 75-58 and 75-59.On the TH-400 there isnt series 43 listed but they are all the same.Hope this helps. Pat
Thats where the confusion is, look real close at the 350 install in the book on page 75-58...it shows the upper tranny fitting going to the lower rad fitting. This the 43-4400 series cars. Next page shows the full size cars and it shows bottom to bottom and top to top... Why would the GS/Skylark be different than the full size cars?? They used the same style of rad.... o No: Later Tim
I see your point.I must have overlooked it the 1st time,but indeed it looks like that in my manual.I am positive that I installed them the right way(top on radiator/top of tranny).I don't have the walkaway on the car as of yet but they appear to be in the correct location.This is why I like 4 speeds anyways. :laugh: :laugh: The NOS ones lined up and were bent nice.They even have no interferrence with the headers either. Pat
I would think it would be toughh to get them mixed up. Kinda wonder though as the outlet is the bottom port on the tranny,you would think you would want it to go to the hot part of the rad (top) and leave the cooler part (bottom) but I guess overall the temp would be fairly constant in the short time the fluid is in the cooler. You wouldn't by any chance have a digital camera and could take some pictures of the squiggles aft of the crossmember??...I'm bending my own up but want them to be -more or less- correctly shaped...originals were trashed.... later Tim
I have a set in the garage that I took off a 455 car that we just parted and can take some shots of them and post them(look identical).Probably wont have time to do it till the weekend.Unless someone posts some before then I'll try to get them on by saturday.I think that area will you are talking about will be the toughest to bend and will try to get some close ups too. Pat
That would be awesome! I'm in no panic as won't be doing them until late next week, and really all I need to do is make sure they have anough clearance with all the parts and fit the clip on the crossmember but I may as well make them look authentic while I'm at it. The ones that came off this car, my parts cars, and even the ones on my Stage 1 have been bent up so many times its hard to tell exactly where they are supposed to go. I could just buy a set form inline tube but I'm up for the challenge and with tubing going for 1.50 a foot (Canadian money, remember) its fairly cheap even if I screw up a couple. I have new fitting too. Plan on doing two complete sets. Thanks for your help and information... Later Tim
I have 2 of the original longer fittings that go into the tranny that I cut off some really bent up tubes in case you are interested or need them.I agree about the price too,but since a friend gave me these ones a few years ago,I decided to use them.Its been a long time since I have driven an automatic GS that I Have owned that I am not sure if I remember how to do it.... :laugh: Pat
Step on the gas, keep slushie in left hand and keep car in your lane with right hand. Perfect! Heres the funny thing. Finally made it out to my 72 GS 455 sitting on the farm. The LOWER tranny line goes to the TOP of the rad, and vice vera. Go figure. Lines are nice and will use those for templates. Thanks! Tim
Tim,I was a butthead and left my digital camera at home,so I didn't get them posted today.Old age is catching up.Glad you found a set for templates.It will make it a whole lot easier to make them.Post your end result for us to see when you get them done.That is really strange now Ill have to switc mine to see if they look better.Thanks for the heads up. Pat
Hi Pat, well not many lines survive 30 years in good shape....so between the four original lines I have, there were good representations of 80% of the line pattern. I used that to build up mine, and they look pretty decent. Not done yet but need rad support and rad to finish up. Also this car is not equipped with a/c so that leaves a little extra space. Test fit of major parts shows lots of clearance for all parts. Anyway, pic shows the first line about half done beside original....man there is a lot of bending on these and they angle all over the place. What a PITA!!!! p Tim
This picture shows both lines in place. Cardboard protects frame while I monkey around and also simulates the clip that holds the lines just above the frame (don't want to be clipping lines in and out as it grips pretty good and sure something will get scratched or whatever). They are sitting about the proper distance apart. Its wierd how they raise slightly after going over the crossmember and angle over...it looks to me like the inboard one has a slightly sharper angle so it ends up right over the other one and then goes up and into the top hole in the rad cooler. Regardless, they look pretty good. :beer later Tim
tim: my 72 has the original tranny cooler lines. i believe that i told u on the past, that someone had installed a huge home-fashioned tranny cooler and fortunately had not modified the cooler lines in any way accept to add connectors & two lengths of high pressure hydraulic hose to connect to & from the cooler . i tossed that crap & reconnected the cooler lines the way they were meant . beware that once u install the engine + exhaust manifolds, u may have to do a refashioning of one or both cooler lines to avoid the heat from the manifold .
Hi Gerry, thanks for the info and I was pretty careful to make sure there was lots of clearance with the installed manifold (did a test fit)...hopefully I can avoid too much messing around with the lines when everything else goes on. Big question now is the front bits...I need the fenders and rad support with rad on to finish the lines. Final height depedns on how it all gets shimmed, and the other question is how do you put the rad in to finish up the lines if you have three feet of straight tubing sticking out the front!!!!!??????LOL Personally, I would have run them over to the frame and followed it closer up and over the crossmember but thats the way GM did it and I guess they need a certian amount of 'give" as the tranny moves with the engine on hard acceleration. I'll get it sorted out. Total cost so far, including the wrecked line (first try) is about $20.00 Canadian. Getting those angles right on a hand bender is nuts. Later Tim
tim: the lines are long enough that the torque twist from closed to full throttle will not affect the lines. also remember that the frame will twist.
