Julian Edgar, 50, has been writing about car modification and automotive technology for nearly 25 years. He has owned cars with two, three, four, five, six and eight cylinders; single turbo, twin turbo, supercharged, diesel and hybrid electric drivelines. He lists his transport interests as turbocharging, aerodynamics, suspension design and human-powered vehicles.
A bargain to be had…
Right now – and probably for the next few years – there’s a helluva bargain to be had.
I’ve bought one to put on the shelf and I highly recommend that anyone else into useable road performance does so too. And what should you buy? At least one of all those BA and BF Ford Falcon XR6 intercoolers that are being flogged-off on Australian eBay, commonly priced from about fifty bucks.
Yes, from fifty bucks.
Now maybe the people who want far in excess of the Falcon’s standard 240kW have an urgent need to replace these Garret-cored, bar-and-plate intercoolers with something far better, but for people who are happy to drive a car with performance not limited by wheelspin, these intercoolers look perfect. Being an all-welded design, they’d also be dead-easy to jacket with aluminium sheet, making them water/air intercooler cores. At a core size of 370 x 175 x 60mm, they’re relatively compact but have well-shaped alloy end tanks. For people wondering overall size, they’re 620 x 270 X 60 cm to the extremities. Inlet/outlet tube size is 58mm (hose ID).
Even if you consider the time and labour to fold up new end tanks from sheet aluminium and pay someone to TIG them to the original core, you’re still talking an excellent intercooler for the price.
The one I bought came with all its hoses and clamps – also very useful when you’re plumbing any intercooler into place.
Without having done any flow or temperature testing, but looking at the core and assessing the original application, I’d be happy running at least 200kW through them – more, eg 250kW – with a good water spray.
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Julian
I’m thinking the very same thing. I missed one on ebay the other day but have another one lined up to pickup this weekend.
If people are looking for one, try the XR6 turbo forums.
Hopefully you haven’t just driven the prices up artificially…
Ross G
on November 27th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
These cores have been tested to flow quite well, better than some cheap intercoolers out there (let’s face it, they need to flow well being on a 4l engine that can rev to 6500) the only negative that we XR6 Turbo owners have found is that they do suffer heatsoak in higher performance applications (ie 280kW-plus at the wheels)
on December 5th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Well you would think – they would be. I have done my own independant testing. Now only on a car. Not in lab etc. So maybe there are going to be few issues.
I thought the same thing – Going to be a good buy.
Well I t was also fitted to Turbo ford – a Mazda Ford. a 1988 Tx-5 Turbo. 2.2L SOHC.
It’s been noted in past the factory cooler was one of the good ones. It’s said to use a calsonic core and be very similar to the well known flowing S4/5 13B Turbo top mount cooler.
I decided to try the ford one out. As I know the factory mazda one does have some restriction.
Well Results were, on a stock – yes complete stock boost control setup. Run by factory ECU, at the time. 2psi less at the manifold 6 instead of 8psi
The turbo charger Bent a fin. on the compressor – only ONE Fin No damage to the rest of the turbo. This then made extra hot air.
Car had only had 3 inch from the stock dump exhuast, and a Unifilter on the stock airflow meter.
I don’t think these intercoolers are worth even the $30 I payed on Ebay for it.
So much so it sits in my backyard rusting away.
And yet it promised so much.
on December 5th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
How does a bent fin on the compressor come from a ‘cooler? More like something (rust flake or …) dislodged from inside the ‘cooler.