2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

FMIC install: How low is too low?

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Old 02-13-10 | 11:11 PM
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FMIC install: How low is too low?

Got my intercooler hung from the top, and I just made some beefy 1/4" brackets to support it from the bottom. After I got everything fitted, I put the bumper back on and took the car off of jackstands, and now I'm a little concerned.

From the bottom of the bracket to the ground is 5 3/4". It sticks out 3" below the stock bumper.



Car is lowered on RB springs, but I got em new, and they might need to settle a little yet. This was on stock wheels and tires, I'm going to be running 17"s with probably a 225/45 up front, which will give me another 1/4" of clearance.

Intercooler is 36"x12"x3" and can't go up any higher, or the inlet/exit will interfere with the headlight motors.

Any opinions? Are aftermarket bumpers 3" lower? I'm guessing this will be driveable, but I'm going to have to be careful? Car is primarily going to be on the track.
Old 02-13-10 | 11:44 PM
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Old 02-13-10 | 11:45 PM
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My Greddy 3 row, which most consider large (12x24x3 with 2.75" end tanks), is level with the bottom of the bumper. It's from a discontinued kit for the FC and has a bracket mount on the top and then uses two angled bracketson the underside that bolt to the frame.
Old 02-13-10 | 11:46 PM
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time for a bodykit or lip
Old 02-14-10 | 01:38 AM
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Time to remove your bumper support. Not sure how the core size would mess with the headlight motors considering nothing really sticks outside the headlight cover if you were to look down it.
Old 02-14-10 | 02:56 AM
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yeah thats too low man.. besides it looks funny seeing intercoolers hanging low.
Old 02-14-10 | 06:53 AM
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Originally Posted by The Shaolin
Intercooler is 36"x12"x3" and can't go up any higher, or the inlet/exit will interfere with the headlight motors.
Your intercooler is entirely too long to fit between the headlights. If it is a bar-and-plate type, take it to a hot rod shop, and they can cut it with a band saw and re-weld the end tank. My intercooler is 26" long overall and it barely fits, but take measurements of your own to see what will fit in your car.

For future reference, the standard method to mount a custom intercooler, radiator, or other item is:
1. Measure your car first.
2. Make a cardboard mock-up to be sure it fits WITH the plumbing.
3. Buy the appropriately-sized part.
Old 02-14-10 | 11:55 AM
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While we're at it, anybody know what the MAX dimensions for an FMIC would be on a stock, not modified body? Or even typical measurements


-mike
Old 02-14-10 | 12:54 PM
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Originally Posted by cadillacdaddy03
While we're at it, anybody know what the MAX dimensions for an FMIC would be on a stock, not modified body? Or even typical measurements
There are too many factors involved, such as the mounting angle, mounting position, inlet and outlet location and dimensions, etc. Also, it depends on whether you consider modifying the body to include removing the hood latch, cutting holes for the plumbing, or removing or relocating components for clearance. The best method is to see my above post and measure it YOURSELF for YOUR car so that YOU know whether you are going to be happy with the results.
Old 02-14-10 | 01:54 PM
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thanks
Old 02-14-10 | 04:15 PM
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Thanks for the input so far.

The piping runs straight down, I guess where the windshield washer tank used to be, and then makes a 90* turn under the headlight motor.



I suppose a shorter I/C would allow the piping to fit on the inside of the headlight motors, but this is the first time I've even thought about that. I got a deal on this intercooler, I measured to make sure it would fit in the way I thought pipes were supposed to be run, and I picked it up. *shrug*

Maybe I'll pick up a different front bumper or a lip. After looking through some pictures of front bumpers, I feel a lot better. Something like this would entirely cover the intercooler. I don't think it's too low.



Only problem with that is the previous owner painted my car a shifty blue/purple that would be incredibly difficult to match, I would imagine...
Old 02-14-10 | 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by The Shaolin
The piping runs straight down, I guess where the windshield washer tank used to be, and then makes a 90* turn under the headlight motor.
I think the current piping could be modified to attach to a better-designed intercooler. Also, the BOV is mounted in a high-velocity area, although it will probably not make a huge difference. If you get the chance, try to mount the BOV near the intake manifold or near the turbo. Other than that, the plumbing looks pretty good to me.

Nice fuel system, and is that an Eibach sway bar? I hope you don't plan on driving with that cover on the back side of the radiator.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
Maybe I'll pick up a different front bumper or a lip.
That will be way more expensive than modifying your current intercooler, or buying a new one and selling the current one. Besides, I think you are right about the difficulty matching that color, although maybe the painters on this forum would be able to better estimate that. I do like the color.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
I got a deal on this intercooler
Great, you got a deal on an intercooler that doesn't fit. That's not a deal in my opinion, lol.
Old 02-14-10 | 09:47 PM
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Funny story, the BOV is getting moved....I have the panspeed replica reverse cowl hood and it hits it in it's current spot *facepalm*.

Suspension is RacingBeat all the way around. The "cover" is a five minute fiberglass shroud.

Thanks again for the help. I'm doing everything on this car by myself and I'm trying to do everything right the first time, but I'm learning things as I go along. For example....overkill fuel system=good. Giant intercooler with 3" piping=bad overkill. As with all projects, it's going to be a continuous improvement project that's probably never finished. I'll re-do the intercooler and piping when it has to be done, for now I'd just like to get it running


Also, Deal's Gap/TOTD is awesome...I've gone twice. Blew my engine just after that bridge in your sig this year...haha.
Old 02-14-10 | 10:44 PM
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If you open your hood,you will see the Five bolts that the Bumper skin is attached to.
That is what I used to Mount my intercooler.here is a pic of it,under the body kit..(sorry I don't take great snapshots!).
Attached Thumbnails FMIC install:  How low is too low?-017.jpg  
Old 02-15-10 | 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted by The Shaolin
Funny story, the BOV is getting moved....I have the panspeed replica reverse cowl hood and it hits it in it's current spot *facepalm*.
LOL, doh!

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
The "cover" is a five minute fiberglass shroud.
The cover is supposed to go under the edge of the fan, not over it. The way it is now it is keeping air from flowing through the area of the radiator that is not under the fan. If you don't have the time to make another cover, then you may want to just remove the current cover and see how that works. The fan is only for use at low speed, usually about 30-35mph. Above that speed it should be turned off. I know it sounds strange, but a moving fan is actually more of a restriction to high-speed airflow than a stationary fan.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
I'm trying to do everything right the first time
LOL, not gonna happen. I know professional race mechanics who still make mistakes after over 30 years of experience.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
overkill fuel system=good.
I would call your system a quality system, not overkill. A -6 AN system is optimal for about 500bhp, while the next size down (5/16") is optimal for only about 300bhp. The SX and Aeromotive FPRs are really nice and offer a stable fuel flow and the diaphragm doubles as a pulsation damper. Most people use cheapie sub-standard parts and then don't understand why they have so much trouble tuning their engines. Garbage in > garbage out.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
Giant intercooler with 3" piping=bad overkill.
Long intercoolers are usually not as good as intercoolers that are more squared. If a long intercooler is all that will fit, then the end tanks should be on the top and bottom will flow better than one with end tanks on the sides.

Originally Posted by The Shaolin
Also, Deal's Gap/TOTD is awesome...I've gone twice. Blew my engine just after that bridge in your sig this year...haha.
Yeah, DGRR is pretty fun, and I have already made reservations for this year. I would also like to go to Sevenstock, but it is too far away from my current location.

Originally Posted by misterstyx69
(sorry I don't take great snapshots!).
Wow, you could really use a camera with auto-focus. The Canon Powershot A490 is only about $100.
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=19923
Old 02-15-10 | 10:30 AM
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planning on making 700WHP? then your core is too big... 1" too tall and WAY too wide.
Old 02-15-10 | 11:11 AM
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I feel it should not be sticking down any further then the radiator and oil cooler do now, you are now requiring alot of the air to pass through the IC before it gets to the radiator and oil cooler.
I feel it should be higher so that air can still pass UNDER the IC on its way to the radiator and oil cooler, air flow in that area is very important to the car's cooling, a larger bumper is not the answer. I did back to back testing with lips and bumpers and a simple 1" strip of bumper or lip resulted in 10-15 degree difference in temps under normal driving, you are now proposing hiding that IC with a bumper or a lip, I dont think this is the way to go.

Swap out the core before you get too involved.
Old 02-15-10 | 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Karack
planning on making 700WHP? then your core is too big... 1" too tall and WAY too wide.
Bwahahaha! Thanks for that.

I'll sign up on Supraforums and sell this one and buy another one...lol
Old 02-15-10 | 12:52 PM
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Eyeing up the m-spec kits on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M-Spe...#ht_1431wt_956

Thanks, Sir.William for the installed pictures (https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/fmic-my-rx7-868963/)



So, it looks like it fits good, it's not stupid huge. I'd weld together any of the pieces that I could. The only disadvantage might be that I would have to do some substantial modification to the first hotside pipe...my turbo is much farther forward.



Gaaahh...maybe I'll just get a core and make the 3" piping work. I don't know.

His is in front of the bumper support, mine is behind it. That's not helping, but it's still too large.
Old 02-15-10 | 02:36 PM
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that ebay kit appears to be a greddy copy

I would just buy that kit and be done with it, you could probably sell off what you have
Old 02-15-10 | 02:52 PM
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That is pretty cool. Drive it and see what happens!

JK, I know that is not helpful. I use the NPR intercooler which works great.
Old 02-15-10 | 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Rob XX 7
that ebay kit appears to be a greddy copy

I would just buy that kit and be done with it, you could probably sell off what you have
The easy way out...lol. I've got a bunch of time, and about $300 into this kit...another $400 and I shouldn't have bothered in the first place. I'll get a smaller 3" core and make it work.
Old 02-15-10 | 03:50 PM
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check out cx racing cores then
Old 02-15-10 | 06:17 PM
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You could try tilting the ic but it doesn't look like you have much room.

V-mount all the way.
Old 02-15-10 | 06:38 PM
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yeah man it looks a little low. i have to say the welds on that piping look a little novice. if you have the money you should go with the ebay kit or get your piping rewelded by a pro. think about it, when you pop your hood to show someone are you seriously going to proud to show them that?



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