Yeah I know what you mean about the eBay ones, but I thought I'd give it a go. They are a fraction of the cost of Pro-alloy ones.

I'm using the RS500 rad, with the pipes modified, fits nice under the I/C outlets.

will the rad sit in the original subaru fittings or will you be sitting it lower down?i was going to just use a classic rad and sit it lower to clear the intercooler pipe outlets.but i have the summit underbrace fitted so carnt go any lower than it is now.i'm hoping the intercooler will be here this week so i can sit it in place and i might just get them to make me a custom rad to fit.all gets a little expensive though when you have things made up rather than making what you have fit.

On my car, if I put a classic rad under the I/C pipes, the rad sticks out 100mm below the cross member.

I agree, custom rads are expensive.

The RS500 one was £100 ish, and probablly cost £30 ish to modify.

looks like the classic ones going to be out the window for me then,as it will sit too low.hurry up and get yours fitted then i can see if its going to be a better option for me

Nice work Neil.

When you say its a bolt on front, do you think that will be secure enough? I had been thinking of just bolting it together to save trying to find a welder to replace the front slam panel on mine.

Cheers
Ricey

Paul, 2 things:

First, the slam panel is not structural in any way, so as long as it is fixed by any means all is good.

Secondly, pretty much all the normal spot weld locations are now replaced by M6 nut & bolt, so essentially the same in terms of strength anyway.


I used to carry out this modification when working on Fiesta's running in the Fiesta Challenge back in the late 90's, so it's no problem.

BTW, most modern cars have bolt on front panels anyway from factory.

Makes it easier to repair, or change the front end if requird in the future.

Coll, thanks for the info Neil, now I wish I have made a better job of drilling out the spot welds lol

Cheers
Ricey

Todays, albeit small, progress.

Need to mount the radiator, and do a bit of recycling, so....


Need some fairly sturdy brackets, so take one recycled thing which normally resides under the rear seats on a newage:



Bit of guesstimation measuring:



Chop chop:



Drill 2 more holes here:



Bolt to Rad:



Fit to car using some captive bolts:





Just need to modify the rad outlets and another little job ticked off the list.

I have just read this thread from start to finish i salute your skills and dedication to this car.....

Fantastic work mate only wish i had the skills i look forward to the next updates

+1
exact same here. just spent the last half an hour reading this thread. great work!

Small update..

Managed to integrate the strut brace into the car, instead of it just being an afermarket bolt on jobbie, and put the engine in place to start the intercooler pipework..





Clocked the turbo compressor housing.





Old pipework nearly lines up with the intercooler, but is a bit scrap.



So I got some 3" steel tubing and got welding.








However, I'm not too certain whether that is going to be the final routing, not quite happy with it just yet.

That looks mint, but wouldn't alloy tubing be lighter and less likely to corrode than steel

Alloy would be lighter yes, but I can't tig weld.

Many people use Stainless for the pipework, which weighs as much as mild steel anyway.

Corrosion isn't to much of a concern to be honest, as they will be painted.

Early HKS pipework was all mild steel.

Like that alot Neil but I'd say you have the pipe a little close to the dipstick,when the motor torque's over when under load or reved it will touch as it go's toward the N/S?
Love the intregrated strut brace idea as well fella

Cheers Ryan,

The dipstick clearance will be fine, I had no problems with the previous set up which was similar.

Im liking that Neil, looks good.

What about the internals of the pipework will they bo ok untreated? I suppose there isnt much chance of corrosion inside the pipes?!?

Keep up the good work buddy, its always nice to read threads like this when you havent read them for a while.

Rob

Cool that's ok then as I wouldn't want the lovely paint to get marked when done lol.
It's your mastor piece along with doing Jonmc's car that is creating the fire inside to do mine

Have you ever looked inside any intercooler pipework..?

Always a trace of oil other than anything else..

I've used mild steel many years ago without problems, as have HKS as previously stated.


It's always good to update the thread sometimes, as positive comments always boost the motivation.

Wish I could weld and paint and stuff.

Love the attention to detail and quality of your work Neil. Sure it'll be stunning when finished.

looking good Neil ;-)

If I couldn't weld and paint and stuff, then I would not have such a car, as I certainly couldn't afford to pay some one to do it for me.

On the other hand, if I'd have stuck with my education and got a proper job, maybe I would.

Cheers Daren.

Gonna look well that matey, You've only for a few months left you know

That's me fcuked then, as I didn't stick in at school.

Supposed to be ready for the end of March, but there's only one chance of that, FAT chance.

Love it! Looking good now.

New pipework, just hope I haven't jumped the gun regarding my ECU option...








Also finalised the position of the oil cooler.

Took a bit of head scratching, as I really did not want any hoses in the engine bay, but in any other position the unions were either hanging low under the car, or at the outside edge of the bumper.

I don't want to take the risk of breaking them in the event of any collisions or 'offs' on kerbs, tyre walls etc...





Planning on having this fed straight through the front bumper, and the air released through the side of the front bumper and wheel arch liner.

What's with the sudden change of manifold and pipework mate?

New pipework looks that's a tiny run
I want to know more about these ECU options

Pipework is far better IMO. I wish more people would take the time and effort to do this.