Top mount Intercooler | 80series (2 Viewers)

[Scottbonnar]

Mudders,

I'm looking at purchasing this top mount intercooler for my 1hz turbo off eBay.

Top mount intercooler kit for TOYOTA Landcruiser 80 series 1HZ 4.2L turbo Diesel | eBay

Has anyone bought one and what were your thoughts.
Does it bolt straight in or is some persuasion necessary?
Build quality sufficient?
Having it installed would you of gone for a better kit?

️

 

[MonsterCruiser]

I feel like this exact intercooler has been discussed before, but it might be burried in the intercooler thread:

The official 1HDT Intercooler thread

*Edit: I'm avoiding working on other things, so in the thread above see Post #'s 114, 160, 161, 163, 164...keep looking around those post numbers there are probably more.

 

[serenity]

I believe the consensus was that the core was ok but the kit was rubbish and ill fitting, and far too small a hood scoop. I was planning on building a wta setup but I am living on the road these days so I need bolt in easy solutions. I am going to go with a top mount setup by lcw with a spal fan and a 70 series style scoop. All those items are mentioned throughout the thread monstercruiser linked.

 

[mudgudgeon]

for the $$$$ I'd go front mount. you could have a core twice the size, and piping etc for the same money, plus no heat soak from the engine, no hood scoop, no fan or electrics.

but obviously front mount doesn't suit everyone's needs

 

[serenity]

for the $$$$ I'd go front mount. you could have a core twice the size, and piping etc for the same money, plus no heat soak from the engine, no hood scoop, no fan or electrics.

but obviously front mount doesn't suit everyone's needs

One of my concerns with a front mount is putting extra load on the radiator on an already taxed 1hz cooling system.

 

[gerg]

It does look like a small core. Getting cool air to flow through it is a challenge. Sealing it to the hood and a strong enough fan to actually move air though it are no small things. The fan alone can run you a couple hundred. Although a front mount seems like more work it isn't. It just different. You bonus an absolutely gigantic fan out of it too. No electrical dependency on relays and switches is a major bonus. I've done top mounts and front mounts before and the front mount is more simplistic and is inherently more likely to have greater effeciency. Many folks can bolt on what looks like a cool top mount but the effeciency might be in the basement. Be easy to go to all the work and take a step backwards if you don't pay particular attention to ensuring hot engine air does not recirculate throught the intercooler. Will drastically lower its efficiency. Crapy thing is you have to fight the rad fan to draw extra air into the engine bay. The top mount intercooler fan and the rad fan are fighting each other. In a front mount when you add a helper electric fan to the cooler the rad fan and the cooler fan are then working together. I personally would only to a top mount if I had no other choice. What ever you do, fit the largest core and the largest purpose built cooler fan you can physically get in there. Many of the fans you see in those kits are not designed for resistance. I recommend spal for powerful reliable high amp cooler fans. You need a little electric fan that can chop your finger off. If it can do that then at least your on the right track.
g

 

[Tapage]

The only problem I see with the front in my case it's my dependency of my AC .. it put more load on it and will take the space for the AC condenser fan .. 2 step loose on AC department .. vital to me ..

 

[Dork]

One large problem that i see is regardless of how much more efficient a front mount is, a top mount with a good hood scoop just looks so much cooler.

 

[mudgudgeon]

One of my concerns with a front mount is putting extra load on the radiator on an already taxed 1hz cooling system.

Yeah, it's definitely a catch 22.
My thoughts are double the size of the core, improved air flow plus it's air at its coolest (no radiant heat ) you maximise the cooling effect, and maximise combustion efficiency.
This might just be enough to cool the intake enough to drop engine temps below critical point while maximising grunt

 

[gerg]

When I went to a front mount intercooler and retarded my timing all of my overheating issues resolved. If you still need the hood vent look go for some big louvers. Will help increase air flow through the rad and lessen the hot spots with dead air in the top back of the bay. They are also sudo hood scoopish.

 

[cruisedeisel]

When I went to a front mount intercooler and retarded my timing all of my overheating issues resolved. If you still need the hood vent look go for some big louvers. Will help increase air flow through the rad and lessen the hot spots with dead air in the top back of the bay. They are also sudo hood scoopish.

Why did you have over heating issues? Too much boost/fuel? I don't seem to get that hot at all. Maybe a little when climbing a mountain pass.

 

[gerg]

So pulling the coquihalla all loaded up with my travel trailer in the summer just might test any coolant system. 11000lbs when I scaled in just before hope. I guess my point is the FMIC didn't have a negative affect on my cooling. Before installing it I was very against a front mount.
g

 

[serenity]

@gerg you got me flip flopping more than the footwear of the same name.

 

[gerg]

I'm not trying to sway anyones decision to do A or B. It's just what ever you do, do it properly. In my experience it's just harder to do a top mount properly. It's not impossible and you can net equal effeciency with both systems, the front mount just does it with greater margin for error.

 

[serenity]

Completely hijacking old mates thread but info shared is always good.

I'm currently living in a caravan park as I'm travelling and working so I can only do limited amounts of work and have limited tooling.
I have it narrowed down to three options, all of which are within a few hundred dollars of each other but require varying degrees of effort to install.

1st.
The HPD series 2 front mount. Requires the most work to install, dismantling the front end and having access to hole saws. This would require significant outside assistance which would make it the most expensive option but the neatest install and probably most effective.
LANDCRUISER 80 SERIES FRONT MOUNT INTERCOOLER KIT - $1,595 : HP Diesel, Performance kits for your 4WD

2nd.
Custom top mount. A 300x300 core built by lcw, a vaderworx V8 70 series scoop and a 12" spal fan. Plenty of foam rubber to seal the bonnet to the intercooler and ensure the spal fan is sucking in as much cold air as possible.
I can install the intercooler, fan and scoop myself but would need to farm out cutting the bonnet.

3rd.
The HPD series 1 front mount. This is the least involved and cheapest to install, from what I have seen I could install this with just the hand tools I have available to me without outside assistance. Downside is the less than optimal routing of the system.
TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 80 SERIES INTERCOOLER KIT - $1,295 : HP Diesel, Performance kits for your 4WD

 

[mudgudgeon]

You'd get all the major parts in that hpd kit from eBay for half the $$$.
If you're selective, there's decent parts available.
I'd be looking for 600x300x75 core.
T-bolt clamps, not worm screw type.
You'd have to make brackets, and you wouldn't get the manifold adapter.
Personally I don't like the abrupt 90 bend of the hpd adapter, not ideal for optimal airflow

 

[slosh]

Hi all,
First post from a long, long time mud reader.
After reading the official intercooler thread I wished for a FMIC for my 1HDFT 80 series with a 600 x 300 core, 2.5" piping. There appeared to be no such kit until I found this recently:

Products

I have ordered one and hope to see it soon.

 

[serenity]

Hi all,
First post from a long, long time mud reader.
After reading the official intercooler thread I wished for a FMIC for my 1HDFT 80 series with a 600 x 300 core, 2.5" piping. There appeared to be no such kit until I found this recently:

Products

I have ordered one and hope to see it soon.

Firstly, welcome to Mud!

That's a nice looking kit, I can't say I've seen it before. Be sure to post up photos of your install and let us know how it goes.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I agree serenity.
Looks slick. Nicely finished bit of gear. I'd prefer aluminium tubing as it sheds heat better.
manifold adapter looks to have a heaps smoother transition than the hpd one.

Still spendy though

 

[IanB]

Also never seen that kit, I like the integrated trans cooler solution. @BCR4619 you should check this out. I wonder if it would play nice with the OEM front winch? Are there any pics of this kit installed?