pics of t-case cooler relocation??
 

all,

Having HG replaced by my mech and also having the Downey headers installed at the same time.

Anybody have any pics of the relocated t-case cooler?? I didnt buy the Downey relocation kit as I purchased the coated headers from Baja Concepts and they had never heard of it/didnt have it. I read here somewhere that the same thing can be accomplished with some cuts of longer hose w/o purchasing the kit.

Did a search and found Churnd's writeup and that's what I'm using to have my headers put on. I also saw S.Wilson's thread on 4x4wire but didnt have any pics of the cooler, it just said to move and relocate to the floor board using Downey's kit.

"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MODELS - Your transfer case has an oil cooler mounted to the right side frame beside the transmission. Remount the cooler slightly reward (in front of the transfer case) or remove both oil cooler hoses, remove cooler from frame, remount cooler to floor board behind transfer case using Downey hose kit #DOW32910. WARNING - You will probably loose some fluid during this procedure. Do not forget to refill the transfer case before operating vehicle."

Just want to see some pics of where you guys moved yours to on the underbody.

Thanks in advance,

Mike :rockin:

I relocated the stock cooler, which is built far better than any aftermarket cooler. The only drawback with it is it should be a little bigger. I'll post some pics of what I did with my cooler.

Warning: the kit Downey sells is junk. The adapter that comes with it is not designed to interface with 45deg flares. Use it and you are only asking for a leak sooner or later.

Sweet Cadman, thanks.

How much fabbing is involved in the relocation?

Mike

As far as fabbing goes, you will need a minimum of 2 parts machined, possibly 4-8, and to drill a couple holes in the frame. I'm a machinist/programmer and work in a shop, so I don't blink when it comes to having to make my own parts. I realize not everyone has this access so if you need some help let me know and I'll see what I can do.

First, remove the cooler from the vehicle and remove the stock hard lines.

Next, loosen the jam nut on the fittings on the transfer case. Rotate and tighten.

You need couplers machined to work with the 45 degree flares in the transefer case fittings and stock cooler hose. I stopped by the lathe on the way out the door and made these.

cont'd...

Assuming you have the couplers, screw them in the fittings. These are straight threads and are not designed to seal, so for a little assurance some thread sealant would be recommended in case of a leak. The flares do all the sealing. This is why it is important not to use the incorrect coupler. I already did a search for a coupler with 2 female 45 degree flares and the correct thread/pitch and came up empty handed.

Next, remove the hoses from the cooler. If you have copper washers on the cooler end of the hose you can recondition them. Lightly lap them on 400 grit wet-or-dry paper. Important: Do not remove too much material from these washers. Drop them on a hot plate and when they turn red, which should only take a few seconds, drop them into cold water. Do this 2-3 times to clean and anneal them. Tip: lay some aluminum foil on the plate and place the washers on this. This will make it easier to plop them into the water.
Now orient the hoses and attach to the cooler hand tight.

I cut the rubber case off and replaced it with helical bundle wrap. The rubber case is formed and will stress the hose when you route the hose elsewhere. Now attach to the couplers and check out the routing of the hoses before you tighten both ends of the hose.

cont'd....

The stock hoses are long enough to mount the cooler to the frame, right above the parking brake line. You will need to make some sort mount that will space it at least 3" from the frame. In the pic where I'm holding the cooler you can see where I cleaned the frame. This is where I'm going to mount it. I don't have it mounted yet but I bought some 1/4" steel angle and will make a couple of adjustable mounts that will let the cooler tuck up and out of the way nicley. And notice you will still use the stock mount/deflector.

To keep things simple, you can have a longer hose made and bypass having couplers made. But then the hoses need to make a U-turn and there is not a lot of room unless you use smaller diameter hose.

If you decide to go the way I did and need some help, send me a PM.

Dale

Sweet. Thanks for the pics. I'll confer with my mech and see what he wants to do as far as moving this around.

Mike

Dale,

what would charge me to fab up the parts I'd need for this???

Dont want to go Downeys route, but had to get my truck back and this isnt re-routed yet.

Let me know what you can do.

Thanks!!

Mike

Mike - sent you a PM.

Dale

Dale,

I would also be interested in buying these parts if you decide to make a few. Let me know how much. Right now mine is just wired up to the frame

For all,

Cadman (Dale) does some sweet work and this little kit is awesome.

I havent installed it yet as I'm going to powdercoat the mounts but this is the ticket.

Thanks Dale!!

Mike