Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Not sure if this is the way to go or not..
I am going to intercool my 2.8 Hilux and was going to do a top mount with the bonnet scoop idea when I got an idea (i didnt say good idea!)

What if I remove the number plate from my bullbar cut the relevant sized hole and install the intercooler behind that?

Whats the good, the bad and the ugly on this idea?

Was looking at front mount, but I didn't see too much room to get tube throught to the front then back on the other side of the radiator. Having said that, Motsons down the road at Acacia Ridge do a kit for a front mount intercooler for a lux, but don't know how much they charge.

I would prefer top mount for ease of installaton and shorter runs of tube. It would basically be straight out of the turbo, into the intercooler then into the inlet manifold...

I have been pricing up intercooler options for my Hilux.
The ones that have shown the best perfomance are the air/liquid ones with a separate radiator (and thermo fan) with coolant and heat exchanger between the turbo and manifold. These can be a bit pricey though, but bear in mind that they DO work at low or zero road speeds! Take a look at www.are.com.au
A front mount intercooler on a Hilux needs quite a bit of body work to get the plumbing through.

whiteknight wrote:Not sure if this is the way to go or not..
I am going to intercool my 2.8 Hilux and was going to do a top mount with the bonnet scoop idea when I got an idea (i didnt say good idea!)

What if I remove the number plate from my bullbar cut the relevant sized hole and install the intercooler behind that?

Whats the good, the bad and the ugly on this idea?

recon its not a bad idea but you are gonna get alot of turbo lag as there will be alot of air to move from your turbo to the front of your bull bar thru the tubing and bends... i wood stick to the top mounted idea as there is less work and money involved as you ca find a descent second hand intercooler on ebay... ive been lookin at intercooling my 3B turbo and ive found a number of descent intercoolers on ebay its just the price they end up goin for that has been my problem

i have a wrx intercooler on my 2.4 surf as a top mount but you will need a body lift

dutch mafia wrote:i have a wrx intercooler on my 2.4 surf as a top mount but you will need a body lift

is thast the water colled one or air to air? got anypics?

i have a late model pajaro top mount I/C on mine did it before body lift, and was fine, minamal lag, but i have higher boost than standard, bringone the intercooled lux

Looking at skyline r32 intercoolers on ebay, seem to be around the $50 mark, although I had thought about a gu patrol one until a wrecker quoted me $450... how hard/easy was the paj one to fit.

JUST KEEP IN MIND ABOUT STONES/ROCKS WHEN FOLLOWING BEHIND ON DIRT ROADS WITH A FRONT MOUNT! YOU CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE THAT ONE WILL FLY UP A PUNCH A HOLE IN IT. WHY NOT STAY WITH TOP MOUNT IDEA, BUT PUT A SMALL ELECTRIC FAN ON TOP,SWITCH IT ON WHEN OFF ROAD, WHEN LITTLE TO NO AIR FLOW.

MACK1 wrote:WHY NOT STAY WITH TOP MOUNT IDEA, BUT PUT A SMALL ELECTRIC FAN ON TOP,SWITCH IT ON WHEN OFF ROAD

That is all well and good if you have plenty of room up there.
But on a lux with no body lift (or in my case body lift + drivetrain lift) there is barely room for an intercooler let alone a thermo fan too.
Im trying to work out IC options at the moment.
It is hard to not end up with an interwarmer with top mount but plumbing is a nightmare with front mount.

I have the same set-up as dutch mafia, top mount WRX cooler, as air-air set up. Made a noticeable diff in torque, and runs more consistently under load on the highway..... best mod I did. BUT, you do need a body lift to fit under the stock bonnet, unless you come across a Pulsar GTi-R scoop.

Get a late model WRX one (same as Subaru B4) with twin inlets. Get the Y-piece & inlet elbows with the cooler if you can. Elbows cost me $90 from wreckers, and fabbed up my own y-pipe, after Subaru wanted $350.....

Off road, I don't notice a significant temp build up on the outlet side, meanwhile on road, it cools really well. Before I couldn't touch the X-over pipe, after a drive, now, no problem. Fan isn't necessary IMHO. Top mount stays cleaner off-road as well.

Check out the techsite on www.toyotasurf.asn au, there is write ups on both front & top mount 'coolers.