Fitting an intercooler

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35hunnit

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Alright, I know some of you have done it but I've searched and searched both here and elsewhere and can't find much on how. I'm most of the way done thru slapping a 12 valve in this thing
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The things in there and I have all the wiring worked out etc. However, the intercooler is giving me some trouble, mainly just finding a good fit. As I'm sure y'all are aware there ain't much room up front for more stuff than factory. Trucks a manual so there's no trans cooler to deal with, and ac is missing currently so I'm not too concerned about that deal either. I was going to try and snake around the 6.5 rad but there just ain't enough room for it. So I intend to use the 2nd gen dodge intercooler here, as it seems it should *just* fit in the rad support. I'm fine with some custom fab, been doing plenty already and I weld for a living anyway. However, the second gen rad +cooler doesn't seem like it's gonna clear based on my measurements. That being said, I know there's other Cummins swaps here, and I've read those threads from start to finish. But they all either went non-ic, or they show and tell nothing about how they fit up their coolers. Sooo, if any of y'all are kickin around here, I'd love to know how ya did it or if anyone has any good ideas I haven't thought of. Once I get this thing finished I'm gonna compile all the pics and info I have from building it into a big thread, but for now I need this thing finished and fitting the cooling stack in here is the last big hurdle to get by
 

CumminsBronco

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Hmm...I used 2nd gen Dodge radiator and Intercooler on my 97 Suburban/5.9 Cummins swap. Put a Dana 60 on leafs up front too.
It's a pain with the composite headlights. I had them on my first swap and had to butcher the headlight adjuster mechanism. On this present Sub I swapped the composites out for an older grille with sealed beams...10 extra inches between headlights and the added bonus of being able to get good LED headlight units.
I also have an AC condensing coil out in front of the intercooler. It's all a tight fit, having had to take a die grinder to the backside of the grille, and modding the core support. Radiator sits behind core support, still using the criss cross bars on the support. IC sits in front of the core support with the 2nd gen IC tubes/hose necks passing back through holes cut in the core support. If I can find some pics I'll post them.
 

CumminsBronco

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That's not much to go on, but you can see where the core support was notched out for the radiator. You have to turn the hood latch 90 degrees, using one original bolt hole and drilling for the second. I can take pics of that for you. Bottom of the hood latch bracket that is behind the grille has to be spaced out at the bottom using a fabbed bracket/spacer....no biggie on that with you being a welder/fabricator.
It's all doable if you have fab and welding skills.
 

35hunnit

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Interesting, so the 2nd gen cooler will actually fit huh? I already figured out spacing the lower part of the hood brace bar thing. My concern was the battery trays, I've only got about 42 1/2" at the bottom of the rad support between the uprights. I'd have no problem hackin em and rebuilding the bottom but the bottoms of the battery trays are right there, as well as the windshield washer bottle on the driver side below the battery. According to everything I've found online the dodge intercooler is ~45 1/4" from tank to tank at it's widest, which obviously presents an issue to my current available space. Or is that number inaccurate? I'd love to see how you did it if possible, or just to be told in wrong on the numbers and the ****** actually jams in there. I can build just about whatever but the whole imagining it and mental designing part gets a little hard sometimes
 

35hunnit

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I heard about the single headlight swap before to gain more clearance, and I did consider it but man I really like the quad headlight design and will gladly go thru a little extra hell to keep it if I can. I can get a second gen rad and intercooler for about 175$ used right now, I guess I'll get to grabbing em. I wonder if there's a difference in size on early second gen (12v) vs late second gen (24v) rad/cooler sizes as well. I don't suppose you know what year range truck your cooling stack came out of do ya?
 

CumminsBronco

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35.....yes, my whole engine/trans/tcase, rad, ic,....everything....came from a 1995 3500 dually.
That being said, your 1 ton may have some differences....most notably in the frame.
If you want to, give me a call at 812 989-6059.
 

CumminsBronco

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In the above pic you can see what I had to cut from the composite headlights adjusting mechanism. That's a left and right, sitting alongside an uncut assembly.
I do still have the cut ones if you want them. Mounting those would show you where my IC locates.
Now, I have heard guys say that they fit all that in without modifying their lights, but they must have their engine set back closer to the firewall than I do.
 

CumminsBronco

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My wiper washer tank came from a diesel pickup, maybe a 94 I think. In my first Suburban build I went 11 years with no windashiell washer as I had to lose the tank under the batt tray.
I also no longer have antilock brakes. I did away with all that stuff when I swapped in the 1 ton Ford Superduty axles. That gave me some room for the windshield washer tank, via moving the ecm down on the side of the inner fenderwell.
 
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