Smallest radiator and intercool that will work?

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thisguy65

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Sounds odd I know. I'm building a hot rod using a cummins, open fender truck.

I'm trying to gauge the area the intercooler and radiator will take up.ing to make a dumb radiator and intercooler for mocking up purposes. I'm also try Street truck that will have 350hp and maybe in the future as high as 500 (doubt it but throwing it out there)
 
Not towing will give you a lot of leeway

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A buddy of mine built this and drove it all over with one of the cheap aluminum "model a" radiators. It had small compounds and a lightly modded p pump
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well, you could run with no intercooler if you want.

for the radiator, the one in my 03 cummins swap truck is the original 4.7 gasser radiator, it's small, i'd reckon half the size of a 2nd gen cummins radiator, and it runs 175* all day long with no fan(as long as you're moving). electric fan only runs if parked in traffic on a hot day. these engines run cool
 
A bigger radiator and a2w intercooler is what I'm leaning towards in my next project
 
Anybody ever tried to incorporate an A/C evaporator into the intake instead of a CAC? Should flow enough air and shouldn't be too difficult to fab a box for it. Unlimited coldER air without having to deal with ice and water.
 
I saw a rat truck at the Hot Rod Power Tour. He mounted the radiator horizontally behind the cab of the truck with an electric fan mounted on top. I think he used aluminum tubing between the engine and radiator with hoses at the ends.
 
j.fondler said:
well, you could run with no intercooler if you want.

for the radiator, the one in my 03 cummins swap truck is the original 4.7 gasser radiator, it's small, i'd reckon half the size of a 2nd gen cummins radiator, and it runs 175* all day long with no fan(as long as you're moving). electric fan only runs if parked in traffic on a hot day. these engines run cool
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Is this measured at the t-stat or at the back of the head?

BigPapa said:
Anybody ever tried to incorporate an A/C evaporator into the intake instead of a CAC? Should flow enough air and shouldn't be too difficult to fab a box for it. Unlimited coldER air without having to deal with ice and water.
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CAC?

jedeka said:
I saw a rat truck at the Hot Rod Power Tour. He mounted the radiator horizontally behind the cab of the truck with an electric fan mounted on top. I think he used aluminum tubing between the engine and radiator with hoses at the ends.
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Sounds like Old Smokey
oldsmokeyf1-james-chantry-speedhunters-01-1200x800.jpg
 
BigPapa said:
Anybody ever tried to incorporate an A/C evaporator into the intake instead of a CAC? Should flow enough air and shouldn't be too difficult to fab a box for it. Unlimited coldER air without having to deal with ice and water.
Click to expand...


Don't think you will get anywhere near the cooling you would need, unless you used a huge compressor.
 
thisguy65 said:
Is this measured at the t-stat or at the back of the head?
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back of the head. if i push it, it will get up to 180 at 80 mph on the highway(90*+ ambient temps of florida). but this is also in a 5200lb truck. i imagine you'll run cooler than that in a stripped down rat rod

the fan is on a 200 on/185 off temp switch in the head. if i'm parked in traffic on a hot day, it takes about 45 seconds to drop temp from 200 to 185 and will cycle about every 2-3 minutes.

i know we're talking totally different vehicles, i'm just sharing my experience to help you understand that it doesn't take much to keep these things cool.

now lets see a picture of wth you're working on!
 
I'm running a standard SBC aluminum radiator. Like 20x22" or something like that. Never had an issue overheating. I actually removed my mechanical fan all winter and didn't even put it back on until the 3rd drag race of the season.

I run an air/water intercooler above the valve covers and then another SBC radiator behind the cab, under the bed as a heat exchanger for the intercooler. Cruising charge air temps are never more than 10 degrees above ambient.
 
j.fondler said:
back of the head. if i push it, it will get up to 180 at 80 mph on the highway(90*+ ambient temps of florida). but this is also in a 5200lb truck. i imagine you'll run cooler than that in a stripped down rat rod

the fan is on a 200 on/185 off temp switch in the head. if i'm parked in traffic on a hot day, it takes about 45 seconds to drop temp from 200 to 185 and will cycle about every 2-3 minutes.

i know we're talking totally different vehicles, i'm just sharing my experience to help you understand that it doesn't take much to keep these things cool.

now lets see a picture of wth you're working on!
Click to expand...

Reason I ask is friend of mine would see 195-205 on the rear of the head. VE pump motor in a rat rod, stil weighted 6k though. Then his head gasket popped sometime after it but ran like that for close to a year (temperature reading high). So we are thinking/hoping the HG was letting go slowly.
 
Redrider2911 said:
I'm running a standard SBC aluminum radiator. Like 20x22" or something like that. Never had an issue overheating. I actually removed my mechanical fan all winter and didn't even put it back on until the 3rd drag race of the season.

I run an air/water intercooler above the valve covers and then another SBC radiator behind the cab, under the bed as a heat exchanger for the intercooler. Cruising charge air temps are never more than 10 degrees above ambient.
Click to expand...

Do you have any pictures you could send me of your setup, line routing and etc?

Though about running a A2W setup. Would get a radiator with transmission cooler built in it and use that to cool the water. However I'm iffy about the setup in term of intake air temps vs air to air. The air can only be as cool as the ambient air temps.
 
thisguy65 said:
Reason I ask is friend of mine would see 195-205 on the rear of the head. VE pump motor in a rat rod, stil weighted 6k though. Then his head gasket popped sometime after it but ran like that for close to a year (temperature reading high). So we are thinking/hoping the HG was letting go slowly.
Click to expand...

well know that the rear of the head will be the hottest reading you can get, by probably anywhere from 5-10*, which is why i placed my gauge there. i don't worry at all about it hitting 200-205 in traffic.
 
thisguy65 said:
Do you have any pictures you could send me of your setup, line routing and etc?

Though about running a A2W setup. Would get a radiator with transmission cooler built in it and use that to cool the water. However I'm iffy about the setup in term of intake air temps vs air to air. The air can only be as cool as the ambient air temps.
Click to expand...

forget about an intercooler at all if you're space limited. run water/meth and throw the tank in the back of the truck
 
Since photobucket has gone a-wall I haven't had a chance to fix the pictures In my build threads. But you can browse through my photobucket library here to get an idea.

[ame="http://s86.photobucket.com/user/redrider2911/library/Willys%20Build?sort=3&page=4"]Willys Build by Kris F | Photobucket[/ame]
 
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