I am putting in an NR 2802 radiator and want to add a transmission cooler. Does anyone have a recommendation as to what kind to get or any advice in general? I appreciate the help.

 

Stacked-plate coolers (or "plate and fin") are more efficient than tube-and-fin types by about 30%. You don't need something huge unless you're towing a really heavy load. I have a small Hayden 677 (1677) and it's effective for pulling my small RV around. Hayden and B&M both make good stacked-plate coolers.

Plumb the auxiliary cooler downstream of the cooler in the radiator, and mount it at least partially in front of the mechanical fan so that it will have air flowing through it even at idle. It's very easy to connect a cooler after the radiator--just cut the rubber section of the return line and use 3/8" brass hose barbs and hose clamps to splice in the cooler.

Here is the splice:




Here is the cooler behind my grill:

 

Sweet! Thanks for info. Makes sense.

 

Sure.

One other thing... The best way to mount the cooler is with the input/output tubes on the side, so that one is at the top, one at the bottom. If you mount it this way, the input should be at the bottom. This way, when the fluid is pumped into the cooler, as it fills up the air will be pumped out the output at the top so no air pockets will form. This is the way it's pumped through the radiator as well.

 

Napa has good selection of universal coolers, I've been running one of those with the factory in radiator one bypassed for years with no overheating issues.