Massive Intercooler Job

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Had this ginormous intercooler brought to me.  I welded the two circular mounting bungs onto the bottom.  The bungs were cut off a set of used and damaged VW GTI belt tensioner's.  They welded like poop.....some type of cast Al alloy.  When it arrived I discovered the intercooler sat outside all day and was a whopping 28 degrees....needless to say I had to preheat the intercooler, not only becasue of it's chilled state, but also becasue of it's shear size.I know everyone will ask...sooooThe intercooler is going on an SRT-4.The car currently makes 480 at the wheels.However, with this intercooler and some other mods the owner hopes for 550.Enjoy--Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:Looks good Graham...but that's tiny compared to other IC's. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Most people don't know what an SRT4 is...it's a Neon.I have had mine since 2k3, and can't understand what those would be needed for. Do you know, or did the owner explain what they will be used for?
Reply:It is a Neon, but unlike your standard neon, it is turbo charged. The hp numbers would indicate that the owner is probably running a larger than stock turbo, and much higher boost levels. The stock intercooler probably isnt efficient enough to handle the cooling job of that much pressurized air.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Originally Posted by D MorganMost people don't know what an SRT4 is...it's a Neon.I have had mine since 2k3, and can't understand what those would be needed for. Do you know, or did the owner explain what they will be used for?
Reply:actually the intercooler is placed after the turbo. As air compresses it heats up pretty quickly.  by having an aluminum intercooler, not only does the aluminum surface area draw the heat from the air, the air that passes through the fins from the out side pulls the heat out of the aluminum.  it is basically a radiator for your compressed air source. THe more air is compressed the hotter it gets, so say if your factory boost is 11 psi your air temp is probably in the area of 225* (guestimate)  if you place a larger turbo and turn the boost up to 20 psi your air temps are going to be significantly higher maybe in the 300-350* range so inturn the efficiency of your stock intercooler is to small.  So you would need an intercooler with more surface area either a thicker, longer, or wider intercooler. or all three.
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneLooks good Graham...but that's tiny compared to other IC's.
Reply:Originally Posted by grahamtheengineerTell me about it....I used to take care of a few Porsche 962 GTP racecars. They were making roughly 750-950 hp (boost dependent) and they had very large intercoolers.  But even that is nothing compared to some of the intercoolers I've seen on marine engines and quarry trucks.  I was more or less stating how this intercooler is massive for an SRT-4.....needless to say the stock bumper got scrapped.
Reply:Originally Posted by grahamtheengineerTell me about it....I used to take care of a few Porsche 962 GTP racecars. They were making roughly 750-950 hp (boost dependent) and they had very large intercoolers.  But even that is nothing compared to some of the intercoolers I've seen on marine engines and quarry trucks.  I was more or less stating how this intercooler is massive for an SRT-4.....needless to say the stock bumper got scrapped.  You other guys pretty much summed it up...a bigger intercooler usually means an increase in power and an aid in avoiding detention.
Reply:Originally Posted by VipernutI think you mean "detonation" or spark knock - detention is where you spend half of your high school life
Reply:welds look good considering it was on cast. Do I spy a mk1 cabby or rabbit dash  behind that intercooler?
Reply:Originally Posted by chrisbmx68Do I spy a mk1 cabby or rabbit dash  behind that intercooler?
Reply:Sweet looking welds for welding like crap.Hope your forum name don't change to grahamthefishmonger, lol, I don't think I could have stood the fish smell all day.G3miller... 225g, s32p, 250x, 304, 12vs, MSW41     victor o/a thermal dynamics cutmaster 50 lenco panel spotter        hobart hf-boxG3 Farms.....raising cattle, hay, kids and hell, ...oh yeah I'm a fire sprinkler contractor by trade.
Reply:my buddy is building a neon down in florida. should be roughly 600 to the wheels. it WAS 400 or so to the wheels before busting a pipe and pullin the motor to send it down to south florida for a rebuild. its upgraded axles up front, full srt-4 suspension along with upgrades and fully built motor top to bottom. not sure how much boost hes going to run, i was say 26? he bought it as a plymouth neon back in 2000 haha. its stock hunter green with blue pearl. YEARS before chevy put it on those new terrible looking tahoes. 18 inch 5 spoke racing harts i believe, maybe konig?  its a beast.
Reply:Graham, curiousity struck me. Where in Central Jersey are you located, if you don't mind.
Reply:Originally Posted by EnderAn intercooler acts like an air cooler for a forced induction draw-through system. Picture it sitting infront of the turbo charger and before the air can get to the turbo, it gets sucks through the intercooler and made colder. The colder the air, the more dense it is. The higher density allows for more air/fuel in the combustion chamber before detonation occurs.
Reply:Originally Posted by EnderGraham, curiousity struck me. Where in Central Jersey are you located, if you don't mind.
Reply:Originally Posted by D MorganI'm well versed in F/I...I'll be ordering my AIS IC soon.I was refering to the additional pieces that were welded onto the IC.
Reply:Graham,Morristown is -not- central Jersey!   Sheesh, you're still in Morris County!  Central Jersey isn't until you get south of Sandy Hook!ps, I'm about the same distance to Morristown as you are, but I'm north of it.btw, nice bungs!
Reply:At that point, why doesn't the guy just go A/W with the intercooler instead of A/A?
Reply:Originally Posted by SupeAt that point, why doesn't the guy just go A/W with the intercooler instead of A/A?
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseGraham,Morristown is -not- central Jersey!   Sheesh, you're still in Morris County!  Central Jersey isn't until you get south of Sandy Hook!
Reply:Originally Posted by grahamtheengineerut oh....time for a debate.  North J (North of Dover) Central J (Dover to Brunswick) South J Brunswick and beyond....well thats at least how my peers and I see it  either way...neat to know that you are from the area !
Reply:still just a bunch of yankees no matter how you look at it!!  just kidding..............i'm a tennessee redneck by the way. G3miller... 225g, s32p, 250x, 304, 12vs, MSW41     victor o/a thermal dynamics cutmaster 50 lenco panel spotter        hobart hf-boxG3 Farms.....raising cattle, hay, kids and hell, ...oh yeah I'm a fire sprinkler contractor by trade.
Reply:Originally Posted by EnderYea, I fish out of the Highlands all the time. Great striper run we had last year. I also do a lot of duck hunting out of Barnegat. I'm actually moving to Phoenix in a few weeks. I'll sure miss this little ol' state.I work in commercial fire alarm systems all over Central/Northern Jersey. Just like you're exhibiting, its pretty hard for the Jersians to agree where northern, central, and southern starts. Living in Hazlet, I know I consider myself Central. I'd consider Morristown North, but thats just mepshhhh forced induction.. HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:You can get much more from an A/W than the A/AOnce you get to a certain point with the A/A, you won't gain much with a bigger core- especially when you are dealing with a thicker core.
Reply:Graham, finally found the owner of the intercooler. He is a member on SRT Forums and has started a thread showing the engine going back into the car. I saw the thread and thought to myself, that intercooler looks very familiar Sure enough it's the one you modded for him. The 550HP you referenced is on par for what he has it setup as, but as a 2.6 stroker it's capable of atleast 750HP. What a small world.....
Reply:Graham, finally found the owner of the intercooler. He is a member on SRT Forums and has started a thread showing the engine going back into the car. I saw the thread and thought to myself, that intercooler looks very familiar Sure enough it's the one you modded for him. The 550HP you referenced is on par for what he has it setup as, but as a 2.6 stroker it's capable of atleast 750HP. What a small world.....
Reply:Where do you get the "parts" to make one?Me!
Reply:I love the "bigger is better" mentality with sport/compact cars. That intercooler HAS TO make another 100HP. It has to- it's bigger! The larger (way oversized) turbo has to make more power than a small one, too. The ball-bearing turbo has to make more power since it was another $1000 over a standard bearing. If a 3" exhaust makes 200HP, a 4" one must make 700HP. The carbon fiber valve cover has to be good for about 25HP. Charge him $3800 to do the intercooler. That way, they can brag about the amount of money they spent to their ricer buddies and tell them how much power it made on the "a$shole dyno."Thick intercoolers are bad. Very inefficient. The rear cores get hot air from the front.Thinner cores with a larger sq.in. surface are good. Water cooled is better yet, as long as you keep the water cooled. I've never seen an air-cooled one drop the temp as much as a good water cooled unit. Besides, it doesn't make the car look like a Fast and Furious fag racer with a big silver intercooler hacked into the front openeing. Make sure you have large black "SPEARCO" graphic painted on the front of the core too. You always have to give someones company free advertisement.
Reply:Don't forget A/W intercoolers can be a lot more maintenance than an A/A intercooler.  An A/W failure can be nasty whereas an A/A failure causes a huge vacuum leak.
Reply:Originally Posted by D MorganGraham, finally found the owner of the intercooler. He is a member on SRT Forums and has started a thread showing the engine going back into the car. I saw the thread and thought to myself, that intercooler looks very familiar Sure enough it's the one you modded for him. The 550HP you referenced is on par for what he has it setup as, but as a 2.6 stroker it's capable of atleast 750HP. What a small world.....
Reply:If it's built properly, you won't have any leaks. Also, if you monitor your coolant level, you would discover a leak if it did happen. Many of the A/A intercoolers leak because of sloppy home construction and modifications to make it fit the car. Stones also take their toll on them. I DID have a pump fail in the beginning, but it was a used one. I installed a new one and 4 years later it still works fine. NO problems, leaks or otherwise. Use good coolant and flush it once a year. I installed a garden hose style flush fitting on the line so changing coolant takes less than 5 minutes. Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by turboblownI love the "bigger is better" mentality with sport/compact cars. That intercooler HAS TO make another 100HP. It has to- it's bigger! The larger (way oversized) turbo has to make more power than a small one, too. The ball-bearing turbo has to make more power since it was another $1000 over a standard bearing. If a 3" exhaust makes 200HP, a 4" one must make 700HP. The carbon fiber valve cover has to be good for about 25HP. Charge him $3800 to do the intercooler. That way, they can brag about the amount of money they spent to their ricer buddies and tell them how much power it made on the "a dyno."Thick intercoolers are bad. Very inefficient. The rear cores get hot air from the front.Thinner cores with a larger sq.in. surface are good. Water cooled is better yet, as long as you keep the water cooled. I've never seen an air-cooled one drop the temp as much as a good water cooled unit. Besides, it doesn't make the car look like a Fast and Furious fag racer with a big silver intercooler hacked into the front openeing. Make sure you have large black "SPEARCO" graphic painted on the front of the core too. You always have to give someones company free advertisement.