Air to air intercooler for my IDI
 

So, I have an 88 F250 4x4 with a Hypermax non-wastegated turbo kit already set up. The IP is turned up 2 flats, has some injectors that pop off at about 1800 psi, 3" downpipe, and 4" exhaust that dumps a couple of feet in front of the rear tire. A buddy of mine has a BIG air to air intercooler that came off of a Waste Management garbage truck. It's gonna be a tight fit but I'm thinking were gonna be able to get this done. Probably get started on it within the next day or so. Will keep y'all posted if anybody is interested. Also, if you have some knowledge that might be useful, please feel free to pass it on such as how much gains to expect, etc. My buddy seems to think that 15 or 20 hp gain is possible, but even if not, it definitely is better for longevity of the engine, no? Also, would you guys agree that the air to air is the way to go as far as an intercooler?

the problem is going to be the non wastgated turbo. adding the intercooler is going to drop you boost pressures about 2-3 lbs. with a wastgated setup you can adjust it so it still makes good boost. also that intercooler might be to large for it, i know a bunch of guys use stock 7.3 and 6.0 coolers on theirs and they work good.

I agree with DC about the boost drop but intercooler size is more about how to fit it in the truck with out blocking the air to the rad. when you put a big unit in the way of the rad you start having engine cooling problems. some guys put a pusher fan on to try to improve air flow through the complete sandwich of ic, ac condencer and rad. I have seen this done with both ford and dodge trucks. its important to seal the unit with a rubber or foam seal to keep the flow through the stack at its best. I put black plastic cut to fit behind the grill to make all the impact air go through the grill and into the cooler and not able to push under the truck. and 10 to 15 % gains can be had with 100* cooler exhaust temps. :tu:

Main reason I was thinking of opting for this setup is I basically picked it up for free. However, I'm not trying to open a can of worms with overheating problems, that is for sure. Thanks for the input and I'll keep updated with what I wind up doing. Thanks for the replies, also.