Darkside Build Begins
 

I dropped my car off at my friend's shop this evening so we can get started on it tomorrow. He wanted the car cooled off so we could start working on it right away instead of me driving there tomorrow and having everything hot. I will be driving an i-1 boosted 5.0 sometime very soon. Let the fun begin!

So awesome!
Keep us posted.

This thread will be fun to watch. Good luck with the mods, David.

Day one saw the bulk of the hardware installed: Fuel injectors, colder plugs, CF driveshaft, intercooler, slim radiator fan shroud, new fan, and the i-1 unit itself.

Left to do....intercooler plumbing, PCV system, all of the electrical connection for the i-1 and its computer, put front bumper cover back on, and load the tune.

A few pics of today's work:

when you get it running, could you please post an engine running video..

I'll certainly try.

Second day of work on the car...we finally got all of the intercooler plumbing in, including purge valve. Also got the new coolant tank in and refilled, and ran the air cooling line to the i-1's transmission belt. The tubing fit could be improved. All of it is larger than the intercooler's inlet and outlet. Just shrinking the diameter 5 mm would have worked wonders. After talking with Procharger on the phone, they said to trim the 90 degree rubber elbows. That fixed most of the fitment issues with one exception - the end of a brace on the underside of the car stuck out past a crossmember 1/4"...just enough to screw things up. Removed the braced, cut off the excess, hit the end with some black appliance paint (don't want rust), and all was well.

We did not care for how the purge valve was to just sort of flop around and hopefully not bang into stuff in the left front bumper area. My friend made a bracket to secure it. The bracket got a coat of black paint too, but the lighting in the picture doesn't show it well.

We should be done working under the car after the bumper goes back on and the panel that goes under the engine is back in.

All that is left is the PCV system and the i-1's wiring harness and computer. Then load the tune and drive!

PCV routed, top of engine now done. Need to put bumper on and do the i-1 electrical work.

Nice!! Subscribed.

Very cool! I'm thinking about either Vortech or Procharger for my GT

I like the kit so far, but it is not a simple easy to fit kit. To do it right, you will have to trim the engine cover slightly. The intercooler piping is a VERY tight fit and the rubber elbows will require careful trimming. We did start the car tonight, but can't drive it until we install the loom over the wiring and secure it. A few more hours and we'll be done.

That's a very clean installation and the blower looks fantastic. A little more tasteful aluminum/billet trim to match the s/c and some painted coil covers and plenum will bring the engine bay to life.

Videos when you fire that beast up!!!!

God that makes me want to Boost my car......I must resist...I must resist ++++

The car is finally done and back in the garage. All I can say is......Boost is addictive!!! And I love that whine. The install took a while, but we wanted it to look factory, and I think we achieved that.

Here's a video of it at idle. Touch screen makes it easy to switch modes. I used a Proclip magnetic mount to hold it. I need to wash the car tomorrow. Can't wait to drive it to work!

Man your Car sounds Great. The install looks Fantastic.

Where did you get everything and what is the break down on Cost of this?

Do you have any performance figures? I need this!!

Great Job

No performance figures yet....I want to break it in, check tightness on the clamps, and then have it dyno'd.

I bought the kit from LRS / ASSC in IL. Total parts cost was around 8400, including shipping/taxes. Labor was almost free since the mechanic is a good friend.

Things not in the install manual: You will need to trim the 90 degree hoses, top engine cover, if you want to retain the cover under the engine, you have to trim for the intercooler pipes. Fortunately, they do not hang lower than the rubber flap so you do not see them, even when crouching down. We even cut a small relief for the procharger nose in the radiator cover.


My friend was very meticulous and it all looks factory. The wiring is all nicely loomed and you really cannot tell it from what the car came with. All of that attention to detail took time, but was worth it. I still think the pipes for the intercooler are too tight...the intercooler inlet/outlet is the smallest link in the flow path. If the pipes matched that diameter, it would be so much easier to fit.

On a side note, I was always concerned how the inlet air temps would be affected by the location the procharger uses for the air filer. It actually runs cooler than the CAI or factory box. Speeds above 35-40 mph seem to bring it down to ambient. Last night when it was in the upper 80's, IAT was 10 over ambient while idling for about 10 minutes waiting on a friend.

All I have to say about this...
http://www.fhm.nl/upload/content/ima...e-Upton-15.jpg

Looks awesome.
Enjoy that machine!

The car is even better today. It was faster than stock yesterday, but not what I was expecting for the money. Then I started playing with the display screen and noticed it never showed boost, even though I could feel some boost. Also, it did not return to zero when the car was shut down. So.....somehow we had the boost line to the i-1 computer and the blowoff valve line on the wrong side of the check valve so the blow off valve was pretty much bleeding off a lot of the boost since it was seeing vacuum most of the time...auto cars have a check valve for the brake booster located at the throttle body. We moved it so the i-1's lines were on the correct side of the valve today after work. Now all I can say is 'holy frijoles what a rocket!'. Tour mode is no boost, for economy on the highway, and sport mode functions like a normal centrifugal. Put that thing in competition mode and the boost comes up much faster and stays there through redline.

Would I do it over again? Yes! Just remember, the install is not for the squeamish.

I think Coyote5-0 speaks for all of us.