In the last issue, we upgraded the fuel supply with some Dynomite Diesel 90 hp injector nozzles, had the CP3 pump modified and added a dual feed line by Industrial Injection and installed BD's Max Flow lift pump. Finally, we installed the BD R700 compound turbo kit, using an S400 primary turbo and an S300 as the secondary turbo. In this issue, we're upgrading our intercooler, boost tubes and intake elbow.
By adding a larger, more efficient intercooler and intake elbow we will improve the volume, temperature and velocity of the air we can provide the engine. Cooler, denser air carries more oxygen, which means we'll get a more efficient fuel burn in the cylinders. BD claims that intake temps can reach up to 500 degrees F when combined with aggressive fueling and high levels of boost. This is common for us, as we often run boost levels as high as 45 psi for two to four minutes at a time while pulling large hills.
The intercooler is basically a large radiator whose purpose is cooling air. It's mounted behind the air conditioning condenser and transmission cooler, in front of the radiator. As the turbos compress the air it heats up significantly. To provide more efficient air cooling, BD designed its Cool-It intercooler, which uses stacked extruded aluminum tubes to flow the air through the intercooler. The extrusion has channels inside each tube that the air runs across as it is pushed along, which allow more heat to be transferred from the air to the intercooler. These tubes are significantly larger than the stock tubes, allowing more air volume than before. The BD unit uses larger cast aluminum ends on this intercooler to allow the air to be distributed more evenly across the surface of the intercooler.