cheap ebay intercoolers

hasa68mustang

hasa68mustang

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what do you guys think? I need an intercooler if I plan on running higher boost, well even now I shouuld probably have one to keep it safe but I dont, but I noticed for $150 or so you can get a 12x3x24 sized core intercooler, would it be worth it? I dont know if there would be a significant pressure drop or anything. I have the factory probe one that is TINY and wouldnt fit anywhere very easily because or the angle and both in/oulets beign on teh same side. oh ya and I am pretty sure I just bought my dail ydriver, a ram d50 or the mitsubishi version, for 500 bucks, my unlce said he woul dmake me a deal cause he just bought a new s10, no ac, and needs some body work (somone hit the rear but nothing big) so expect some changes cause I shouldnt have a car payment and cheaper insurance... horay
 
Tommy, keep your timing right, run high octane and/or mix in E85, C16, etc... and make sure you are not lean at WOT and I believe you can run up to 15 psi. These engines scream at 15 psi, I had just too much timing and ended up running lean because of the stock fuel pump is how I blew my head gaskets (3 of them). I turned down the boost to 10 psi and it still runs damn good! But if you think you need one, I say go for it, they do look purty neat sitting in front of the radiator. Have a good one.

Kirk
 
I want to get all the bugs sorted out and go through all the jetting and such like you before I go and try to run anything above the 10 I'm running now. I need to buy a couple gauges and I should be good.
 
I saw a new air to water for $125 on ebay. For that kind of money someone needs to try it. It may be me! :lol:

Dan
 
woah Dan long time no see, they sell air temp gauges which would be pretty cool to see wht kind of air temp difference the intercoolers add.
 
the only problem with air to water intercoolers is that u have to constantly keep putting in fresh water cause after a few minutes the water will warm up to the same temp and the air going in and wont make any differences

and tommy i dont think u should run more boost until u get a better rear in that car and some bigger tires
 
Mustang Boy":1r5yxdkj said:
the only problem with air to water intercoolers is that u have to constantly keep putting in fresh water cause after a few minutes the water will warm up to the same temp and the air going in and wont make any differences

and tommy i dont think u should run more boost until u get a better rear in that car and some bigger tires
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lol thats no fun... I threw my seat in and some gas and took it for a drive I still have a bog when trying to floor it but it doesnt have a problem leaving its 2 rubber strips down the road. I have also been looking into water/meth injection, not very cheap but with an intercooler Im pretty sure it would hlep out some more. Also I have been looking at the lm-1 and other types of wideband meters although I couldnt afford one in the near future... well I think if I saved for a bit. I have been selling items on ebay and am going to buy one of those cheaper intercoolers with the money in that account, Im over half way there. O.k. well Im off to work on a friends car to make some more extra money on my day off!
 
Mustang Boy":1fgbitu7 said:
the only problem with air to water intercoolers is that u have to constantly keep putting in fresh water cause after a few minutes the water will warm up to the same temp and the air going in and wont make any differences
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No, you plumb it to a small radiator and a pump to circulate and cool the liquid.
 
I hear the ebay IC's are ok. but before spending the big bucks on a IC maybe a bigger turbo shoudl come first? it will be able to produce more boost more efficently
 
turbo_fairlane_200":324jn5d2 said:
I hear the ebay IC's are ok. but before spending the big bucks on a IC maybe a bigger turbo shoudl come first? it will be able to produce more boost more efficently
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I suppose I can look into it. I worked on my friends car today we did the "big 3". basically we ran 0 gauge wire from: 1. The battery negative to chassis, 2. The engine ground to chassis ground, and 3. The alternator to battery. He has a 98 civic with an amp rated at 2250 watts rms and an "xxx" resonant engineering 15" sub, in a box tuned to 32 hz that I made for him, and he gave me 100 bucks for helping him! Before the wire upgrades his voltage would drop down into the low 8's befor the car would miss and the sub would play funny noises, now it only drops to 10.9, which is a big improvement but he still needs to replace the stock alternator, battery and look into getting a BIG cap! so ya I made 100 bucks! and he payed for all the supplies which is good... hmmm it appears I jacked my own thread... oh ya one more thing... I never cut any of the msd wires to they were just kind of hanging around and the engine compartment looks/ed terrible, so I ran the harness on the back side of the panels and have the loom stuff around them and I found the plug needed for the duraspark and I soldered it together, and cut the wires and it all looks ALOT better! I also did a few other things, but nothing major, I am spending alot more time with detail. I want to be proud of the compartment and not cringe when I open the hood...
 
turbo_fairlane_200":sb9cr0qv said:
I hear the ebay IC's are ok. but before spending the big bucks on a IC maybe a bigger turbo shoudl come first? it will be able to produce more boost more efficently
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That is a huge thing to make notice of. A turbo that is too small will make tremendous heat working as hard as it needs to to make the boost you want. Even though the maps say my S-3 is about the right size, it is way too small for what I was trying to push out of it.
 
Couple of friends are running the cheap eBay intercoolers with no problems.
 
Linc's 200":1sezb4k5 said:
turbo_fairlane_200":1sezb4k5 said:
I hear the ebay IC's are ok. but before spending the big bucks on a IC maybe a bigger turbo shoudl come first? it will be able to produce more boost more efficently
Click to expand...

That is a huge thing to make notice of. A turbo that is too small will make tremendous heat working as hard as it needs to to make the boost you want. Even though the maps say my S-3 is about the right size, it is way too small for what I was trying to push out of it.
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good point linc. I was discussing this with ummm purfman, I had never read anything about heat and such when using such a small turbo. I may start looking for a larger unit and go ahead and try to make a turbo header. I have still been trying to work out a deal with 935 motorsports for the intercooler but when he told me 170 shipped I told him I would just end up getting one off ebay for less, He said he could paint 935 motorsports on it and get it down on price but we'll see. As for the car, not sure what all I want to do with it. I have been painting all kinds of small things and hiding wires and I am hoping to make it a show worthy car, or at least something to represent us inliners. Especially after seeing Dougs (I think thats who it was atleast) amazing amount of detail he has in his car.
 
Just thought that I would add a reply to this topic. The Ebay intercooler is fine. So many people get wrapped up in name brands. Sure I would not want an ebay turbo but IC's are a basic concept and as long as a good core is there and the welding is sufficient then you are alright. No need to spend 600+ on the same IC design.

I am a picky buyer. I did lots of research into this intercooler before I purchased it. The intercooler that I purchased was tested at 50psi and allowed to sit for a day. When they came back there was a 1psi drop. Pretty good at 50psi. I went and held the intercooler in my hands(local shop) and decided that it was worth a shot.

It works great. I would reccomend a smaller IC for the size turbo that you have though. I am running the same as you are mentioning(24"x12"x3" core) on a turbo with a 61mm cold side and a 1.0 Hotside.

The IC that I picked up was from SSAutochome and I got is shipped to my door for 162.38.

Hope this helps,
Z
 
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