The BEST way to Build a Supra Intercooler

[@wldwst22]

I really appreciated the real world issues being shown and weren't just glossed over. I'm enjoying the vids.

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Thank you, we believe everyone eventually encounters snags in a heavy fabrications job such as this one. Sometimes it's nice to have a challenge and show how you got around it

[@speedacademydave]

"Lots of lube, go slow, take your time"...wise words, Iceman, wise words!

[@rubenramirez8062]

Hey David! Just wanted to say I appreciate all the hard work that goes into fixing cars, filming and editing videos. Shoutout from California!

[@speedacademydave]

@@rubenramirez8062 thanks! 🙏

[@josephyang8236]

Awesome video Gregger!

[@MrLister30]

Thanks Joey!

[@ryanc2360]

I love the COD hit-marker effects. I bet that was Troy lol. Nice touch!

[@StreetShamann]

Just like the last video, I’ve watched countless videos showcasing welding/fab. Learning way more in the first few minutes of this vid than ever before! Nice works fellas

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Happy to see you got something out of it!

[@dansavery6196]

Saweeeeet tutorial my dude. Keeping it real and looks like you haven't lost your touch with the stick.

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Much appreciated! We will pass along the compliments. We agree, Greg has been working on his skills by constantly practicing and working on different fabrication projects.

[@MrLister30]

next up is your SXS! thanks for watching bredren!

[@fiercenet]

"I need all the help I can get" lays down perfect puddles

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

a perfect weld is relative, and we find that Greg is a perfectionist and often hard on himself. It was a nice weld for sure, but we always strive for excellence here at Vibrant

[@B4algos]

Came from the speed academy video! Great stuff

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Welcome! Happy to have you here

[@kevm4597]

Good job guys! I’m enjoying the build. FYI you used a turning tool to face on the lathe.

[@BIGGELATO]

That I/C is lookin' peeeerty guuud

[@kevinc31]

Love the setup .

[@hyper8545]

Amazing work

[@jyaj007]

Learning as we go

[@Jeffball610]

I'm VERY new to TIG welding aluminum and just recently did my first intercooler for my 4G63 swapped Datsun 510. Sadly it wasn't a Vibrant unit, although my piping and some cast bends in my system are. One "trick" I just picked up from this video that I've never really seen, is using the pulse feature to do a "lay wire" weld. I'm sure that's not new to anyone else, but it was new to me :-)

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Awesome, that sounds like a very cool swap and must be such a fun car to drive. It's always great to learn new tricks, we are happy to show you the ones we know!

[@Jeffball610]

@@VibrantPerformanceTV it's a blast to drive when I can keep it straight ;p

[@sacrificialrubber779]

If you have a heat gun, it’s a good way to preheat the core after the tanks are tacked on.

[@brbk4498]

Looking fwd to the next video

[@Superbatman93]

I’m like front wheel drive wtf? Lmaooooo

[@BUZDRIFT]

Man, there;s nothing better that a Flow Optimized cast or Billet end tank! Sheet metal is great 15 years ago!

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

We love CFD as well, don't get us wrong. It is surely a great tool to get optimized results! These end tanks are geared towards our customers who are looking for a cost effective and universal application for the DIY-er or shop who is looking to improve productivity while maintaining their "signature" welds across the whole project. With multiple options for cores and inlet/outlet options, depending on your application and core choice.

[@y.b.-]

Nice GD, hard to see em in red Pretty nice work guys, PT & DP are definitively lucky to have you right around the corner

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

It's a really clean car, belongs to one of the co-op engineering students here

[@janeblogs324]

Define BEST....

[@r.h.m.milano]

Hai messo la crema sulle braccia ? Bravo bel lavoro

[@thejoshuahenry]

What would you say the reduction in overall volume was between the two intercoolers?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

The Freed Engineering intercooler had an internal volume of 9.7L and the new smaller intercooler Greg fabricated was 6.5L. Overall the larger intercooler (1000HP +) and piping would have been 1.7 times more charge air volume than the system which was fabricated. That includes the 87% increase in charge tubing volume and the 50% increase in intercooler volume. This all plays towards Speed Academy’s goals of response.

[@thejoshuahenry]

@@VibrantPerformanceTV Awesome answer, thank you for the education!

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

@@thejoshuahenry Happy to help! We love this stuff, and are happy you asked!

[@frun4]

Can we talk about the area hidden by the crash bar? You shared some great tech about the size of the intercooler and height makes the biggest difference. But, is the extra height still beneficial when it is blocked by the crash bar?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

We had the same question earlier, so we will just repost it here too: If the system is left unducted, then the rows which are not getting sufficient ambient flow (those behind the bumper) will be less efficient when compared to those which are seeing enough flow (conduction vs. convection heat transfer). The rows do still contribute to heat transfer since the core itself is emitting the heat through conduction. However this is why ducting is so important, the duct’s job is to disperse air more evenly across the entire charge face therefore increasing heat loss through convection, while increasing the pressure differential between the front and back of the core, increasing this pressure differential helps draw air through the core.

[@garnetheron4885]

Nice

[@gpegasusm]

So what's the efficiency of the rows tucked away behind the bumper?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Great question! If the system is left unducted, then the rows which are not getting sufficient ambient flow (those behind the bumper) will be less efficient when compared to those which are seeing enough flow (conduction vs. convection heat transfer). The rows do still contribute to heat transfer since the core itself is emitting the heat through conduction. However this is why ducting is so important, the duct’s job is to disperse air more evenly across the entire charge face therefore increasing heat loss through convection, while increasing the pressure differential between the front and back of the core, increasing this pressure differential helps draw air through the core.

[@franciscovasquez4555]

Very interesting, but how about with water cooler set ups?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Water cooler setups are great! But come with their unique set of challenges. They are more complex systems to integrate, with pumps, tanks, plumbing/routing. But have many advantages, they are not as sensitive to airflow, can be integrated directly into the intake manifold and when paired with ice/chill tanks, provide very low intake air temperatures. In this build, Speed Academy is on a strict timeline and don't want all the complexity that comes with the water-cooler setup. The core and end tanks were an audible once we determined the core they provided was oversized for their applications. Due to availability and how universal they are we were able to quickly change plans.

[@jacobcattan4399]

Nice vid, very informative! For safety, shouldn’t you be wearing sleeves? Ive made this mistake and ended up with actual tan lines from doing that. Stay safe!

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

You’re not wrong, full time welders should absolutely be protecting themselves with appropriate PPE, Greg made sure to put on SPF 1000 before welding, he needs a little color since we live in Canada and the sun hides for half the year.

[@PANTYEATR1]

if the core is sized too big for the application it could bring excessive pressure drop of boost correct? at what point are dividers in the end tanks a good idea to ensure the whole core is getting boosted air inside? great videos guys💪

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Yes exactly, because Dave and Pete wanted a car that was very responsive. The first issue we were faced with was that the intercooler inlet/outlet was too large, and to avoid doing so many transitions, we decided to make a new intercooler for them. Secondly, we figured since we get the choice, we will pick out the correct size, based on the all the factors. As for deflectors, this is another piece of the puzzle, which when done incorrectly can impede flow, not helping it. They do contribute to total efficiency, but when taking a step back and looking at the whole system, minimal amount. We would recommend going after the low hanging fruit, like effective ducting, proper core sizing, minimizing internal volume of the entire system for your application.

[@Overseerdv]

@@VibrantPerformanceTV what core size is this, >shopping now< is this the same that I see on your site (sku12837: 4" thick, 22" wide 9.75" tall)?

[@robertdoran2164]

Nice work! Do you pressure test the core after welding the end tanks?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Yes! It should definitely be on the list of checks before completing a build. That would be a big drag if you got to the dyno and found you are unable to tune accurately because you find a boost leak. Speed Academy will be handling the pressure test.

[@BjornFSE]

Interesting....

[@Skirk84]

I want to see 0 psi drop across the core with ambient temps. if you aren't getting that your cooler is too small. Good job with the 2.5" sizing though.

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

So do we! That would be ideal for sure. You can expect a pressure loss through a core that is both too small or too big, but many other factors are at play (density gain, internal flow area, turbulator fin design, etc). However the pressure loss from a core which is too small will be a restriction once you reach a flow which is larger than the core is capable of flowing, therefore the inlet pressure will grow. Where as an Intercooler which is too large, will create a volume which the turbo is unable to maintain boost levels at any throttle position.

[@discipleoftheword1785]

The guy from Australia that works for Haltech looks like you.

[@hahaha12345678993]

canadian tuning fork?

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

We love our friends over at Haltech!

[@87sprintqf]

Great video! What sort of reduction in pressure is normal post intercooler? e.g running a 18 psi gate spring would you expect to see 18psi read from the intake manifold? Are there easy ways to measure the performance of one ontercooler and another? Cheers!

[@Skirk84]

normal is 1-2. good is 0. bad is 3-5

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

1-2PSI drop is an acceptable pressure loss, anything over that is too much. 0 is always the target but is impacted by a number of criteria (density gain, internal flow area, turbulator fin design, etc). Adding pressure sensors to the charge piping pre/post intercooler would be the easiest way to determine the pressure drop across the core.

[@modelaircraft6576]

I thought they come fully assembled and welded

[@RotaryRich7]

It would work better with a Milwaukee m18 drill

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

It would be nice to have one around the shop!

[@RotaryRich7]

@@VibrantPerformanceTV I used mine with my hole saw and it just ate through the fender faster than I was expecting

[@AZ-hf9ow]

👍

[@1one3_Racing]

You know what's really annoying? People criticising their perfect welds. "Oh you see this little bit here that's a few thousandths bigger than this little bit here?"

[@VibrantPerformanceTV]

Greg always strives for excellence and he's aware that it's not a bad weld, but definitely puts a lot of pressure on himself for when it doesn't turn out the exact same way he wanted. It may seem very annoying to those that don't weld, but you have to remember we are jaded here at Vibrant because we get to see our products come together by some of the best fabricators in the world