Need help from machinist or welder or fabricator with my intercooler

[Devan]

I have this Alcoil Aluminum Heat exchanger that I use as an intercooler in my banshee supercharger kit setup for my 4.0 sohc. I got it back around 2017 or 2018 so it's been removed and installed quite a few times and it uses 4 ferrule crimp fittings and as you can see from the pictures, the copper pipe that comes out of the heat exchanger is pretty worn down so I'm trying to come up with a way to replace them. And I can't just put bigger copper pipe over it or anything like that, I have to get the whole piece of copper pipe out of where it attaches to the heat exchanger. I was thinking about cutting the copper pipe off where the red circle is in the first pic and then stepping up in drill bits to get what's left of the copper pipe out and then maybe keep drilling to get that solder out of it is solder so I can slip in a new copper pipe. The thing is I don't know what material is holding the outside of the copper pipe into the aluminum nipple on the heat exchanger. It's does feel metalish so I'm thinking it's not JB weld. I'm thinking maybe the copper pipe was brazed in there. I'm trying to see if anybody knows if that copper pipe is brazed with solder into the aluminum nipple.
Unfortunately banshee superchargers website no longer exists to buy a new one and I even reached out to Alcoil to see if they could make me a new one but even if they did make me a new one I don't think it would have the aluminum nipples on it, it looks like they were put on after the fact. I'm just looking for input from ppl with welding or machining or fabrication experience and if cutting the copper pipe off at the red circle and then drilling out what's left in the aluminum nipple is a good idea but then when I go to put new copper pipes in should I just brazed them in?

 

[Josh P]

I'd heat the copper tube up with a torch before cutting and drilling. Put a wet rag around the base of the aluminum nipple to dissipate the heat on that joint.

 

[Rick]

 

[410Fortune]

That’s a great setup!!

 

[Devan]

I'd heat the copper tube up with a torch before cutting and drilling. Put a wet rag around the base of the aluminum nipple to dissipate the heat on that joint.

Lol that's exactly what I ended up doing with Mapp/oxygen, it was easier then I thought. I didn't think of putting a cool rag around the nipples but when I solder those new pipes in I certainly will lol, good idea. I cleaned everything up with a Dremel and wiz wheel and made some new copper pipes. I'm just waiting on some Aluminum to copper brazing rods to solder them together. But the copper pipes are pressed into the aluminum nipples so good that they're holdin pressure, once soldered they'll be perfect. And I'll put some fresh heat shrink on it to prevent corrosion from forming on the solder joint. I was just nervous about melting the aluminum nips plus I can't get another one of these id prolly have to pay out the butt to have a custom one made that prolly wouldn't be as good.

 

[Josh P]

Is the tube wall thickness the same on the new copper pipes?

 

[Devan]

Is the tube wall thickness the same on the new copper pipes?

Hah very good question, it does look to be about the same but new pipes feel like softer copper and the packaging that came with my 2ft section didn't have the wall thickness labeled on the packaging. I'll have to mic em up. Got it from Lowe's.