WRX intercooler install: suprisingly not that hard!
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:58 am
Just got done installing a stock WRX intercooler into our '91 leg... And I was quite suprised how easy it was.
PICTS COMING SOON.
For now here's a quick writeup on what we did.
First of all, everything is stock into the turbo, easy enough. The intercooler fit quite well just resting in there, but the hood had to be modified (professional modification = pounding the crap out of the bracing until it fit). Of course, the coolant tank had to be relocated. We figured out probably the easiest way to do it... just turn it a few degrees and bolt it to the hole on the side of the intake manifold! Hard to describe but the picts coming soon will show what I'm talking about.
Of course, the piping after the turbo had to be totally redone. We used some shaped radiator hose, a fitting to go from 1.5" ID to approx. 2" OD and some cutting on a set of silicone IC hoses for the WRX intercooler to fit.
On the firewall all we had to do is some creative relocation of some brackets and we were done.
Still waiting on a BOV (got an HKS SSQV on the way), but I bolted up my HKS for a test run and it ran beautifully! You have to do some contorting with the HKS BOV to get it to fit under the hood, another BOV would fit better. We chose to go with the SSQV because it works best with 4EAT systems.
All in all, the whole project only took us a couple days. I was really suprised because everything I've heard is that a WRX intercooler install is very difficult.
Drove it around without it even bolted down or anything (bolted to what? lol) and didn't even move around or anything.
Will get some pictures tomorrow! I'm hoping to do some modifications to get the cool plastic cover back on!
Vostok 7
PICTS COMING SOON.
For now here's a quick writeup on what we did.
First of all, everything is stock into the turbo, easy enough. The intercooler fit quite well just resting in there, but the hood had to be modified (professional modification = pounding the crap out of the bracing until it fit). Of course, the coolant tank had to be relocated. We figured out probably the easiest way to do it... just turn it a few degrees and bolt it to the hole on the side of the intake manifold! Hard to describe but the picts coming soon will show what I'm talking about.
Of course, the piping after the turbo had to be totally redone. We used some shaped radiator hose, a fitting to go from 1.5" ID to approx. 2" OD and some cutting on a set of silicone IC hoses for the WRX intercooler to fit.
On the firewall all we had to do is some creative relocation of some brackets and we were done.
Still waiting on a BOV (got an HKS SSQV on the way), but I bolted up my HKS for a test run and it ran beautifully! You have to do some contorting with the HKS BOV to get it to fit under the hood, another BOV would fit better. We chose to go with the SSQV because it works best with 4EAT systems.
All in all, the whole project only took us a couple days. I was really suprised because everything I've heard is that a WRX intercooler install is very difficult.
Drove it around without it even bolted down or anything (bolted to what? lol) and didn't even move around or anything.
Will get some pictures tomorrow! I'm hoping to do some modifications to get the cool plastic cover back on!
Vostok 7
