Question about spray painting intercooler

HKSpeed · Oct 7, 2004

Because its illegal to have a front mount intercooler in California (yeah its stupid, and the Evo 8 has one, but California Highway Patrol and Sherriffs have been giving $300 smog violation tickets in the Los Angeles area), I'm considering spray painting my front mount intercooler black. Is there any trick to this or is it just an issue of getting some krylon and going to town? should i use high-temp engine paint? thnx

i've spoken with several 1.8t VW owners who received smog violation tickets for their fmic.

rexbo · Oct 7, 2004

im sure its not illegal in california to have a front mount intercooler... because if it was they'd never allow the EVO to be sold in the first place. Its not the first one to have an FMIC, nor the last. The reason smog tickets are being given out for having an FMIC is because usually its either A) not stock and therefore not smog legal (despite the smog-legal greddy kits that come with FMICs) or B) There's other stuff on the car that is illegal as well and cops are going to go after evos because they know people modify them.

As to painting an fmic. Just use regular krylon spray paint and do 2-3 VERY light coats (a coat meaning its just a sprinkle of black on it) until it is covered or dark enough for you. If you want a better consistency of paint, Fill a bucket with hot water and leave the spray cans in it before spraying. It will increase the pressure inside the can as well as make the liquid paint inside more fluid, giving a better spray consistency.

two_4tee_2nr · Oct 7, 2004

the old galant VR-4's came with FMIC's =p

Xracer · Oct 7, 2004

SRT-4 hade a big one. cops will not stop you just beacause you have a FMIC. If you have anything thats not smog legal they will stop you, just as rexbo said.

HKSpeed · Oct 7, 2004

Xracer said:
SRT-4 hade a big one. cops will not stop you just beacause you have a FMIC. If you have anything thats not smog legal they will stop you, just as rexbo said.

out here cops will use the dumbest reasons to pull you over. my friend was asked to pop his hood because the cop thought he was hiding guns in there :greddy: . another guy got heat from a cop who thought his shiney koyo radiator was an intercooler. because of all the ricers and late night street racers (i live near industrial areas) around my area, cops around here have grown an unpleasant disposition to anything modified.

some police officers are getting educated in motor swaps. a friend with a jdm b16a equipped CRX got pulled over once. Upon opening the hood, the cop instantly recognized it was a B16a (looked for the stamp in the block) and asked for paperwork certifying it was a legal swap. My friend was sent to a state smog referee. He ended up swaping it out for a USDM b18b.

other 240 owners have told me the califoria highway patrol have been educated to look for red top engines in nissans. hopefully my blacktop will go unnoticed.

msaskin · Oct 7, 2004

two_4tee_2nr said:
the old galant VR-4's came with FMIC's =p

Hardly. The "fmic" on those was about 6" x 10" or so. It was basically a SMIC mounted in front of the radiator. I used to have one (a GVR4)

~matt

Xracer · Oct 7, 2004

HKSpeed said:
out here cops will use the dumbest reasons to pull you over. my friend was asked to pop his hood because the cop thought he was hiding guns in there :greddy: . another guy got heat from a cop who thought his shiney koyo radiator was an intercooler. because of all the ricers and late night street racers (i live near industrial areas) around my area, cops around here have grown an unpleasant disposition to anything modified.

some police officers are getting educated in motor swaps. a friend with a jdm b16a equipped CRX got pulled over once. Upon opening the hood, the cop instantly recognized it was a B16a (looked for the stamp in the block) and asked for paperwork certifying it was a legal swap. My friend was sent to a state smog referee. He ended up swaping it out for a USDM b18b.

other 240 owners have told me the califoria highway patrol have been educated to look for red top engines in nissans. hopefully my blacktop will go unnoticed.

all the more reason to build subtle clean sleepers. nothing more is needed but a nice set of rims with some stickies and mild exhaust note hiding a beast under the hood. cops are not going to pull over a stock looking 240. unless its loud.

msaskin · Oct 7, 2004

Xracer said:
all the more reason to build subtle clean sleepers. nothing more is needed but a nice set of rims with some stickies and mild exhaust note hiding a beast under the hood. cops are not going to pull over a stock looking 240. unless its loud.

A nice thought, but you're never going to make any appreciable amount of power with the stock sidemount.

~matt

rexbo · Oct 7, 2004

msaskin said:
A nice thought, but you're never going to make any appreciable amount of power with the stock sidemount.

~matt

Unless you have a supra or a 300zx tt...

msaskin · Oct 7, 2004

rexbo said:
Unless you have a supra or a 300zx tt...

Quite true. I was referring more to the 240sx in particular

~matt

FindingS14 · Oct 7, 2004

If I were you I would send the IC somewhere to get ANODIZED. Because if you spray the IC you are going to loose alot of the heat transfer you want, whereas if you anodize it the heat transfer properties will be untouched.

Murray

rexbo · Oct 7, 2004

FindingS14 said:
If I were you I would send the IC somewhere to get ANODIZED. Because if you spray the IC you are going to loose alot of the heat transfer you want, whereas if you anodize it the heat transfer properties will be untouched.

Murray

Actually garrett turbocharging did a study on spray painting intercoolers and it didnt show that there was any adverse effect on cooling because the average coat of spray paint was so thin and non-insulating. Powdercoating however did interfere with the cooling properties because it is much thicker than paint or anodization. The info is somewhere on their website.

Spray paint pros: Cheap, easy, fast. Cons: Chips easily
Anodization pros: Best finish, resists chipping. Cons: more expensive, must be done professionally.
Powdercoating pros: Relatively cheap, very had to chip. Cons: Insulates intercooler

Xracer · Oct 7, 2004

^^^^ werd. i read about that.

masaskin: thats what the paint is for.

two_4tee_2nr · Oct 7, 2004

i wana GVR4 fora winter ride

240maniac · Oct 7, 2004

You know cops aren't even allowed to search you unless you give them permission. If they ask "Can you pop your hood for me?" Just say no and they can't really make you. Same with pockets if you're hiding... stuff.

School is a different story though.

msaskin · Oct 8, 2004

240maniac said:
You know cops aren't even allowed to search you unless you give them permission. If they ask "Can you pop your hood for me?" Just say no and they can't really make you. Same with pockets if you're hiding... stuff.

School is a different story though.

You sir are wrong.

If a police officer has any suspicion what-so-ever about contents of your car, they are 100% within the law to search it. They can not search inside containers/bags/etc. (such as toolboxes) within the car, but they can look under seats, pop the trunk, pop the hood, look in gloveboxes, etc.

~matt

Xracer · Oct 8, 2004

^^^ he is correct. this has been discussed before. when it comes to seach rights, you really dont have any. except the bags and such like he said.

weismc · Oct 8, 2004

I love living in Ohio, You could drive around with no hood, no bumper and a sticker down the side of your car that said "SR20 inside" and the cops would look at you like an idiot, but thats about it.

Xracer · Oct 8, 2004

thats the thing that makes car searches such BS. they can just say they have a probable cause for anything. you have an exhaust there might be other parts on you car. you car looks modified there might be illegal parts ect. that is their probable cause. thats all they need, even if its a lame reason.

msaskin · Oct 8, 2004

Xracer said:
thats the thing that makes car searches such BS. they can just say they have a probable cause for anything. you have an exhaust there might be other parts on you car. you car looks modified there might be illegal parts ect. that is their probable cause. thats all they need, even if its a lame reason.

Of course the worry about "illegal parts" is really only a worry in the People's Republic of Calfornia. Other, more normal states don't care

~matt

Question about spray painting intercooler

HKSpeed

rexbo

two_4tee_2nr

Xracer

HKSpeed

msaskin

Xracer

msaskin

rexbo

msaskin

FindingS14

rexbo

Xracer

two_4tee_2nr

240maniac

msaskin

Xracer

weismc

Xracer

msaskin

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