These photos show the installation of a modified stock 1994-2002 Dodge intercooler - to give you some idea what the installation looks like in Lil Red. This Project Update will introduce you to the intercooler installation process, and illustrate some of the modifications necessary to install a 1994-2002 Dodge Cummins intercooler in a 1988-98 C/K pickup truck or Suburban.

As it turns out, the Dodge Cummins intercooler core dimensions are exactly the same as the core used in a stock 2001-2004 GM Duramax powered 2500HD/3500 truck. At the time I put Lil Red together, I could not locate a used/salvaged GM intercooler, and was already over-budget on this project, so I wanted to cut costs where I could. A factory new GM intercooler was more than $600 at that time. So, the only reason I bought and modified a Dodge Cummins intercooler was because I was able to buy one on eBay for a lot less. A GM factory Duramax intercooler would have been my first choice otherwise, even though it too might need to be modified.



The above photo shows what the modified Dodge intercooler looks like installed on the truck, but before the hood latch support had been modified.

This intercooler was purchased from a seller on Ebay. I had been watching Dodge intercooler auctions for a few weeks, before deciding to actively engage in the buying process. Some of the offered intercoolers were removed from wrecked or damaged Dodge trucks, so you need to evaluate any intercooler offered to determine whether it remains usable or whether the damage was more cosmetic in nature. The one I bought did have some cosmetic issues, but was structurally sound and leak-free. Based on the auctions I monitored, you might expect to pay anywhere between $150 and $400 depending on condition for a usable Dodge Cummins intercooler and the whims of your bidding competitors.

The Dodge IC core is approximately 15-3/8" tall, a couple of inches shorter than the available space in front of the radiator.

The IC core is a little more than 2" thick, and will fit fairly well behind the hood latch support bracket in the space formerly occupied by the A/C condenser. The hood latch bracket must be modified to allow for a modified A/C condenser to fit ahead of the intercooler. I could show the A/C condenser mods in a future update if anyone would like to see how I solved that problem. Can't live without A/C...

Aside from being 15-3/8" tall, the core is also 36" wide, not counting the bulk of the end tanks. A 36" wide core closely matches the radiator core width, and works well with the C/K OBS (Old Body Style) radiator core support. The total width, including the end tanks (about 45-½").

These photos show the mods I made to the aluminum end tanks of the intercooler. As received, the Dodge IC inlet/outlet would need to penetrate the box-sectioned structural support on each side of the core support. I decided not to weaken the core support, so I modified the intercooler by moving the inlet/outlet to the outside of the radiator core structural supports.

Widening the intercooler involves cutting the inlet/outlet off the intercooler end tanks, then adding material to widen the assembly. The white circle shows an approximate location where the modified inlet/outlet will eventually be positioned and where new holes will be cut into the core support for the intercooler inlet/outlet pipes.

Let me know if you you'd like to see more detail. Jim