Scrapping Twin turbo project

[JBL930]

Looking good, cooler looks like a good design, nice big surface area, not too thick, nice end tanks.... Are you going to be able to log intake temps after the cooler, so you see how well it does its job?

[drmatera]

oh yes, I have my Davtron dual sensor gauge and also an IAT gauge thats part of my EFI system and can be datalogged. I datalogged some 3rd gear runs from 2000 rpm to about 4500rpm with the old setup right before we took her apart. I'll be able to see some concrete results with the new combo. good or bad

[WinRice]

Originally Posted by drmatera

and the cooler is fully welded. Just needs some support brackets and off to powder coating.

You're not powder coating the IC are you? That takes away from the heat transfer.

[drmatera]

One of the innovators in intercooler technology here in the US powder coated all his intercoolers. Do you have data that proves otherwise? I'm all ears

[JBL930]

Secan don't have any paint on theirs, I would do the same

[drmatera]

well, they wanted to keep the price down

[JBL930]

Of course, didn't think of that...... Paint away mate, do 20 coats

[WinRice]

Originally Posted by drmatera

One of the innovators in intercooler technology here in the US powder coated all his intercoolers. Do you have data that proves otherwise? I'm all ears

I'll have to do some looking, but there is quite a bit of data on all kinds of cooling coils, such as radiators, A/C evaporators/condensers, industrial cooling systems, etc. The general consensus is even a layer a dust can reduce heat transfer. If the condenser coil on your house A/C gets too dirty, it makes a noticable difference to clean it off.

The whole theory of cooling relies on getting the heated air in contact with as much surface area as possible, then get the cooling air in contact with as much surface area as possible. The material between the two 'airs' needs to allow as much thermal transfer as possible, that's where guys like Secan have made the improvements. Any extra material is just an insulator and impedes thermal transfer. When you look at a 'price-no-object' Secan if they thought a coating would be of benefit, they would use one.

[juan ruiz]

Who sells those Davtron dual sensor gauge

[WinRice]

From the Bell Site:

Can an intercooler be painted?

Certainly. One might find a small loss of efficiency if the core is painted, but likely this would be less of a difference than the repeatability of measurement. By all means, paint the end tanks, but preference suggests the core remain exposed.

How about masking off the core and just powder coating the tanks and plumbing? Powder coating is pretty thick, how about a light coat of paint on the core?

[drmatera]

WinRice, thats my plan. I certainly don't want to pay for a large custom intercooler then diminish it's potential in the name of "bling"

Juan, I buy them right from Davtron. They are an aviation gauge company but are great to deal with.

[WinRice]

Originally Posted by drmatera

WinRice, thats my plan. I certainly don't want to pay for a large custom intercooler then diminish it's potential in the name of "bling"

Nice!

With your logical approach so far, I thought that was the goal.

[drmatera]

It is amazing that there is very little information on the web about this. Bell Intercoolers says coating the tanks is a non-issue but spray a light coat, if any, on the actual core. I may have the tanks done in silver so there's very little contrast. The black on my fan shroud looks rediculous and the intercooler would have looked great but oh well. I don't want the polished look so thats out. I may have some finished pics of the fab work today. Can't wait to drive her, may have t postpone the coating .

[drmatera]

ok, headers and intercooler brackets are back from the coater. It all looks great but we have 3 broken studs to deal with before the headers go back on.

[911st]

Nice work!!!

I like your IC design a bunch. Well thought out.

BOV?

[drmatera]

thanks, Yes the BOV flange is on the intercooler around the backside. I was going to put it on the pipe but wanted a cleaner look. I'll snap a couple pics of the intercooler off the car.

[drmatera]

pics. notice my aluminum exhaust system next to the intercooler? No signs of heat fatigue what-so-ever

[911st]

Again, nice.

Nice end tanks. Should flow more even through the cores than most and be very efficient if ducted properly.

Is the IC supply tube larger than the exit? It dose look a bit large and would be nice if there was a tapper in the up tube for a little less volume and less turbulence from the quick cross section change.

Nice work.

[drmatera]

The inlet and outlet tubing is the same size, 3". In fact the tanks are pieces of 3" tubing cut length wise and welded to the tanks. It creates a smooth surface for great flow. I did want to make the inlet tubing 2" from the turbo to the cooler to keep velocity up but in the end we just stuck with 3" to keep from screwing up the air flow with steps. We used a silicone 2" - 3" transition to connect it at the turbo. Hope to have some good datalogs for comparision to the double stack intercooler/K27 7200 combo. Gotta love apple-orange comparos.

[drmatera]

BTW, it sits just below the tail "grill". I plan on running a perimeter of foam to seal it to the wing for optimum flow. It doesn't cover the whole grill opening, should I block off the rest so the fan can only pull thru it or is it better to leave the rest open?