I just bought a brand new OEM replacement radiator for my '84 SR5 automatic not too long ago. Now Im in the process of figuring out everything I need for the 4AGE Blacktop swap, and Im wondering about cooling.

If I drive it concervatively will the OEM SR5 radiator keep the engine cool enough with an electric dual fan shroud? Will it be able to handle about an hour of stop and go freeway driving on a hot California summer?
Im debating if I can use the cheap routes (ie Hundai or Sentra fans on the OEM unit), or maybe spend a little more (ie Mishimoto dual fan shroud on OEM unit), or if I NEED to drop the money (also wasting the money spent on the new OEM radiator) and make sure I have a good performance cooling unit.

Opinions on Brands would be appreiciated as well...Even if I can get away with just the fans for now, I plan on a performance radiator later on when I start a 7AGE build...As of now, if keeping an automatic, the Mishimoto seems like one of the better options, since I can purchase the transmission cooler at the same time. But I am sure there are other options out there.

Oh, and before you ask or insult, yes I plan on keeping the automatic transmission even after the 20v swap.

I can also use some other advice on other aspects of the swap (such as fuel system requirements, etc) so I would love to hear some opinions and advice (besides "The Search function is your friend" and other BS responces)...But to keep this tread on topic, other advice can be posted on this thread http://club4ag.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9769

you should be just fine with the oem radiator and an electric fan or 2

I've seen a 20v using one of those tiny lil honda radiators before. Dude beat it up and said it never overheated.

the only issue I see is the factory radiator has a built in trans cooler. with more power the trans will run hotter than with the 4ac and that might cause an issue. but with how easy it is to install a trans cooler it would be easy to solve.

Thanks for the input so far everyone. Alright, so i'll plan on using the new OEM radiator and probably hit up a salvage yard for a dual fan shroud and see that goes.
And If I want to play it safe, get a universal transmission cooler kit.
Do you think my Transmission will really get all that hot though in normal daily driving though, where the trans isn't shifting constantly?

The trans cooler is only used on auto cars. While you might see the input ant output ports for it, sonetimes theyre blocked. See if you can even put fluid in there. My old oem replacement had them they were useless

The Rad shop made sure they got an Automatic specific rad, so hopefully it all works. haha. At first i'll try just running it stock with an electric fan(s), and see if it seems okay. If Push comes to shove and she seems like she's running hot Ill try an external trans cooler, and probably just opt for a performance radiator at the same time.

If I go fan hunting at the local salvage yard, and I find a decent condition setup with the right deminsions and everything, do I need to grab anything else with it, or just the basic unit (fan, shroud, and as much of the wire as I can manage to get with it)?

AE86DailyDriver wrote:Thanks for the input so far everyone. Alright, so i'll plan on using the new OEM radiator and probably hit up a salvage yard for a dual fan shroud and see that goes.
And If I want to play it safe, get a universal transmission cooler kit.
Do you think my Transmission will really get all that hot though in normal daily driving though, where the trans isn't shifting constantly?

it should be fine. but extra power causes extra shear on the fluid which heats it up faster. honestly I would be more worried about the power the trans can actually handle over overheating the engine.

meifert wrote:it should be fine. but extra power causes extra shear on the fluid which heats it up faster. honestly I would be more worried about the power the trans can actually handle over overheating the engine.

Yeah the drivetrain is definitely a concern of mine, but im gonna play it by ear...crossing my fingers that it can handle to duty of the stock BT with not too many problems. Ill be driving it conservatively...at first, who knows how long that will last though.
If the BT takes to the SR5 auto enough to be driveable, then great, Ill leave that set-up for awhile, until I build a 7A-GE. Then at that point I'll figure out what I want to do with the trans and the rest of the drivetrain.

I'm talking over my options with a few people. Mild custom valve work and gearing on the stock trans, Extreme modification to the trans (setting it up for something like a slap shift Drag trans), swapping out the trans to something like an IS250 trans, auto Supra trans, etc etc.
I just want to actually be able to use the Revs that the built 7A-GE will want to be run at, but that wont be for almost a year. As for the BT swap that will be going in ASAP, Im not as concerned at not being able to reach the high RPMs in it, as long as it is drivable and reliable.
But yeah, if the stock trans just wont be able to handle the BT, then i'll be looking at some other option. Put I won't know that until I get it in and running.

Hp doesn't break things, torque does. However, slapping the gears around will wear it out faster.