Mild steel is not really *that* much less efficient at transferring heat vs. copper.

According to my notes, with a mild steel tube surface and water/air as the fluids exchanging heat, the overall coefficient of heat transfer is 2.0. Copper is 2.3. Nearly negligible when factoring in the number of tubes I'm throwing in there (which is the A in the equation Q=UA⌂T).

Looking at the sizes of the A2W intercoolers that can be purchased, the one I'm making will easily be double any of their sizes. More surface area means more heat transferred.

 

Buy a kit from frozenboost.com or a similar place and buy the bosch pump that came factory on some cars. put a 5gallon ice box in the trunk, insulate it, fill it up and drive for hours. There are a multiple threads on a/w ic's on this site. You need a good heat exchanger, witch is more important than the ic its self. If you cant keep the water cool your fckd.

 

why not just make or BUY a round one.. like this cut your intercooler piping after the 90* into the throttle body tig weld this **** on there and the other side of the piping.. your air would be cooled down before it enters the engine BAM!! you keep your air to air intercooler and you add a a2w intercool cheap fast funn..

and as far as louver bro just get some card board form it tape it drive it.. you won!

 

keeping water cool isnt that hard to accomplish. just need lots of it.

no

 

The core I'm making will be 18". And that's just the core size. The overall length of the one you posted is 10". Keeping the water cold will not be an issue. I'm using a stock (cut in half) radiator as the heat exchanger. That will be PLENTY to keep the water cool. 3/4" hoses will provide sufficient flow through the system. I'm starting on the core tonight

 

I think I grasp the genesis of this project- "I want a stock hood, lower intake temps and something different"- and I've certainly tilted at my fair share of windmills, so here's something to consider, Mr. Green.

I've found it useful at the onset of these projects to consider failure as an option and have a Plan B ready.
You're preparing to sacrifice your current cooler, it'll not be usable again should the project stall.
So, what's the plan for this possibility?

If you prioritize "stock hood", then it would seem that a standard front mount with an upgraded ( ?, dunno what's in there now) radiator would be the best option.

Prioritize "lower intake temps" and a better v-mount with a proper vented hood would be the choice.

That leaves "I want something unique" and I get that, really.
Once you've decided that you're smart, crafty and clever enough to improve the factory product, it's useful to temper the hubris with a realistic eval of your skills, resources and knowledge, however.

In your situation I'd look online at what is currently being sold for the application and then ask myself if I could at least duplicate- if not necessarily improve, on the part.
When my first thoughts turned to AlumiWeld and Ace Hardware, I might think I was underequipped for the job, because that **** just ain't gonna fly.

I'm thinking that you're going to learn very little about A2W systems and a lot about why it's difficult/costly to build one from scratch.

But please, carry on.
A spectacular failure can be just as informative/entertaining as a modest success.

 

Yep. Alumiweld didn't cut it. I got that

It doesn't just have to be the stock hood, it has to look completely stock all around. If I put an IC in the front, it loses its stock look. The radiator was upgraded to a 3" aluminum core unit, but it's a long story why it didn't fit. The company I got it from wouldn't let me return it because I bought it with the intention of installing it, but then went on a 3 month deployment shortly thereafter. 90 days elapsed... you get the idea. Anyways, I started chopping the car up to make it fit, then ended up v-mounting the whole thing. After all was said and done with, the radiator cooled great, but the IC didn't get adequate flow. I really didn't want one of those gaudy looking vented hoods, so I went back to an aluminum hood. An A2W intercooler is the solution, since it will fit in the current location. I wanted to try my hand at making one first of all, and the other thing is that the ones that are sold are just too small. I want a specific size, but nobody makes one. The problem I'm having now is that I keep blowing through the metal since it's so thin. I just learned a new technique that I want to try before calling it quits.

If I sacrifice an intercooler, so be it. I can get another one for a song and dance. What's the plan b after failure? Hell, I don't know. Not really like it matters, I have 3 other cars to drive. If it falls through I'll save up for an A2W intercooler and admit defeat.

But not yet

 

So you're running stock wheels and tires too?

 

Damn right I am

 

I admire your purity.

 

I do, unfortunately, have an S5 rear bumper. I didn't know the difference years ago, but I'm determined to return it to the ultimate in purity.

On the outside.

 

Any update on this?