Twin Ic's

[NYCEGUY01]

Been doing lots of reading in the last several months. Done lots of measuring and with the space alotted in my 97 dually ive been thinking of maybe 2 smaller ic's instead of 1 large one. I have a nice extra wide (lowrider style lol)
front bumper and i found that i could put 1 cooler next to another (end to end) and then cut 2 large rect. holes in the bumper with billet grille inserts in front of them. Im no expert but would 2 coolers in series be effective? I may not be wording this right but dammit i know what i mean lol
I will have to do some mockup before commiting but dont want to waste the time if it just wont be effective. ive seen a bunch of other homebuilt jobs out there and most here look good. But with how i use ( or abuse ) my hauler im afraid to put one down there in harms. ( something about taking off a dented up skidplate and replacing it with a fragile alumunum cooler)
I may just use an air to water and build a 15 gallon water tank next to my 100 gal fuel tank and hide a small radiator and fan under the bed or in the cargo box.
Any how this post is rambling and any ideas would be appreciated ,good or bad( wont be the 1st time ive been called a dumb redneck )lol

[restoguy]

I'm like you. I have nightmares about horrible damage to the cooler in the 'down under' location. I drive on lots of gravel roads and I can see a rock putting a hole in it. Or a branch comming up and going clear through as I drive along some trees hunting pheasants. I've thought about putting expanded metal over it to stop the big stuff and covering that with a fine mesh to stop the little debris, but all that will cut down on airflow. I'd like to see a pic of this bumper your using. I like the idea.

[ronniejoe]

Two coolers in series can be effective if they are sized properly.

To deal with the "down low" location questions. I've had my KD intercooler for three years now. I live at the end of a 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. I use my Suburban to haul chain saws and other wood cutting tools into and out of the woods regularly on trails that I cut. I also tow my utility trailer into the woods with it when it's dry enough (other times I use the JD 4020). I've driven through brush and small trees (usually don't because I don't like the paint scratches) and have been through some pretty deep mud and some nasty ditches. No problems.

These units are much tougher than you think. Those who question the location will always have a "rougher road" to drive down, "deeper ditch" to cross and "more dents in the skid plate" (which is actually just a splash shield) than anyone else. I doubt that many use their trucks any harder than I use my Suburban. To each his own.

[JoeyD]

I doubt it even interfears with the approach angle of the truck. I don't have the cooler but do have a plow frame thats more in the way than the intercooler and manage to get over rocks, mud and even downed trees.

[JoeyD]

. Those who question the location will always have a "rougher road" to drive down, "deeper ditch" to cross and "more dents in the skid plate" (which is actually just a splash shield) than anyone else. I doubt that many use their trucks any harder than I use my Suburban. To each his own.

Those who have will always say the road the travel is rougher and tougher and all is fine.

[ronniejoe]

I suppose you're right. ;)

[stingthieves]

Anyone that has

[atom_c]

I have not put many miles on my intercooler yet (not seasoned). I made a debris guard with half inch expanded mesh that should stop the small to medium stuff. I took my truck up some deeply rutted roads recently and had no problem with the intercooler. It is an ebay home job tucked up pretty high. I am able to pull my intercooler in about 10 minutes to get access behind it. I pulled it this last weekend to do the oil cooler lines and upgrade to a larger oil cooler (H7B). It helps that my intercooler pipes are easy to access as they go around the frame rails and up. I'm very pleased with the setup so far.

[ronniejoe]

Chassis grease maintenance is no problem. I put a 45 degree elbow on the zirk for the idler arm pivot and can easily reach it with the intercooler core in place. In fact, the splash shield had to be removed for access to this zirk, so things are better now. For other jobs (oil cooler lines or other), it is very quickly and easily removed for access.

As I've said before, the only folks I've ever heard complain about the location are those who do not have one.