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Custom intercooler

3K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Ken 8.1 
#1 ·
Really didn't want to spend the high dollar they want for the kits for our trucks and didn't want to tilt the intercooler like some are under the bumper so I decided to do mine like this. As you know the fresh air for the air intake comes from behind the headlight, so I decided to cut some more metal from behind the headlight to allow more flow and put my intercooler there. Not the best solution but any cooler air will better than what we have, still fitting everything up but it's coming along well.
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#2 ·
What are you going to do about the battery and intake? do you know what your baseline Iat's were to see if it makes a difference?
 
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#3 ·
Battery is being relocated to the tool box, intake is gonna be boxed to go back in the factory location. Haven't done a baseline yet, I will once I'm finished. It's my daily truck so I work on it the weekends and put it back together to go to work the following week
 
#4 ·
That looks phenomenal!I like what you’ve done there.👍
 
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#5 ·
Did you buy the intercooler on eBay?
 
#8 ·

Sorry about the long link. Jsummerlin, if you'll get one of the gauges above or something similar and plumb one temp. sender right outside the exit of the turbo's compressor, and the other one at the eng. inlet, you'll be able to see how effective your installation is. Just my .02, but I think you're going to be disappointed. I've got the same indicator referenced above on my '93 and have the Peninsular intercooler that is at an angle below the front bumper. The one that everybody seems to trash. I limit boost to 13 psi on my engine with the fuel delivery setting on the inj. pump. On a hot day, I'll see approx. 120 deg. temp differential across the interooler with my foot in it. I figure it's about 15 psi out of the turbo's compressor before the pressure loss through the intercooler and plumbing, but can't back that up with any source. However, there's a chart of eng. inlet temp.vs torque increase on this page that's useful. Air Induction Basics to Increase Horsepower • Muscle Car DIY Maybe you could mount a high flow fan with a shroud behind your intercooler to increase efficiency?
 
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#9 ·

Sorry about the long link. Jsummerlin, if you'll get one of the gauges above or something similar and plumb one temp. sender right outside the exit of the turbo's compressor, and the other one at the eng. inlet, you'll be able to see how effective your installation is. Just my .02, but I think you're going to be disappointed. I've got the same indicator referenced above on my '93 and have the Peninsular intercooler that is at an angle below the front bumper. The one that everybody seems to trash. I limit boost to 13 psi on my engine with the fuel delivery setting on the inj. pump. On a hot day, I'll see approx. 120 deg. temp differential across the interooler with my foot in it. I figure it's about 15 psi out of the turbo's compressor before the pressure loss through the intercooler and plumbing, but can't back that up with any source. However, there's a chart of eng. inlet temp.vs torque increase on this page that's useful. Air Induction Basics to Increase Horsepower • Muscle Car DIY Maybe you could mount a high flow fan with a shroud behind your intercooler to increase efficiency?
I'll do that. Not sure how much it's gonna make a difference, but I've been turboing vehicles for 15 years now, building customs intakes, turbo manifolds and intercoolers. I believe it will brop my egt by 75-100 degrees and help my fuel economy a little. If so it will be worth the $200 I have in this. If not it will look cool right? Lol
 
#10 ·
How do you deal with what looks like fixed plumbing from frame mounted things to the engine? I'd think the engine moving on its rubber mounts would try to break your beautiful work.
 
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#11 ·
He could probably use some silicone couplers to allow some movement and/or use some rubber isolator grommets with built in torque limiters so the intercooler will remain tight against the radiator support but will still allow movement if need be.
 
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#16 ·
If the intercooler was to small you might try to install a second one in parallel. You could put pressure gauges as well as temperature gauges up stream and down stream to see how much pressure loss the intercooler is making. If the intercooler was to small it might become a restriction to pressure and you could loose boost pressure. You likely already have one pressure gauge and if you got the same kind you could switch the connections to assure the gauges are correct. As you cool the intake air you might see a pressure drop as the more dense are takes less volume. It is normal to see a small pressure drop across the intercooler. Your turbo may try to spool and make up for the loss equaling more power (yes). Let us know how this comes out.
 
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