DIY: $3-400 FMIC (with recirc'ed BOV)

This is a test writeup on how to put together a relatively cheap FMIC setup. LMK what you guys think, and give some feedback on how I can improve it.

Well I finally got around to buying an FMIC and installing it.

I decided to go the EBAY route. After a lot of searching I decided that SSAutoChrome had the best deal, and I got the entire FMIC kit with all piping for $270 shipped. After it arrived I was impressed with the quality. The welds were good, and there were no shavings anywhere.


First problem (I already knew about this) was it had no BOV or flange for one, and also does not have a vacuum outlet for the wastegate. So I ordered a steel flange for $20 shipped off ebay, and a cheap Greddy Type-S knockoff BOV for $30. I got the S so that I could recirculate it if I wanted (and I ended up having to because the BOV leak's, and if you tighten it too much there isn't enough room for the BOV to open much.

So I got the flange and welded it on the hot pipe in a position right in front of the recirculation tube like this...


The flange had to have a circular hole cut in it to fit the pipe. Luckily for me I am friends with a custom fabrication shop and helped them move a bunch of equipment. So the cutting and welding was free for me. I also had a steel line welded on the hot pipe so I could run a vacuum line to the wastegate. This was hard to find so we used brake line...which is not good because it lets off a harmful gas. So if you use this hold your breath while welding.


Some other problems with the kit were the main mounting bracket was totally bent wrong. It should be almost straight up, at nearly a 90 degree angle, yet it was bent too far forward. To bend this back I simply heated it with a hair dryer for a few minutes and then used vice grips to bend it, and that worked great. More heat may have made it easier but I didn't have a torch.
Also one of the connecting hoses was far too short. Luckily I had an extra 8" long 2.5" diameter connector lying around!



Here was the initial fitment.


Now for the cutting fun!
First cut a hole in the battery tray for the FMIC to fit through. (this is assuming you have already relocated the battery or bought a slim battery to sit beside the pipe) I made my hole bigger than it needed to be, but oh well...weight reduction.


Next cut your bumper support to fit the FMIC. This was already done for me so I cant go into too much detail, but you can fallow the picture for a good layout.


If you want to run the bumper support (which I suggest since its only about 5lbs, and often insurance wont cover you without it) you will need to cut it out. You need to cut the bottom out the whole length of the intercooler, and I had to cut some slots out of the top so they wouldn't rub the intercooler.



Here was the final fitting.

I had some metal band lying around (from Home Depot) so I used it to help secure the intercooler. I drilled some of the holes in the top plate larger to fit a bolt and nut through them, and then bolted them to the threaded holes in top of the intercooler (M6*1.0). I mounted it as high as it would go, and used some vacuum lines as a bushing so the radiator supports wouldn't rub the intercooler. Another thing was the one mounting bolt that came with the kit was not long enough. So you will need to get a longer version of the same bolt (M8*1.25) with more washers to extend it. After this the intercooler fit quite well. I also put some zip ties through the bottom mounting brackets (not sure how to use them otherwise) and zipped them up to the lower radiator support section.



Here was the final fitment with the bumper support on.


Now I had the BOV flange specifically welded where it is so it would be easy to recirculate the BOV. However it ended up causing the intake tube to sit at a weird angle (however this worked out to my advantage because of my hood scoop). For others who want to do this I would recommend mounting the BOV further back, so that you you can allow for more flexing of the recirculation tube. Otherwise you will likely have to find some sort of S-bend tube in order to make it fit well.



Notice now the air filter sits right up in the hood scoop. Great for me...but most people will want the filter to sit lower.


And here is the final product with the front bumper on. Beautiful! (except my stupid chipping paint) At least it looks 10X better than before.



So thats it, a functional and seemingly efficient intercooler setup for about $330. I got free welding so if you had to pay for that it might run up to about $400, but a recent look on ebay I found the same kit even cheaper!
Time to crank up the boost!