Bambam7

OK- I'm welding 2 cores together... so I'll have one longer one....
I'm obviously front mounting it- but DAMN... how do you guys get big IC's to fit up there? I have A/C, and am not getting rid of it...
What can and can't you cut? I have gotten rid of some plastic supports, but am wary about cutting any metal- what's structural??

I know there are a few people here with a few corse welder together.... how did you fit them??
I have checked out CYM's website, and saw some pics with his bumper on and off, but it didn't help much...
Thanks for any input!
Dan

Snufelupogus

iTrader: (2)

just curious... why are you putting in an IC if you only have a GXL?

autocrash

that is interesting, isn't it...hmmm

Evil Aviator

I hope you realize that welding them together is going to double your core pressure drop. You would get better results running them parallel. Well, actually you would get better results with a bigger FMIC, but you can do whatever you like.

Anyway, the secret to stuffing a big FMIC into an FC is to relocate the relays from in front of the radiator to somewhere else, remove the plastic covers and hood latch, and use hood pins instead. This may be a bit more complicated than you like, so you may be able to get away with keeping the stock hood latch if you run those IC's in parallel, but I'm not sure. You can look at pics of my FMIC install by clicking on my www icon.

NZConvertible

This has been done quite successfully over here by lots of guys. However if you're happy to do a bit more work, there's a better way using those cores.
If you remove a tank from each core and butt the two cores together, you double the length of the tubes and the area exposed to cooling air. This increases cooling capacity but actually slightly lower flow capacity because of the greater pressure drop through the longer tubes. But if you cut both tanks off each, lay them side-by-side with the tubes parallel and them fabricate two new longer tanks to cover the ends of both cores, you double the number of tubes and the cooling area. So in theory, restriction through the core (neglecting the tanks) is halved and cooling capacity doubled. It won’t actually be quite that good but you get the idea.
As for mounting, I’ve never seen a FMIC on a 2nd Gen that didn’t involve some cutting of steel and relocation of some bits, so I guess you just need to see how everyone else has done it.

HWO

i think front mounting i/c is easier in right hand drive cars than left hand drive cars.

Either that of americans dont have any idea's when it comes to engenuity and creativeness - where there's a will, there's a way

IWNTA20B

If you're keeping A/C and power steering, you will need to get creative. A Dremel comes in REAL handy. My Greddy I/C was a pain in the *** to install but I managed to study it, make drawings, make dummy pipes, and cut to lengh. I managed to get everything installed and running in about 6 hours. The realys at the front will need to be relocated or pushed back. The coolant reservoir needs to be relocated depending how you plan on routing the pipes. Keeping A/C and power steering leaves you 2 options. 1) relocate the battery to run pipes 2) route the pipes to the passenger side and over the engine bay. The inlet pipe will be kinda tricky but if you plan it right it won't be too bad. The black plastic box for the air pump next to the headlight motor will either be relocated(if you have smog testing) or get rid of it as I did. There is NO WAY to run pipes with it there. Also, the way I have mine set up, I have about 3mm clearance from the headlight motor and the 2.5 inch pipe. It is VERY important to make dummy pipes and mark where you need to cut. Like I said, a Dremel comes in REAL handy in tight spots.

speederx7@yahoo.com

where can you get end tanks at? I was concidering just doing a "series" set up with 2, but the paralel seems a little more effecient. Ive seen a few<most> at autoX w/ FMIs the have the tanks on top and below. Looks like if you bottomed out youd really mess up all your work.
Anyways about the endtanks?

jspecracer7

...agreed. I've seen SO MANY nihonjin make IC's fit into places that you would never think about putting it.

The only gaijin's that do ANYTHING creative are Igy and Dragon...but they are Americans...married to Japanese girlie's

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I just started mounting mine last night, and I have found LOTS of space in the nose of the bumper in front of that round frame piece. You will need to relocate the horns, but it should fit.

Basically, I had to remove the horns, cut off the horn brackets and then cut off the two extra brackets (not sure what they're for). Tonight I will be welding on the mounts and bolting up the cooler. Of course, I am only using one stock unit (for now), but this should work just as well with two in series.

Bambam7

OK- I stood in front of my car for an hour today.... just staring.. and thinking....
Seems to me the easiest way would be to get some longer bolts, and some 3-4" sections of 1/2" pipe, and use those to space the radiator back 3-4 inches. Then mount the IC in front of the radiator....
Gotta move the battery too....

Now- would that compromise cooling considerably having it mounted that far into the car, as opposed to directly in front?

I don't know how I'll get the series cores to fit up front easily... It looks like the cores in parallel will firt easier..... just have to make the end tanks- pretty easy.
They is a great site that shows step step IC fabrication.... I can't remember where though... It's pretty easy though.

Snufelupogus

iTrader: (2)

I would like to reiterate my question... why are you putting an IC on your GXL? I was told that an IC on an N/A would be useless... Just curious.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Because the car is being turbocharged. Same with mine.

FWIW, you can remove that fiberglass impact piece from behind the bumper and replace it with a rod...It will clear up a lot of space.

Bambam7

Anyone have any opinions on how intercooling would be affected if the core was placed directly in front of a radiator that was relocated back a few inches?

And yes- the car is being turbocharged...

NZConvertible

I've seen a set-up just like this. I posted this about it a while ago:

I saw a very interesting IC set-up on an FC the other day that addresses most of the compromises of both the stock mounting position and the traditional front mount. The car had a TO4 and external wastegate, and had a custom ~65mm thick IC mounted in the location of the stock radiator. It was about the same size as the stock radiator too. A custom 3-row radiator (stock width and height) was then mounted on top of the IC like a sandwich. There was room for this because the stock fan and shroud had been replaced by a 16” thermofan. (The stock radiator might work fine, but this guy had plans for even more power!) The battery was in the boot, the A/C was gone and the PS pump had been lowered by a custom mounting bracket. This gave heaps of room for the very short and direct runs of 2½” HPC’d pipe to and from the IC. The only thing that needed attention on this car was ensuring none of the incoming air leaked around the sides of the coolers, but that’d be easy to fix. So we have short, straight pipe runs, no metal cutting, no heat soak, a much bigger IC and you can’t see it from the front if stealth is your thing! I think this is pretty much the ideal set-up for these cars.

bcty

for a n/a couldnt u add an intercoolor to the intake and intead of air being pushed though couldnt u hook it up so air will be sucked though useing the intake? just a thought? any ideas?

NZConvertible

You totally misunderstand what an intercooler does. It uses abmient temp air to cool air that is hot because it’s been compressed. The air in an NA’s intake stays at ambient temp, so not only does it not need cooling, the temp inside and outside the IC would be the same (ambient) so no temp change would take place.

IWNTA20B

The person asking about if a front mounted IC would affect colling...yes it will. After you cut out the areas for the pipe, you will need to cover up the spaces ( which means...measure and don't go hacking away). I used some edge guard from JCWhitney for the sharp edges that was cut to block the area and protect the pipes. I bought an aluminum sheet and made a cover above the IC so air coming through the front doesn't get directed over the radiator. I'm sure you have seen it in Japan mags.
After everything in place, the temp has come down. A clean cooling system is sooo important in keeping the system in check. So many people neglect it more than anything else. I ALWAYS buy distilled water and 50/50 Prestone. Water is cheap and you do it twice a year. Tap water leaves white residue all over the coolant passages.

Bambam7

Ok- The radiator mount is looking more and more favourable...
The guy up there from NZ said it's pretty much ideal.. and NZ/Australia has a damn good reputation for FC's....

As long as there isn't any worries about flow, seeing as it's mounted behind the oil cooler, AC condensor... and misc piping/wiring...

gorockrx

The Radiator Mounted IC sounds good, but which one would fit there? An NPR? or what. I saw this IC for sale on E-Bay, and I think it is close to a good fit for this intstall.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ndexURL=0&rd=1


Anyone have pics and details of this type of install? I am VERY interested in doing the same thing to my FC and I MUST keep my Air Conditioning intact and the shorter pipe runs ect sounds really good. What do you guys think of this IC on E-Bay?

I guess the key would be making sure ALL of the air goes through the oil cooler, radiator, and the IC by intalling some ducting and insulation of some sort. Wouldn't this cause the temps to be a bit higher than a Front Mounted setup though?


ANY PICTURES anyone??? I have not mounted my intercooler yet and I am still trying to figure out the best setup myself. I am favoring this Ford IC and some custom pipes mounted with the radiator. I am going to measure for this in the morning. The Ford IC is 38" wide which is like 2" more than our radiator I think.....

Maybe make this a sticky thread?

This seems like a great thread to me

NZConvertible

With a traditional front-mount all the air that passes thought the IC should then pass through the condenser and radiator anyway, so it should be no different. The amount of air entering is still governed by the size of opening in the nosecone.

gorockrx

So is the radiator position a bad idea for the 2cnd Gen or what. I know this has been argued before, but I think it could work well.

Did anyone see the Powerstroke IC yet?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ndexURL=0&rd=1

NZConvertible

Ideally the IC core should be the same size and shape as the radiator, so a custom core would be the ideal way to go unless you can find something close.

gorockrx

Isn't that powerstroke IC close enough? The core is 31" x 18". With the endtanks however it says 38" x 18"

gorockrx

Nevermind the Powerstroke IC. It is a VERY good one, but it is just TOO big to fit. The stock size radiator is about 23" Wide by 18" tall and that IC core alone is "31 wide. With the endtanks it measures over 38" wide! So nevermind that idea.

By the way Bambam7,
There is a really nice view of an installed Greddy kit on the www.fc3s.org webpage in the car of the month section. Look at March 2002, the vert TII conversion. He shows a Greddy FMIC install and has LOTS of pictures.
Look at pictures 8 thru 12 and you can see where he cuts the metal under the lights to feed the pipes through. I am getting ready to do an install myself and these pictures are really helpfull.

Good Luck!