what are my options? intercooler dont fit..

[blackapache]

Hi Guys ordered a new allisport cooler the their week its their new ridgey didge one.. anyways it arrived but it doesn't fit. It seems on further research that I have one of the aftermarket australian air con units on my 2000 TD5 defender. i did not know this when i ordered it :no2::wallbash:

ill attach some pics but it appears the bottom alloy hose is going to be in the way.

so what are my options realistically, id like to keep the aircon as mine works fine other than a bit of water seepage (which i also found a mod for whilst researching this - gotta love a forum)

i hear some saying they'll fit with an extended nose cone? is it an option to get one, obviously then id have to colour match etc.

im wondering if i could have an aircon guy come and alter the piping at the bottom, maybe run a 90* elbow join or something to clear the pipe... however even with this done it will still need to have the mounting brackets extended slightly to fit. it looks like if i did do this i.e. reroute the ally pipe and extend the mounting tabs that it would fit nicely in front of the air con and radiator

any suggestions? has anyone encountered this before or am i the first retard to do this?

cheers

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Any decent aluminium welder or radiator specialist should be able to alter the pipe work for you.

If you have a boat shop in your area they should be able to tell you who does aluminium welding in your district.

[blackapache]

HERES WHAT IM THINKING

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I would just get a welder to position the pipe in the same place as the old pipe or even directly in line with where the hose passes the water radiator.


I would also let allisport know your problems, they may have to re-think their design for cars with air/cond.

[Outback 1]

I would contact the supplier and see if they have an option of another cooler

Sent from my GT-S7275Y using AULRO mobile app

[blackapache]

I would contact the supplier and see if they have an option of another cooler

Sent from my GT-S7275Y using AULRO mobile app

then ive got the hassle of shipping it all back and paying freight etc... itd likely be cheaper to mod what i have.

[blackapache]

Ive just contacted allisport to see what they say, but the deefer is in pieces on the driveway and id like to get this buttoned up asap as its my work car and need to be back on the tools asap. so i might have to put it all back in with the old cooler and start again later:mad:

i did contact a local stainless/ally welding company with the pics and they're gonna get back to me shortly.

[pjw]

just got an auto electrician who does air conditioning to alter the pipe. They have to re gas it and They replaced the filter at the same time.

[Loubrey]

then ive got the hassle of shipping it all back and paying freight etc... itd likely be cheaper to mod what i have.

Plus... most unlikely that they have the market volumes to specifically alter older model intercoolers for local add-on aircon units.

A Puma's "nose cone" should give you quite a bit more space, but you need to check compatibility with bulbars etc.

Cheers,

Lou

[blackapache]

could i mount the air con in front of the cooler... i guess im really negating any gains from having a bigger cooler then..

[blackapache]

at this point im starting to think i might pull the aircon altogether.. i dont use it, i use the bulkhead vents anyways..

even if i alter the front mounts and manage to replump the aircon, which i think i may have found a way to do it, ill still have to move the other stay mounts as well, and then when all thats said and done, im not sure if itll clear the nose cone till its all put together again!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGH!!:censored:

[Lotz-A-Landies]

If you were in Sydney, I'd send you to a guy in Dee Why West who'd do the mod for you probably by tomorrow. There must be people up your way that are the same.

[strangy]

could i mount the air con in front of the cooler... i guess im really negating any gains from having a bigger cooler then..
Yes you could.
This is how they are in the Puma and D2.
Whether this solves your plumbing problem is another matter.

[bitdist]

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. Got it to fit but took a bit of thinking and making new brackets etc.
If you were in Melb you could come and have a look at what I did. I did take photos. I'll see if I can find them.
I'm glad I kept the air con

[blackapache]

alright so here's what I've come up with,

if i drop the air con down about 20mm, the intercooler will still fit between the pipework. I'm going to have to replace the rigid ally pipe that feeds the unit with a flexible style air con rated hose. so still some modding needed there. on the plus side i am then still able to change the element later if ever needed as the hoses are modded not the unit itself...

(I probably should have checked the Sandvik site to see if there was a better suited replacement unit too...;)... oh well were too far gone now)

i need to extend the allisport mounting tabs 12mm to get it to rest in the mounting tabs correctly and i should still have room for the front grill etc without having to muck around with the nose cone... i may have to grind off the internal bottom part of the nose cone ( theres a recessed lip on the inside at the bottom that looks like it may contact the front of the cooler or be very close to it - there looks to be enough room to get the clearance with some minor grinding)

i have a local guy thats an aluminium welder tig mig 1st class etc and he said he'd do the tabs first thing tomorrow,

So i'll see him tomorrow, then fabricate some small tabs to drop the radiator height, im sure i have some stainless flat bar and ally flat bar laying around somewhere - (see pics) then i'll put the air con back in followed by the cooler.

I'll leave the plumbing for the air con alone till next week as i want to drill out the centre under the fan and add another drain as per the bilboboggles mod to alleviate the sloshing water, then i'll have the filter changed regassed etc etc. - bilbo if you happen to read this I sent you a PM about your mod asking for a picture :D

hopefully i can get it all done in time to:

A. Get back to work this week,

B. have it done before my new ECU and boost box arrive from Jose (UPS tracking said its here tomoro!)

fingers crossed guys everything has been checked and rechecked, measured mocked up and measured again.. but that murphy bloke is sure to show his face at some point. I'll try to take some more pics as i go and that way if anyone runs into similar trouble it may be of some help later on.

[blackapache]

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. Got it to fit but took a bit of thinking and making new brackets etc.
If you were in Melb you could come and have a look at what I did. I did take photos. I'll see if I can find them.
I'm glad I kept the air con

yeah i dont use it much but its nice to have for sure..

[landy]

Hay, how lucky was it that your AC leaked all the gas because the seals where cracked before you took the the pipes off:wasntme:
But seriously, watching with intrest as I want to put a bigger inter cooler too

[blackapache]

Hay, how lucky was it that your AC leaked all the gas because the seals where cracked before you took the the pipes off:wasntme:
But seriously, watching with intrest as I want to put a bigger inter cooler too

Nooooo there was plenty of pressure in there still...... ;) i sprayed yellow gas everywhere...:angel:

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Nooooo there was plenty of pressure in there still...... ;) i sprayed yellow gas everywhere...:angel:No you didn't, that would have been illegal! ;)

Unless of course you were using hydrocarbon refrigerant, you can vent that to atmosphere anytime you want.!

[CraigE]

Not sure some of these companies are really aware of the Australian configurations. I have an ASE and it just fits, really tight with the air con, the only real drama is they did not create a slot for the bonnet latch so had to cut some off the latch. I modified the stabiliser bars as well so I could fit 2 x thermo fans. Made it a real tight fit and had to use a couple of spacers on the grill.

[blackapache]

Not sure some of these companies are really aware of the Australian configurations. I have an ASE and it just fits, really tight with the air con, the only real drama is they did not create a slot for the bonnet latch so had to cut some off the latch. I modified the stabiliser bars as well so I could fit 2 x thermo fans. Made it a real tight fit and had to use a couple of spacers on the grill.

yeah that does sound tight, I'm anticipating the same problem with the bonnet stay... it looks like it could be a lot shorter and still work fine.. i spoke to allisport and they're passing my email onto the boss, but realistically what can they do anyways.. better off just getting on with it at this point i reckon.

[Wicks89]

When I fitted my allisport I/C I found the bonnet latch was whacking it. Very frustrating. I ended up getting it to fit by rejigging the mounts a little and shuffling the IC out of the way in the order of mm's.

I didnt have the aircon to deal with, which made my job easier but somedays you really miss it in the tropics lol.
I think the best solution would have been to use like race car style bonnet catches, with a ring and pin. But I wasnt sure on the legality.

good luck with it, the I/C really helps the EGTs

[bitdist]

yeah that does sound tight, I'm anticipating the same problem with the bonnet stay... it looks like it could be a lot shorter and still work fine.. i spoke to allisport and they're passing my email onto the boss, but realistically what can they do anyways.. better off just getting on with it at this point i reckon.

I had to do the same with my bonnet catch - cut it down. I sent photos and told allisport all about australian air con models and what I had to do to get it to go in 2 years ago - Looks like they took no notice:mad: