The Project Pad

Well I could but I hate to cut up that manifold and de-value it. I don't know if its something I can weld.
I think I'll start with getting the two flanges and then from there see how it looks with the 90 DEG. TB rotation. I'll most likely have to relocate the IAT sensor as well if I want the larger FMIC up there.
What I need is around this size, but rated for more than 22 PSI . And ideally 2.5" depth
https://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-universal-intercooler-small.html

Getting some stuff solved regarding the intercooler . Made a small piece to rotate the TB and gain some clearance . Just need to add a small flange for the IAT sensor and I’ll be done with that portion. Then to weld the inlet /outlet on the intercooler itself . Outlet is going to be tricky due to a tight 90/space constraint

Nice work! Did you machine the bits or get them made somewhere in town? Your aluminum welding is looking good

Those welds do look nice! Glad to see that's sorted out. I don't think the intercooler should be too bad, obviously if you exit out the bottom side of the intercooler. Granted being there in person to look at it could tell a very different story to the picture.

Kirk the bits, I got the two that I used from Issam/INA as he already had a patern drawn up; the third square looking one was from 034 but it has extra holes in it as it goes with a VR6 throttle body adapter
The intercooler, I'll have to do some thinking about it . I'm going to have to make a whole new end tank so anything is possible I guess . I'll get some better pics soon to show the issue. Basically I used the front mount to keep the piping as clean and short runs as possible and I don't want to add a 180 degree loop on there .

Starting to look at the core support . I think I can get the factory piece back in there with a few small bolts and have a nice removable set up that will resemble factory .
4K donor shape


Needs a little massaging to be a tight fit

Test run of how things would fit with this setup. It’s ok. Biggest concern will be getting the intake pipe on the drivers side to the TB .

Still struggling with the intercooler . Shortened my TB spacer down by about an inch . Still may need to shorten it even more . I used some 3” aluminum bends to make the tightest possible radius I could , it will barely be able to get into the intercooler .




Not sure if I am overthinking in or not, so I ordered a couple silicone hoses to try and see how close it would get me . Still will have to rebuild the end tanks but that’s ok

One more piece of the puzzle .
This is one of the hassles involved with running the Indy turbo, the Inlet is made to accept a restrictor so there’s not an area to clamp on a hose like most .
This Inlet will allow me to bolt on a filter . There are other ways to do this faster but this will look cool and be removable




Will have one more cool adapter that is in the works .
Basically the piece I made to rotate my TB 90 degrees but in one piece , machined . One flange with 8 holes and not quite 90 degree rotation .
Since all space is valuable I can shave about 3/4” off that dimension between the tb and manifold .

Sweet! You going to make a few and sell them? ;-)

the german wrote:Sweet! You going to make a few and sell them? ;-)

Well I could but I’m not sure anyone but me will need it .
There was a shop on eBay that was selling those EFR 7163 Penske turbos and I saw them on there just random chance . Saw the price and picked one up. But now that I’m running this turbo I find myself wishing I’d picked up another one , because if this one goes bad I’d be screwed, my exhaust manifold is now flanged with this random specialty flange that is specific to only these turbos . I have searched and never seen any more for sale other than some guy on the Subaru forums who picked up all of the remaining ones and doubled the price and sold them all.
I guess if the turbo went bad I could save my exhaust housing if they are the same but I’d have some work to do .

Maybe someone would need or want the TB rotation flange ... I’m just tryin to maximize my space . It’s not done yet but close


I’m guessing the average person . Unlike my dumb ass .... would just get a normal exhaust housing , have a normal intake manifold , cut the core support , and put the intercooler in a place where it fits . Ha!

Lol got it- didn’t realize the well had run dry on those Penske cast-offs. That’s a bummer. Kinda wish I had bought one or two as well, even though I have no use for them right now.

the german wrote:Lol got it- didn’t realize the well had run dry on those Penske cast-offs. That’s a bummer. Kinda wish I had bought one or two as well, even though I have no use for them right now.

You are thinking about it backwards . You get the turbo —> then you need to find a use for it —-> next thing you know your coupe is TT monster .
Or a guy with your skill level , take the turbo , find a suitable engine , build a tube frame around it .
They will be back up again at some point I’m sure . They were around $600 but the price has gone up now . I just wanted an extra - so I could have it rebuilt . I called a few places and haven’t found anyone that rebuilds EFRs yet

Made a little progress but not much .
Worked on the intercooler a little , started making the first end tank . Things started out well but I didn’t get very far .

Weld rod pattern outline

Bent the end tank outer piece


Filler pieces made




Everything was looking real good . Not professional but OK , and when I was trying to smooth out the inside of the pipe using a carbide bit it grabbed and trashed the smooth finish on the outside of the end tank . It’s all getting painted but it bothers me

Yeah carbide bits can dig in really easily, especially on soft metal like stainless or aluminum. If you have any flapper wheels (for a die grinder) they do the job very nicely.

You are thinking about it backwards . You get the turbo —> then you need to find a use for it —-> next thing you know your coupe is TT monster .
Or a guy with your skill level , take the turbo , find a suitable engine , build a tube frame around it .
They will be back up again at some point I’m sure . They were around $600 but the price has gone up now . I just wanted an extra - so I could have it rebuilt . I called a few places and haven’t found anyone that rebuilds EFRs yet

It’s like you’re reading my mind.

Working on the other side of the intercooler .
This fitment would be so much better if there was such a thing as an intercooler core that had a slight bend to it - I’ve never seen that . Maybe it exists.

Space for 90 deg. Hose :






Almost finished but hit something in the corner here and it blew out. Will have to find a way to fix- maybe grind out and use a backer ?

Check your gas first, I have had bottles fail to shield properly even with a few hundred psi in the tank. This can make you want to kill yourself! Put the tig on more negative balance to clean that area up. I just go over it repeatedly until it starts to pool up without blowing shit out of the weld. I like to do this on cast aluminum along the weld before I actually weld it. If you can get a copper sheet behind there to back it that would help a bunch.

Looking good!

Small curved cores exist for bikes, but a bit too much curve for most car applications

audifreakjim wrote:Check your gas first, I have had bottles fail to shield properly even with a few hundred psi in the tank. This can make you want to kill yourself! Put the tig on more negative balance to clean that area up. I just go over it repeatedly until it starts to pool up without blowing shit out of the weld. I like to do this on cast aluminum along the weld before I actually weld it. If you can get a copper sheet behind there to back it that would help a bunch.

Looking good!

That’s a good idea I guess I have never tried to just sweep over it and clean it first .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

alxdgr8 wrote:Small curved cores exist for bikes, but a bit too much curve for most car applications

Yeah I thought about trying to give the core a slight bend , just didn’t want to crack or stress anything and I’m not sure if it’s necessary. It would only give me more clearance though.
At this point I have it set to where it will fit between the headlights and behind the grill with a slight modification to the grill. That gives me a good amount of clearance on the engine so that if it rotates up , it will still clear . This is without scooting the engine back any yet .
So now that all this is done , I used this cheaper core to do all the fitup and testing. If I get the car running and everything works well then I would consider getting a higher quality core , 27” x 8” x 2.75.



Got a hose for the turbo Inlet


And the big score



Clearance with the IM



And lastly another small piece I’m prototyping . A little velocity stack for the turbo Inlet

Still battling the front mount . I have a way to set it up so it’ll work .
It’s not a very big intercooler so I’m thinking if I ever want to go big power I will have to sack up and cut the whole core support out and do a removable front .
This bracket doubles up on the stock holes for the snub mount

Intercooler sits on top of it


Then factory the core support piece goes over that once it’s finished and I will have to get more paint I guess .




Also need a spot to shove the IAT

Intercooler in place . More to come this weekend




This is the tightest part in the clearance area

Tight radius 3” silicone hose should do it . We’ll see .
Should only be about an 8” run of piping total in the intake system .

Finished that piece this AM

Paint that intake the same as the valve cover once you get done.

Got a little sidetracked today because I’ve been freezing my tits off in the shop . Someone gave me an old wood stove and I’m going to pipe it up- but the stove exit on top is an 9.75” x 4.75” rectangle , and my piping is 6” round .
I’m really trying to get some high flow out of this stack (lol) so I tried to make a rectangle to circle piece . It’s a lot harder than it seems , as is most metal work .
First I made the rectangular insert -

Then the corner pieces


10 x 8 degree bends in the brake on each








Aaaaaaand it’s not round [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY][FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY][FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]
So my math was off and I spent 2 hours tig welding 18 ga sheet metal . Metal working is a pain !




Anyways back to the car .
I needed to remake my catch can and make it a little smaller . Had an idea for a little swirl pot.
It’s got an AN -12 Inlet from the crank case and one from the valve cover , a -12 AN vent (back to intake?) and a -6AN drain which will drain back to the block via the puck , with a check valve .