Show Me Your Fat Front-Mount Intercoolers!

[Panici]

Calling all Forced Induction folks who have crammed a massive frontmount intercooler behind the front valance.
Let's see some pics, and share how you got it to fit.
My panel gaps aren't perfect, but this isn't a show car so I don't care.


To fit this big boi Treadstore-cored intercooler:

• Hammered both vertical seams on the frame rails
• Trimmed the "nose panel" for the silicone couplers (the cuts are hidden by the front grilles)
• Removed the inward lip on the lower corners of the valance openings
• Spaced the bottom of the valance off of the rad support
• Swapped to the thinnest pusher fan SPAL makes (in front of the rad)
• Trimmed the heck out of the highbeam mounting frames. Made my own mounting point to keep the lenses in place.
• Trimmed the highbeam buckets and trim rings.
• Ended up going back and cutting the valance openings to be taller/allow more airflow.

TEST FIT of 325is Air Dam

[varg]

What size is that core?

This is a 24"x12"x3" core cheap intercooler I got years ago. There are pics in my build thread but I'll condense the useful ones here:



This is the old piping I had with the M42^


This is the setup I've had since the M20 swap^ I ran my intercooler pipes under the frame to avoid moving AC lines and/or cutting up the headlights. The driver side coupler hangs down low enough that you can see it from the front but it has never hit anything because my car is not low. There are lower mounts on the intercooler made out of bent perforated metal strips and upper mounts made out of a single piece of perforated angle. Kind of a rig job but it has held up fine after all of these years.

[Northern]

Misc ebay tube and fin FMIC.

Core measures 20x12" Thickness not sure, 2.75+- .25" I guess.
2.5 in/out. Works for the turbo because it has a 2.5" compressor outlet, but I have a 2.5 to 3" elbow on the cold side since the MAF is ~3"













- Trimmed at least 1/4" away from the IC to have room for adjustment and movement
- I removed the upper valence brackets, tried fairly hard to keep them but couldn't. You can maybe keep them if you run 2.5" hard piping (instead of silicone couplers) and cut them just right. It's not flimsy without them though.
- Notched underside of bumper, hopefully helps airflow but who knows.
- FMIC was used when I got it and it's pretty beat up. Thought about buying a new ebay bar&plate FMIC or a nice treadstone one, but haven't got around to it.
- went back after these pics and sprayed the exposed silver FMIC areas black so they don't stand out so much through the grille/valence.