The Intercooler Thread

[atomaly]

not sure who did it in JP but looks rather well done to me. im happy!

[wolverine]

a partition for that pod would be worth an hour of fiddling around.

clark rubber has some foil backed foam that would do the job (with a stanley knife) and should keep your intake temps down a whisker.

[Tommy G]

I recieved and installed my Cooling Pro "Stealth" FMIC last weekend. This particular kit required much more modification than just a trim. Below I have stated my experiences with this product....

I was required to use an angle grinder with a parting-off wheel to delicately cut away steel framework, and also chunks of plastic from the rear of the vents on the bar to allow adequate clearance to refit the front bar. I had to use extreme care when cutting so I wouldn't slip and destroy the bar, not to mention how hard it was to make it all level and not look out of proportion. None of the supplied bolts or spacers seemed to fit anywhere in particular, although we were lucky enough to have some bolts and scrap metal on-hand to hold the cooler into place. This particular kit quite obviously did not take into account the factory cooling fan at the front of the radiator; at the moment the cooler is hard up against that fan (see photos). However if it is moved further forward or downwards, or even tilted forward it does not allow for clearance for the pipes to reach their location. I have no doubt that these kits have fit many other car models with ease, but it seems to be that for the Series 2 Nissan Stagea there are quite obviously flaws in their design. The fact of the matter is that I bought this kit because I honestly did not want to modify the aesthetics of the car (thus why I bought the more expensive 'Stealth' kit). To top it off no instructions were sent for the install. I understand that some modification is required on any car customisation job, but this was honestly one pain after another.

I have since had some unfortunate dealings with Just-Jap and Cooling Pro since, who admit that "these intercoolers should be fitted by licensed mechanic if you need to take this to a mechanic now you should have never attempted to fit this kit yourself . We have never had one problem fitting these kits before . It does not matter what kit we send you they all need to trim front bumpers and steel." There you have it, straight from the horses mouth. This is what you don't read on the website. If you are going to order one of these kits, keep the above in mind. I have advised Just-Jap/Cooling Pro to put clearer warnings on products in future and remove the "direct fit" blurb from their website. I've also suggested they include instructions with their kits in future. All in all we managed to install the cooler, however I am not happy with the outcome. I have it booked in with a quality mechanic today to repair what appears to be a leaking cooler pipe. I am dissapointed with this product.

[Blitz]

Doesn't sound right - Was it really that necessary to chop that much of your reo out?

I know a couple of people with these fitted and they went on without any fuss, just some bar trimming in most cases, but this is required with pretty much any kit you buy.

[Anquetil]

...

Seriously dissappointing, was it the same kit that 48ngr installed? Surely it can't be?

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/In...t&p=4092932

[KiwiRS4T]

Obviously a few rums make it easier. Just looking at 48ngr's very tidy installation he either has a non standard front bar or has modified it by removing the number plate holder etc. It is probably somewhat misleading to say they "slot straight in", but each person probably has a different view of what is an easy install possibly depending on how used they are to adapting things to make them fit.

[StageaTypeS]

Well I wouldn't be too pissed about the Cooling Pro fitment, I paid $1500 for my Greddy Front Mount on the assumption that it fitted straight on. It looks to be identical to the Cooling Pro ones (Think they must have copied the design lol)

I experienced the same problem where the AC Fan hits the back of the intercooler. Also had to space the top bracket out by adding an extra nut so I could actually do up the intercooler.

I also notice that you have a dayz front bar like mine, Had to do plenty of cutting too i see. I can only assume that these intercoolers were probably designed for std front bars. On the AC fan I am guessing that maybe certain models e.g. S2 stageas had a different fan that protudes more than others.

Anyways once its on for a couple of weeks you'll forget the pain and enjoy the way the car looks with a nice shiny intercooler hanging out of the front.

[Tommy G]

...I experienced the same problem where the AC Fan hits the back of the intercooler. Also had to space the top bracket out by adding an extra nut so I could actually do up the intercooler.

I also notice that you have a dayz front bar like mine, Had to do plenty of cutting too i see. I can only assume that these intercoolers were probably designed for std front bars. On the AC fan I am guessing that maybe certain models e.g. S2 stageas had a different fan that protudes more than others.

I believe the Cooling Pro kits are in fact, a direct copy of the GReddy kits. It seems, like you say, that these kits may have been designed for the Series 1 (non-NEO engined Stageas) with no attention paid to the extra width of the AC fan on the S2! Cooling Pro, if you're out there - please include different mounting for the Series 2 Stageas. Maybe the R34GTT kit would be a better suit for potential series 2 purchasers??? StageaTypeS - do you also have the two bottom mounting tabs 'floating' at the moment? I am getting my mechanic to fabricate some brackets for a sturdier mounting. I am going to trim/level the bar some more this weekend and reinstall the black mesh inserts to make it more stealthy. Will post pics when completed.

[StageaTypeS]

I believe the Cooling Pro kits are in fact, a direct copy of the GReddy kits. It seems, like you say, that these kits may have been designed for the Series 1 (non-NEO engined Stageas) with no attention paid to the extra width of the AC fan on the S2! Cooling Pro, if you're out there - please include different mounting for the Series 2 Stageas. Maybe the R34GTT kit would be a better suit for potential series 2 purchasers??? StageaTypeS - do you also have the two bottom mounting tabs 'floating' at the moment? I am getting my mechanic to fabricate some brackets for a sturdier mounting. I am going to trim/level the bar some more this weekend and reinstall the black mesh inserts to make it more stealthy. Will post pics when completed.

Nah my bottom tabs are bolted up to the bottom rail. The tabs had a couple of bends in them and originally they were too short to meet the bottom rail. I just flattened them out a bit with a big hammer and that gave me the extra 1/2 an inch I needed to bolt them to the bottom rail. I used a couple of the standard holes I found there that are used for holding on the undertray. I must admit my fit is pretty snug, not ideal but its on and once it is on you can't notice. The only thing that annoys me is I have a ding in the back side of my intercooler where the top of the fan motor has pushed against the intercooler. Its not big maybe the size of a 20c piece but its still a bit annoying.

[BigDirtyJase]

Yeah I've got a Cooling Pro cooler as well and had the same issues with the AC Fan. Although I first thought I got the wrong one (I got the R34 one because the Stagea one was not around). The only issue I have (which is most likely due being an R34 one is that I don't have the bottom tabs bolted up because they are not located near any bolt holes. I'm going to make up a bracket for it so I can mount it correctly

But other than that (and some small issues non cooler related) it's goes well

[GoldZilla]

I've got a GReddy kit on my s1 and was informed that it, too, was a PITA to fit, and I've also got a standard front bar on mine, not a Dayz version.

[CL11QE]

i picked up a cooler front just jap on the weekend, great guys to deal with....

didnt have time to fit it on the weekend which was disappointing but will hopefully do it real soon...

only problems im looking at is because i have a dayz kit (s2), i have the spotlights in the bar and

they seem to stick fairly far back and look as though they will really get in the way....so looks like

they will have to go.

im thinking maybe they will be able to fit behind the mesh on the outer most holes in the front sides

of the bar...what do you guys think?

[StageaTypeS]

i picked up a cooler front just jap on the weekend, great guys to deal with....

didnt have time to fit it on the weekend which was disappointing but will hopefully do it real soon...

only problems im looking at is because i have a dayz kit (s2), i have the spotlights in the bar and

they seem to stick fairly far back and look as though they will really get in the way....so looks like

they will have to go.

im thinking maybe they will be able to fit behind the mesh on the outer most holes in the front sides

of the bar...what do you guys think?

I must admit I had the same dilemna with mine. I always intended to put mine back in but after I eyed them up in the side vents after taking them off I don;t think they would look so good there. Maybe you should give it a go so that I can see what it would look like, still have my lights sitting in the shed

[CL11QE]

well i was going to sit them back a bit in there so u cant see em unless they're on....

[fat-lad]

all the front mounts ive fitted have required trimming of front bar and support bar, they never bolt straight in in my experience!

[CL11QE]

all the front mounts ive fitted have required trimming of front bar and support bar, they never bolt straight in in my experience!

yeh obviously, i was more asking for people who have the same bar/spotlight setup as i have, as the spotlights are

going to be in the way.

ive never fitted a cooler where the bar/reo didnt need cutting....

[fat-lad]

how deep are your spotlights man???

[CL11QE]

Ok so with the help of some friends i now have the cooler mounted, now all that is left to do is

cut and remount the bar...

This is the $399 cooling pro kit from Just Jap, who were easy as to deal with, and they supplied

me with r32 piping to see how that would go after a bit of discussion on fitting, and judging from

what my mate said, who had fitted the same kit to his r34, with r34 piping, this was a hell of alot

less hassle then his was...

Ive put some pics of where we cut the reo and where we drilled holes in the top to mount the

top of the cooler...

[fat-lad]

looks real good man, so whats diffrent with the r32 piping, did you have to chop a hole under the battery or do you s2 drivers get away with doing that?, and did you go over the fan, if you did did you have to trim the fan cowling or the blades at all, sorry for all the questions,

[CL11QE]

i think the main difference in the piping is that there is a little bend across the top that the 34 piping doesnt have which makes it sit a little better,

it also doesnt have a bracket on the pipe that you cant connect to anything anyway. yeh had to cut a hole under the battery, just used a hole saw

and it came out quite nice. We trimmed the fan a bit, but it still slightly hits so will have to trim a little more.

here's a pic of where it goes over the fan...