badhabit90

iTrader: (13)

this tutorial is on a TurboXS intercooler. the basics can be used on any intercooler. just follow the same steps and take your time.

okay, dont you hate all those nasty little rocks and stuff that get gathered up in your new pretty looking intercooler?? dont you also hate it when the fins get bent and now it looks like !#$#$?? well, i did this on my 98 GST Eclipse with a Greddy type 24 intercooler and worked really well. i also did this to my stock intercooler, radiator, and my wifes radiator in her Lexus IS300. let me tell you, it keeps ALOT of bugs/rocks from plugging up her A/C condenser since she does quite a bit of driving.


since their isnt a "how to" on this, i decided to document on how to protect your intercooler.

okay first off, you will need to remove your intercooler. i wont go into explaining that since there are several other threads on how to remove your front facia, piping, intercooler, etc. i will just jump to the intercooler itself. okay, here we go


for starters, you will need some aluminum screen mesh found at your local hardware store. cost me about $8.00 for the aluminum type. reason i chose aluminum is for the retention of shape, cost, and most importantly its aluminum like your intercooler. the mesh itself looks like it is better at allowing airflow through unlike the plastic/nylon type of mesh.

you will also need a straight edge of some type, a tape measure, a marker, and some ultra black silicone.



once you aquired these items it is time to make some measurements. what i like to do is make the measurements of the intercooler about 1" wider for the sides and 2"taller for the heights. more on that later...

here is what you should have by now:



okay, good. i have a nice square to cut out. you can use scissors if you like(recommended). it wont damage the scissors-it will keep your cut fairly straight and uniform. if you try to use a box cutter, it will only tear up the screen. we dont want that. we want it nice and square. you will see why in the following steps.

okay, now you have it cut out. find something around the house that you can use to fold over the screen mesh with. a yard stick will do. remember i told you that i like to measure about 1" wider?? here is why:


take a measurement of 1/2" and fold over the screen. you can do this by laying the yard stick down and using your hand to just fold the screen upwards at a 90* angle first, then fold it over completely. do the same for the othe side. this will keep the edges of the screen from unraveling.

badhabit90

iTrader: (13)

next, you will want to do the top and bottom of the screen mesh. you will be making a measurement of 1" this time and only folding it to 90*. DO NOT FOLD IT ALL THE WAY OVER!! you will be attaching it to the intercooler soon. that is in the next step. you should have something like this now...




you can take the screen and lay it ontop of your intercooler now to make any final adjustments. if you have made a measurement error, you can flatten the screen back out and readjust your marks. now is the time to make sure...




first, clean the areas along the top and bottom of the intercooler where it will be attached. i used some brake parts cleaner.

next, we are going to attach the intercooler with some high temp ultra black silicone. lay the intercooler down and lay the screen mesh over the front of the intercooler. what you will be doing is making a bead of silicone along the top and bottom of the intercooler with the screen on it. i set some extra cans on top to hold down the screen so it doesnt move. once you are comfortable with the fitment, you can start to make your bead like this:

to help make it uniform, i just ran my finger along the bead of silicone to make sure it was "suspending" the screen into the silicone.

and the bottom:



once you have done both the top and bottom, let it dry for about an hour. it will be tacky and you will be able to handle it.

i like the stock appearing look, so after about an hour, i took some appliance epoxy paint to it. i just sprayed enough to do the top side.

badhabit90

iTrader: (13)

okay, once you have let the paint dry, you can handle the intercooler. here is a comparison from stock to the new front mount.






once you are happy with it and done polishing the endtanks, you can install back into the car. it should look something like this:






total time was about 4hours. this includes the time to take off the front facia if you are familiar with taking it off. if not i would add about 1 more hour to that.

good luck and i hope it was useful for you!! thanks for reading!!

Blacksheepdj

iTrader: (88)

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