Dynaflow Cooler Alternatives

[Aaron65 216]

Excuse me for the hypothetical situation, and I apologize if I've brought it up before (I'm having a deja vu moment), but I'm pondering trans cooler alternatives for my Dynaflow.  

A little backstory about why: I've been a bit of a bad car parent, but the '53 has been super reliable for years (I've had it for 15 years now).  Before I took a 200 mile drive last week, I checked the transmission fluid for the first time in a while, and it was low (it drips) but it was also very gray and dirty.  So I made a note to change it today.  I've never had the pan off this thing, but I did have the converter apart 13 years ago when the engine was out, so that was the only service I've done to the fluid.  I don't think the pan's been off in 50 years, so you can imagine the sludge in the bottom.  There was also some flakes of bushing material, etc., but no big chunks of anything...probably signs of a very old 121,000 mile transmission.  Anyway, the fluid was so gray that I started to think of the cooler.  I didn't smell any antifreeze in the transmission fluid (at least it still smelled like transmission fluid, even if it didn't look like it), but it's something to think about.  

 

Anyway, if it ends up that the cooler's swapping fluid (I've also never noticed any evidence of that in the antifreeze), has anyone tried any other options, like a cooler in front of the radiator?  No big hurry here, I'm just thinking out loud, which is why I'm afraid I sound like a weirdo when I post.    

[old-tank 3,737]

Gray fluid is bad!  Put a drop on a very hot exhaust manifold:  it should just smoke if trans fluid; if it sizzles there is water present.  If water remove and plug the hoses to the cooler, drain the torque converter and remove the pan for cleaning.  It is OK to drive locally for 10 mile trips.  Repeat until no more water.  If you leave the water it will sludge up and rust to the point that even a rebuild will not fix it.  I had one like that  and it was not even good for parts.

If no evidence of water then some internal parts are being ground into fine particles (a magnet or filter paper might help might help).    If ground up metal rebuild it before other parts are destroyed.

[Aaron65 216]

I drained the converter and cleaned the pan today.  There was many, many years of gross stuff in there.  I'll try to pull some of the old fluid out of the drain pan and put a drop on the manifold, but it might be too mixed in with whatever was in the drain pan by now.