[mbtoloczko]

Originally posted by svxxx26
I guess that's a possibility...but not knowing where the diverter valve IS, don't know if the heat it returns to the cooled ATF would ever be significant.

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Yeah, I agree, it may insignificantly heat the cooled ATF. The only way to know is to try it. The next time I feel like getting covered in ATF, I'll climb under the car and install it, and then we'll have an answer. :-)
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Why do BOTH inlet and outlet lines need to go thru it?

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Both lines need to pass through the thermostat so that when the ATF is cold, the thermostat can send the ATF straight back to the tranny. It can't just stop the flow. NG. :-)
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Anyway, I don't seem to be any closer to having this issue settled in my head.

Going on personal experience, I've driven my SVX mostly in warmer temps with no aux cooler at all. I have not noticed any bad things happening in hot driving - of course if I had a tranny temp guage I might be more concerned!

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I've got one of the B&M 18,000 GVW ATF coolers sandwiched between the A/C condensor and the radiator and a thermostat that reads the ATF temp going into the tranny. Today, in 90F temps with the A/C running, the ATF inlet temperature sits at about 165F in traffic. If I get onto the freeway where the TC can lock, it cools to about 150F. Just about right IMHO, but I have seen it climb to 180F a few times when I start driving aggressively in stop-and-go traffic.
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Obviously the tranny needs some additional cooling capacity but not TOO much more, or it starts affecting the operation at the other extreme (too cool).
So the answer to me seems to be installing a conservative cooler with some way to thermostatically control it so that overcooling doesn't occur.

Install in series with the stock cooler? Parallel? Bypass it?

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In series with stock is my recommendation. The stock cooler helps to warm the ATF quickly, but maybe with an ATF thermostat, the stock cooler could be by-passed entirely.
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