Anyone fabricate their own Intercooler?

[RickM]

As I plan my 3.2 turbo installation I would like to include an intercooler. I'd like to fabricate my own as the cost for premade units is quite hefty. I have come up with a couple of sources for the core(s) but I'm curious if anyone has experience, advice, tips etc to impart regarding the fabrication or configuration.

I have a turbo tail, I'm willing to reposition the A/C condenser and am planning my aluminum welding pratice. I'll most likely go MIG, but MAY consider TIG or other technologies...????

Thanks for any words of wisdom.
Rick

[dougcl]

Rick, check this supplier for mandrel bent aluminum tubing: http://www.burnsstainless.com. You can pick up straight tube and sheet at a metal salvage yard. Corky Bell's book has some good intercooler design tips. I found that a permanent marker and pneumatic saw were useful. I recommend TIG.

Doug
75 911S

[RickM]

Doug,
Thanks for the tips....The Burn's site has an excellent selection of materials.
Rick

[john walker's workshop]

spearco has cores and outer tanks in various sizes.

[RickM]

I was looking at Spearco and Griffin.

I'm gravitating towards this configuration as it looks fairly straight forward.

[David]

If you want to build your own exhaust also, burns stainless makes the best collectors money can buy. Check out a CART exhaust system to see their work. The inside looks as good as the outside. I've never understood how B&B and the others get away with selling several thousand dollar exhaust systems that don't use Burns collectors. Just thought I throw that in.

[dean]

I built my own intercooler. I recomend tig and lots of practice. It is a fair amount of work to design and then weld it up.
Have fun

[RickM]

Dean,

Would you mind sharing any details on the construction? Source for parts, dimensions, other incidentals to take into consideration.
I saw the intercooler in your gallery....looks great....pretty much like the others sold commercially. I noticed that your configuration is different (and the most common) from the one pictured above. Is there a very distinct benefit to having the front-to-back flow as opposed to the side-to-side?

Also, what are the fittings for that I've pointed out below?

Thanks for any insight.

Rick

[dean]

The small fitting in front is for the boost gauge. The one in the rear is the 993 compressor bypass valve. I bought the core from a guy that builds custom cores. The reason I went front to back with the charge air is because I wanted to eliminate boost loss. Side to side has a chance for more boost loss. I bought the tubing from Burns Stainless. The size of the core is 22"x3"x8". I could have gone a hair wider but I didn't. The other reason some go side to side is the plumbing is different with the stock 3.2 manifold and side to side makes sense in that application. I would buy a Spearco core next time. I had to wait too long for my core to be built.

[Mukilteo911]

an unconventional approach.
Have you ever seen a Vortex tube ?
http://www.exair.com/vortextube/vt_page.htm

I am trying to find out how much air they need (rate per minute) to see if one can be used on a car somehow. It's a cool idea if the proper amount of air could be produced on the car somehow. And talk about cold air -50f. May work on non turbos also.

Just wanted to throw this out and see if anyone can help figure out how to make this idea take shape.

[cowtown]

The vortex idea is cool (no pun intended) but it looks like the whole concept relies on relatively high pressures. The minimum is 1.4bar, at which pressure the thing seems much less efficient (naturally, because the vortex effect is slower).

Let us know if you decide to play around with this idea. I'd be interested in your findings.
Colin

[TimT]

This intercooler was fabricated from a griffin core, and some 4' aluminum tube ( bandsawed on a bias) and some aluminum elbows sectioned to fit output of the turbo, and the3.2 intake

[cstreit]

THe vortex tube only runs up to 150 SCFM, just about enough to turbo charge your lawn mower I think... Cool idea though!

[Mukilteo911]

humm, a turbo lawn mower,,, That should cut my wet grass.

[RickM]

TimT,
Thanks for the pic...do you have others? Also, any tips on suppliers?
Thanks,
Rick

[TimT]

Rick the core was from Griffin, Ill have to look around for there phone # ( they are in SC or NC i think) The aluminum pipe was sourced locally, but Im sure you could get it from someplace like McMaster-Carr

I took some pics today

[TimT]

PS Rick if you are using a 3.2 manifold the rubber boot WILL blow out at some point. Its best to get some exhaust tubing ( an elbow) of a like diameter as the 3.2 rubber elbow, and do some creative metal work to make it work.

I couldnt get any worthwhile pics of that with the intercooler installed

[Jocke]

A good choice, when you plan to create your own cooler is to buy an aftermarket cooler from a truck.

Me and a friend of my buyed a big cooler from a truck then we tear it apart and made two coolers of it.

Just check for a cooler thats fit your flow, lag, pressure etc.

And I would say go for the TIG nothing else gonna work I think.

Here´s some pics from our coolers, and we made it with a TIG.

To badly it shows up that the cooler was to big for my Porsche but it shows some pic on the other cooler we build.

Good Luck!

/Jocke

[RickM]

Thanks to all for the advice. Has definitley given me an excellent starting point.

Bump for the weekend audience.

Rick