Ok, so the radiator started leaking really badly a couple weeks ago.  I finally found some time yesterday to take it over to a friend's garage to swap it out with the radiator from the TGP I parted out a couple years ago.  Well.....the tranny lines wouldn't cooperate.  I blasted it with WD-40 about 4 times, heated it 3 times, tried tapping the fitting, and between the line and fitting, etc.  The fitting was turning fine, but it was taking the line with it.  So....I had no choice but to cut it.   :icon_frown:  Same thing on the bottom line, as the fitting on that one wouldn't budge, and rounded out. =|

So.....I figured I'd just get new aluminum lines, bend them to match, and we'd be good.  I'm at work at the moment, so I had a buddy check into it for me.  He just called me from Napa.  They have tubing with identicle fittings and preflared on one end.  BUT...the guy there told him there isn't enough tubing to bend at the first angles coming off the radiator.  "It would be damn near impossible" is what he told him.  He suggested going all rubber on the lines clamped to a small length of metal tubing with a similar fitting on the radiator ends.

Has anyone else dealt with this, and if so, how did you resolve it?  Are the lines still available from GM, or anywhere else for that matter?  This is kind of an emergency since the TGP was my only half way reliable car at the moment, and I can't have it down too long.

In the past I have used metal line as nothing more than a nipple to put on high pressure rubber lines. On my TGP the B&M tranny cooler uses high pressure rubber lines to plumb it in. I got a little creative with the upper line to radiator and it worked real slick.

When you do the hard line as a nipple...make sure you slightly flare the side that the rubber line goes on to make a sort of "barb" for the hose clamp to lean against. If it is not there you run the risk of it sliding off even double clamped. :icon_cool:

I had to repair one of my hard lines and just used high pressure powersteering hose and it worked great, thats all i would do, dont bother with GM lines and all that, none of the tranny lines for our cars are made anymore, i looked

If you have a flaring tool or access to one go to your local CarQuest or something and get a couple of unions, then flare the tubes and install a piece of bent tubing.  If you are unable to do that just go rubber but to what Kenny said and flare it slightly to avoid slippage.  Good luck.

Yeah....that sounds like the route I'm going to have to go.  TurboSedan on w-body has some stock lines, but he said they're not in too good a shape.  The bottom line has the fitting stuck on the tube just like mine.  I'm sure someone else may have some lying around, but I have to get this thing back on the road this weekend, so I don't have any time to find out.