I was planning to do both the top and bottom. As I will be ducting my oil cooler as well as brake ducts.

Would it help/hurt/ or do no positive or negatives if I put the extra radiator fan behind the intercooler? Or just toss it out.

 

Well, if you're actually moving, there shouldn't be any need for an intercooler fan, and you might restrict airflow through the intercooler with the fan or the fan shroud. You need airflow while standing still for a radiator, but not for an intercooler. You're not making boost at idle, so you don't have any compressed air that needs to be cooled, etc.

Toss the extra fan, or use it on the accessory coolers if you really want. Just get rid of the weight if you don't need it though.

 

Awesome, thanks again.

1 last question. Should I mount the Rad in front of where the turbo will be or the intercooler. I was going to go with the rad since it will have a fan to push air through it. When moving this wont be an issue, but I would like to drive this car to work sometimes as well, so it will involve sitting in traffic.

 

I'd put the rad in front of the turbo, because the fan can cool them both. That will also make heat soak (turbo heating the intercooler from proximity) less of a problem sitting still, and probably make a better air path on the back side of the intercooler. The air has to go somewhere from the radiator also, but the fan will help push if it needs. The more clean space behind the intercooler, the better for flow through the core. The other thing to think about is the length of the intercooler piping. If putting the intercooler on the left instead of the right (or vice-versa) will make the tubing a lot longer, then you may want to think in terms of compromises. Longer tubing means a little bit more lag (probably not really noticeable), and also more tube area to absorb engine heat. I'm assuming you're going to have the intercooler on the right, and the radiator on the left?

Sounds like a fun project, post some progress pics when you start coming along.

 

Yes, radiator will be on the left. Will definitely make a build thread once I get to that point. Trying to plan everything out and buy all the pieces I need at once. That way I can take a week to completely do the whole car.

 

some low boost miata guys do this with an alluminum civic radiator and stock 1st gen turbo probe intercooler. works pretty good for track days for us so dont see why it wouldnt for you.

 

well that is just what I wanted to hear. Thanks for the information.

 

Those OEM Probe intercoolers are junk. It's easy to get a bigger, better, properly tanked core. The OEM Probe ICs have nice tanks, but the placement is really poor and the core is small and narrow. They're cheap though, even though they're a little compromised design-wise.

You've got more room to work with than a Miata, so put it to good use!
Actually, for the price, you might as well get a Probe core; it's hard to argue with something that cheap. You can get something better later if the intake temps aren't low enough for your tastes..

Here's the general idea:
http://www.diymiata.com/honda.htm

 

Thanks for the link. I am figuring to mount the turbo low and have the inlet on the IC low. Then have the outlet up high on the opposite corner. I will search for a core that will be narrow and tall then have the tanks welded on for me. Or just find the probe IC and have the outlet sizes increased to TB size. While having the left tank cut off and have a new one welded on with the inlet at the bottom.

 

Exactly. If the tanks are the farthest thing at the top and the bottom, you also have the nice bonus of having the tank blocked by something anyway (you're not really losing core frontal area) like the radiator support, etc. You can have a larger core this way because you don't care what is in front of the tanks..

The OEM cores are mostly crimped and brazed, just like OEM radiators, and are really hard to modify usually.