BREATHE!!!

An item I had wanted to fit up since purchasing the car was the larger intercooler. H.D.I. (Hybrid Developments International or Hybrid) released a direct fit... (Kinda!) Well after a day and a half of direct fitting the cooler I finally got to get out and give it a try. I should explain, I had the image in my head since its not the usual 600x300x76 that this would be made to bolt up... Hmmm... NO! It wasn't too bad once I had the die grinder and the tin of paint it must be admitted. (If that comment doesn't inspire a heart rate increase not much will.)

So (basically) first cab off the ranks is front bar off...

 

Then I test fitted the cooler so as to find the neatest way to adapt the reinforcement bar to suit the new intercooler being that the instructions give you a cut-out template which is very easy to follow but cuts out far too much. I found when test fitting the cooler that in fact the cut only needed to be around an inch and a half to two inches.

After the cuts were completed, the brackets supplied in the kit do bolt it up directly to existing holes and make it very stable. The pipes supplied in the kit also go together quite easily including the boost sensor which is basically an aluminium block that mounts where the old under battery pipe was since the new location for the pipe is under the car meaning the sensor does not reach. This sensor collects air from the cooler pipe just before the throttle body via a silicone hose (also supplied) (pictured below in intake photo). Then you modify the intake hose from the bottom of the turbo to fit up with the pipes supplied in the kit.

And basically that is the kit installed.

As you will notice the intercooler pictured here is chrome, I went for the all black sleeper look initially which was another few hours of entertainment for me during the installation process but in the end the finished product looked the goods I believe.

After time, slowly the paint came off and I had the new wheels fitted up that were black with a chrome lip and the headlights as you see are black with chrome rings etc... So I cleaned up the end tanks and am still sporting the look pictured below.

To put a final touch to the intake system now that the intercooler has been up graded, I mentioned in a previous post that I had relocated the battery to the boot so that I could put the airbox where it should have been put in the first place, not cross over every hot engine component in the bay.

Temporarily using the factory 4 inch convolution tube and a simple 3 inch pipe with P.C.V. fitting and blow off valve plumb back spigot I have the system in place. This will soon be replaced by a stainless pipe and silicon hose setup but for now I have it where I need it so as I can begin fabricating the airbox to engine bay divider.

Now this is a mod that I'm not sure is necessary but inline with the P.C.V. and its return I have fitted up a catch can which is there if ever needed. 

Fitted in as neat as possible using holes that were originally necessary to mount the air box, this catch can is basically a beginning to filling up the void left where the factory air box once was.

Previously to making up the short intake I had spent some time trying to better the system fitted by Ford including the K&N panel type filter spoken of earlier in this blog

 

and the intake duct

 

and I've been down the path of directly ducting the air straight from the fog light hole to the air box through 3 inch duct

 

then mimicked the same setup using 5 inch duct.

 

But none of these setups had the same effect as the short intake. None gave the increased response, none gave the reduced intake temps and none gave the fantastic sound when spooling up the turbo. This short intake once finally boxed and with the intake fabricated from stainless should be impressive to hear. I can't wait!