LAST EDITED ON 13-Dec-00 AT 10:28 PM (PST)

While your doing all this fabrication and you're looking to get something cheap, why not go for a proven alternative. Get the Starion/Conquest FMIC. They're ALWAYS for sale on the dsm parts trader, the normal parts trader, junkyards and ALWAYS EBAY(http://search.ebaymotors.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&siteid=100&s_partnerid=2&ebaytag1=ebayreg&query=intercooler&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ebaytag1code=0&category1=0%26categorymap%3D0).

Expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on condition.(I paid $100 for an example)

It's been used on several DSM's and soon will be on mine too. Other DSM's have taken this intercooler into the 12's and that's way more than I need right now. Also, if you can find or make some nice intercooler pipes, you'll be able to easily upgrade to another intercooler that maybe suits you better. From what I hear though, after people switch to another FMIC from this one, they never feel much in terms of additional power. As I understand it, more air-to-air intercoolers are pretty much the same. Sure, there's more tubes in this one, or more surface air with another, but they all work very much on the same principle and there's only so much technology that you can squeeze into something like that. (...and most of it's size-based)

As I was saying about this Starion option, though, there's already a VFAQ for a 4g63 on it. Just do the same thing except make the piping suitable to YOUR application with the 420a(mainly "mirror" the 4g63 setup). I already have the mandrel piping from JC Whiteny. I bought all of it for about $90 before shipping. Just need it cut, painted, and welded.

I also recommend getting the inlets and outlets to the intercooler widened and the outlet to the starion intercooler moved to the same "mirrored" spot as did the 4g63 application in the picture below.


(Before on the left) (After on the right)

Use 2.25" too. You'll need to buy just a little aluminum bent piping as well. You can get what you need for $30.00 at RRE. (one 2.25" 90* mandrel bend....more than anough for BOTH outlets) Just take that to a welder who can do aluminum. Should be available by looking in your yellow pages.

I'm going to base most of my install on the vfaq here, but have someone else do the welding and probably cutting too.

http://members.aol.com/~aznboixtc8/starion.html

This minivan guy(Gus Mahon) also is quite handy for figuring out some low budget i/c piping!

http://pages.cthome.net/gus/cooler.html

I'll just paint it with some high temp aluminum paint.

http://www.twingles.com/ideck/engine/spearcopipe.htm

When youre done you can look like this...



or this 420a...


(Raizin)

Good luck and email me with any questions. I imagine this can be your PERFECT solution as a AT owner since you won't have to concern yourself with how a SMIC will interfere with your tranny.

Jason
98' Eagle Talon ESi-T
Mitsu Super 16g Turbo(HRC)


http://springfielddsm.homestead.com/JasonsPics.html