Well I finally put my fmic in...The core was a little huge but its a quality core and I had it lying around. Was a little interesting I did put it in with the stock fan to see if it would work and did end up taking the left headlight motor out as well as bumper support..I did end up welding some extra reinforcment, however I really only drive it once a week and its usually at the track so I didn't care. As far as performance, I haven't driven it much..noticed it is running cooler obviously and as for lag..its actually better. If anyone has any specific questions please pm me.

Dimensions:
I believe my core was around 36" long and 4" deep with 3" inlets/outlets
Pipe..ending up using 2.5"

More pics soon*
***also for anyone using hose clamps...don't, absolute junk, just buy tbolts..

 

Honestly that's one of the ugliest fmic setups I've ever seen, partly because that core is way to big. The beauty of a "quality core" is that it doesn't have too be ridiculously large to cool effectively. The other benefit of a quality core is that it has resale value, so you can sell it and avoid hacking up your front end and running extra piping. But as long as it runs, and you like it...

I have to applaud the effort, but there's working hard and then there's working smart. And yes screw clamps on ic piping is a bad idea.

 

Why do you need such a big intercooler? You ruined your bumper. :[

 

Ah it was pretty hacked up already..only reason i cut it further, and yes i do like it, just thought I'd try something different, if you would see the rest of the car, most things are pretty different, car wasn' in the best cosmetic shape when i bought it, really only meant to have fun, my daily driver can look good in my opinion

<<----black car, without ugly muffler

 

yuck

 

perhaps if you showed us the rest of the car it would make more sense, overkill is sometimes cool but its just not being pulled off in this application

 

Good job.

 

actually its not too bad. maybe with different bumper it willlook better. Also is it mounted straight? or does the pic make it look crooked? As long as you like it thats what matters (and that it functions as needed). id probably just take the bumper off till you get a new one though. probably would look better.

 

I do have a fiberglass one in the garage but it needs paint..may put it on next summer but for now I don't mind it, the point is its fun to drive, really the only thing that matters to me...to each their own i guess

 

looking at the pic...it actually does look pretty ugly, i''ll try and take a completely finished one...and yes it was crooked...before i put mounts in

 

How long did it take you?

 

now you need to get some suspension on there and once you get a new bumper, it will be sweet.

At least its better then those guys who put them below or sticking out lower then the front bumper lol.

 

might be actually doing the suspension next week...don't really want to do lowering springs, trying to find a decent set of coilovers, i have toxico blues on right now...

 

post a daytime outside engine bay shot

 

 

Why did you even put the "bumper" back on lol

 

The IC is a little large, but it would work better if you take a band saw to the end tanks and redesign it to a single-pass setup. Unless you use your car for very low speed events (drifting, burn-out contests), the intercooler would work better with a proper duct that has about 1/4 to 1/3 the cross-sectional area of the intercooler core. Your current car basically has no duct, which makes for an inefficient intercooler.

 

yea

 

How would you duct that? I'm sure theres still air going through the ic. Hard to miss lol

 

You would duct it by installing a new front end that is not cut to pieces, as well as a good front air dam. In its current condition a lot of air is just going to flow around it and under it at high speed.

 

you gotta start somewhere.... my first custom NPR intercooler setup on my 86 300zx wasnt that great.... BUt my new custom is A LOT better.

 

Hope you honestly didn't pay much for that intercooler, it's about the same size as the one in my F350. The fmic in my built TII actually fits behind the stock bumper and keeps the intake temps cooler than I'd ever need, as well as being less than half the size of yours. You've probably got some added lag from all the added volume to make up if you're still running the stock turbocharger. To each his own though, perhaps you'll figure out a way to cover it up a bit and get the 7 looking better again.

*took a second look at the pictures: Your bumper was fine it seems, better that others I've seen actually. So you really said "sure, I need an IC this big and I'll make it fit"? To be perfectly dead honest, your top mount, in it's stock form, will do a better job that your new setup. In fact, if I could have found a way to use the TMIC setup in my TII and have it cool as efficiently as the fmic is doing, I would have used a TMIC instead. Really there's only about of foot of tubing coming and going from the stock tmic, which yields some great throttle response. You could have also removed that bottom aluminum plate under the top mount and made a good mod to your TMIC by letting it breath a little better. Don't mean to be critical, but a lot of us have documented our fmic installs and there's a reason we all usually get the same size intercoolers and leave the bumpers close to stock looking...because Mazda was thinking when the designed the ram air aspects of it all. And you really cut the bumper supports.......

Options...find a new front bumper and call that a loss, find an ebay-special bumper to at least get some sort of air directing going; or, sell that intercooler you have, get a smaller one, fit it up under a stock bumper, and enjoy the fruits of a fmic with the same volume aspects of a tight tmic, I suppose you can leave it like that and enjoy it for what it is, then throw the tmic back on when you get tired of stepping on the throttle and waiting for the stock turbo to catch up from filing that monster.