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Intercoolers, Splitters and Aero - Ideas for material

What to use?

  • 1/4" ply

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • 1/2" ply

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • fiberglass

    Votes: 4 16.7%
  • Aluminum

    Votes: 9 37.5%
  • bacon

    Votes: 7 29.2%

  • Total voters
    24
  • Poll closed .

cwdodson88

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Location
The Dalles, Oregon
Ok, so Svea got a new intercooler at IPD, and I have 2 mounting options. Grill or Bumper

First option is inside the grill, which will take a bit of surgery, leaving me with a space behind the IPD air dam for an oil cooler. This by itself leaves the air trap called the engine bay. Something I have noticed since installing the IPD air dam, the front is less floaty, but still at 65 mph into the famous Columbia Gorge headwinds, the front is very light, and has a tenancy to pull in both directions depending on angle in relationship to wind direction. This is not just the normal getting hammered by a cross wind, but more a constant pressure needed on the wheel to keep it tracking, and long bends it tends to change direction of pull in a gradual manner.

I have driven a Honda S2k with and without a splitter, and the difference is noticable, but only slight and I feel that might be from the power steering.

Second option is to mount the IC under the grill behind the air dam, and install a splitter under the IC for protection and aero benefits.

I'm pretty used to seeing ghetto stuff like cardboard being used, but recently Ive seen a few made out of plywood. I'm wanting to go inexpensive because of how easily it will be to damage it. So the ideas that come to mind are:
fiberglass
1/4" ply with a layer of fiperglass on top and bottom for structure and waterproofing.
1/2" ply coated in glass resin for waterproofing.
1/8" aluminum plate

At this point I will do some sort of splitter with wherever the IC gets mounted, and it will extend back to the cross member and possibly internal deflectors directing any air toward the wheel wells.
IMG_2732%255B1%255D.JPG
 
1/4in plywood and fiberglass is really common in road racing. Cheap, and easily replaceable.
 
1/4 ply with whatever you need to make the shape what you want. I'd go with a couple layers of CSM on top of that. I've also seen plastic corrugated sheet used with carbon fibre layed wet. Amazing strength.
 
I like the wood/fiberglass idea. Not sure what final shape you are going for but you could easily make some nice contours using the stitch and glue method like they use in boats. I've made a few kayaks this way and it is a very durable method.
 
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What is CSM? Carbon sheet? I'm trying to say under $100 total cost including hardware and brackets. I have a gallon of resin. And about 8'x3' of glass, but it's not twill glass or woven, it's single way blanket so it'll need 2 layers on each side.
 
I like the wood/fiberglass idea. Not sure what final shape you are going for but you could easily make some nice contours using the stitch and glue method like they use in boats. I've made a few kayaks this way and it is a very durable method. You could cutaway any ribs used to set the shape once glassed in.

This is going to be flat, no contours, just a silhouette that mimicks the ipd dam and extends out the front by about 2-3" and staying in accordance with scca regulations it will be no wider than the air dam.

More of a skid plate than anything
 
I've had a similar idea floating around for my wagon. Running some sheet aluminum from the bottom of the chin spoiler to at least the cross member for both protection and some aero(if they can be had on a square 240).

The shields our BMW's come with look like basically fabric with some sort of resin material to give it structure. Light and cheapish, but BMW standards anyways.
 
This is going to be flat, no contours, just a silhouette that mimicks the ipd dam and extends out the front by about 2-3" and staying in accordance with scca regulations it will be no wider than the air dam.

More of a skid plate than anything

Reading is fundamental. Guess I glossed over important details in your first post.:oops:

Wood/glass should still work great.
 
Reading is fundamental. Guess I glossed over important details in your first post.:oops:

Wood/glass should still work great.

Yeah it's one of those tldr threads, although your stitch/glue makes me want to build the pirogue (pee-row) canoe that's been put off for the last few summers.
 
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I picked up a sheet of 1/4" plywood at Home Depot years ago to play with but never got around to it. Was going to lay fiberglass over it.

One tip I read that makes a lot of sense...don't attach sharp brackets to the splitter that will cut down tires when you break the splitter off and run it over.

Alumalite is popular for splitters on race cars. Relatively cheap, rigid, and light.
 
I covered the concrete floor with aluminum foil and just laid up the fiberglas in 4 or 5 layers right on the foil. Alternated weave and CSM glass layers for strength. Got a nice flat piece that worked just fine for the splitter. Plenty strong and no need for the extra weigh/thickness of the plywood.

Started with this -



Got to this -



And then cut it down the size I wanted -

 
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Combined with fiberglass Commando, '93 850 air dam it looked like this -- first a larger version with struts for support; second, cut back in size so no support struts needed. The second pic is how I have it now.



 
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To the OP -- if you have enough radiator to manage the heat from the intercoolers as well, I'd mount them high and allow spacer for the oil cooler below, arranged so the heat from it doesn't go back into other heat exchangers.
 
What is CSM? Carbon sheet? I'm trying to say under $100 total cost including hardware and brackets. I have a gallon of resin. And about 8'x3' of glass, but it's not twill glass or woven, it's single way blanket so it'll need 2 layers on each side.

CSM is chop strand matt fibreglass. If you've got woven, then make it a few layers thick on each side.
 
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