Omni + small NPR + AC? Need help

[omnivore]

Just got an AC Omni, and want to use my small NPR. Plan to run 20-22 psi all the time on pump gas, with water/alky injection. I want to keep the AC and power steering in this car. Anyone have ideas? Maybe a smaller condenser out of another car will work? Any suggestions as to what kind of car?

[tryingbe]

How small is this small npr? 12x3x18?

[tryingbe]

http://www.hardcars.com/thepriestmike/omni/omnialmost_3000.JPG

http://www.turboford.net/npric/

Looks like you'll have take the grill off for good. Then, route the outlet and inlet away from the car, then use pipes to route it back in the engine bay.

Have fun.

[iTurbo]

An NPR in an L-body with A/C??? That's going to be a tough one!

I have a larger NPR in my Omni and there is no way it would fit with the A/C. The NPR sits right where the condensor was, and the endtank/outlet is right where the compressor was. If you were to mount the NPR/rad/condensor in a sandwhich configuration (underhood), the radiator would have to be moved very close to the engine. The smaller NPR might work if you mount it down low so the outlet is just below the A/C compressor though....but I doubt it will fit.

Now if you mount it on the other side of the core support like the picture above, it might be a little easier. You'd probably have to mount it upside down, and have the pipes run under the front frame rail or cut holes in the front sheet metal.

Here is a picture showing how tight the NPR is in my Omni's engine bay. I can't imagine A/C fitting in the car, but I live in Wyoming so I never use A/C anyway.

http://www.turbosedan.com/omni/DSC01193.JPG

[omnivore]

That's how I am picturing it, like yours is in the above pic. I don't mind cutting up sheetmetal. I can move the rad closer to motor if needed as well, as I have a slim Derale racing fan in place of stock fan. I am thinking of putting it outside of the condensor, and cutting the centre hood latch support and using hood pins instead. I may even remove the upper rad support and use an aluminum bar in it's place to give me more room.

[tryingbe]

Just don't use the grille. You don't need to cut the hood latch support. You just need to figure out how to mount the pipings.
There is enough space between the bumper and center support for the IC to sit in.

http://www.hardcars.com/thepriestmike/omni/omnialmost_2993.JPG
http://www.hardcars.com/thepriestmike/omni/omnialmost_2995.JPG

[omnivore]

I definitely want the grille. A local guy here has a much thicker (3-4") intercooler between his bumper and sheetmetal, and still has his grille in place. I think Dean Stillie put it in there, and then removed some of the backside of the grille, then bent the grille as needed over the intercooler. It looks a little rounder than stock, but I think it's better than having no grille.

Has anyne tried using a smaller AC condenseor out of a minivan or other car to free up some piping room ?

[APalmer]

Just a rhetorical question:
Would you consider modernizing the condensor
http://www.ackits.com
AND
then upgrading your radiator to a modern Griffin etc?
AND
and re-locating your battery to the hatch?
- Andy

[tryingbe]

He actually gave up and trying to sell the NPR and get a water cool intercooler, last I heard.

[omnivore]

That is a great idea!! An aftermarket condenser would solve alot of problems for me. I am having a very hard time finding an affordable water intercooler that will fit inside the engine bay, and outcool and outflow the stocker by any serious amount. the NPR is a huge gain over stock, and I was hoping to find a water intercooler to be comparable perfomance wise to the NPR, but I don't think that is gonna happen. If I can figure out how to plumb in an aftermarket condenser, and maybe use my triple cored T2 rad (plenty narrow enough to pass IC piping on both sides if I center it), then I'd have something to run with.

That site has a couple condensers that would likely fit.

battery has already been relocated to where the charcoal can used to be (300 amp tractor battery) so that's a non issue now. As for the griffin rads...any links?

[tryingbe]

Remove the grille, problem solved.

[Una]

While it would definitely intimidate ricers to have that intercooler stickin out where the grill is supposed to be, you'll look as stupid as the ricers in their 240sux's that can't get their headlights all the way down.. Luckily I plan to do this kind of intercooler install in my 2 door L, so I have a bunch more room inside the nose than the 4 doors have..

[omnivore]

Removing the grille is not an option. Driving an Omni that you think is a Corvette killer is ghetto enough, in the eyes of the rest of the world....let alone an Omni with missing body parts and exterior pieces. This car has to be nice, complete, and clean....and run 12's reliably, have all amenities like AC, heat, stereo, and not be embarassed at an autocross day either.

[tryingbe]

Having the IC the way I have is not for intimidation nor is it for ghettoness.
It is out of necessity. It is the only way I found that I can mount an FMIC and having A/C at the same time, that is after spending months of researching what intercooler the market has, taking crap out of the engine bay, and actually measuring stuff. Another board member also keep his a/c and mounted a FMIC in an glh. He cut the lower body plastic under the bumper to fit the IC.

The market does not offer any intercooler that I can use with my grille. The intercooler I can use with my grille would have to be able to fit between the grilled and the center support, that is only about 1 inch wide of space. I also considered an intercooler that would fit behind the bumper. Nobody sell intercooler in either dimension. I'm sure you can find a custom intercooler maker to make whatever intercooler you want. I wanted a stealth car too but that means no intercooler. The choice was easy.

So, instead of posting how you don't want to hear the answer to your question. Why don't you just go out, take the unnesessary parts off and start measuring on your own then do search and see what intercoolers are out there? Better yet, find a company that can make you a custom intercooler the way you want it. Or just buy a GLHS radiator/ic and be done with.

[omnivore]

LOL..It's not that I don't want to hear the answers you have. I am just not convinced that any one person has exercised EVERY single possible avenue and come to the only final answer. If we all belived that, we wouldn't have the hybrid 16V now would we? Or we wouldn't have found the Supra trans works behind the Dakota bellhousing, or that PT lash adjusters work in our cars etc etc etc.

I do appreciate the input, but I am just putting this out there because many heads are better than just mine.

I just got rind of the stock rad/IC to do this, so no way am I going backwards. Before I have to go back to a stock IC , or go no IC, I will use a custom AC condensor instead. As for space, I have alot more than an inch thick to play with, since I intend to remove the centre support, and use hood pins instead of the latch, as the latch will be weak without the support. I may also cut the whole top rad support right out to get more room, and replace the top rad support with an aluminum tube.

[tryingbe]

If you're going to take out the center support, find a radiator with a core that is 1 1/2 to 2 inch thick then you'll be in business.

[Tony Hanna]

Saw in your first post you have plans to run water/alky injection. Ever considered not running an intercooler and using methanol for your cooling?
You should be able to get into the 20+ psi range no problem.

[omnivore]

I want it to be cheap and easy find the fluids for injection, as this car will be something of a summer DD, see highway and in town driving, and some occasional weekend trips as well. The intercooler is a good fail safe if I ever run low on injectables, I can just lower boost to 18 psi till I can refill.

..also, something I haven't really touched on yet, but i hope to be the fastest ET street driven TD running a stock turbo (PS-My turbo has well over 350,000 kms on it,LOL)

[Tony Hanna]

Ah I see, so you're wanting to squeeze everything you can get out of it which means intercooler + chemical intercooling.
The reason I mentioned alky injection alone is that's the route I'm going to go for now. I've already got most of the stuff to build an alky system, but not the money to buy an intercooler. I figured I'd build a 2 stage boost control out of an old vacuum solenoid and run 7-10 low and whatever the mitsu will do for high. Gonna run my zener diode through the normally open contacts on a relay and run the relay off a pressure switch in the alky line. If I run out of alky or the pump dies, the pressure switch will open which will open the relay, effectively unhook the zener and enable the stock cutout. At that point I'll switch the boost control back to low and drive off with pistons still intact (in theory)...