Charge coolers have finally arrived

[xrtim]

After a long wait I can finally get on with fabricating the induction side, even though I measured the available space they are huge. Picture is of one cooler resting somewhere near its final position, opposite side of engine is stripped down ready for fuel pumps positioning (they should be in the UK today so hoping for speedy customs processing) so will be a busy few months ahead. Next job will be ECU and making the loom, I am going to go Megasquirt MS3 PRO route, is anyone else running Megasquirt ?
Regards Tim

[UltimaCH]

I assume that you are installing a turbo on each bank of cylinders and it's probably going to be very hot under the rear clip...

[xrtim]

Everything is being mocked up and will be removed for engine mods. When engine is refitted lots of heat protection will be added

[Boosted LS1]

I bought these some years ago. They have 2" inlets/outlets and were military surplus.



Also, when looking inside you can see that there's a tab sticking out inside each of the honeycomb tubes, to slow the airflow down.



I can make it round again

[xrtim]

Are you running forced induction?,The intakes on mine are 3.5'' and the matrix inside look similar to a bar and plate design but with larger air and smaller water passages 6.5'' square body and 1'' water in and out and 15'' overall length, and quite heavy so designed for some serious boost, miles over specified for what's needed but I shouldn't have a problem cooling the air.

[chuntington101]

xrtim said:

Are you running forced induction?,The intakes on mine are 3.5'' and the matrix inside look similar to a bar and plate design but with larger air and smaller water passages 6.5'' square body and 1'' water in and out and 15'' overall length, and quite heavy so designed for some serious boost, miles over specified for what's needed but I shouldn't have a problem cooling the air.

Are they from frozen boost by any chance? I think they use regular charge cooler cores rather than tubes (like PWR and the barrel coolers above).

Do you have any pics of the manifold you have made? They looks really good!

Also what at your plans for air inlets for the turbos?

[xrtim]

charge coolers are from Silicone intakes I would say that they are the same coolers as Frozen Boost Type 26. Probably made in China, came in the same non de-script brown cardboard boxes that you see every where these days. Bar and plate design not tubes for the core. Manifold uses twin scroll turbo (two inlets) and I have tried to keep cylinder to cylinder pulses separate (supposed to help turbo spool up quicker) so design is different bank to bank. Picture is of drivers side , 1 + 2 linked together and 3 + 4. on other side it is 1 + 3 and 2 + 4 (not firing order just counting back from front of engine). second is of breather system I have just made for gearbox and engine

[xrtim]

weird no second image now.

intakes for the turbos will probably be side body intakes above each fuel tank, passangers side is empty as not using air oil cooler, fitted laminova oil cooler pre heater. Drivers side will need A/C rad tilting to get cool air, or may use roof intake for both sides I will have to see which route is the best once the charge coolers are fitted and plumbed to the intake manifold and recirculation valves fitted

[Boosted LS1]

I've made copper charge coolers in the past for my RV8's and also built them into plenums for ls engines. The items above were for rocket use in some way or another so I grabbed them when I saw them. I wish I could have bought the whole tea chest full. I'll use them when I get around to it. I also have a simple water injection system and that worked very well.

I think compact chargecoolers are certainly something worth trying. I even wondered about a simple unit across the throttle body.

[xrtim]

Have you any more info on the water injection system or pictures, I have some room left beside the gearbox where I could fabricate a tank and another pump shouldn't be a problem. I have been looking at Snow and AEM systems, what size nozzles did you use for the LS engines?
Regards Tim

[Storer]

I think you might need the water injection to cool the inside of that engine bay, not the charge.....

Good luck


Paul

[F.C.]

Storer said:

I think you might need the water injection to cool the inside of that engine bay, not the charge.....

Good luck


Paul

LOL, I feel a nimbus thread coming on. (not to mention waterless coolant) Ooops! there's that can of worms again.

[Boosted LS1]

xrtim said:

Have you any more info on the water injection system or pictures, I have some room left beside the gearbox where I could fabricate a tank and another pump shouldn't be a problem. I have been looking at Snow and AEM systems, what size nozzles did you use for the LS engines?
Regards Tim

I did this eons ago and Snow weren't around then. I like their atomisers and would use those. My kits very basic, out of date and no longer available but it worked a treat on my RV8. I used an Edlebrock varajection which is a low pressure system. In my atmo days I sprayed into a holley carb (non LS engine). When I fitted the turbo's I sprayed into the compressor intakes and that worked a treat. I sprayed through a pair of welding tips because atomisers weren't available back then. I was still using the pressurised holley carb.. It worked well and I loved the way that the engine went very smooth and quiet when the water was added. I did several charge cooler installs which I liked but I'll still use the WI when I'm back on the road with the LS. I've also cast my own LS plenums and TB inlets which lend themselves to having chargecoolers fitted if you can do the fabrication. First time around I'll stick with the ls7 intake, see what it's like.

[leem5]

I currently have an Aquamist setup on a car of mine and can recommend it, though I have no experience of the others mentioned.

[Pedders]

I am liking this a lot! Would be very interested in your planned engine spec, Xrtim, as well as your thinking on Megasquirt.

[xrtim]

Engine is 5.3 iron block (may put 4.8 crank in it) will be running all steel bottom end forged pistons, trick flow 215s, roller rockers, haven't finalised cam spec yet, ARP stud kit,electric water pump, dry sump,laminova oil coolers pre heaters for engine and gearbox, maybe water injection
once I have fitted all the ancillary's (fuel+gearbox pumps,roller rockers etc have cleared customs) engine will be coming out for machining and I will build and run engine to make sure everything works before the body goes on
Megasquirt MS3 PRO will look after everything that I need and more, just got to get my old farts brain around to programming the thing

[deadscoob]

Seems to be a growing fan base of mega squirt ecus. They do look like very good value for money - $1200 for a Chevy plug and play one, CAN outputs, self calibration and traction control.

What's the catch?

I've got the standard GM ecu, which is great for road manners, and horrible to tune. Knowledge of efilive is very scarce in the UK, and at least one of the so called experts, is quite frankly, rubbish. So are these things easy to tune with, knowledge base is good?

Interesting build Tim - as Paul implies though, pay a lot of attention to getting heat out from under the clam

[xrtim]

From the limited research that I have done on the Megasquirt there does seem to be a lot of online support from people who have built the system in component form and designed features that they need and make available to others. There is an expert in the Midlands who has been involved from the start, again I haven't researched him but I have heard his name mentioned on you tube Megasquirt tutorials. I have bought the book Performance Fuel Injection Systems written by a couple of guys who work for DIY Auto tune a Megasquirt dealer that gives a good overview of fuel injection systems not just Megasquirt and that you can do it . Will have to let you know how that goes but the price is right. My initial interest was for the fully sequential fuel and ignition for the emissions on idle (cam choice dependent)which I thought will give me more chance of passing

[chuntington101]

xrtim said:

Engine is 5.3 iron block (may put 4.8 crank in it) will be running all steel bottom end forged pistons, trick flow 215s, roller rockers, haven't finalised cam spec yet, ARP stud kit,electric water pump, dry sump,laminova oil coolers pre heaters for engine and gearbox, maybe water injection
once I have fitted all the ancillary's (fuel+gearbox pumps,roller rockers etc have cleared customs) engine will be coming out for machining and I will build and run engine to make sure everything works before the body goes on
Megasquirt MS3 PRO will look after everything that I need and more, just got to get my old farts brain around to programming the thing

Any reason for going for the iron block over the ally version? I hear the 5.3 ally block has really nice thick liners.

[xrtim]

Iron block for strength and cost ($299 + tax and shipping brand new), if I was worried about weight I could loose the extra with a diet