Monthly Archives: February 2012

I just love the way this photo looks – close up of one of the several brackets I’ve made for the inter-cooler.

I decided I wanted a very professional installation so I took the time to make it as good as I could with my non-professional skills

First stop was too the metal supplier, and for only $5 I snapped up 3 meters of 20mm flat bar strips (3mm thick). The bar is really stiff but just bendable in a vice (and appropriate encouragement with a hammer etc). Once in the right shape, drilled and then ground round, I sprayed them in heat proof flat black enamel paint. They just look so good I could just eat em…. perhaps not!

The charger install is finished and everything works well. There is only one problem – air intake temps are too hot! With boost pressure peaking at 7 ½psi I’m seeing the incoming air temperature approaching 100°C

That’s just too hot and dangerous – an easy recipe for pre-detonation. The solution is to install an inter-cooler that can quickly absorb the incoming heat out of the air before it hits the engine (after the super charger). There are two methods; Air-to-Air and Air-to-Water. To be different and due to the flexible mounting options, I decided on an Air-to-Water system.

The process of installation begins be removing the entire front end of the car. Removing the front bumper, radiator and wheels just means the entire install goes easy and with plenty of room. As side benefit, I get to inspect the car and clean out the guards and ensure all is in good order.