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Braided intercooler piping??


Guest bastaad525

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Guest bastaad525

Okay I know this is probably totally mickey mouse, but I had to ask about this. I know every picture I've ever seen of an I/C had custom metal piping connecting it to the rest of the intake, but today I saw this old ebay auction on a fixed up 280zxt with an intercooler, and most of the piping on this one was the same type of metal braided hose you might use for your coolant connections. Is this dangerous? I mean, surely it cost much less than using all custom bent mandrel piping for your I/C. There were some metal pipe sections on this guys setup but I'd say over 75% of it was braided hose. The ad stated he would drive it like that, with boost up to 15psi. I was under the impression that rubber hose couldn't withstand turbo boost, hence all the metal piping, but if the braided covering makes the difference..... I could be much closer to getting an IC installed into my car :) what do you guys think?

 

Oh by the way here is a link to the guys auction, there's a ton of pics at the bottom.... man it aint a pretty car but if what he says is true it's one hell of a fast one. There are a couple good pics of his IC piping in there.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2420025721

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Guest bastaad525

So they are rubber hoses right? that setup looks so mickey mouse, but, mickey mouse usually means cheap :) that can't cost anywhere near what it would cost to do custom bent IC piping. That cost is the only thing right now keeping me from putting an I/C into my car at the same time as the motor.

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That's just cloth braid on that radiator hose. Probably better than straight radiator hose, but it won't last. It'll work ok, a lot better than PVC!

 

Looks like someone got a good deal for less than $1000. Possibly a clutch-type 3.70 LSD, turbo motor and drivetrain, TO4E turbo, who cares if it runs well - that can be fixed, or part it out and upgrade you own Z.

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Guest bastaad525

The question remains though, could you safely use any rubber hose in piping an I/C? Metal braided or otherwise? I'm thinking of using metal pipe for all the straight sections, or whatever bends I can use it for, and braided hose for whatever sections I cant get the right shape/size piping for, I mean this is something I could put together with a trip to Auto Zone and to Home Depot, for way less than the $300ish I see most people paying for custom IC piping

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The question remains though, could you safely use any rubber hose in piping an I/C? Metal braided or otherwise? I'm thinking of using metal pipe for all the straight sections, or whatever bends I can use it for, and braided hose for whatever sections I cant get the right shape/size piping for, I mean this is something I could put together with a trip to Auto Zone and to Home Depot, for way less than the $300ish I see most people paying for custom IC piping

 

Sure, I used radiator hose for the piece right off the turbo for a while. It never failed - the stuff is designed to hold 15+ psi of hot water; it's just not the most durable option. As long as you don't run fuel or a lot of oil in it, it should be fine.

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Guest bastaad525

hmmmmm, and I"m only planning on running like 10psi..... I could make some piping this way, and get a decent IC for around $100, and not worry about custom piping. Nice.....

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