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AWD Terror
06-10-2002, 11:34 PM
The following is by DSMtalk.com Staff Member nukefission (http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=294)

<B>IRC Race Core Installation (1G)</B>

<img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/header_shot_thumb.jpg" align="left" border="0"> This VFAQ covers the installation of the <B>2-216 Race Core</B> produced by <B><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/links.php?op=visit&lid=37" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.indyracecores.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">Indy Race Cores</a></B> on my 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. This is a very large core and it is in turn meant for use with large turbochargers. At the moment I don't have a large turbocharger, but I'm getting all the supporting mods in place for one BEFORE I get one. I plan on getting the Green turbo from Forced Performance. Right now I have a ported 14B, but even so, this big core seems to work fine with it. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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<br><TABLE BORDER=0 WIDTH=100%><TH BGCOLOR="#616161"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF"><B>Overview</B></FONT></TH><TR><TD></TD></TR></TABLE><P><b>Race Core</b><br> Because of the size of the core (28 x 10.5 x 3.5) there are two major decisions that need to be made before tackling the installation:<br> 1) whether or not you want to keep the A/C<br> 2) whether or not you want to keep the bumper reinforcement<br> If your car is a drag car only, the above decisions are already made ;-). My car is for the most part a daily driver and keeping the A/C, as well as some relative semblance of safety (albeit a mere 5mph bumper), is preferable. It's a pain in the butt to do the installation this way but it's definitely possible.</P><P>I can't give any details or instructions on how to remove the A/C (which is a project in itself) because I didn't do it. The real problem with the A/C is the two lines that come out of either side of the condenser core. For some reason they stick out front a couple of inches before doing a u-turn and going into the engine bay, instead of just exiting to the sides. I don't know what the motivation was for the factory to do it that way. Removing those lines means being able to move the bottom of the core closer to the frame and consequently not having to cut out as much of the bumper cover.</P><P>The bumper reinforcement doesn't give you much of a choice. It must either be gutted out or removed entirely. I opted to gut it, and had a friend with a shop and a torch do so for me. A torch will cut through it like butter and in the end it will fit beautifully. The problem with just removing it entirely is that the support itself is a large part of what holds the bumper cover to the car (7 bolts hold the cover to support, which is attached to the car; only two bolts on either side of the cover bolt elsewhere). If the support is removed, you will have to fabricate or bend up some brackets to which you can attach the bumper cover to the car.</P><P><b>Piping</b><br> I chose to make my own piping for this project. The reason was that, at the time, IRC did not have their regular powdercoated pipes available, only polished SS which was too expensive (and unnecessary, in my opinion). After all of the bits and pieces that need to be bought in order to make the piping, the difference in price between that and buying them prepared from IRC was minimal. Maybe $50-100, which to some is worth the convenience of not having to do it yourself. I did buy the throttle body elbow and j-pipe from them, though.</P><P> <TABLE BORDER=0 BGCOLOR="#e0e0e0" width="100%"><TH BGCOLOR="#616161"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF"><B>Parts Needed:</B></FONT></TH><TR><TD><i>Pipes</i><ul> <li>2x 90 degree mandrel bends (4&quot; radius) <li>2x 45 degree mandrel bends (4&quot; radius) <li>BOV flange and gasket<li>2+ feet of nitrile/SBR coupler hose <li>11x 2.5&quot; T-bolt clamps <li>1x 2.0&quot; T-bolt clamp <li>1x 2.0&quot;-2.5&quot; transition coupler <li>1x 2.5&quot; bellows coupler/hump hose <I>(optional)</I></ul><i>Other</i> <ul> <li>12" slim fan (radiator) <li>9&quot; or 10&quot; slim fan (A/C) <li>zip ties <li>a few electrical butt connectors <li>2x 8mm x 1.25, 40mm long bolts (hardware store) <li>lock washers and flat washers for the above bolts <li>miscellaneous clamps <li>various bits and pieces :-)<br></ul></TD></TR><TH BGCOLOR="#616161"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF"><B>Tools/Services Needed:</B></FONT></TH><TR><TD><UL> <LI>handheld pneumatic reciprocating saw <LI>dremel with reinforced cutting wheels <LI>oxygen/acytelene torch <LI>arc or MIG welder <LI>boost/pressure tester (optional, but <b>HIGHLY RECOMMENDED</b>) <LI>common mechanics' tools [rachets, sockets (metric and SAE), wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.]</UL></TD></TR></TABLE> <P>The slim fans are unfortunately necessary. The piping is just too big for the stock fans to fit. Slim fans can be picked up at Pep Boys for a decent price. I got my 12&quot; Rapid-Cool fan for $70. I haven't gotten a 9&quot; or 10&quot; yet for the A/C because of my hurting wallet. It's still winter anyway. ;-) These fans are universal and they attach to the car by a unique way of zip-tying through the fins of the radiator and condensor. The instructions are straightforward.</P><P>The boost tester can be homemade and looks something like <B><a href="http://www.www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/leaktester.gif" target="_blank">this</a></B>. <B><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/links.php?op=visit&lid=11" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.machv.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">MachV</a></B> sells them for about $30. An easy and less expensive alternative is to make one yourself... you can get all the parts for it from Home Depot for $7 or so. Details to follow.</P><P>Tools like the torch and the welder are shop tools and most home mechanics are deprived of them. If you have a friend who works in an auto repair shop, ask him if he would be willing to cut and/or weld some stuff for you. If not, it's likely any friendly shop will be able to do it for you. If they start asking questions about cutting the bumper support, just tell them it's for a race car only. ;-)</P><P>All of the parts needed for the piping are available from <B><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/links.php?op=visit&lid=26" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.roadraceengineering.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">Road Race Engineering</a></B>.</P><P><B>One more thing</B>: in order to fit this core you must say goodbye to your stock foglights. It took a while to convince myself that this was the case, but the core is about an inch too wide on either side. Then again, nothing is stopping me from attempting to conjour up some custom brackets for them, but that's another project.</P><P> <BR><TABLE BORDER=0 WIDTH=100%><TH BGCOLOR="#616161"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF"><B>Step by step Instructions</B></FONT></TH><TR><TD></TD></TR></TABLE><br><TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TBODY> <TR><TD width="50%" align="center"> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/frontend_before.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/frontend_before_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD width="50%"> <H3><B>1.</B></H3> <p>Here is the front end of my 91 GSX, about to undergo surgery. See that big gaping hole in the air dam? It's about to be filled with.....</p> </TD></TR> <TR><TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fmic_vs_smic_thumb.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fmic_vs_smic_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> .....this gargantuan race core. I'd say it's about five times the size of the stock sidemount intercooler that's sitting next to it. Note where the two lower supports have been cut and holes drilled and slotted. Same for the top support. Refer to this later.</TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <p>Here is the front end with the bumper off. First you need to remove some of the headlight trim, followed by the turn signal assemblies and the side marker lights. These are only attached by screws and should be easy to remove. An electric screwdriver or drill with screwdriver attachment will make quick work of it.</p> <p>Here is where it can get tricky. The bolts holding the cover onto the car may be very rusty, depending on your mileage and typical road conditions. I was fortunate to have a clean enough car that breaking rusted bolts wasn't a problem for me. <b>Hose down every bolt with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench ahead of time, just to be sure.</b></p> </TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_off_before.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_off_before_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR> <TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_off_before_tq.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_off_before_tq_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> <p>On each side of the fender there are two bolts that hold the cover to the car. One goes up into the fender and the other goes from the fenderwell into the cover. Refer to the image.</p> <p>Not pictured here is the process of removing all of the black plastic ducting that exists between the cover and the frame. One piece goes between the passenger side of the cover and the sidemount, the second goes between the larger middle portion of the cover and the part of the frame in front of the condenser, and the third goes between the driver's side of the cover and the driver's foglight area. These pieces are held to the car by plastic fasteners with little screws that press into them. In order to remove them from the frame, in most cases I had to drill a hole through the front of the ducting in order to get a screwdriver on a fastener at a decent angle. Since you probably won't reuse these, you don't need to take as much care in removing them as I did. Towards the end I destroyed a few myself out of frustration. :-)</p> </TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1" BGCOLOR="#CCCCCC"> <TR><TD COLSPAN=2> <H3><B>2.</B></H3> <p>Not pictured here is the step of removing the power steering cooler. This needs to be done now in order to provide enough space to enlarge the hole on the driver's side. The p/s cooler is bypassed completely because: a) it gets in the way, and b) it doesn't hurt to remove it. Examine the hoses coming out of the p/s reservoir. The top hose goes to the p/s pump, the bottom one goes the top tube of the cooler. The bottom tube of the cooler goes to another line next to the timing belt cover which goes down to the steering rack. To bypass the cooler, simply turn the bottom hose coming out of the reservoir 180 degrees and plug it onto the line that goes down to the steering rack. You will lose quite a bit of fluid in the process so have a pan underneath ready to catch it. Remove the big bracket on the front of the car that goes from the hood latch to the bottom of the frame. Undo the small bracket bolt on the inside of the car that holds the cooler to the car and twist and turn the cooler until you can pull it out of the car from the front.</p> <p>Start the car and fill the p/s reservoir back up with ATF.</p> </TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR><TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/condensor.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/condensor_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> <H3><B>3.</B></H3> Here is a closer view of the condenser core. Notice the lack of the big p/s bracket that goes from the hood latch to the bottom of the frame. Circled in white on either side are the A/C lines that stick out. Circled in red are the approximate locations of the threaded holes that go up into the frame from the bottom to which the FMIC's lower supports will mount.</TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/enlarged_hole1.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/enlarged_hole1_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> This is the hole on the driver's side. The red line more or less represents how large the hole was unmodified. There is a wiring harness that sits right against the right side of the hole on the inside. Detach it from its location either by cutting the ties that hold it there or pulling them out of the frame (which is hard, hence simply cutting them) and push the harness out of the way. You do not want to accidentally slice through all those wires while you are enlarging these holes.</TD> </TR><TR> <TD> This is the pneumatic saw that I used to enlarge the holes. It cuts through the sheetmetal like butter.</TD> <TD> <div align="center">&nbsp;<img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/recip_saw.jpg" width="341" height="210"></div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/enlarged_hole2.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/enlarged_hole2_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> Here is the hole on the passenger side of the car. Same story with the red line. You can clearly see that the coolant overflow bottle is right in the way. This will have to be relocated slightly. For now, remove the overflow bottle from the car, and bang the bracket that held it there flush with the surfance it's attached to (bend the larger side of the bracket towards the firewall with a pair of pliers and then beat it down with a hammer). This will leave ample room for the 2.5&quot; pipe to fit through here. There is another wiring harness on the left inside of the hole (same as the previous one). Cut it out of its ties and move it away while you are working with the saw. I was quite generous with how much material I cut out of each of these holes, which is fine. There is nothing in the area that interferes with it and it's good to have the extra space in case the pipes don't fit in there like you expect.</TD> </TR></TABLE><BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <H3><B>4.</B></H3> Next, remove the following parts from the engine bay: both fans, MAS, intake pipe, upper intercooler pipe, throttle body elbow, lower intercooler pipe, exhaust manifold heatshield, and the turbo outlet elbow.</TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/motor_before.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/motor_before_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp_before.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp_before_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> Be sure to immediately stuff the turbo inlet and outlet with rags so that no foreign objects get inside.</TD> </TR><TR> <TD> This is the stock intercooler. If you are still cursed with it, remove this too. Three bolts hold it on. </TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/sidemount_IC.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/sidemount_IC_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fmic_mounted_dark.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fmic_mounted_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> <p align="center"><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fmic_mounted.jpg" width="341" height="224"> </div> </TD> <TD> <p>Now you can begin fitting the FMIC for mounting. Refer to the areas circled in red previously to see where those 8mm x 1.25 bolts will thread into. If you specify to IRC upon ordering the core that you are keeping your A/C, they will ship you a core with longer lower supports in order for the core to clear those A/C lines. I'm not sure that these longer lower supports are necessary, as I ended up cutting about an inch and a half off of the ends of them as they were. The threaded holes that the bolts go into are both located in front of buldges in the metal of the frame where it attaches to other crossmembers under the car. I beat these buldges down with a hammer in order to make a flat surface for the core supports to interface with. Each leg of the support will need to be drilled for the bolts to fit through. Slotting the holes that you drill is wise because it will let you adjust the position of the core before you tighten everything down. The tab on the top of the core needed to have an inch or so cut off of its top in order for it to clear the hood release mechanism. A hole needs to be drilled through this tab as well. The small 10mm bolt that goes into the middle of the hood latch is what holds the top of the core there.</p> <p>Fitting the core onto the car is a custom job and there's a bit of trial and error involved. Two people make the job easier. Lay under the front of the of the car and hold the core up approximately where it would sit, and have your friend mark where things need to be drilled/cut. <b>If you are keeping the A/C,</b> be ABSOLUTELY sure that there is ample clearance between the core and each of the A/C lines (the line on the driver's side sticks out more than the one on the passenger side). You don't want these banging into each other.</p> <p>Once the core is ready for permanent mounting (which it isn't yet), you will want to put one lock washer and one flat washer (in that order) onto each lower support bolt before torquing down. There is no torque spec for this... just make it tight.</p> </TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <H3><B>5.</B></H3> <p>Once the core is loosely mounted, you can start fitting the bumper support, if you're keeping it. Here are pictures of the support relatively untouched (ignore that curved piece of metal underneath in the bottom picture - that's the bracket that helps hold the cover to the support, which you removed earlier). The red lines indicate about what needs to be cut. What you can't see is that the cut on the bottom of the support needs to go deep into it, all the way to the front of it in fact. The idea here is to retain the top surface of the support to which the bumper cover can bolt back on, just like stock. Also, only part of the lower metal support for the lower part of the bumper can be retained. Everything else must be removed. I had it cut on that thin line in hopes that I could keep it in order to keep the lower lip of the cover straight.</p> <p>I thought I could cut this metal with the reciprocating saw I had been using to enlarge the holes earlier, and it was working VERY slowly, but still working. Then I hit a roadblock, as the support has baffles inside of it that I couldn't cut through. Time for the torch.</p> </TD> <TD> <div align="center"> <p><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/uncut_bumper1_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="223"></p> <p><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/uncut_bumper2_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="225"></p> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_support_flash.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bumper_support_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> </div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cut_bumper_support3.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cut_bumper_support_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> <p>This is a view of the bottom of the support after its encounter with the torch. You can see that the bottom in fact no longer exists! The two inside bolts that attach each of the bumper shocks to the support must be done away with in order to cut it enough. Yes, it's a lot of cutting. But it will fit. The two remaining bolts will hold the support just fine. The support is considerably lighter now. Weight savings. ;-)</p> <!-- <p>Below is a video of my friend doing some final trimming of the support with the torch.<br> <a href="media/torch3.AVI">Torch</a> (6 MB)</p> --> </TD> </TR> </TABLE><BR><TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cut_bumper_support_drivers.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cut_bumper_support_drivers_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> Here's a closeup of the driver's side of the support (remember it's upside down). The closeup of the passenger side came out blurry so I'm not including it. </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> With the support gutted out, you can now mount it on the car over the race core. It should fit fine.</TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/support_fmic_mounted2.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/support_fmic_mounted2_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/support_fmic_mounted3.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/support_fmic_mounted3_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> <p>Another view of the support and core on the car. Loosely attach the support to the car like my friend here is doing. This way you will accidentally lean on the support instead the core when working in the engine bay. ;-)</p> <p>Now you can permanently torque down the core to the car. Make sure there is ample clearance between it an the A/C lines. I left about a centimeter of space between them. Also make sure the core is properly centered.</p> </TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <H3><B>6.</B></H3> <p>At this point, you can branch off in a couple different directions. I would suggest starting to get the pipes fitted and cut, if you are making your own. I can't speak for how well IRC's piping fits, but the 4&quot; radius bends that I used worked fine. The 3&quot; radius bends may have fit better (for the lower, pre-IC pipes in particular), but they are twice as expensive from Road Race.</p> <p>The lower intercooler pipes consist of two 90 degree bends and a j-pipe, shown here. You can see with the bend closest the intercooler that I cut about the same amount off of each leg... about 4&quot; or so. For the other bend I just cut about 4&quot; off of one leg and left the other alone. Don't try to cut too much at once. Stick the pipes down there to get a rough idea of what needs to be cut, mark them, cut them, and trim if necessary.</p> </TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp2.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jpipe_turbo_flash.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jpipe_turbo_flash_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp1.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/licp1_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> </TD> <TD> <p>Here's a shot of the IRC j-pipe. I wasn't particularly fond of this piece because the bend sort of flares up too much from the flange and then arcs back down. This puts the pipe only a few millimeters away from the exhaust manifold (you can sort of see it in the picture above). The paint will probably melt but my main concern is the integrity of the pipe itself. The heatshield will have to be cut to accomodate it. The stem was also very long (it's already been cut in this picture). Originally it went all the way down to the motor mount. My guess is that IRC provided this length so that you could cut it to whatever length you needed for your application. After I was done with it, it resembled more of a &quot;u&quot;-pipe than a &quot;j&quot;-pipe.</p> <p>Also shown is a crappy Home Depot plumbing transition coupler that's attaching the 2.5&quot; pipe to the j-pipe. I had bought a 2.25&quot;-2.5&quot; silicon transition coupler from Road Race but for some reason didn't think it would work, as the smaller end seemed too large for the j-pipe (I thought I should have bought the 2.0&quot;-2.5&quot; coupler instead). This plumbing coupler eventually blew and I was forced to try the silicon coupler. It worked fine; just used two worm clamps to ensure a tight seal.</p> <p>Get a rough idea of how long the other couplers need to be and cut them up (if you got a length of hose from Road Race or somewhere else). Be generous with your measurements. A tip: hose down the pipe or coupler with WD-40 if you're having trouble sliding a coupler over a pipe, or a t-bolt clamp over a coupler</p> </TD></TR> </TABLE> <BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <H3><B>7.</B></H3> <p>Now the upper pipe needs to be prepared with a compressor bypass valve. Get an idea of how the BOV needs to be oriented relative to where the recirculation tube will meet up with it. The lucky MAS-less folks don't have to worry about this step. Mark the flange's desired orientation on the pipe and take everything to your friend with the welder and have them welded up. If there are holes in the welds, either have your friend touch them up with more weld, or give it a coat of JB weld and let it cure for an hour or so. The upper pipe with the BOV is the only pipe I painted, because the welds were pretty unsightly.</p> <p>Next, situate the upper pipes to where they need to be. I found that these pipes don't need to be cut at all. They fit fine as is. If anything, the legs need to be longer as there's quite a bit of space between them. Route the pipes under the clutch line as shown.</p> <p>In one picture you see the blue bellows coupler (hump hose), and in the next you see a section of the black SBR hose in its place. The bellows coupler didn't quite have enough reach on either side to effectively cover both the pipe and the throttle body elbow, so I used a longer section of SBR hose instead. The hose kinks a little underneath, but not enough to impede airflow at all.</p> </TD> <TD> <div align="center"> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jon_tbolt_struggle2.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jon_tbolt_struggle2_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/uicp_bov_MAS.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/uicp_bov_MAS_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> </div> </TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jeff_tbolt_tighten.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/jeff_tbolt_tighten_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> Here's a shot of my friend tightening up the clamps that hold the upper pipe to the outlet of the race core. Note how the clamp in front is oriented such that the bolt can be accessed from above. The clamp behind it doesn't fit that way in the space back there so it had to be tilted and then tightened with a wrench. You want to make sure the clamps in this area (and on the driver's side) are extra tight so they don't leak or blow off after the car is back together. If they do, you'll have to take off the bumper to access them.</TD> </TR></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <div align="center"> <p><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/pressure_test.jpg" width="316" height="236"></p> <p><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/bov_leak.jpg" width="318" height="236"></p> </div> </TD> <TD> <H3><B>8.</B></H3> <p>Once you have all the pipes cut, have your friend with the welder weld some light beads on each end of every pipe, including the j-pipe. This is added insurance to prevent them from blowing off. You can also try JB welding some beads on but it's a pain in the butt. If you have them welded, make sure they aren't too thick otherwise you'll have a tough time getting the hose and clamp to fit over them.</p> <p>After the pipes are prepared, put everything together and tighten all the clamps down. It's time to do a pressure test. You can sort of see in the picture what the tester looks like. It's just a 2.5&quot; (I think) threaded PVC pipe with a cap that screws into it. Drill a hole into the middle of the cap and screw in an air fitting (a tire valve, air tool chuck, etc, will work). Seal the cracks with epoxy or JB weld and find an appropriately sized coupling to fit over the tester and the turbo inlet. Clamp the tester onto the turbo, attach a hose with compressed air to it, and pressurize the system to around 20 psi. Have someone keep an eye on the boost gauge. Have a spray bottle of soapy water handy and spray it on all connections and interfaces in the piping. Pay special attention to the connections between the intercooler inlet and outlet, and the BOV flange and welds that hold it on. These t-bolt clamps REALLY need to be cranked down in order to be effective, so you may have lots of air rushing out of loose connections at first.</p> <!-- <p>You can see there was a leak at the BOV flange as lots of bubbles formed there. Below are two videos of the pressure test:<br> <a href="media/pressure_test1.AVI">Pressure test</a> (8 MB)<br> <a href="media/pressure_test_bov_leak2.AVI">BOV leak</a> (5.8 MB)</p> --> </TD></TR> </TABLE> <BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <H3><B>9.</B></H3> <p>Now you can install the 12&quot; slim fan. I contemplated getting the 14&quot; fan instead but it's a good thing I didn't, as it would have been too thick. The 12&quot; fan fits nicely. I have yet to get a smaller fan for the A/C but I imagine a 10&quot; or 9&quot; fan will fit fine. A convenient way of wiring it is to simply cut the complete wiring harness off of the stock fan and solder it to the two wires coming out of the new fan. Check the polarity to make sure the fan will spin in the right direction (this Hayden Rapid-Cool fan is reversible), so that it will pull air through the radiator. I happened to have a fan override override switch which made testing of the fan easy. If you don't have this, all you have to do is jump two wires in the relay box on the passenger side of the car. <!--
<B><a href="http://www.rit.edu/%7Evbt6664/car/fanmod.html">Click here</a></B> for details.
--> The stock harness has a blue and black wire going into the fan, and the new fan conveniently had blue and black wires coming out of it. It turned out blue went to blue and black went to black in order for the fan to spin correctly. Solder these connections and insulate them with electrical tape or shrinkwrap.</p> <p>While you're at it, go ahead and mount the coolant bottle where it you can fit it. If you don't have a MAS, this is an easy task. I have a MAS, and the only viable option was to mount it in relatively the same place as before. I double-zip-tied it to the fan as well as to the upper radiator hose and it seems to hold fine. You can mount it anywhere as long as the bottle is below its source on the thermostat housing.</p> </TD> <TD> <div align="center"> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fan_jpipe1.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fan_jpipe1_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fan_coolant.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/fan_coolant_thumb.jpg" width="256" height="341" border="1"></a></p> </div> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1"> <TR> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cutting_bumper4.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cutting_bumper4_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> <TD> <H3><B>10.</B></H3> The next and pretty much final step is the long, arduous task of trimming the bumper cover. There is no one simple way of doing it. The smoke and dust generated here are very bad for you. They burned my eyes and lungs before I sought refuge behind a pair of safety goggles and put my mouth and nose under my shirt. Definitely wear a mask if you have one available. Arm yourself with a Dremel tool and a reinforced cutting wheel and go to work. The amount of dust will be quite extensive so work on top of a sweepable area or blanket that you can empty into a trash can.</TD> </TR><TR> <TD> <p>I was optimistic at first and thought that I could keep the little cosmetic pillars in the air dam as shown here. Not so. The fact that the A/C causes the lower part of the core to have to stick out in front of the car so much means this part of the bumper must be trimmed a great deal. I ended up having to remove the pillars completely and cut a good deal more into this lip here in order for the cover to fit over the core. This is the '91 bumper so I don't know how it would work with the '92+ bumpers on Eclipses or Talons. A similar amount would most likely have to be cut out.</p> <!-- <p>Here is a vid of me cutting the bumper:<br> <a href="media/cutting_bumper.AVI">Bumper</a> </p> --> <P>Here is a closeup of the amount I had to end up cutting to get everything to fit. Make sure the edges of the cover don't press against the core itself (endtanks are OK) otherwise you'll get a lot of bent fins over time.</P></TD> <TD> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cutting_bumper1.jpg" target="new"> <img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/cutting_bumper1_thumb.jpg" width="341" height="256" border="1"></a></div> </TD> </TR> </TABLE><BR> <BR> <TABLE width="100%" cellPadding=5 border="1" BGCOLOR="#e0e0e0"> <TH BGCOLOR="#616161"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF"><B>The Finished Product !</B></FONT></TH> <TR><TD> <div align="center"><img src="http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/images/articles/FMIC/front_tq4.jpg" width="483" height="290"></div> </TD></TR> <TR><TD><CENTER> That's pretty much it. Button up the front end, reinstall the MAS and intake pipe, <B>and go enjoy some ridiculous cooling capacity!</B></CENTER></TD> </TR></TABLE>

-Victor
nukefission (http://www.dsmtalk.com/forums/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=294)

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