Intercooler Partially BEHIND Condenser?

[DeckSetter]

Trying to lick the problem of an intercooler in a minivan with A/C...

I have a condenser from a 2nd gen Caravan, and it looks like it will bolt right up. This is the condenser that is a lot wider, but not as tall as the stock one and is only 2 rows thick instead of the stock 3 row. It's wide enough that it will cover part of the radiator, but probably no more than the trans cooler did. Oh yeah, did I mention the 555's going in now?

I can set the condensor low enough that about 2/3 of a stock dodge intercooler will catch fresh air and not have to go through the condenser. The cooler will sit as high as possible and actually be INSIDE the radiator core support (well, what's LEFT of it.... it was hacked when I got the van).

Will that block too much of the cooler? I think I'm going to have to end up using a pusher fan for now, I'll probably put in a bigger cooler and radiator before too awful long, but I'm racking up the bills so it won't be right away. Summit has reversible fans, so I'll probably go that route and reuse the fan later.

[turbovanman²]

Did you see how I did it?

Well if you don't use the a/c when drag racing, you'll be fine. But when you have it turned on, the condensor sheds alot of heat, you will pass it over onto the IC. I wouldn't do it.

[Lee'sdaytona]

When I got my van, a small (L-body maybe?) intercooler, square shaped not like the daytona one, was mounted to a strut brace, and it basically was flush to the hood. The only air flow it would see was a rigged up shield that went under the intercooler to the cooling fan, and when a manual switch was turned on, air would be pulled through the radiator and to the intercooler...IMO, a HORRIBLE setup. For now, I took it out and I'm basically running a turbo I setup, 7psi of boost. Eventually, I think I'm just going to remove the A/C for an intercooler.
But Simon, if you can post pics of what you did, I'd be interested. It looks like in your sig, you cut a hole in your hood?
-Lee

[turbovanman²]

Thats for my Cold Air box. See the fabrication section for what I did.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2904

[DeckSetter]

I was under the impression the A/C kicked off at full throttle, is that wrong? I don't really know, the A/C hasn't worked since I got the van.

I have a feeling if this condenser works like I think it will, a lot more people will be keeping A/C in their vans. I didn't try it yet, but it looks like it will bolt right in to the stock A/C lines in the stock location, it's just thinner, wider, and shorter. I think I'll go with a wider radiator and intercooler before long. The condenser looks like it's still enough to get an intercooler pipe around each end and stay between the headlight buckets, but I'll have to look at it some more.

[turbovanman²]

I was under the impression the A/C kicked off at full throttle, is that wrong? I don't really know, the A/C hasn't worked since I got the van.

.

Yes and no. I forgot once to turn my a/c off when drag racing, it was a hot day, it ran .2 secs slower in the 1/4,

[DeckSetter]

Yes and no. I forgot once to turn my a/c off when drag racing, it was a hot day, it ran .2 secs slower in the 1/4,

good to know!

[DeckSetter]

Just an update on this....

The condenser didn't bolt right up. The bolt together block was exactly upside down from what it needed to be. I flipped the condenser upside down and it fit in perfectly, but it won't mount that way. The odd part is that the tubes that run from the condenser to that block cross each other. If they came off straight like common sense would say they should, it would work flawlessly. You could either have the condenser modified or do what at least one other guy did (as posted late in Simon's thread) and snag the compressor and lines off the newer van as well.