Intercooler Install

[enkeivette]

Intercooler installed at about 20 degrees. Not ideal, but there's only so much goodness that can be squeezed into a tiny car. It's a 4x31x12 bar and plate aluminum cooler.

Welded stainless steel 1/8" by 1" tabs on the bumper for the front, and radiator support for the back. Welds would have been nicer if I didn't have to stop and splash water because I kept catching my bumper and radiator support on fire. Hahahaha

I originally planned to cut the body panel support, and relocate it, so that I could move the intercooler up and back further. But seeing as how I had to reglue the body back to the support before the paint job, I decided not to fuck with it.

The only thing that had to be moved was one of the horns, and obviously the vacuum tank which is already long gone. It's a tight fit, headlights rest on the edges of the cooler.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/309538_780906335480_19912599_37947422_1020726428_n .jpg

No intercooler in this pic, just sex.
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308241_780906350450_19912599_37947423_1698393722_n .jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/310658_780906360430_19912599_37947424_579772771_n. jpg

[enkeivette]

Pipes should be done next time Im up in 2 weeks, knock on wood.

[big_G]

About time!:smack:

[94cobra69ss396]

Nice.

[enkeivette]

About time!:smack:

Haha, seriously. Still need that fuel pump too!

[enkeivette]

Lower pipes done.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/293628_800655383230_19912599_38099613_481633641_n. jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/295754_800655413170_19912599_38099614_83094114_n.j pg
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http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/295793_800655537920_19912599_38099621_1240221074_n .jpg

[94cobra69ss396]

It's looking good. Do you have the rest of the pipes to complete it or are you still picking them up? Do you have a run down of what this has cost you?

[enkeivette]

I have the rest of the pipes, I'll PM you...

[enkeivette]

FYI, C3 tuners, I did have to cut some of the inner fender shielding SMC out of the way.

[Vettezuki]

FYI, C3 tuners, I did have to cut some of the inner fender shielding SMC out of the way.

I figr'd. There's just not a lot of wiggle room up there. It seems like it'd be all big and open, but not really.

[enkeivette]

Ya, most of the pipes are resting on something. If I had done this with steel and chosen to weld it, it would have been a major pain in the ass to get it all to line up perfectly, the flexible joints have really helped.

[Damian]

Can you put a fan on it? It doesn't look like it will get much air flow across it to be honest.

[big_G]

Can you put a fan on it? It doesn't look like it will get much air flow across it to be honest.

You gonna run a spoiler below to divert some air up through it? I laid mine parallel to the radiator, with a 1 inch gap.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/big_G1/PDRM0635.jpg

[enkeivette]

I could.

I was thinking it would be easiest to put a damn right below and behind it, but since it's leaning back, I feel like the air will naturally want to flow down through it, and an air dam below would want to push air up... so... do I install a fan pulling? Or an air dam on top? There's not really enough room on top to do that.

[BADDASSC6]

Put a dam and a fan? that way you will get the high speed benefits of the dam without letting it get heat soaked during slow driving.

[Shaolin Crane]

Looks like there is plenty of room for a fan to me, motorcyle fans are about an inch thick

[enkeivette]

I've decided I'm going to build a 25" x 6" air damn that will force air into the cooler at a 45 degree angle.

Done:
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/376213_808814587120_19912599_38171862_285658147_n. jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299660_808814537220_19912599_38171860_967726177_n. jpg
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/298567_808814417460_19912599_38171855_1774067279_n .jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/300027_808814397500_19912599_38171853_544838797_n. jpg

[enkeivette]

I'm having sort of a crazy idea to build an air dam on a hinge, with little metal casters on the bottom, that will fold forward, but not backwards beyond 45 degrees. So I can get it super close to the ground without ripping it off the car over a speed bump.

Is that crazy?

[jedhead]

You may also want to consider a system spraying a mist of water in front of the intercooler for greater cooling.

Bob

[enkeivette]

You may also want to consider a system spraying a mist of water in front of the intercooler for greater cooling.

Bob

I have thought about that, I can't believe how hot that thing got revving it in the driveway. It got hot to the touch.

[Damian]

What about a fan on the bottom as a blow through setup?

[Shaolin Crane]

Man that engine bay is cramped as fuck

[enkeivette]

I know right? Those pipes really filled it out. For an old car I've sure shoved a lot of stuff in there.

If I did another fan I would need to buy another alternator. Mine is taxed as it is. And I mean taxed.

[Shaolin Crane]

I doubt a motorcycle fan will put much load on the electrical system

[enkeivette]

The voltage already drops from 14 to just over 12, when I have the headlights on.

[Shaolin Crane]

Motorcycle fans use about 6 volts.

[enkeivette]

Voltage doesn't matter, amperage does. ...I thought you were an electrician or something??

[Shaolin Crane]

Voltage doesn't matter, amperage does. ...I thought you were an electrician or something??

I'm a caveman, defensive tactics is my profession.

Day job is a mechanic

Chuck is the electrician

I havnt measured the amps in a while but if the fan can run off the puny generators on motorcycle then i doubt its going to place a whole lot of load on it. Just have your alternator re-wound, its a dollar per amp

[Damian]

Try upgrading your ground from battery to chassis then the the battery and then the alternator to battery. Helps out more than you think use 4 gauge wire.

[Leedom]

See this (http://www.motorgen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33131) thread by Chuck.

[enkeivette]

Try upgrading your ground from battery to chassis then the the battery and then the alternator to battery. Helps out more than you think use 4 gauge wire.

4 guage wire would be a down grade. My wire is probably closer to zero guage I would guess. My battery is in the back of the car. Each cable is about an inch thick.

[Damian]

That should be plenty big then. Alky injection or water injection?

[enkeivette]

Scoop should be fine I'm sure.

[enkeivette]

Considering how far the front end extends past the wheels on a C3, and how bad this will scrape the driveway, I think I might ditch it and go with some fans.

Otherwise I'll make one out of fiberglass. Originally I decided on metal because I figured it would get hit under the car, and I didn't want it to get messed up too easily. But thinking about it, I don't want it to break free at some point and ram itself up into my intercooler destroying it.

I'm leaning towards fans now.

http://hphotos-iad1.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/388449_834393157460_19912599_38306091_1525225520_n .jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/381759_834393282210_19912599_38306092_1939233526_n .jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/386368_834393307160_19912599_38306093_1647668958_n .jpg

[Damian]

It looks good, why not throw it on and give it a try. Test it on some dips around your house, I know there are plenty in your area.

[enkeivette]

So ya, I junked that scoop, and went with two 10" fans, and wow... holy crap does that thing reduce inlet temp :o Drove it around for 20 mins yesterday, and the inlet pipe is too hot to touch for more than a second, while the outlet pipe is barely warmer than room temp, maybe 85 degrees.

I dont know how well intercoolers/ aftercoolers typically cool with just air flow, but a fan setup works amazingly... winning.

[enkeivette]

Also, today I plan to move the air filter down by the drivers side gill. That should help too.

[Damian]

That's how my Eclipse was after a hard romping. The turbo outlet was hot as hell but the intercooler outlet was ambient temp.

[Vettezuki]

I'm glad you're sorting this all out so you can help me someday. I keep leaning towards a blown 383 as the eventually target for my C3.

[Shaolin Crane]

So ya, I junked that scoop, and went with two 10" fans, and wow... holy crap does that thing reduce inlet temp :o Drove it around for 20 mins yesterday, and the inlet pipe is too hot to touch for more than a second, while the outlet pipe is barely warmer than room temp, maybe 85 degrees.

I dont know how well intercoolers/ aftercoolers typically cool with just air flow, but a fan setup works amazingly... winning.

Typical with just air flow is around 110* on average driving.

What fans did you use and where did you get them? I was about to go to a motorcycle scrap yard to get some fans, but I know you're cheap like I am. So spill it.

[enkeivette]

Def was cooler than 110, and I got into the boost. Im thinking fans blowing full time is better than air flow when youre moving. Makes sense actually.

Rad fans and aftercooler fans from ebay. Just found the cheapest fans with the highest cfm and highest number of blades. Just avoid ASA Performance! Haha. But theyre all the same, all Chinese copies, like everything else in America these days.

[Vettezuki]

. . all Chinese copies, like everything else in America these days.

Not really true. But learning Mandarin wouldn't be a terrible idea if you were young. . .

[Shaolin Crane]

Def was cooler than 110, and I got into the boost. Im thinking fans blowing full time is better than air flow when youre moving. Makes sense actually.

Rad fans and aftercooler fans from ebay. Just found the cheapest fans with the highest cfm and highest number of blades. Just avoid ASA Performance! Haha. But theyre all the same, all Chinese copies, like everything else in America these days.

Just saying a typically heat soaked car would be running in the 110* range on a cool day without fans. Your vette has a little more open room at the front compared to other vehicles, especially foxes and c5's.

With meth you can probably get it into the 60* range