DHM Race Crash Bar and Intercooler!

[Hijinx]

i just wanted to confirm to everyone that has a MAP hard charge pipe kit that it will not fit with DHM race intercooler, it doesn't have enough flex in it to make it fit. i was thinking about cutting it apart and use couplers to give it more flex but then i was scared of having to many connections and having them come apart so i decided to just use oem hose for now but i was thinking about getting mountune ones but their really expensive for just silicone.

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You're on Cyborg and a DHM race cooler. We need data if you don't mind. vDynos, datazap. It'd be great for everyone.

 

[Sourskittle]

I think Adam is still working on the tune
He is doing meth injection too and charge temps go below ambient.

I'd really like to see what it would do with some real boost and real timing though... But that's just me, and why I tune my own car.

Bad help has the external wastegate too. I'd like him to convert it to the new style boost control that runs boost pressure to the top of the wastegate.

But I think he's enjoying the car either way

 

[badltinhelp]

When I get my tuning sorted I'll try and get some data to share with everyone

 

[jayrod1980]

Okay, so I've asked before, but I'm preparing to open up my grill. I have a dremel and an angle grinder. I'm going to try to remove the grill from the bumper prior to doing this. I plan to use a flap wheel on the angle grinder to do the majority of the work since it makes less heat. I know it can still melt the plastic. I'm going to try my best not to mangle this job so I have some questions before I start.

Would a different tool work better to take lots of material off without melting?

I see most of you quote 2-4 hours for this work with a lot of mess. I have a broom and a vacuum so the mess is ok.

Does the sanded area look janky from the front? From the pictures on here they seem like the grill was made that way. How much skill is required for the cleanup work? A screwup means I have to source a new grill for about $350

 

[vegaspyder]

I just sat in a chair with a razor and trimmed all the excess crap off the back after sanding it. Basically trim all the sides of each hole that was sanded. You can't see any of it from the front once it's trimmed. Definitely get the grill out and it'll be a whole lot more manageable. I sat mine face down on an old towel and used my knee to help hold it while sanded it. I used a belt sander. Not sure how a flapper will work. I had to put a good amount of pressure on it to really start cutting/pulling material off.

 

[1azst]

I did the coarse grinder and cleaned up with razor. Took an hour just with sanding.

 

[twolf]

I did the coarse grinder and cleaned up with razor. Took an hour just with sanding.

a flap disc? what grit?

 

[1azst]

3" cutoff wheel. Got the plastic really hot, and wiped it off with shop towels. I was in a hurry lol.

 

[Perfblue15]

I'm considering going the flapper disc and cut off tool route myself. I'm to lazy to use an orbital sander and that route sounds really time consuming. I'm dreading sanding my grille more then installing my turbo kit, radiator and race IC.

 

[vegaspyder]

The Heatshield and then the damn upstream O2 sensor hitting a coolant line bracket along with the rest of the IWG and downpipe install was the biggest pita for me so far.

 

[jayrod1980]

So I didn't even take something into account... I have a front license plate. Seeing how the thing is riveted to my bumper, there's no way to get the grill off the bumper with that right?

Edit: Nevermind, I see that it has to be removed from behind

 

[arlisscm]

So I didn't even take something into account... I have a front license plate. Seeing how the thing is riveted to my bumper, there's no way to get the grill off the bumper with that right?

I do as well. Someone chime in and correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it is only connected to the lower part of the bumper cover, not the grill itself.

 

[jayrod1980]

I know it's not connected but I was afraid it popped out from the front after you get behind the bumper to pop the tabs that hold it in. However that is not the case.

As a side note... has anyone seen coolant or oil temp drops after doing this mod with the race bar in place?

 

[vegaspyder]

You don't need to run the front plate here in nv if you don't want to. I didn't record enough stats before the mod to compare.

 

[twolf]

Teasers:

 

[RAAMaudio]

What front license plate? I have lived in 5 states on the West Coast and never ran one except on a couple of trucks and never been stopped for it in just about to turn 47 years of driving

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When sanding just be careful to not spend to much time in any area as a little bit of mine started to melt to much.

 

[jayrod1980]

I knew this would be a multi day project while still in my work week, so today I popped the bumper off and took off the grill. The shroud that attaches to the top of the bumper made removing the grill tabs a pain. Got up the confidence to get a screwdriver in there to work and finally got the damn grill separated from the bumper.

As I said, I didn't have time to do the grill sanding in a day so I reinstalled the bumper without the grill. It looks funny but at least I can drive my car while I sand at my leisure.

I took a look at the grill and notice this piece sticking out from the back. It looks like it grips or presses against the factory crash bar. Do I cut/grind this thing out? Please advise.

 

[twolf]

I was planning to do the same thing. I was hoping I'd be able to reinstall the grille with the bumper on the car, still. I've seen videos on youtube of the grilles being installed/uninstalled with the bumper on the car, but everyone on the forums says that can't be done.

Pic of the way the car looks without the grille?

Everyone I've seen has gotten rid of that piece, BTW.

 

[jayrod1980]

Twolf, scroll up, or go back a couple pages of you are using tapatalk like I am right now and look for vegaspyder's post. He took a picture of his car with the bumper back on without the grill. It looks funny because of the white tabs all along the grill hole. Even though having the honeycomb open looks sweet and allows you to see the very nice crash bar and top of the intercooler, with nothing there it looks funky.

I took the time to clean my intercooler and noticed water spots and marks don't come off.

Edit: you absolutely cannot get this grill off from the front. The thick black border you see in the picture with the tabs is behind the bumper.

 

[jayrod1980]

You don't need to run the front plate here in nv if you don't want to. I didn't record enough stats before the mod to compare.

My Xpel installer put my film on with the license plate holder on it so if I I take it off I have a spot that isn't protected. The plate holder isn't too much of an eyesore on this car and I hate the look of those bumper hole covers. Plus, it's hard to match White Platinum sufficiently so that the hole covers don't stand out too much.

Vegas, did you cut out the bracket looking thing behind the blank area before you started sanding?