zero2005

just wondering if anyone out there is an expert on air/water intercoolers?

i had this crazy idea, i've always been tossing around the idea of building my own sheet metal intake, and i've come up with a couple designs...

and then i thought about the 03/04 cobra intake and how it integrates an air/water intercooler into it (as do many other designs)...

i thought well, why could i not achieve something like that? and i started thinking. i came up with 2 options. one would be to obtain a full on intercooler core, such as a spearco for roughly 300$. this would have the complexity of being aluminum so i would have to mount it into a stainless steel intake, or go with an all aluminum intake which would add to cost.

option 2 is a bit more DIY ingenious. basically i make the intake steel, but inside it i make mounting brackets to bolt in a air/water heat exchanger(with a gasket to ensure no air gets passed it without first getting cooled). the only problem is they are thinner(but a bit more wider and longer). one question comes to mind: efficiency. the speaco is obviously bigger, and probably better. but the heat exchanger does have good length and width to it. should i consider doubling them up and running 2 or even 3 parallel heat exchangers? they are only between 50-80$. another question is, what about pressure drop? thats one of the advantages of going to an air/water intercooler. how is a heat exchanger in that area? i would assume they have to be decent, as they arent having air pushed through them by a blower in their normal application, they only have the forward movement of the car...

so, if you have any thoughts out there on this crazy idea, i'd like to know about it. i still have to get flanges for the intake manifold, and decide how i want to do the MAF, TB, intake runners, height, width, final shape, IAC, if i even want to include a port for EGR...

Ford-a-tude

I love the DIY aspect but for all the engineering and work involved wouldn't it be better to go with an existing unit? I have been considering one of these myself but don't know much about their quality.

http://www.frozenboost.com/product_i...90f805234c3861

I'd really Like to hear anyone's opinion on how these compare to say the vortech after cooler unit.

Thanks

zero2005

i have heard of some nissan guys running those kits and they love them. some of the smaller jap cars cant run as big front mounts as the stangs can because of all the room restrictions so they are limited to either small front mounts, top mounts, V-mounts, or air-water.

the main reason for all the design and playing around is that i will need/want a better intake, since once i hit the top end HP numbers i am looking for (650), the biggest restriction for me will be the plastic intake manifold. and while it would be nice to get say an MMR sheet metal intake, they are 1000+. i can make one for far far less out of 304 SS, in either 14 or 16 gauge. plus i can design it any way i want, long runners, short runners, i can hide the IAC, delete the EGR or keep it if i want.

i emailed the frozenboost guys too, just to see if they have any core only units. if they have affordable cores i might go that route, a spearco core would be cool too. of corse then i have to figure out how im gunna mount it and seal it because then, and i'd have to have someone else weld it since its aluminum. i have welded aluminum, but my cheapo wannabe scratch start tig setup is DC only lol not good for aluminum.