Looking for a good welder in the Pottstown area
 

I have an aluminum water to air intercooler that I want to fit an aluminum flange for a blow off valve onto. There is space for it and the metal is at least as thick as intercooler piping. I just need to find someone nearby who will weld it up for me. Should be an easy job. Any recommendations?

Look up JMFabrications. Jim and the boys will have you in and out in no time, charge fair rates, and are an awesome shop in general.

Sidebar, let us know how the W2A goes. I love the technology and am trying to adapt it to my MINI in the future.

Thanks! I will give them a shout if none of the local shops can do it for me. That's kind of far from me for such a simple job.

The w2a setup is a proven setup on this car but i purchased it that way. I am good friends with the PO and he swears by it. He said that intake temps are consistently only a few degrees warmer than ambient air. On colder days it will mess with the idle. Plus there is obviously very minimal piping involved so there isn't much pressure loss like with front mount intercoolers. This setup should be very responsive. I can't wait to see for myself. He had everything taken apart and it was in storage for a few years so i am making it right again.

The w2a intercooler is painted black in this picture. It was bare aluminum but it was starting to show its age and I was too lazy to polish it. I want to put the flange for the bov on the bottom of the angled part closer to the turbo. There is plenty of space between the core and the inlet to the intercooler.

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Mx6/001-3.jpg

Here's the radiator. Still need to run lines through the cabin from the trunk and get everything connected. I removed the air conditioning system completely so I would have a nice hole through the firewall to run the lines. Also left me with a nice spot for the w2a radiator.

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Mx6/004-1.jpg

And here's the fluid reservoir and pump. Need to make a false floor/mounting location for the reservoir and battery and get the pump attached to the inside of the spare tire well.

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Mx6/012.jpg

The reservoir looks a little rough but it's well built. I'll give it a coat of paint once I get a cap on it. It has a long tube and short tube running into it so the system isn't just sucking in warm liquid all the time. Should help circulate the heat. I'll also be able to toss ice in there if I need lower temps. I'll get a mesh fitting to block ice from entering the pump.

I have been using this site for parts. Their prices are reasonable and they ship fast.

http://www.frozenboost.com/

I was just about to actually suggest FB as a resource if you hadn't found it already. From what I've been reading, day to day driving is much improved if you use something like a "water wetter" in the coolant/water part of the system.

The biggest issue for me at this point is the silly intake "horns" MINI used from the factory. I have to take some more time and figure out some core dimensions for the actual IC itself, and then order one just so I can cut their mounting points off and apply a set that would work with the factory parts.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...intakehorn.jpg

Yeah I am going to try a few different things. Windshield washer fluid is supposed to be good to use too since it's a good portion methanol and doesn't freeze.

That sucks about that intake horn. Is it due to space limitations or did they just put the stock intake in a weird place?

Edit: Water wetter makes a premixed antifreeze mixture that looks like it would work pretty well. Plus the bright pink would make any leaks easier to spot compared to the other coolant color.

I'll talk to a buddy of mine and see if he is willing to do it.

Rubright Racing in Limerick

I know someone in Pottstown. Message me


www.FASTofwestchester.com

How much power are you looking to make that an a2a wouldn't work?

Who says w2a is only for big power applications? I'm shooting for 300whp max. It's just easier to install on this car than a2a due to space limitations and not wanting to cut holes in the frame to run piping. This is an existing setup and it is proven to work. Why change it for something less efficient? Plus look at the pictures it doesn't get much simpler than that to get everything hooked up.

Pros of w2a: much less piping = less pressure lost in long stretches of pipe and a more responsive throttle in general. W2a cools the incoming air even if the car is not getting optimal airflow into the front of the car. There is no heat soak from the engine since the liquid is circulated constantly and cooled through a radiator, also if coolant temps do rise higher than wanted you can add ice or cold water/coolant to the reservoir for instantly colder temps. And all of this is before you even think about adding meth injection to the equation. It also adds to the sleeper look of the car by not having a big front mounted intercooler in the bumper. Most people will think the w2a radiator is a trans or oil cooler.

Cons of w2a: eventually the water in the system will become the same temperature as the ambient air. This can be fixed with ice but a2a setups have the same limitation obviously. W2a setups weigh a little more than a2a and they take up more space elsewhere in the vehicle with the pump and reservoir.

I know the pros and cons of w2a vs a2a but again seems like alot of work for a measly 300 hp. Are you road raceing this car or drag racing it or neither? Just driving it on the street?

It's just a street car but I'd like to road race or take it to track days occasionally. The po used to do them sometimes. How is it a lot of work if I bought it with the setup already in place and proven to work? I would have stripped the interior for cleaning and removed the broken air conditioning regardless since the car is old and has been sitting for a few years.