Installing An Affordable Intercooler

[FellowTraveler]

I had already been contemplating some sort ram air setup for the cooler, and I like the way you did yours, and will probably make something similar. Before adding a deflector behind it, I think I'll see if the truck stays running cool without it. Thanks for sharing..

Matt

Under my Burb's hood there is little or no room for anything it's crowded dual alt's create heat and up front I have two P/S coolers, two trans coolers & the one in the rad, and an oil cooler, AC condensor and a CAC all of this combined with the GMT400 lousy aerodynamics makes for interesting cooling issues at speed. In all seriousness I had problems until the EVANS waterless coolant and the med truck fan clutch was installed.

What I found was when that cover (some call a skid plate) between the bumper radiator support and chassis rails was removed it allowed air to be forced up behind the radiator shroud which stalls the air flowing through radiator.

The space between the CAC & the cover is minimal and equal to the ducting intake area the low hanging rubber tam/air dam is what pulls the air down and out of CAC at speed the fogger is for low speed traffic stop and go to cool down IAT however a lifted vehicle can use fans behind CAC because of all the extra space.

 

[FellowTraveler]

I'd like to add because the diesel underhood is so crowded this adds to the poor airflow mix as an example I have a 454 burb open the hood and the 454 looks small in comparison actually like a small block and there is lots of room for airflow around the 454.

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Under my Burb's hood there is little or no room for anything it's crowded dual alt's create heat and up front I have two P/S coolers, two trans coolers & the one in the rad, and an oil cooler, AC condensor and a CAC all of this combined with the GMT400 lousy aerodynamics makes for interesting cooling issues at speed. In all seriousness I had problems until the EVANS waterless coolant and the med truck fan clutch was installed.

What I found was when that cover (some call a skid plate) between the bumper radiator support and chassis rails was removed it allowed air to be forced up behind the radiator shroud which stalls the air flowing through radiator.

The space between the CAC & the cover is minimal and equal to the ducting intake area the low hanging rubber tam/air dam is what pulls the air down and out of CAC at speed the fogger is for low speed traffic stop and go to cool down IAT however a lifted vehicle can use fans behind CAC because of all the extra space.

Thanks for the very in depth explanation for your design. I wonder if a cowl induction hood would help move some of the hot air out from under the hood. HMMM. I've always wanted one. I really do appreciate all the info.

Matt

 

[bowtiebutler956]

The rest of the parts came in today. The tubing kit, as well as the 2.25" to 3" 45* elbow. I'm really busy at work, but hopefully I'll get to it soon. Thanks

Matt

 

[Paveltolz]

Cowle

Thanks for the very in depth explanation for your design. I wonder if a cowl induction hood would help move some of the hot air out from under the hood. HMMM. I've always wanted one. I really do appreciate all the info.

Matt

The cowl induction hood won't let hot air out, rather, it brings cool air in...induction. Those hood louvers I have do the same thing at speed, Cool air goes in. If anything, it would help push the hot air under the cab which is the design for air flow through the engine compartment anyway. It won't help with the CAC though. I've seen CAC on top of a couple of applications but again, not sure how it would work with the space and airflow we have...or don't have.

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Cowle

The cowl induction hood won't let hot air out, rather, it brings cool air in...induction. Those hood louvers I have do the same thing at speed, Cool air goes in. If anything, it would help push the hot air under the cab which is the design for air flow through the engine compartment anyway. It won't help with the CAC though. I've seen CAC on top of a couple of applications but again, not sure how it would work with the space and airflow we have...or don't have.

I think I'll stick with the traditional 6.5 location for the CAC, but I think I will build some sort of scoop to force air through the cooler. Initially, I'll just get the cooler installed, then work on the scoop. It would be nice to have a way of removing more of the hot air from under the hood. Maybe just leave the hood off! Not really.

Matt

 

[FellowTraveler]

Remember, any scoop or ducting to cac should have the same area as the open area of the cac which is smaller the the cac core size or the forced air can reverse at speed back out the sides of a wide scoop.
It's like taking a funnel and reversing it placing the wide open area over the cac core so at speed there is not reversal of forced or ducted air and it just flows smoothly through the cac.

Nice work there!

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Alright, I finally got started on the install. It took awhile, but I finally got the brackets fit so that the CAC doesn't rub on anything, and its very secure. I will say this. This is absolutely the largest cooler that will fit in this spot! You might could use a 4" core instead of a 3", but you can't go any longer, or taller. Here are a few pics from today. Thanks

Matt

 

[Jorge6.5]

Very nice, I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Alright, I got the install finished, other than a few small details, like cleaning up some of the jagged material where I had to cut the wheel wells. I drilled, and tapped the Penninsular upper to 1/8 npt for my boost gauge. I had to cut the wheel wells on both sides to gain the clearance I needed for the pipes. I've taken about a 3 psi drop in my max boost. I was seeing 19-20, and now I'm 16-17 psi. I could turn up the boost control, but I think I'll leave it the was it is, as I've been told you get a better charge from the cooler air. While I don't have a gauge on it yet, I can say this. After a hard run, you can get out, and touch the pipes at the CAC, and the side from the turbo is hot, while the one after the CAC is cool, and you can feel the steady drop in temp with your hand as you run it across the CAC. Anyway, here are some pics.

I'll add more pics in the next post, as I'm only allowed 10 per post now.
Matt

 

[bowtiebutler956]

A few more.

 

[Will L.]

Very nice looking. Do you notice any added turbo lag? I do cringe at what would happen to that pretty looking cac if I owned it- I'd have to build a rock guard for it.

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Will. I haven't driven it enough yet to say for sure. Maybe a bit more lag, but its hard to tell, as this turbo spools so fast. Once I've driven it more, I'll report back. I've thought of the possibility of damage in its location, and building some sort of guard may be in order in the future. At least its not a high dollar CAC, and can be replaced for under $100, if something did happen. Thanks

Matt

 

[NVW]

Looks real nice.

 

[hookedup50]

X2 looks real nice.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Very nice install, ducting would do double duty to protect core to a point and actually increase flow through outside of core too.

2 to 3 psi +- is ok, if you can monitor cac temps in/out as you bump boost until you get to the sweet spot on return. http://www.westach.com/ sells cac in/out temp gauge.............

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Looks real nice.

X2 looks real nice.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

Very nice install, ducting would do double duty to protect core to a point and actually increase flow through outside of core too.

2 to 3 psi +- is ok, if you can monitor cac temps in/out as you bump boost until you get to the sweet spot on return. http://www.westach.com/ sells cac in/out temp gauge.............

Thanks, and I do still plan on some sort of ducting. I think when the new forum software went in, the pics you posted were lost. Anyway you could repost them? Thanks

Matt[/QUOTE]

 

[FellowTraveler]

Here are some images, the screen is for all the bugs the lower air dam is to pull air from back of cac blue line is fogger in the lower image you can see I installed thin sheet metal behind the cac to prevent air from stalling airflow through radiator etc at speed again the space behind the cac needs to be the same or more than the front duct opening.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Keep in mind w/lift you also have room to install puller fans behind cac too then no need for fogger. Yes, in traffic and stop and go the cac is pretty much useless and actually allows for IAT to rise when installed under and between chassis rails, front mounted like cummins does not suffer this ill.

 

[bowtiebutler956]

Thanks once again for the pics, and great advice. While my truck is not lifted yet, it certainly has room for a cooling fan behind the CAC. This may also be an option in the the future.

Matt