'83-'86 Trucks with Intercoolers and A/C. Need pics please........

[hesutton]

Looking at my intercooler ('99-'03 7.3 PSD) it is 2 inches thick. I don't have 2 inches between the valance and the A/C condensor. I don't want to cut up the vlanance and my wife and daughter certainly won't ride in the crew cab for hours in the summer with no A/C.

I looked at Sean's photos and he just removed the valvance. I need to see what Chris has done with his Hypermax intercooler. Mel, do you have some photos of the intercooler you installed? I know you don't have A/C so that's a bit different.

Anyone else put an intercooler on a '83-'86 with A/C? Just trying to get some ideas on how I need to reengineer the front clip.

Heath

 

[subway]

looking and researching out for myself i re-found Mels pictures in this extensive thread. His truck does not have ac though.

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/sh...lk-Intercoolers/page10&highlight=oncorb+water

i am not sure which direction i want to go air-to-air or water-to-air

 

[The Warden]

Heath, I feel your pain...looking at the space issues with the a/c condenser, a potential intercooler (I have an IC off a 6.0l), and the plastic grille assembly on my '84, are the primary reasons why I'm planning to swap an OBS front clip onto my truck. I just don't see any way that the three items in question can co-exist on the '80-'86 front end.

An alternative might be to run a water-to-air IC...IIRC the radiator for that setup isn't much bigger than an a/c condenser, and could easily fit in front of that. But, unfortunately, I think either that or a "short" Hypermax-style intercooler that goes behind the bumper, are the only ways you can put an IC and keep the a/c on an '80-'86 truck...

 

[FordGuy100]

Cant you just cut most of the plastic backing out of the grille to free up space? That was always my thought about how I would go about it.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I like mine with the intercooler out front, lol. Sure gets allot of attention. Guys walking buy just staring at it, some saying "Holy $#!^ thats an intercooler on that thing!" lol Honestly though, I've considered ditching the cummins intercooler and making my own from a spearco core. I'll still utilize the short route piping, but I'm going to need to actually hook up my AC this year and I don't foresee the condenser behind the intercooler making for a very cold AC system.

Oh yea, also, I do have the valance on my truck, the intercooler sets behind the valance just enough to slide a business card between them.

 

[Agnem]

I know I was really glad I didn't have AC when I shoehorned my intercooler in. As it was, I had moved my radiator back about 3/8" thanks to the E-fan conversion.

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I don't see any way to do it with AC i the truck, without milling out the backside of the grill.

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The 92+ body style has it much easier in this regard.

 

[DragRag]

The 92' version.....

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In place up front it almost looks stock, until you look under the hood and see the rest of the piping.

 

[The Warden]

Which IC is that?

 

[DragRag]

ATS

 

[hesutton]

I talked with Jerry at Rodney Red radiators. He custom builds each one and it wouldn't be any issue to have him move the mounts on the rad about an inch closer to the fan. That inch is really all I need to get some clearance between the IC and the valance. I just need to make sure to be careful when putting on or taking off the fan down the road.

Heath

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Easy solution to that heath, electric fan set. Thats what I'm planning on doing as well. I have already been modifying the stock copper brass radiator mounts to move it back.

 

[hesutton]

Hoping to leave the mechanical fan there actually. Nothing against e-fans, I just like the dirt simplicity of a mechanical fan.

Heath

 

[sle2115]

Hoping to leave the mechanical fan there actually. Nothing against e-fans, I just like the dirt simplicity of a mechanical fan.

Heath

That's true, but with the e-fans, they can be running at 3000 RPM's while the truck is at idle, which can make a big difference in the AC working with that intercooler stuffed in front of it! Just something else to consider, lots of plus's to e-fans.

 

[FordGuy100]

Can we move the AC condensor in front of the intercooler?

 

[hesutton]

I'm seriously thinking about putting the condensor in front of the IC on this project.

Heath