Custom intercooler interest mounts in front of Rad. behind condesor (1 Viewer)

[cjmoon]

Looking for those with 1fz turbos to way in with there interest or though on fitment. Thinking about having a custom built intercooler made and wondering if there is a fit in stock applications that would make more effort worth while for other applicatios than mine.

Looking to have one built that would mount in between the condensor and radiator. The radiator would have to move toward the engine about 2.5 inches.

So my questions are for those who have turbos and stock fz1. Is there room? Would electric fans or low profile fan be a deal breaker to get a good intercooler that would look more stock?

Battery box may need you be trimmed a little. Look at the top mounts and picture them moved back 2.5 inches.

This is just in my head as a redesign to my current universal intercooler to get better fitment and flow through all the cores. I understand that my application is unique and may just need your be a one off.

I'm picturing a 23x18" core with 3" inlet and outlets rear facing just below the battery box mount. The top mount would be a boss going through the end tank that would bolt to the stock radiator mount. The lower might be welded onto the tank or steel mount to bolt to the side of the intercooler or bottom and extend the lower radiator bracket back. The lower charge tubes may come close to the inner fender where it would need to be trimmed or messaged out of the way with your favorite hammer.

Thoughts?

 

[ton504]

I don't think you can beat the stock fan/shroud for cooling. That being said, I'm not sure who would want to ditch the stock fan especially with the under hood temps higher than usual with the turbo under there.

 

[cjmoon]

That's kind of what I'm assuming but wanted to discuss before I make mine custom if a small tweak could.make it more universal for someone else also

 

[cjmoon]

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Some pics of what I have its spaced almost 4" out and have mentioned to shroud all of it bet just not happy with it. I got In a rush at the end because I wanted to start driving it and now looking back. Setting priorities to clean it up. I've thought about running without the intercooler to see how it does.

 

[scottryana]

I can only assume that you are trying to out the A/A intercooler behind the A/C condenser because you are worried about A/C performance?

If not you just need to move the transmission cooler and the rad support to put the intercooler up front. The A/A intercooler is much less efficient than water to air rad or the condenser. Sandwiching it between the two of them will really make it less than idea.

 

[cjmoon]

Ya a/a. Gas turbos vs diesel applications may vary.as well. Opinions seem to be all over the place a/a a/w. I have a very universal purpose rig and outcome in mind so a/c performance does way in.

My bumper and winch are very tight and high up front and not a lot of room to move forward and my extra space behind makes mine unique to v8 and 4cyl swaps for the most part.

 

[Golgo13]

I really don't think it is a good idea to add another heat source to the engine compartment in this area.

An intercooler's purpose is to remove heat from the compressed air coming from the turbo. Of course, as you compress any gas, it heats up.

Adding forced induction to an engine will increase the air available for combustion, which increases the amount of fuel burnt and ultimately increases the the amount of heat to be carried away from the combustion chamber by the coolant.

An air conditioning condenser is essentially a storage area for hot, compressed refrigerant to cool off before it moves along to the expansion valve/evaporator coil to pull heat from the cabin and return to the pump.

I'll leave the trans oil cooler out of this for now, but it is a contributor too.

The coolant system in the truck is designed to keep the engine running at peak performance with load on the drivetrain and even the air conditioning running. Ambient air enters the grille area and passes over the evaporator, which adds heat to the air, then the radiator which heats the air a little more. Not you have really hot air in the engine bay which exits from mostly the bottom and carries away a little engine heat with it.
The system is really near its limit for how much heat it can carry away on a hot day. What we call a "radiator" is actually a conduction cooling device and it relies on a temp difference between the "radiator" and the air flowing through it. Heat energy moves from things that are hot(high heat energy) to things that are cold(low heat energy).

Adding an intercooler to that sandwich in the front would make it nearly impossible to cool the engine properly. That is why most vehicles add the intercooler in some other area, usually on top of the engine with a scoop from forcing air through the intercooler or below the radiator in a lower grille area.

 

[half k cruiser]

I'm assuming @cjmoon has more room to move his rad back and forth with that 4BT in there ?

 

[scottryana]

True you do have extra room and diesels need more intercooling than gas for performance. I like A/W but they are more complicated.

What I might think about doing. Is moving the rad back. Getting a different A/C condenser that is 1/2 height and put electric fans in front of it. Get a 1/2 height thick A/A intercooler and using it.

 

[scottryana]

I would say the number of vehicles that have top mount intercoolers is very small compared to the number of front mount intercoolers.

While it is true people try to mount the IC below the rad so that it doesn't block it but there are a lot of cars from the factory that put IC's in front of the rad. I have a heat exchanger in front of my condenser and have zero issues.

Like I said I would do a 1/2 height A/C condenser at the bottom, or even the stock A/C condenser with like (2) 9-10" fans and then do a 23"x9"x4.5" A/A Intercooler and put it on top half. Then create a sheetmetal duct to get all the air in the grill inlet to them.

I really don't think it is a good idea to add another heat source to the engine compartment in this area.

An intercooler's purpose is to remove heat from the compressed air coming from the turbo. Of course, as you compress any gas, it heats up.

Adding forced induction to an engine will increase the air available for combustion, which increases the amount of fuel burnt and ultimately increases the the amount of heat to be carried away from the combustion chamber by the coolant.

An air conditioning condenser is essentially a storage area for hot, compressed refrigerant to cool off before it moves along to the expansion valve/evaporator coil to pull heat from the cabin and return to the pump.

I'll leave the trans oil cooler out of this for now, but it is a contributor too.

The coolant system in the truck is designed to keep the engine running at peak performance with load on the drivetrain and even the air conditioning running. Ambient air enters the grille area and passes over the evaporator, which adds heat to the air, then the radiator which heats the air a little more. Not you have really hot air in the engine bay which exits from mostly the bottom and carries away a little engine heat with it.
The system is really near its limit for how much heat it can carry away on a hot day. What we call a "radiator" is actually a conduction cooling device and it relies on a temp difference between the "radiator" and the air flowing through it. Heat energy moves from things that are hot(high heat energy) to things that are cold(low heat energy).

Adding an intercooler to that sandwich in the front would make it nearly impossible to cool the engine properly. That is why most vehicles add the intercooler in some other area, usually on top of the engine with a scoop from forcing air through the intercooler or below the radiator in a lower grille area.

 

[cjmoon]

I'm no expert on forced induction but have friends that are deep in it and they resort to a/w set ups only do to ease of packaging. They work great but have more tendency of having heat soak that will ultimately reduce performance more than help. You might as well not have one if your hitting that wall to quickly. Sizing is key obviously.

FMIC will always add heat to the system. Some mount them up on the hood others in the fender but they all have performance issues and to counter act that larger cores are placed in front of the engine cooling system. Engine temps have to be watched.
I have an electric fan in front of half of my condesor on one side and helps a lot but I still have a little more to be disired. I know my low speed air movement is not pulling through my system well only the radiator really has air flow which is my biggest concern as pointed out.

 

[scottryana]

Well packaging and something that road cars don't have to worry about. If you are offroad, in low range, climbing steep hills, pulling a trailer, etc you are going to be under boost but not moving fast enough for air to flow over the A/A to cool. But the heat exchanger on an A/W almost always has an electric fan on it.

I'm no expert on forced induction but have friends that are deep in it and they resort to a/w set ups only do to ease of packaging. They work great but have more tendency of having heat soak that will ultimately reduce performance more than help. You might as well not have one if your hitting that wall to quickly. Sizing is key obviously.

FMIC will always add heat to the system. Some mount them up on the hood others in the fender but they all have performance issues and to counter act that larger cores are placed in front of the engine cooling system. Engine temps have to be watched.
I have an electric fan in front of half of my condesor on one side and helps a lot but I still have a little more to be disired. I know my low speed air movement is not pulling through my system well only the radiator really has air flow which is my biggest concern as pointed out.

 

[NLXTACY]

Move the radiator TOWARDS the engine by 2.5" AND remove the mechanical fan clutch?! Not a chance. I need to go intercooler eventually for my SC setup but not that way

 

[scottryana]

@NLXTACY you would also have to chop 2 cylinders off the front of your engine.

 

[cjmoon]

Well that's why I'm asking the question I know there are a lot of cooling threads. And issues later in life but a good cooling system has no problems. issues are based on age not sizing, from what I can see. That's true with any brand.

As far as cars packaging easier my buddy specializes is rear engine cars but regardless smaller packages still have restrictions where the a/w are a lot more flexible. He uses a/w but still prefers the biggest surface area a/a innercooler for every day use. Intercooler tubing runs create issues with any vehicle.

The low speed offroading type driving intercooler does not need to be affective. Heat soak and loose of power because of is more on hard long pulls. I'm most interested in reducing temps at hwy speeds where better air management will reduce temps over all in all systems.

With summer temps climbing there is all big difference in performance 30min into my drive vs 5.

I do have more background in diesels not gas forced induction where instantanious cooling affects are necessary for timing control and knock issues.

 

[scottryana]

Sounds like you have a good handle on it! Can't wait to see what you come up with