Ok.. here is the deal.. my new truck I thought was going to have a stock intercooler.. it doesn't. I was trying to think of ways to add one, but space is VERY limited to get piping up to the front from the turbo (mounted behind motor, see picture below.) So I was wondering.. what If I mounted the intercooler behind the cab under the box? (My truck is a small 16' box truck with a Ford E450 van chassis.) I'm pretty sure I could get the piping back there if I clocked the turbo and there is PLENTY of room under the box to mount an intercooler. I could even fasion a air scoop of some kind to help pull air to it. So then comes my finally point/question, would this be a bad place cause it might get alot of heat comming back from the engine bay?

Picture of engine bay, looking from inside the cab through the dog house.. I don't yet have a picture of the engine bay through the hood.. but the clearence between the motor and side firewalls is very small. and the turbo connects directly to the intake manifold so unless i get a different top to the intake mani I can't really even run a pipe to the front (even if I had room) cause the intake mani and turbo outlet ar so close to eachother.

Breezio, i SO wish you were a noOb asking this question. I havent noOb bashed in a long while, im having withdrawls. I would so love for you to be a noOb so i could flame you for posting about a truck turbo in the 2gnt forum, but since it is YOU and not a noOb, i shall show some love. :love

can you do a flat mount IC with an air funnel on the underside. how much "no room" ar we talking. could you fab some custom piping or are you really that cramped?

and get more pics Bish, so we can see what your talking about!!!

Have you looked into maybe using a water/air intercooler. With those the intercooler can be in a relatively warm place and still work well. I don't know for sure, but it just seems to me that they tend to be smaller than air/air intercoolers - that could be a bonus with that engine bay as well.


95 Eclipse RS : 5 speed
15.7 @ 87.9mph
Jeep TB writeup - http://www.dimensia.com:81/jimbo/JeepTBfor2gnt.html

the only space constraint is getting the IC piping from the back of the motor where the turbo and manifold inlet is.. to the front of the engine bay or back further below the box..
There is a TON of room in the front of the engine compartment to put a massive FMIC, and a ton of room behind the engine compartment under the box to put a massive IC. but it's getting the pipes to either of those locations that will cause the problem.

To answer your question tim, there is so much room under that box I could mount a pretty large IC standing up.. haha.. but I would probably run an air scoop of some kind to help pull air up towards it.. then put some gutter gaurd or something in the opening to help keep debre from damaging the IC.

and air/water intercooler.. hadn't thought about that.. don't those run off the motors coolant supply? or do they run off a seperate water system? cause if they run off the coolant supply.. that stuff will be just as hot or hotter then the air comming back from the motor.

There is a chance that if I fab up a custom intake (entire thing from air filter to turbo) I might gain enough space above the motor to run the two IC pipes, because there is a huge intake resonator mounted there (it's what takes up most of the room above the motor). I might pull the intake pipe one day and see how much room I get (I want to get rid of that damn resonator anyway, you guys ever heard an open intake turbo diesel before? holy shit! haha).
In which case.. if it does make enough room.. then I could just get a used powerstroke IC from ebay or a used freightliner IC from ebay :D both would fit in the front of this thing i'm pretty sure. And i'd probably need a new upper port section for the intake mani.. cause the current one faces backwards and connectes directly to the turbo. need to find one off a PSD truck or something, i'd guess they would face forward.

Damn it he beat me to it. I second the idea of a air to water to air intercooling system.

No it doesnt run off the trucks cooling system, that would void the whole idea. Plus you can use hoses that are WAY smaller then your intake pipe since Water can carry heat a lot better. To give you a quick run through its the interooler where ever you can mount pipes to it and to your intake. Its sealed off , so instead of air flowing around it , it will be water. 2 hoses in and out. A pump for circulation, and a (or as many as you want) radiators in the front or where ever you can get air flow. The plus? thinner smaller components and the "potential" to exceed 100% efficiency (ice in the water supply get my hint?).

The down side? Price man. You havnt read Maximum Boost by Corky bell?

I see.. but since there isn't any room near the turbo to mount it.. i'll still have to run IC piping to wherever I can fit the air/water cooler.. which is my main problem. in about a month i'm going to have to put a new fuel filter in it.. so this will require me to remove the intake piping.. at that time i'll see how much room there is above the motor when i take off that damn intake resonator (and not put it back on :thumbsup) I'd love to put a nice freightliner big rig IC up in the grill :D
saw one on ebay for like $200 hehe..

if you look at this picture.. you'll see the resonator i'm talking about.. the thing is that HUGE black plastic box next to the turbo compressor outlet, that damn thing goes from there almost all the way to the front of the motor.. haha

Well there's the room right there - replace the resonator with a air/water intercooler.


95 Eclipse RS : 5 speed
15.7 @ 87.9mph
Jeep TB writeup - http://www.dimensia.com:81/jimbo/JeepTBfor2gnt.html

What truck do you have? Damn thats one big turbo

I would think for such a large turbo running high boost i'd need a pretty large air/water intercooler. and that spot might fit one.. but the outlet of the compressor connects directly to the intake manifold inlet.. so i'd still need a new manifold inlet or something i'm that make for some complicated piping in a very small space, the thing will need 2.5" to 3" IC piping I'm thinking..
I opened up the hood to inspect the frontal area some more today. seems I was mistaken earlier.. there is no room what so ever in under the hood i the top section to run any piping larger then like 1" haha.. so I'm thinking if i'm to do this i'm gonna have to either have a air/air intercooler under the box, not exactly a good idea because ALOT of hot air comes back from the engine bay down there..
or run a air/water intercooler under the box and run it's water piping up front to it's cooler in the grill.
also while looking I don't have any room in the front of the grill in the top 2/3 thirds to put any cooler.. the tranny cooler is there and it's HUGE. but there is a nice spot behind the bumper to fit a decently sized cooler (like for the air/water system) and the bumper is vented for air too... so that's probably my best bet if i'm gonna add a cooler.
And that would require convincing the wife.. which I don't think I can do. haha.

about the truck. it's a 03' Ford E450 with the 7.3L Powerstroke Turbo Diesel. I still don't know the model of the turbo. but it's a Garrett with a 1.00 A/R compressor housing, 80mm compressor wheel and a 1.15 A/R turbine housing. and I think it's running from 10-17.5 psi of boost.. but i won't know for sure until i get a boost gauge.

:-o whoa! nice