PDI Front Mount Intercooler in petrol FZJ80??

[Pierce]

Can anyone tell me if it would be a bad /good idea or even possible to install a front mount air/air intercooler originally designed for diesel 80’s in a supercharged petrol 80 series?

Pipe routing looks like it’d be close enough for easy modification.

What am I missing or naive about? I’ve tried to email PDI and haven’t received an email back.

PDI Intercooler

 

[subzali]

The Safari turbo system has a front mount air to air intercooler. It looks exactly like the diesel intercooler Safari still sells. I think it would be worth a try if you want A/A.

 

[Pierce]

Thanks for the information sir

 

[Heckraiser]

The crankcase ventilation tubes coming off the top of the valve cover will interfere with the pipe running across the top. The 1fz throttle body is also offset more towards the passenger side, whereas the diesel one is on the driver's side. I'd guess the offset is at least 4-6 inches. So the IC-TB tube will need to be reworked for both of those reasons.

What turbo setup are you running? On the turbo side, if using any of the common manifolds (wits' end, treadstone, CX Racing), that compressor-IC tube is going to line up more or less with the intake of the turbo. With all these high-mounted turbo manifolds, you would need to clock the compressor outlet downward or towards the passenger fender in order to clear the hood and remain clear of the turbo inlet. If your setup uses the stock airbox like wits' end, it needs to be clocked pretty much straight down. That piping pictured is too high for that, but I imagine you could modify it by cutting down a pipe or two. The safari manifold is the only one that mounts the turbo low in the engine bay, similar to the toyota diesels, which would circumvent this interference.

In my estimation, you could use the intercooler and the sections of pipe closest to the intercooler that run through the rad support, but once you're in the engine bay you'd be chopping stuff up and re-working it to make it fit in addition to re-working the CC ventilation.

I'm going to run an FMIC, but given the cost of all the Australian kits, I'm just going to piece it together since nothing appears to be very close to a direct fit. If the kits were cheaper, I'd try to mod one to work, but they are not cheap!

 

[Heckraiser]

To elaborate:

I wonder if you could call them and just get those two sections of pipe and the intercooler separately. The squiggly one on the right, in particular would be really nice to have and save a lot of fab.

 

[Pierce]

I’m trying to intercool a magnuson supercharger unfortunately.

thanks for the insight @Heckraiser. I knew I would need to rework some piping. I read @Lumpskie’s build thread where he installed the model I’d be going with. It looks like there’s more modifications than just knocking a few holes in the radiator support.

I’ll see if they’ll sell me those pipes and let you know. One other thing I didn’t consider is shipping. I thought the exchange rate would make PDI’s kit more affordable than taking the 80 to a forced induction specialist and asking them to build me an intercooler. I’m trying to find the most cost effective route at getting something high quality at the same time.

I’m not even opposed to air/water intercooling. I just didn’t want the additional maintenance of water, water tanks, water pumps. Even though it might be my best option for the heat issue I’m having. Open to suggestions.

I’m trying to reduce heat without adding another system that needs feeding or maintenance. Another reason I don’t want to do water/meth injection. And no way in hell I’m adding a snorkel.

Maybe a fool’s errand but at least it’s entertaining. Main problem is water temps start to climb into the 212+ range when idling after getting off the highway. All my coolant system is practically new. Live in S. Tx. At highway speed 75+ mph I’m fine. Low speed I’m fine, idling I’m not.

 

[Heckraiser]

Haha, oops! Reading>me

I think that kit could still provide some useful parts. I think the hardest part of hooking it up to a supercharger would be finding a way to route the pipe from the supercharger outlet, which is pointing pretty much in the opposite direction of what would make things easy. You'd need to curve to the passenger side and then down around the bottom of the SC. And you would want to ditch that extension that comes off the intake manifold or fabricate something new that's shorter, maybe with a bend towards the front of the truck. I think it would be doable, but require some real tetris skills and some fab on that intake manifold extender piece.

 

[davegonz]

Sell the bits that won't be used to guys doing turbo upgrades on their 1HZ.

 

[Pierce]

That’s what I’m seeing as well. I basically don’t know what I don’t know. I have read and research lots and everything conflicts with everything else.