Front mount intercooler

[mukumu kurubushi]

Im having bad thoughts about a T04 turbo upgrade :spank and looking to go down the FMIC route.

A branded kit is out of my price range, so i was wondering what experience people have with making their own from ebay cores, or something similar.

Any issues/potential problems to look out for? Can i keep the stock rad and viscous fan?

Any help much appreciated!

[James H]

Stay clear of ebay for stuff like this unless your buying used recognized products.

[L18M]

http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55590

check this for fmic and ideas.
was on stock rad and fan.
the guy i got this from had a bigger rad but he was running bigger tub etc.
iirc water temp didnt go above 90 when pushing it hard or stuck in traffic..

[mukumu kurubushi]

Thanks Liam, thats pretty useful, from the pics it looks like theres not much room? If you did it again is there anything you would do differently? What type of IC is that and where did you get it from?

The reason im asking about universal IC cores is the Greddys seem to retail for over £1k... which seems a bit pricey for a core and a bit of piping (unless im looking in the wrong places). I thought maybe i could save some monies with a universal core, since they seem to go for around £150 - £200, then fabricate / buy some piping.

What would other people do if they were going front mount?

[L18M]

no probs with the link
well.. i brought this off another guy on mrc last yr, he was running jus over 300bhp.
the ic is rated max 350bhp.
not sure what make it is but think was ebay item.
think ebay ic should be ok as long as the design is not a reli ....ty one. theres some good stuff on the net about the designs of ic n how not to do it (sorry forgot the links)

else check out pete\'s orange cab, he got fmic also.
for my one i needed a smaller wash bottle and cutting of the front bumper to fit ic and also removal of the crush bar and thinner batt.

depending on ur budget might be worth talking to james at jm garage (he\'s a sponsor on mrc), he 99% can fab up sth similar for u as he got my fc there. im sure he can improve on it also.

[dthebuk]

if your looking at ebay stuff still read this thread
http://www.driftworks.com/forum/technical/71047-ebay-intercoolers.html

[pdtaylor18]

You can quite succesfully run a large intercooler next to your rad,pipework is shorter and as long as you upgrade the rad to a thicker core then I have heard of no detrimental side affects. Heat soak is always on the lips of everyone but with decent cooling,ducting and a good vented bonnet WITH an undertray fitted then the easiest of the options.
If you go totally FMIC then there is a fair bit of work and I did try this on mine but I was lucky enough to get a Trust/Greddy item which fitted directly behind the rad if you are looking towards the front of the car from the drivers position. Only one hole to cut and fairly easy,coupled with a large electric fan inplace of the viscous one and a backup of the original aircon fan I have had no issues with high temps. Thats also with the TII bonnet.
Going back to the FMIC one of my issues was the power steering pump and leading coils being in the way, I had lost the headlight washer bottle so the hole was already there,just needed enlarging. The battery is slightly in the way but you can get narrower batteries that will stay out the way. The drivers side however is a bit different and dependent upon what intake system as well as where you want the pipe to come through,it will involve a fair bit more work to get that side sorted.  I just took the easier route as that option was open to me. Obviously you will have to get the pipework to follow the contours of the bay which is the hardest bit.
I did a search of various setups which there are plenty on here or on RX7Club.(where most of pics came from)

Heres a few anyway starting with mine and a few of the many varied ways it can be done.  Its always best to work out what BHP you are trying to achieve and then that will decide what size cooler to get,bigger is not always better if people are running standard turbos which will struggle to fill the pipes up with air,especially the longer run pipework.

One thing I must add is the lack of flow to your air filter, I have a seperate feed and a vented headlight which helps enormously.

[mukumu kurubushi]

Interesting read dtheb! sounds like people dont seem to have much gripe with the ebay stuff. Has anyone got any opinions on autobahn 88\'s products? found this which at under £150 seems cheap? http://www.autobahn88.co.uk/universal-intercooler-core-600-300-76mm-p-100.html What do people think?

Some very useful info there pd, thanks, and some nice engine bays there. Im looking at a T04E, which should take me somewhere between 350 - 400 with the proper supporting mods, so the completely FMIC pictures you posted are what im thinking of.

My engine bay is pretty standard apart from a cone filter and a strut brace, so looks like i\'ll probably have a lot of issues with stuff getting in the way

[pdtaylor18]

I will have the TO4E as well and perfect for the FC especially with a good FMIC. I did have issues with my setup and mostly due to everything being on one side but it is a bit old skool but its different. Sometimes its easier to get your FMIC in first and then build the rest of the engine bay around it as most items can be re-located fairly easy.

[the hat]

i have a big ebay type core you could hae for nothing if you want it has a slight twist in it tho but does not leak might be of use for mocking up etc i will be in leeds next week if that makes life any easyer

[the hat]

also how do you become a full member

[pdtaylor18]

just sign up,well worth it.
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/shop2/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=1f6d9l52h11s1070ddirbhd936

[the hat]

yeah i will prob best wait till october to save waisting cash as the missus aint too happy that i bought another ar to ruin drifting lol

[dthebuk]

haha f-body\'s are the new s-body\'s

[the hat]

yeah at leas t an fc is still good value for money s bodys dont seem to be cheap anymore hence the switch for me