Build an IC from a large truck CAC?
 

Heys,

I have access to large truck Charge Air Coolers and was wondering if it would be possible to convert one into an Interccoler for my 88 T2? The supplier said they are of similer construction. Has anyone done this before?

Thanks, Paul

Oh.
Emm.
Gee.

:eek:

Is that a fucking pallet under them?!? They're HUGE.

What're you gonna do, replace your hood with one?

Charge air Cooler and Intercooler are the same thing... The intake piping from your turbo to your intake manifold can be called charge piping, I believe.

Hot air in, cold air out. Simple as that.

Those could work but think about the increased lag you would have with something so large. Remember, the larger the IC the longer it takes to pressurize it.

you can cut these down to any core size you want. But with the cost of the aluminum welding it might be the same price as one of the obx or ssautochrome coolers on ebay. Would not be really worth the money because these rad cores are kinda thin.

You KNOW, theres such a thing as TOO BIG :p

The charge velocity and acceleration is probably SHOT at that point :-p

They'll work as long as they fit in the car. You'll likely notice some turbo lag. How much are they new?

Yes, I was planning on refabricating so they are much smaller. I seen prices for FMIC kits for over $1000 and thought I could save some $$.

if you want to build your own kit and save money just buy a new core from ebay. Then fab up pipes to your hearts content. Make sure you weld a bead around the ends of each pipe or the coupler will slip off every shift and the car will stall out in the road. Ask me how I know

Remember....trucks push something like 5psi....those I/C's aren't very efficient after that much boost...small tubes.

Thanks for the advice. I may be able to pay for a new one if I scrap these out. Any advice on what is a good size FMIC for a moderately modified 88T2?

28x26x3

I work for a heavy duty truck manufacturer they produce more along the lines of 25-30psi. I have a couple of friends that I work with that have used cutdown ic's from trucks and they worked just fine. If a 10 sec quarter is fine in a GN.

The cores look awefully thin.
Even if you cut them down, I would still worry about airflow capacity?
GTR cores are like 24" x 12", so you would end up cutting one in half?
Is it 3" for the core or 3" at the header?


-Ted

Yeah I'm glad someone else replyed to that post that person does not know what they are talking about. Diesels on the average run a whole lot more boost than your average car with a turbo. Back on the east coast you should see how many people run the large Isuzu NPR box truck intercoolers. The core is 19.76x15.00x2.01 inches and the inlet/outlet are 2.75in. This intercooler has been proven to work on motors pushing in excess of 30+lbs of boost.

http://www.boulderbiodiesel.com/tom/Diesel101/

So I was a little off...8-20psi is the common boostage...my buddies 60 foot big rig runs 7-10 psi and revs to around 3000rpm....still pretty low boost, as it says, some huge rigs will push up to 40 psi...but not too many.

My Cummins rep said their engines boost around 25 psi and CAT is twice that. Thanks for all the info, guys. I will most likely just buy one off ebay unless I can find a fabricator that would take the cores for building me one.

I bought a Modine core for an International, 23"x13"x3", plan on making a nice intercooler setup with it. I like the tube and fin design, more aerodynamic at the front end than bar and plate, since I'll be using it on a front mount setup. Tubes look thick and tough, pretty heavy, too. Pressure drop might be higher than a bar and plate core, but I intend on making a tricky tank setup to improve high pressure aerodynamics. Only thing is, now I can buy a whole SS bar and plate 24"x12"x3.5" intercooler for the price of the core I bought. Bugger...