Adding an intercooler to a 1995 7.3 Diesel Van!

[TomsBeast]

I have to say, the cost of AN fittings and stainless steel braided hose has dropped like a stone... I bought two straight end fittings and 6ft of hose for less than $48 to my door. $20 for the used swap meet breather tank, some steel I had in the shop, I'm in this breather system conversion for less than $100 +my labor

 

[TomsBeast]

Here's the list of Items that needed addressing for this conversion, and my progress:
Fit aftermarket intercooler within front bodywork, modify grill, make brackets, cut holes in radiator support for boost tubes, mod hood latch DONE
Fit e99 spider, boots, clamps, etc to top of engine DONE
Fab IC boost tubes, fit boots, clamps, pressure test, insulate DONE
Make room for boost tubes at the same time (move dip sticks, other stuff that's in the way) 80% done, need to move the battery isolator and 1 of the batteries
Modify/make fresh air intake system to accommodate stuff that's in the way DONE
modify crankcase breather system from closed to open style DONE
Re-route/modify oil fill tube DONE
Clean up behind the grill area, degrease and paint, re-route some hoses and wire loom, move horns, transcooler lines

I'm doing several other upgrades at the same time, that aren't directly tie to the intercooler (repairing bad turbo, fixing the oil and fuel leaks, adding a larger transmission cooler)

 

[TomsBeast]

A little thing, but necessary bracket mod, to keep one of the heater hoses out of the way of the spinning pulley. I added a section to the factory bracket, making room for the intercooler cold side boost pipe.


I cut the factory bracket apart, added 2" of steel, welded it back together again, hit it with rattle can black.

You'll see after I put everything back together what a tight fit it all is...

 

[TomsBeast]

It's a game of inches...

Modifying the passenger side battery tray, so I could slide it over 2-1/4" to gain a little more room on the other side. Design, cut, grind, weld, drill, clean up and paint to match

 

[TomsBeast]

Battery moved over and the cold side boost tube in place.

Now to find a new location for the battery isolator.

 

[TomsBeast]

Another custom bracket

I'll have to undo 6 screws and pull the assembly off to the side to service the battery, but I can live with that.

 

[Bikersmurf]

I put off getting rid of my diode type isolator for far too long. It led to the premature death of many batteries. I’d recommend ditching it in favour of an ACR (automatic charge relay).

 

[TomsBeast]

After changing the length and angle of one of the boost tubes fo a better fit, adding an Autometer gauge pod to the A pillar, repairing some of the underdash mess, trimming and modifying the grill, tweaking the hood latch, and finishing up 32 little things on the list, she's finally alive!

Test drive #1 had one of the front brake caliper hanging up and smoking, LOL. It was intermittently hanging up last year, sitting for 8mos while I worked on it, did it no favors. Bottom line is it needed replacing anyhow.

I got that handled, and took it out for 20 miles yesterday.

No leaks, no drips, gauges all working, all systems normal.

The hot side of the intercooler is hot to the touch, the cold side cold, so the IC apperas to be doing it's job.
My driving impression is "It feels ok" but I'm not seeing much boost on the gauge, or much difference in power, no boost at partial throttle, maybe 12-14PSI max, and I really have to be accelerating to see that. I might have a leaking boost tube or something, I'll investigate that when I have it apart next week.

Why apart again? Well, during the last few days of adding the intercooler, I accidentally cut into one of the AC lines with my 4" cutoff wheel, venting the entire system. I have the hoses and a new filter/dryer while I'm at it, Now I've got to repair that...

I'm also in the process of modifying the bumper, cutting an opening to get air across the new transmission cooler, a grill to protect it, redoing the bumper mounts to make it easier to remove and replace.

With my van getting a little 'long in the tooth' the trans having 195k (so far as I know), I want to own a heavy duty tow bar so I can tow it home myself, should the need arise. I intend to carry it under the van bolted to the frame, out of the way. If something I can't repair happens 500 miles from home, I rent a truck and flat tow it hoe myself. Having the hardware and a plan, will absolutely ensure I will never ever need it!

I have looked around at available options, the commercial ones for a 9500lb rig are super expensive. I considered military Hummer tow bars, light or medium duty, everything I found was . I looked at a local surplus tow bar for the Stryker fighting vehicle, which was only $100 and no shipping, but its 8ft long and 4" diameter poles are big time overkill. And like the overpriced used Hummer tow bars, they use a lunette ring, require a pintel-style hitch for the towing vehicle, which I don't want to carry.

After considering my options, I decided to build what I want for $100, I ordered a 14,000 trailer coupler, I'll build a heavy tow bar around that. While the bumper is off, I'll weld on a couple new 1" wide steel clevis eyes, and hang a couple shakles from them.