[1INSANEV]

Ok... Here it is. Me and another member are doing the same thing with the same parts so he will post once this is complete.

Here is the parts you will need to make your own intercooler.

Intercooler Measurement 520x240x65mm (28" L x 9"H x 3"W) with 2.5" O.D. Inlet & Outlet
Can be bought from this guy. These things are top qaulity imp:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=300023458659&ih=020&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT

(2) Silicone Reducer 2.5" to 2"
(2) 2.5" Silicone 90 degree elbows
(2) 2.5" Silicone 2' Straight (You will cut this to size)
(2) T-Bolt Clamp for 2.0"
(10) T-Bolt Clamp for 2.5" (Need to have extras laying around)
(2) 180 Degree, Mandrel Bend, 2 1/2 in.
(2) Straight, 2 1/2 in. Diameter, 4 ft.

Looking at about total $321.00 or less depending on where you get your parts that is without shipping cost.


Now intercooler Mounting (Per Doric) He will explain the do and don'ts.. We will try to get more pics once complete. I am doing my next weekend but he should be done this weekend so stay tuned :drink: :gears:

 

[Doric]

It's worth noting that my big goals were:

• Saving money over the $1000 STS kit
• Not having to modify the factory impact bar
• Saving money over the $1000 STS kit

I spent about $20 at Lowe's buying steel strap and nuts/bolts/washers/lock washers, and a solid few hours on a Saturday in my garage with my bench vise, a drill, and lots of trial and error. YMMV.

The top strap you see in the second picture is bent at the ends and bolted through the side of the supports underneath the headlights. Incidentally, this little 'pocket' on the driver's side are where I have my HID ballast mounted. The other side is mounted vertically between the radiator and the battery.

Once I had the strap where I wanted it, I drilled the holes for the groovy mounts that live on top of the IC.

Next came supporting the bottom. I wanted to do it in such a way as to support the bottom of the IC, but also angle the bottom forward a bit (to 'tilt' the IC). It attaches to the existing upright bolt as seen in the second-to-last photo, and then is bent down and connected to the center mounting point of the IC (as seen in the last photo). The strap runs along the bottom of the radiator support, and it can bounce a bit. I put a small bit of adhesive padding underneath, which is the red you see in the last photo.

This photo:

Shows the strap I made to hold the PS cooler. Pretty self-explanatory, and not structural in any way. Just keeps the PS cooler in place.

As far as the core, you can go slightly wider and taller if you like, but going thicker isn't going to be easy without hacking the bumper support. If you're building a balls-out track car, though, I guess just remove that beast altogether and have at it.

Piping runs as the STS kit does; air from the turbo enters the driver's side IC inlet, exits on the other side, pulls a 180 around the radiator support, then straight back between the engine cradle and the radiator support to mate up with the intake pipe as provided by STS. I'll have pics of the piping no later than this weekend.

 

[Steel Chicken]

I love DIY solutions that save big bucks.
Nicely done guys.

 

[Flash99]

WOW, Keep updating! I will be following your footsteps soon!

 

[Goathearder]

This is awesome guys! 1000 bucks is waaaaaaay to high, this is MUCH better.

 

[Striped04]

Excellent work guys. Keep us updated on this. Anything that saves money is okay in my book.

 

[Doric]

(2) Silicone Reducer 2.5" to 2"

CORRECTION: The reducers needed are actually 2.5" to 2.25". This is my mistake. The 2" side of the reducer can be stretched onto the 2.25" piping provided by STS, but obviously, the correct method would be just to use the proper reducer.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Doric]

I'll explain in a little bit - or in the morning - but that's it, save for final clean-up (hose clamps, some final cutting and tweaking of sharp edges, etc.).

 

[Nmbr1GMfan]

I'll explain in a little bit - or in the morning - but that's it, save for final clean-up (hose clamps, some final cutting and tweaking of sharp edges, etc.).

Im not trying to start a war, but with all do respect, I see one mount on that intercooler that has any structurall integrity.

 

[Doric]

Then you're not looking hard enough.

No war started - just try not to make any assumptions.

 

[Nmbr1GMfan]

Get us some dyno results.

 

[Doric]

Lemme get it finished, first. There're a lot of things about the stock STS kit that I don't like.

But believe me - I'll get some dyno results. They may not be what everyone's expecting, though, since I have a severe LACK of oxygen up here.

 

[jetsiphon]

Lookin' good Mike.

 

[HTRDLNCN]

If you take your ingenuity one step further I think youll find you can piece together the entire STS kit for 30-40% of what they sell it for..
Nice job!!

 

[Doric]

Thanks, man - that thought's crossed my mind a couple of times as well. :gr_jest:

Thankfully, I DID buy this kit used for half of retail.

 

[chance575]

Any update on this.......I just ordered my kit and going to copy the setup

 

[Doric]

I'll take some more pics tonight - the piping is done, though. The IC is complete, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[chance575]

looking at some coolers and your pics........would you go any bigger

looks like wider is no problem, but thicker and taller looks about right

oh and thanks for savin me a ton of cash

 

[Doric]

Trouble is - and I'll get pics tonight - if you go TOO much wider, you'll collide with the stock impact beam. Plenty of room to go taller, though. Not much thicker.

But even with all that said, I think this size is more than adequate for the STS system, as the air charge is significantly cooled just by virtue of the fact that it has to travel so far.

 

[HydroStream6]

I did pretty much the same thing only I used a 33x12x3 intercooler, and did have to... umm, "adjust" the crash bar to make it work. I am happy with how it turned out though. Yours looks good too