making a intercooler

[jdmfan]

a couple members asked if i could do a tutorial on how to make my intercoolers.

these are the tools and materials i use knife ,cutters, needle nose tweesers, styrene (2 different types 1 is metal siding .040 spacing and the other is just regular flat styrene) bondo ,red spot putty, tamiya 2 part epoxy putty, solder, aluminum tubing ,beading wire ,crazy glue sand paper and a ruler

first thing i do is cut the metal siding to the size you want the fmic core to be( cut 4 pieces)

glue the 4 pieces together and cut a small strip of the flat styrene the cut it into 4 pieces (there for the end tanks) and 2 pieces of solder for the inlets

then i use the crazy glue to put the one side of the end tanks on and the solder for the inlets

the using the knife i cut the the one side of the end tanks to the size and shape i want

[jdmfan]

then repeat the same thing to the other size

the mix the bondo up and fill in the end tanks

then sand the bondo smooth and use the red spot putty to fill any pits

the sand the spot putty after it drys

[jdmfan]

then mix up a small amount of the 2 part epoxy putty

then roll it into a small little line

then put the little strips on the joints of the end tanks

i use a small paint brush to push it down and make it strait across the joint . u might have to use the knife to clean up the epoxy to make the joint the size you require

the using the knife i lightly make small pits in the epoxy to make it look like it welded

[jdmfan]

cut the aluminum tube for the end tanks

paint the intercooler and end tanks i paint mine silver chrome and the aluminum tube black

glue the aluminum tube on the end tanks over the solder

i use tin tape to make the hose clamps

the cut 4 small pieces of beading wire for the hose clamps

[John Pol]

Real nice how to thats what we need on this site more how toos. How about guys want to share some of your knowledge with the rest of group.

John Pol

[jdmfan]

then i use flat black paint to make the intercooler pop out

i just use my finger to to wipe the paint off leaving the grooves painted black

then you have your self a nice looking intercooler

[Mike Kucaba]

This was worth it just for the tip on hose clamps!! Well done

[rel14]

NICE,, LIKE THE CLAMP IDEA,, LOOKS GOOD

[Bastardo]

Luv it

The way I did it once:

I made a plastic frame, painted it black, glued some soldering wire in it, made a frame out of an old 1.44 MB disk and inserted a piece of some fine mesh I got from who-knows-where-from:

I scratch-built a fan and added it to the cooler:

The final result after some wires and some "dirt":

[allparish12]

VERY NICE tut!!!...i agree...we need more how to's...there are many ways to skin a cat

[cobraman]

Nicely done how-to. Thanks

[MicroNitro]

I am bookmarking this one outstanding.

[Steven Zimmerman]

GREAT tutorial, all the way through ! Well photographed, well explained....

[cherokeered]

Where did you get the Tin Tape?....Awesome Tutorial!!!

Edited April 4, 2012 by cherokeered

[jdmfan]

Where did you get the Tin Tape?....Awesome Tutorial!!!

I got it from Walmart . Homedepot also has it .

[dig]

that's awesome! thanks for sharing

[jdmfan]

im glad you guy like the tutorial .

Edited April 11, 2012 by jdmfan

[wraith]

I have built a couple intercoolers the 1st way described and with some blackwash you can get them looking very good!

I hope to have one of those builds done and posted soon!

[Romell R]

Luv it

The way I did it once:

I made a plastic frame, painted it black, glued some soldering wire in it, made a frame out of an old 1.44 MB disk and inserted a piece of some fine mesh I got from who-knows-where-from:

I scratch-built a fan and added it to the cooler:

The final result after some wires and some "dirt":

Thats not an intercooler it's a radiator. but all in all it's a job well done. next time make a post of your own some may consider this thread highjacking

[allparish12]

did you widen the fenders yourself or was that apart of the kit? I've been looking for a bodykit/fender widening tutorial for a while...i've seen a couple of ones that suggest cutting the body, but i was looking for one that just adds styrene and some putty to sand down

[rmvw guy]

Nice tutorial, thanks!

[wraith]

here is a pic of my almost finished intercooler i build following this tutorial. it still needs to be blackwashed. I sprayed it with a Chrome finish Krylon spray paint. the "CHROME in a can" spray paint did a better job than i though it would!

this pic does not do the chrome spray paint any justice.

and another one I made.

looks better than without, don't you think?

[hotrod59f100]

That does look great . I used to steel them out of my jada dicast till I realized that yo can do much better yourself.

[martinfan5]

This is a great how to, I am going to try this out

[cherokeered]

Who makes the SRT-4 kit? I had a 2004 Red 1:1...miss that car! I would love to do a model of it....