Intercooler in NA

hopps · hopps's Garage

So I'm in the process of my turbo swap, trying to find out how to mount the intercooler in my 86 na. I see where it bolts up in the body, but it currently is about an inch too high. I know that I have to make some cuts somewhere, but I'm not sure exactly where.

My initial thought was that I would have to cut the bottom part of the body right under where the intercooler pipes would be, as shown in this picture (kinda). Another way to describe the area would be to say the area where the old NA airbox bolted to the body.

I searched for how to mount a 951 intercooler in an NA and keep the stock header panel, but I couldn't quite find anything except for a post from Cocacolakid that I was still a bit confused on. So, I've labeled two areas where I thought I was supposed to make a cut. It is area 1 or 2? Or am I looking at it completely wrong? Also, is there some modification or turbo condenser that I need to get?

Thanks

nynor · 09-06-2014, 01:55 PM

you, sir, are an intrepid soul. hats off to you.

flash968 · 09-06-2014, 03:28 PM

you get about 1.5hp for every 10 degrees of intake temp drop. an intercooler won't cool the intake air below ambient, so there is a limit to what you will get, even in the best of worlds. all it can really do is add restriction, which will cost power. it might even actually add heat, as it will heat soak if it is not isolated from the engine heat. a good airbox with a good cold air source and the largest filter you can get in there will do you more good.

nynor · 09-06-2014, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flash968

you get about 1.5hp for every 10 degrees of intake temp drop. an intercooler won't cool the intake air below ambient, so there is a limit to what you will get, even in the best of worlds. all it can really do is add restriction, which will cost power. it might even actually add heat, as it will heat soak if it is not isolated from the engine heat. a good airbox with a good cold air source and the largest filter you can get in there will do you more good.

hold the phone.... are you saying that an intercooler may be decreasing the amount of HP that my 951 is producing?

flash968 · 09-06-2014, 07:54 PM

only on a normally aspirated car, which by the title was what i thought he was doing. he said he was putting an intercooler into an na. that's a normally aspirated car.

that being said, yes, actually an intercooler can rob you of power, depending on the amount of boost, the size of the intercooler, yada yada. generally an intercooler costs about 2lbs of boost. if you only have 7 or 8 to begin with, then you end up with less than you started. most turbos have more than that though. regardless, the power is safer than without.

nynor · 09-06-2014, 08:06 PM

you did the part where he stated he is doing a turbo swap, right?

i am assuming he is turbocharging his NA. did i miss something?

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

The late bodies require no modification as they are the same between the turbo and n/a. The difference is in the nose panel which has a different shape to accommodate the intercooler.

hopps · hopps's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Techno Duck

The late bodies require no modification as they are the same between the turbo and n/a. The difference is in the nose panel which has a different shape to accommodate the intercooler.

That picture is great! I was wondering why there was about an inch gap between the intercooler mounts and the holes already in the car, and a rubber spacer would make complete sense. I had just read about the header panels being different shapes, and I was going to get the 951 nose panel I have and give it a shot. Everything makes sense now. Thanks again for saving the day Techno! BTW, I ordered engine mounts earlier this week.

And FWIW, complete 86 turbo engine being swapped into an NA car. While it is cheaper to buy a turbo car, I had already painted my car a year before, and it's got a lot of sentimental value. Adding turbo parts to an existing NA would have been ridiculously expensive and time consuming, and a V8 was just out of budget. One day it'll be a V8, but for now I want to play with turbos

Gawernator · Gawernator's Garage

...........I have to ask.. why

flash968 · 09-07-2014, 04:12 AM

ah - i guess i wasn't paying attention there. i saw na and, well........never mind

edredas · edredas's Garage

I am using the N/A nose panel on my conversion. I had to cut a section out of the front of the nose panel, but since my car is a 924S, I wasn't sure if it was the same as the late N/A. I painted a late N/A a while back and took the nose panel off, but I didn't think to check to see if it was like mine, so I didn't want to respond without knowing for sure.

Anyway, good luck with your swap! Here is a picture of mine.

Also, here is a link to my build thread. There are wiring diagrams and other things that might help you along the way. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to help where I can!

924Board.org :: View topic - My narrow 951 project

nynor · 09-07-2014, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gawernator

...........I have to ask.. why

why turbocharge a NA? really? um.... more HP.....

944tothefloor · 09-07-2014, 02:45 PM

What's the value of a 944 na with complete 951 engine (done properly of course)? Its definitely worth more than anna right? more fun, thats for sure.

edredas · edredas's Garage

That's a good question. I'm not sure what the value is, but I've been tossed a few offers. One guy offered $10k cash on the spot... but I turned it down because I have an attachment to this car, so I offered to build him one instead.

I think my car gets most of it's attention because its seen as a novelty. My car isn't really trying to be a 951, and so it isn't held to the same standards. That said, I don't see why an excellent conversion couldn't be worth just as much as a 951?

While this swap will definitely add some value to the car, it might not hurt to give it a sense of humor... if that makes any sense? A car that still looks like and N/A might actually be more attractive than a late car that tries to hard to be a 951 but doesn't quite pull it off... I mean imagine being at cars and coffee and looking at a 951 only to notice that it has N/A brakes. That conversation with the owner might go something like this, "Hey, that's not a real 951, its clearly a swap!", while guys come up to me and say "Well, that's different!"

Rasta Monsta · Rasta Monsta's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by edredas

I had to cut a section out of the front of the nose panel

Could you elucidate this further?

edredas · edredas's Garage

If you flip over the nose panel, you will see some bracing down in the front part. That needs to be cut out or there won't be enough room for the intercooler.

Dave Colangelo · Dave Colangelo's Garage

If I am reading this right you are actually putting the turbo motor in a 924S chassis. In which case your gain will be great (if you leave all else alone). The 924S was actually more aerodynamic than its 944 counterpart and a bit lighter (from my understanding of them, including the one I own). Thus it was actually faster than the 944 even though they had the same motor. A 924S with 951 guts could prove to be a very interesting car. Good Luck!

Regards
Dave

edredas · edredas's Garage

The OP is converting a late 944... my 924S swap has been finished for some time now. When I was running stock boost, the owner of a well modified 951 said that he had trouble keeping up.