I had originally mounted an FMIC in the car back in the summer of 2000. Using ideas from some Swedish contacts, I remounted the radiator lower and tilted it backwards slightly. This allowed a Mitsubishi Starion / Chrylser Conquest FMIC, modified appropriately with some custom outlets, to sit in front. The pipes went over the rad.
The idea was sound, but the execution was a bit poor. It being my first attempt at something like this, it was a bit hack. The clearances were very tight: I had to cut away part of the rad support's upper surface for the pipes to clear. Consequently the rad support was weakened, and the hood would have difficulty closing. Sometimes the latch wouldn't engage properly and on a hard bump, it would pop open. The pieces also shifted around a bit, so that the intercooler ended up rubbing into the rad, and tearing a hole in it. So, I resolved to go back to stock, and happened to have a brand new rad support purchased off eBay to use.
As part of the overall resurrection of the car after the first engine build and wristpin fiasco, I decided to put in a 9000 intercooler. A few people had done such a thing in Sweden, including Mr. Turbo. Then Kooch from Saabnet put one together, by chopping off the towhooks and bits of the lower bumper grille area. I decided to follow suit, rather than copying Damien Shulock's Porsche 944 intercooler install. His install is a piece of work, but required a custom radiator and tracking down the appropriately sized cooling fans (the 944 intercooler is stacked on top of the rad).
I began by...chopping off the towhooks on a spare rad support I had. Angle grinders are fun! :) This was done on a trial and error basis - I just cut away until I felt the intercooler would fit. The pictures below give and idea of what I cut out, before and after.
The next step was to have the rad support powdercoated. This I did in 'white metal clear' - looks a lot like silver to me! :) Oh, and I had to fabricate some brackets. The lower brackets are just pieces of steel bent appropriately. I had these powdercoated too. At the top, I used a piece of angle aluminum, drilled a hole in it and fitted a grommet in the hole. The 9000 intercooler has a dowel at the top for this purpose.
It was at this point that I realized the clearances were still too tight for my liking. Kooch, John Del Rosario and others had been able to use all OE pieces for elbows and such, but I had a bit more trouble locating these items. At any rate, the ended up cutting away part of the lower grille area on the bumper to allow the elbows to clear. This was also the case with Pete Tandino's Volvo 740 intercooler fit, though he didn't even cut away the towhooks.
So instead of using OE elbows, I acquired some 90 degree mandrel bends in mild steel from the exhaust shop. But they would extend way too low to the ground. What to do? Custom end tanks were the answer. Again my engine builder helped me out. One day I went in there and asked about anyone who could do such a thing. As it turned out, one of this other customers was in. This guy owned a PT Cruiser completely modified for drag racing, I think it had a big block under the hood, tubbed, etc, ie. only a PT Cruiser in name. He told me to go to another local shop, and there at Norwest Cooling, I explained what I required.
I drew up what I wanted, and a week later, came to pick it up. Basically I just had them make up very simple end tanks with outlets the same diameter as stock. Nice of them, however, to include a baffle on the inlet side to ensure that the air went through all the rows of the intercooler.
The plumbing then began. I spec'd out several Samco Sport silicone elbows and straight connectors. This took longer than expected, as there are quite a few variables to consider. For the pipes, I used a combination of off the shelf items and modified OE pieces.
On the inlet side, I have a BMC Carbon Dynamic Airbox. This then feeds into rubber bellows which connects to a mild steel mandrel 90 degree bend, then into a Samco Sport 90 degree, then into the turbo's compressor. The pictures show the airbox disconnected, then all connected together. In the middle shot, you can just make out the ducting. The ducting runs beneath the bumper and takes in true cold air just in front of the oil cooler. The last photo shows how the car is now, but I have to put in an additional elbow to act as a scoop, right off the ducting.
From the turbo, the path runs through a Samco elbow, then into a modified fuel filler pipe from an early '80s 900. They only put these thin walled aluminum pipes on the cars for a couple years, so whenever I saw one, I snagged it from a car in the yards. At the other end of the pipe it goes into a Samco reducer, then into the larger mandrel bent 90 elbow, then into the intercooler. In the pictures, this last straight connector is a piece of fuel hose, but I have since acquired a Samco piece instead. The reason for the fuel hose was because when I initially ordered everything, they were out of stock of the straight pieces I needed. Had to wait like 3 months before they finally had them!
On the other side of the intercooler, it begins much the same way as the passenger side. After the Samco reducer, it goes into a highly modified 9000 intercooler pipe. I can't even remember exactly which pipe it was. I cut it, then had my engine builder weld on a piece of aluminum for the SDS' air temperature sensor to mount into. After this pipe, it goes into a Samco straight connector, then into a modified 90+ 900T pipe. This pipe is modified to accept the flange for my HKS Super Sequential Blow Off Valve. This pipe is then connected to yet another straight connector into the throttle body. Done!
All of the hose clamps are high quality pieces by Mikalor. The bands are all stainless, but I used the slightly cheaper ones with zinc plated bolts for all of the hoses with one exception: I used the stainless bolt type clamps on the four lowermost hoses as these will see a considerable amount of dirt and grit and such. The grille and the lower bumper grille are also covered over with galvanized mesh used beneath stucco on houses.
On the bumper's lower grille, I added an air dam to direct the oncoming air onto the intercooler. I fabricated this piece out of a plastic called 'puckboard' - so called because it is used to line hockey rinks. The stuff is quite tough, and I've also used it to fabricate a short notice skidplate on my 99.
Oh, and another big note - the entire air conditioning system was removed from the car quite some time ago. This makes it much easier to fit the 9000 intercooler, but it CAN be left in place and still fit the 9000 intercooler - as Kooch. That said, taking it out also frees up a lot of space to wrench on the car, especially near the firewall. And, I think, it makes for a tidier install of the 9000 intercooler.
If I did it again, I would probably forget about the 9000 intercooler and get something custom made by Spearco, or at least use a Spearco core.
