This is how the car was looking in July of last year. The car needed an intercooler for the turbo setup. It’s an easier step to make than setting the car up with a completely aftermarket ECU, so I decided I’d start small.

I guess a person could say “You don’t need an intercooler.” They’d be right. A turbo setup can function without it. However, if you want any power with a turbo car you’ll want one.

I had purchased a kit, but it was no good. So many of the parts that came with the kit I just stared at wondering where and how they were supposed to go together to form one cohesive unit. That included all four mounting brackets that came with it. I decided to make my own brackets.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I like to reuse holes already drilled in the car when possible (until this method gets in the way of efficiency or functionality). I think it’s less scary to me when I know I can reverse any change made to the car. Since I had taken out the air conditioning system, it seemed like a good idea to use the mounting places originally for the AC condenser for the intercooler.

This wasn’t very difficult. It was mostly a matter of measuring, drilling, eye-balling, and checking that things fit right. You’ll also notice the power steering lines are in some of the photos. I did install the intercooler after I did the tie rod end upgrade, but before swapping the manual steering.

Alright! After this, the car had a visible intercooler through the front grille for at least eight months before the turbo setup was functional.