Page 2 - f-150

As any traveler can tell you, it is an unparalleled experience to be an American abroad and take in so many of the mesmerizingly different facets of the world. This is to be expected, but one thing that first-time travelers often don't so readily anticipate is the way in which being abroad empowers one as a representative of his home country. (I probably should have expected this; some good friends of mine are Canadians residing stateside, and they are practically walking billboards for Tim Hortons™.) Being a walking window into American culture not only elicits patriotism, but also prompts one to join his international friends in examining the USA from the outside-in.

One pervasive international perception of the US is that of our capitalist ideals and consumerism. This is polarizing stuff, but just about everyone with whom I spoke could agree on at least on one thing: When it comes to being consumers and producers, Americans are damn good at it. We know how to make a product,

Now that our first prototype design has been finalized in Solidworks, we can begin constructing our first functional prototype to test both performance and fitment.

Let's check out some of the final features of our awesome intercooler design, including the appearance, the updated bracketry, the piping, and our innovative solution to the condensation issue!

F-150 Intercooler 3D Models

We intend to offer this cooler in both a silver and black powdercoat finish, so we will show you a few render images of each. First, a look at the rear of the cooler.

Mishimoto Ford F-150 EcoBoost intercooler prototype

Here we see the two inlets and single quick-disconnect outlet. We also

In our last entry, we finished the 3D-printing process for our first prototype intercooler. Our team then started the tedious work of modeling all the features we plan to implement and finalizing the details of our intercooler design. During this process, a new idea emerged that would both improve the performance of our cooler and set our kit apart from others.

Let's dive right in!

F-150 Intercooler Shrouding Fabrication

The footprint of our intercooler core is far larger than that of the stock intercooler. Because of this, it is likely that the airflow supplied by the stock bumper duct is not reaching the entire surface area of our cooler. To combat any issues with loss of airflow, we decided to experiment with some ducting to direct air through the core.

We began the fabrication process with a few old-school techniques; our engineers broke out the template material and a measuring device and started cutting out some ideas.

When we last had our test vehicle in the shop, the team fully evaluated the stock intercooler and piping system. In addition, we started to determine our projected core size and mocked up a foam prototype. In this segment, we will be expanding upon that by creating a mock-up prototype to test fitment.

3D-Printing Prototype

Using our mock-up foam core dimensions and data from the factory intercooler, our team began to construct the end tanks using 3D-modeling software. To confirm fitment, each section was 3D printed to create a prototype that could be placed in the vehicle.

This process required some trial and error to ensure that the 3D model was as accurate as possible. The inlet/outlet portions were the most challenging, so these were printed and tested first.

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After taking a brief look at the factory cooler and components, we needed to begin the design for our counterpart. This will involve the use of both modern and conventional tools to ensure that our prototype meets all our requirements.

Factory Intercooler Features

Factory F150 intercooler

The factory intercooler pulled from our test vehicle came with the upper shroud that Ford had added to help prevent condensation issues. It also included a couple mounting pegs which use grommets for isolation.

The EcoBoost (EB) engine series is quite impressive and packed full of amazing technology. Direct injection and efficient turbochargers have contributed significantly to improved fuel mileage without compromising engine output. Our fleet of shop vehicles currently includes two EB-powered vehicles, a Fiesta and a Mustang. Both models thoroughly impressed our team with their power, drivability, and handling. We developed a ton of new products for the 1.6L, 2.0L, and 2.3L. Now it is time to turn our attention to the V6 EB world. Our first target is a performance intercooler for the 11-14 3.5L F-150.

From our experience with other EcoBoost models, the factory intercoolers are not exactly ideal. The Mustang heat-soaks after a few pulls, and both hot hatches will quickly exceed the intercooler efficiency with a couple easy modifications. Although the factory F150 intercooler is comparably more stout than the coolers for the smaller 4-cylinder models, many have still found it to be inefficient