Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hello all.

after finally getting my turbo system performing the way I want, im starting to think about an intercooler.

I have a ct20 from a surf and a fabbed cross piping from turbo to engine intake. on a 2.8 hilux.

I have looked on the surf forum and it appears to be as simple as find any intercooler which suits your size/space and plumb it in?

Is it as simple as all that? I expect i might need to do the bodylift prior to fitting it in, but i was kind of expecting that there would be something more to it.

Does any one have any recommendations of an intercooler which would fit?

I have noticed a whole range of intercoolers for around the 100 mark such as this.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JDM-Performance- ... 240%3A1318

obviously i need a bonnet scoop as well.

is it necissary to fit some kind of cooling fan for slow speed driving?

Kind of seems to easy somehow and if so why doesnt every turbo vehicle have one as standard.

A few members on the surf site who have done this mod have body lifts installed. Usually gives more clearence in order to fit the intercooler on top of the engine. I wouldn't mind doing it but will probably wait til next summer, might go the body lift and then start looking

yes it is a very simple task to achieve, i am running a skyline cooler which i modified, with a thermo fan underneath, i fit it in with no body lift but would be much easier fit with say 2 inch lift.

There has been a safari intercooler for a hilux on fleebay for weeks...front mount with pipes through to the engine bay...just looked and it has sold.

anyone got photos of one done

coopster wrote:anyone got photos of one done

x2. Just bought myself a hilux running a Surf hairdryer & first on the list will be a cooler. Already has 2' body lift & I don't think a front mount would be an option so top mount it will most likely be

havent got any recent pics of my current setup ,
heres one while i was putting it on with thermo underneath i have it sitting over injector lines off to the side of rocker cover as there is no room without bodylift

and here it just pokes through the bonnet into scoop


heres my previous setup,

the cooler worked better over there but i couldnt run a proper air filter.

This is mine using an R32 Skyline cooler with the same shapped ends, same as granborismo's.
I have 2" BL so plenty of room to rocker cover.

Granborismo, what fan did you put under the cooler ??

A couple of tidy looking setups there. How much of a pain in the arse is it to disconnect for oil changes or to check the dipsticks? I'm sure I could sus something out make it managable

dougster, the fan i got was a ebay job. I think it was a 9 inch maybe (would have to measure it again) and was only about $30. but it fits almost perfectly underneath.

Thanks granborismo, I will go and trawl fleabay

GU BUG, getting to the dipstick is no problem, I just need to cut the cap and thread area out and weld it at the front as I made enough room to put it there by lifting the crossover pipe to the turbo ...... will happen one day when I get sick of taking it off

You offering some welding skillz to help me do it ??

I have a kzn165 hilux and have a intercooler off a prado that i`m starting to fit.I had to shave the tappet cover to fit it .Also had a flange made to fit the throttle body.Now all i have to do is work out the intake piping and a bonnet scoop p.s i`m new to this site if you can tell me how to put pictures on i will do so thanks

I use photobucket to host pics and just put a link to them on here ... http://photobucket.com/

i just went down and put various things under the bonnet to check the current clearance between the rocker cover and bonnet, im pretty sure i could get one in without a body lift - but i would not get a fun under it. which im not to worried about as its hwy power im after.

Is there room at the front to front mount it?

This would save the need to body lift or bonnet scoop and would hopefully allow fitting of a larger core....

there is possibly room but heaps more work to pipe it. plus risk of damage at the front end. im not sure you would get a much bigger one in to be honest unless it hung down low.

http://s566.photobucket.com/albums/ss10 ... CF3897.jpg
Here are the pictures of my hilux with the prado intercooler

Top work on the intercoolers fellas. I have recently turbo's my 3l with a surf manifold and turbo. With 33's and just under 400 thousand on the driveline in went from n/a 45 hp up to 69hp on 10psi.

If i was to fit an intercooler similar to the above setups would there be enough gain in power to validate doing so?

Can't yet say for sure, tho sealing up between the intercooler and the bonet (which I have yet to do) will improve it's efficiency, so in theory yes it will improve burn and HP.

Have no hard data to support it tho.

it helps in a number of ways, it cools the air condensing it meaning you lower the psi for the same amount of oxygen, so you can increase the volume of air you can burn. which in turn means you can wind up the fuel pump a bit more.

the second way is it reduces air temps going in and thus reduces exhaust temps which also allows a little more fuel to be pumped in safely.

so it should make more power, how much??? on a dyno probably not alot as it will have no cooling air flow and not have alot of effect. but im hopeing that at 80 - 110 it might give a couple of extra berries to make overtaking and pulling up hill a little better.

I dont expect huge changes but it all helps and is not looking like an expensive mod.


Nice work on the prado intercooler. what turbo set up is it? doesnt look like a ct20. and your filler cap is exposed at the front of the rocker cover? mine is further towards the fire wall and will most likely be covered by my cooler - this sucks but is only a few min extra at oil change time.

The prado set up is good on James's and easy bolt up too as the engines are the same (1KZ-TE) and think they run a CT26 turbo.

The intercooler i got for $190 off ebay.Flange was made for $90.Nissan patrol bonnet scoop $160 just have to get it painted and fitted.Intake piping will cost 1 hour labour on thursday.

Here are some more photos now its fisihed

I have just ordered a 400 x 220 x 65mm core intercooler to fit to mine, it will take a little while for me to fit up, as i will make a custom bonnet scoop to suit this size.

will post the progress.

I have the same R32, although I have remanufactured the rocker cover not to have to remove the cooler to gain access to the oil cap, using a subaru fill neck ,

no body lift, but plenty of room still a fan on top or in the bonnet may work but never bothered, water injection next would increase effeciency 60%

http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 520sh8.jpg

stupid ebay people holding up progress.

water injection??? is it just a spray nossel which sprays the intercooler to keep it cool?

if so how is it controlled? surely its not full time, is there a switch on the accellerator so it onlt sprays when your pushing hard?

nope, water injection is a nozzle that spray water INTO your air intake, either pre or post turbo, keeping combustion temps lower among other things. also known as methanol injection as its often mixed into the water.

air to air intercoolers are good but water to air or(water cooled) are better then you wont need any bonnet scope just need to fit a small radiator in the front , i can get high quility ones cheap and am in the process of fitting one to my lj70

Dougster wrote:The prado set up is good on James's and easy bolt up too as the engines are the same (1KZ-TE) and think they run a CT26 turbo.

CT12-B, its a tiny little thing! the CT26 is off the 1HD motors.

Im looking at intermacooling my 3.0TD in the LN106, but im probably going to get the top mount, intake manifold and rocker cover from a KZN95 prado motor- then its just all bolt on.

or i'll W2A it!

about 300 can get you a water injection kit whether you run methanol or spirits of some sort is up to you,

water by itself cools well enough as long as its distilled to some degree, you dont want extra minerals coating up your engine