Intercooler pipe protection

[davejones]

Hi Gents

I've attached some pics of the Alpine Developments turbo set up on my 4.2 D.

What is clear is that the 2 pipes are the "first line of defence" in terms of the undercarriage - in front of the panhard rod / steering damper and diff.

I have done 4 different trails with my patrol and havent damaged the set up, but I have been told that I am running risk.

Would you recommend I have protection built? Given the direction in which the pipes run, could they actually be fully protected anyway?

Your thoughts are appreciated!

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[KOOS BEST]

Dave, they definately look susceptable to damage.
What I think will help a a skid plate type protection, the biggest cause of damage to pipes are branches and stones,especially fom the front on bad roads.
RE. Your intercooler, is it not a bit hidden from fee airflow, your pics dont show it so clearly.
Another concern for me is your turbo and battery, you will have to fit a heatshield to protect the battery, the heat generated by the turbo will chow your battery .

[davejones]

Hi Koos

Apologies for the late response. I was down in Zinkwazi last week.. although the break was cut short due to a funeral back up in JHB.

I have also wondered about the "appropriateness" of where the intercooler is positioned. I have attached pictures to give you a better idea. I do intend on taking it back to Alpine to get an opinion on the merits of moving the intercooler. The guys that are running tubos; Ross, Frans; what are your opinions? Frans, I know you prefer the front fitment in terms of heat soak, but I see that on Pieter's conversion the intercooler is being fitted ontop? I definitely think I have obstruction due to the bullbar and spot lights.

Having just done the JHB-DBN-JHB drive, I didnt drive above 130km/h (as per the GPS) at any stage, probably averaged 115km/h - 125km/h. Think the Patrol worked quite hard on the drive back to JHB, there were times on the long hills running the EGT at 600degrees for longish periods, but didn't go higher than that.

Thoughts, as usual, are always appreciated.

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[tour de frans]

Hello Davejones
I prefer the front mount cooler,but kept Pieter's one on top with the hole allready in the hood.Your cooler sit's perfect and the pipeing look nice.I would only cover the bottom pipe with a stoneguard/bashplate.
The egt's are just fine @ 600deg.If you work your car does the heatguage move to the hot?
Rdgs
Frans

[davejones]

Dankie Frans

The heat guage needle stayed just below half way and I didn't see it move above that level the entire trip so I'm guessing everything working 100% in that area.

Definitely considering stone / bash plate protection, haven't taken it to any shops up here in jhb yet.

Tjiers

Dave

[Ross]

Hi Dave,

Only just stumbled across this thread now. I`m amazed at how different the Alpine developments turbo setups can look on a Patrol. I also have an Alpine system, but the plumbing is completely different to your setup. Do you know what turbo they used on yours?? Mine is a Mitsubishi TD04, but is a bottom mount, as opposed to the top mount on yours. My inter-cooler sits in roughly the same position as yours, but all the piping is completely different. The piping to and from my intercooler comes around each side of the radiator (some minor cutting has been done to allow for this), so I don`t have any of the low lying pipes that you have.

I suspect that although front mount is generally the way to go, I think there are too many obstructions in front of the intercooler (mine and yours) for them to work 100% efficiently. When cash flow (or time if I build it myself) allows I plan to fit and ARB style front bumper, and my idea is to try to improve the air flow to the IC when I do that by incorporating some air vents in front of the IC. In the mean time I have fitted an electric radiator fan behind the IC to help draw air through it. I`m not sure how effective this is, but I suspect that at low speeds it must help a bit.

I think if I were you I would fabricate a bash plate to protect the low IC pipes, as they do look a bit vulnerable to me.

Good Luck,

Ross