For those of you who have intercoolers in A-bodies, how did you route the hoses?

Right now it looks like the easiest way to add an intercooler to my '66 Dart and find space for all the plumbing is going to be moving the battery to the trunk (with all the associated complications of having to follow both SCCA and NHRA rules about this due to how many places I plan to run this car). Any thoughts on a good way of routing the hoses without doing this? Or am I better off just moving the battery out of the way?

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

My 66 Valiant has very little room for an intercooler up front, I am thinking about using an air to water intercooler. Better for the 1/4 mile but maybe not as efficient on the street as an air to air. I do like th idea of icewater for the intercooler for the 1/4 mile

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1966 Signet
Turbo Slant Six

I put my battery in the trunk. Accel recommends running your hot and ground wire for the ECM harness all the way back to the trunk. My intercooler goes in and out on the battery side. It would be smoother if it could be just through; in on one side, and out on the other, but my surge tank is in the way right now. It is surprising how full this engine compartment has gotten. I remember when you could stand inside the compartment with your feet on the ground, to work on it for some operations

I just began to wonder if there are any leaks in my intercooler system. I have been cogitating on a system to put it under pressure and check it. Maybe use a shraeder valve, and block both ends of all the piping with plugs of some kind.
Sam

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Thanks, Sam. I've got one advantage with the layout I'm using: The surge tank and all fuel pumps are mounted under the car, just ahead of the rear axle (making sure the axle wouldn't hit them took a bit of work!).

Maybe I will have to go with the trunk mounted battery after all.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Some shops have a thing called a "bong" that can detect leaks. I know one of the dealerships here has one. I think it uses smoke or something to find leaks. Maybe somewhere near where you live will let you 'hit their bong'

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69 valiant

I know of a couple of people that have made it work on street car. I think the trick is to mount a thin radiator up front to cycle the intercooler coolant through. Don't think it takes much.

The best setup I know of is a Dakota running an air-to-water intercooler with the chiller for the water in the bed. He set it up so that his A/C runs through a chiller in the bed so that while he is running around town with the A/C on, he is cooling his IC water at the same time. He said it worked really well. I will try and find a link.

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'15 Chrysler 200S V6
'74 Duster 360, factory 4 speed car

Ok, it wasn't quite like I remembered it, he runs the coolant through the heater core with the A/C on and then through a 2.5 gallon tank in the bed. He has a neat setup for raceday as well.

Not sure what he does for heat, but he lives in Arizona (I think), so maybe the least of his concerns is cold weather.

Here is the link, read the whole post by Duner. Looks like the pertinent info is about 4 or 5 paragraphs in.

http://www.turbomustangs.com/smf/index. ... #msg239039

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'15 Chrysler 200S V6
'74 Duster 360, factory 4 speed car

An idea I always liked for the early a bodies was to lower the battery down on top of the frame rail and move it outboard so it sits centered over the rail. If you use a small enough battery (like a 51R) it will clear any plumbing you can possible think up. This is one of the plans for my project valiant It looks like the top of the new battery would end up about where the bottom of the tray was before. Of course it req some inner fender mods but it would keep it where it belongs next to the engine.

If you look under the hood of the 80's 5 series BMW's, they put the battery down low on the frame, just where you suggested. . It is a slant six as well.

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