hello all, im new to the site, and saying hello!

i got a 94 6.5 TD Suburban with 191K...this is what i have for it:

full 4" exhaust with a 6" muffler, no cat!
80 HP chip
#9 resistor
GM 6.5 Turbo Diesel FSD PMD Cooler
instant heat glow plugs
triple gauge windshield post pod
3 Bully Dog gauge's:
1) Bully Dog EGT Pyrometer kit exhaust PRE TRUBO
2) Bully Dog Turbo Boost Gauge kit
3) Bully Dog Transmission Temp Gauge Kit
SSDiesel Performance Air Induction Kit (replaces the entire air box!)

just today i got in the last few parts for my long install project i have ahead of me.

i use the Suburban for basic daily driver 80% of the time, the other 20% of the time i tow a large trailer in the summer.

with the current miles, and the mods i have for it now, i was kicking around an intercooler, but there not cheap! what do all of you folks think?

Charge-air cooler will not return much, unless you are towing\hauling at sustained Boost levels above ~10-12psi.
Your summertime use can qualify for that, but first would be the '97 cooling modifications, with HO waterpump, dual t-stats, 21" D-max fan, and reduced thermo-cut-in fan clutch.

Towing at those upgraded Boost levels will put you on the side of the road more often, waiting for engine coolant temps to cool down, even with charge-air cooler.

good point! i was kicking around the SSDieselSupply water pump upgrade kit, and i think it is a must for the other goods i have for the ride.

do oyu know of a reasonable priced intercooler that is available?

Unfortunately, they - all that are available - are unreasonable, because the 6.5 is obsolete, and very few are willing to flog a dead horse.

Kennedy and others sell the Spearco unit, which imo is the most efficient, thermally, of the available kits, which will fit and is relatively easy to install in the '88-up GM truck series.

You might check out the FAQ's for Turbine Doc's pictorial install, and upgrade path, and ronniejoe's dyno runs with similar equipment.

Just remember - the upgrades go hand-in-hand with, and should be based on, the coolant system upgrade.
Late '96 and up trucks got it from the factory for the proposed 215hp upgrade, which never occured.
Imo it was the lack of available space for a practical charge-air cooler that helped to kill the power improvement.

That, and the DMax......

MrTailLight

The Spearco/JK Intercooler is worth every penny.

Would you mind posting a picture of that SSDiesel Performance Air Induction Kit?

sure, here it is. saturday i am painting the suburban, so next week i will get to install all the goodies.

http://www.mrtaillight.com/images/air1.jpg
http://www.mrtaillight.com/images/air2.jpg
http://www.mrtaillight.com/images/air3.jpg

i tell ya though, the more i look the more i want the intercooler!

Just get a salvaged cummins or PS core ~$300 and remove the crossbrace and move conderser core toward the radiator(might help keep the leaf build up down). You'd have to plumb it yourself but a muffler shop could bend it out.

well i guess i could build my own, and start out with this one on ebay. cant beat the price!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33742&item=7950174341&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

not sure if it would work though being that the in & out are on diffeent ends.

here are install instructions for the $1300 kit:
http://www.turbotechnologyinc.com/65_installation_instructions.htm

I think it'd be easier to plumb an intercooler with the inlet and outlet on the passengerside or make your own upper plenum where the inlet faced the driverside for the spearco.

do you know of any place that builds what you need? the size i am after is 3.5x6x18 or close to that. for best results i need the in/out tubes to be on the same end, like this pic:
http://www.mrtaillight.com/images/INTERCOOLER1.jpg

I think it'd be better to cut out and reweld a tray for the IC like Malcom Cross did on his Chevy cummins. The bigger the IC the better.

Can you get that spearco for $407 too? $360+$47 ship

i knew if i kept looking i would find one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7949963306&category=33742

this is with in 1/2" of the expensive $1300 kit i found.

i bet if i kept looking, i will fit an even bigger one for better performance.

I like it. Bar and plate sounds like it could take a rock or two.

is bar and plate just the way it is built?

that intake setup looks like one i used to have rigged up on my blazer but underhood tmps in the summer are gonna boil your heads off if you do even light towing . it needs an enclosure and a path for cold air.

Has anyone ran a air-water intercooler? Seems to me someone could build a simple one to take the place of the upper plennium and you could install a small radiator or sets of heater cores at the bumper area and setup and electric pump to circulate coolant.

that intake setup looks like one i used to have rigged up on my blazer but underhood tmps in the summer are gonna boil your heads off if you do even light towing . it needs an enclosure and a path for cold air.not sure how you mean? it cant possibly do any harm, it is just cooling the air for the intake. it mounts under the rad, and just below the bumper?? please explane

that intake setup looks like one i used to have rigged up on my blazer but underhood tmps in the summer are gonna boil your heads off if you do even light towing . it needs an enclosure and a path for cold air.That's what I'm saying. Put it infront of the A/C condenser on it's own tray, move the condenser toward the radiator the 3" over it can move. What better cold air path than that.

well by putting it in front of the rad, i can see how it would block the air for the cooling of the rad. if it is placed below the rad, then how can that hurt anything? please dont think im asking a dumb question, maybe i just dont see the entire picture here??

Has anyone ran a air-water intercooler? Seems to me someone could build a simple one to take the place of the upper plennium and you could install a small radiator or sets of heater cores at the bumper area and setup and electric pump to circulate coolant.
I've thought about making a WtA and sweating a copper water/air passage together for the upper plenum. It would cost about $100 for the rest of the parts.

im refering to the ssdieselsupply air filter setup pictured in your other post.

i see what your saying. i was thinking of that when i bought it, as far as getting a good air flow to it.


i am more interested in the water/air cooloer! are there any simple plans on the web to take a look at? what would it take to make it work?

yes, but think about cutting a recess in the hood for it and getting ram air, but it could still use a shroud either way.

As far as intercooling, google "intercooling" there's a great article on it. Water to air is part 2.

right now i have a 2" cowl hood on it, and the back of the hood is opened up. in my past experience with open cowl hoods, it keeps the engine quite cool.

im gonna look into maybe making a down tube with a screen or something that goes to the free flow of air under the truck.

you guys have been a great help!

I've thought about making a WtA and sweating a copper water/air passage together for the upper plenum. It would cost about $100 for the rest of the parts.
Sweating?

Isn't that what you call it when you soder copper together? Copper will transfer the heat, it's light, easy to bend, highly mallable and doesn't rust.