Here it is folks...I finally got the I/C completely finished. This beauty was built by Mark Oswald from a template ....yep...THE Mark Oswald. He lives about 20 minutes from my house, and has a shop that he machines and welds Alluminum and stainless. Isn't that Ironic!? The core is a mitsubishi side mount. Enjoy! More on the way..
Travis
http://a4.cpimg.com/image/5E/55/8057694-243c-015F020A-.jpg
http://a9.cpimg.com/image/3B/54/8057659-e7fb-0254019D-.jpg
http://a2.cpimg.com/image/48/54/8057672-cacb-00E600AC-.jpg
http://a1.cpimg.com/image/51/55/8057681-40d9-00E600AC-.jpg
http://a7.cpimg.com/image/57/55/8057687-0094-028001E0-.jpg
http://a1.cpimg.com/image/6F/56/8057711-def0-028001E0-.jpg
(the FMU)
http://a8.cpimg.com/image/44/54/8057668-9a9d-00D60073-.jpg

Looks pretty kick ass! Welds look good as does overall fit and finish. 93 DSM side mount core is OK. Are they able to duplicate this setup and if so how much if I supplied the core? What are the other components used to make this function as an air/water setup? Hats off to a job well done and for being original!

Thanks! The rest of the stuff is...

Bosch water pump
Custom made heat exchanger for up front
All fittings are machined from billet alluminum and are welded into the end tanks
Hoses
Automotive Cap

I'm not sure of an exact price yet, we've got to sit down and see how much we can put a kit together for. It won't be near the price of a Spearco setup though. It's awesome! It's so damn efficient! I'll let you all know how much next week. If we can get a few people togehter, I can get it a little cheaper. Say...like 5 people or so.
Peace
Travis

Curious.. temp readings?
I am *very* interested.. would like to have one in.. oh.. three weeks.. can ya do it?
david lau

Travis,
Very nice work. I'm impressed. Now get some exhaust on that thing and lets get it on the dyno for a little boost tuning ;o) Keep up the good work.
John
B12 Sentra w/ JDM SR20DE and boost..
New Orleans, LA
BTW I think you need to change your sign. line to:
Eclipse I/C (modded for air/water)

Travis, nice intercooler! That is exactly how I have been envisioning doing it, if and when I ever have the money to go turbo (poverty sucks just in case you were wondering). I know about the benefits of an air-to-water setup, but I still have some unresolved questions about some possible disadvantages of such a system. Maybe you (or anyone else) can give me some insight:

1) I don't know what your total water capacity is, nor the rate of your pump, nor the efficiency of your heat exchanger, but how long until that water gets totally heat soaked? I know you're thing is drag racing, but could your system withstand long periods of boost. I want to road race eventually and I am concerned about this. The obvious solution is to use a large volume of water (I am thinking at least 1.5 gallon, maybe a lot more), run the pump as fast as it can without cavitating and use the biggest possible heat exchanger. However, what about the blockage of air to the radiator? What about pump life and the electrical load?

2) What happens when the weather is hot, your engine bay is totally heatsoaked and you park the car for an hour or two, then come back and start it with the water totally heat soaked? You now have an interheater, so do have idle/drivability issues until the system can bring the water temps back down to ambient?

3) What about freezing temperatures? Are you using pure water or a mixture of water and coolant? Coolant isn't as effective as water, so have you compared pure water versus a mixture? If so, what was the effect on intake temperatures?

Any input here is appreciated. I see a lot of big significant advantages with an air-to-water system, but these potential issues have me concerned. I don't think they are insurmountable, but I do wonder how big of a problem they really are.

I have a HUGE heat exchanger with many/small fins. It's a radiator that we cut in half out of a neon. We welded endtanks to it. Even on hot days, an air to water setup is WAY better than air-air. The air is still hot no matter wether it's going through a heat exchanger or air-air intercooler. But, water is going to cool a lot more dramatically and quicker than air. I have 2.5 gallons of water in the tank and heat exchanger. You don't want the pump to circulate super fast, b/c you want the water to stay in the heat exchanger long enough for it to cool down. Same principal as using a thermostat in an engine. Without it, the coolant circulates too fast and doesn't have time to cool down before going back into the engine. It works great and with the temps I've measured, it's running at about 93% efficiency! That's at highway speeds for extended periods of time. The pump is a Bosch ballbearing brushless pump. It cost about 200.00, but it will last forever, and it is nearly silent. The load is 5 amps. I have no coolant in it right now, but I will be adding some tonight b/c it is supposed to freeze.
Peace
Travis

Originally posted by unlucky
I have a HUGE heat exchanger with many/small fins. It's a radiator that we cut in half out of a neon. We welded endtanks to it.
Yeah, all the research I have done indicates the bigger the heat exchanger is, the better. Do you still have your A/C on the car? If so, do you think that your radiator is getting sufficient air flow, since the air has to go through the IC's heat exchanger and the A/C's condenser?

It works great and with the temps I've measured, it's running at about 93% efficiency! That's at highway speeds for extended periods of time.
That's pretty remarkable. What about at lower speeds on twisty roads, where you are on and off boost rapidly?

The pump is a Bosch ballbearing brushless pump. It cost about 200.00, but it will last forever, and it is nearly silent. The load is 5 amps.
I have heard about the Bosch pump. How big is it? And what kind of control system are you using? Does it just run all the time, is it on a thermo-switch, is it triggered by boost, or what?

I was also curious about the pressure drop across the intercooler. I know the intercooler core you used is not the best flowing in the world. Have you measured pressure before and after the IC?

Thanks for the info, Travis.

The pressure drop is pretty minimal. I haven't tested on both sides, but there's no difference in the way it feels power wise. There is a little more lag, but I'm talking maybe 200 rpm... The benefits outweigh the bad for sure. I haven't had any problems with cooling yet and I've driven all over the place...in the city and highway. I'm sure that there will be some heating if I ever do drive at low speeds on and off the throttle, but that's going to be the case with any intercooler setup...air or water. The only difference is water is more stable and would take longer to heat up. So, say you went around a few twisties, yeah the water may get a little warm, but as soon as you hit the straighaway, it'll cool off again. Point being is that, the air-air will instantaneously stop cooling the air at low speed...where as the water will still be able to cool for a period of time before it gets warm. I wired the pump to a Bosch 30amp relay with a toggle switch in the car. From the toggle switch it goes to the ACC portion off the ignition. So, as long as the car is on, the pump will run, unless I decide to turn the switch off. In the mornings when it's cold, I leave it off to help the car warm up quicker. But then kick it on after that. The pump is awesome! I'm not sure of what the pump flows exact numbers wise, but it's adequate for sure! You can buy it through Vortech. Check out thier web site for more info on it...
Peace
Travis

Excuse me if I sound incompetent about this...but how exactly does this setup work? I have looked at the pictures and read the conversations in order to picture this setup cooling the air. The basic concept of an intercooler (air-to-air?) to my understanding is: Hot pressurized air is forced through a tank that has many fins on the inside which cut the air up to absorb heat. Where does the water come into play? Also, is the system running seperate from the engine cooling system...I ask this since you mentioned a water pump. Do you have 2 seperate water pumps (1 for the engine cooling system and one for the air-to-water intercooler)? Just trying to get educated about this. Thanks in advance,

-saaby

water will "absorb" more heat than air, allowing you to cool a given intake charge more with less surface area. yes there are 2 water pumps and the intercooler has separate coolant than the engine. also with air/water ICs you can put ice water in there and make the intercooler more than 100% effiecient, as in the air coming out of the intercooler will be cooler than the air going into the turbo through the air filter (ambient).

Ok...So basically, it is taking the intercooler and submerging it in coolant?

-saaby

Ok...So basically, it is taking the intercooler and submerging it in coolant?

in a nutshell, yes. pretty good idea huh?

How much horsepower does a system like this support? Thanks

I figure you can run about 15-16 psi through it all day with no problems heating it up....

heyyy, im an i/c idiot, so a few quick questions. are i/c's universal? what car(s) are your kits made for? ihave a 93 classic and lookin for an i/c setup to hook up my *soon to have* t25. could you give an estimate? one last stupeed question, about what is the life for a turbo, ie how many miles between rebuilds?

, about what is the life for a turbo, ie how many miles between rebuilds?

well, garrett ballbearing turbos usually last longer than the engine. as far as those T25s go, you should get at least 60K out of them, even with poor maintenance, depending on boost levels etc. if you turbo time the thing, change your oil every 3K with a good synthetic and keep the boost levels below 10 psi, they should last indefinetly. it really depends on your personal maintenance, abuse and luck. expect at least 60K from them assuming all you did wrong was have some bad luck.