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Pontiac Trans Am Procharger & Intercoller Install - Blown Away Part II

Part II: Finishing Off The Procharger Install on Project LS1 And performing Exclusive Intercoller Testing
By Scott Parker
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In order to make room for... 
   
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In order to make room for the intercoolers, the air ducts on the Trans Am's front bumper need to be cut as shown. This was painful for your author to watch as the mint '99 Navy Metallic T/A had barely a scratch on the entire car, however it was necessary for cramming as much densely packed air as possible into all 346 ci. One benefit of this location is that it actually uses the air ducts (which were previously non-functional) for moving fresh air across the tops of the horizontally mounted intercoolers.
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Once the intercoolers are... 
   
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Once the intercoolers are test-fit, holes need to be drilled in the lower radiator core support member to match those on the intercooler bracket...
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...The supplied 3/8-inch bolts... 
   
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...The supplied 3/8-inch bolts are then fed into the holes from the top and secured by a nut and flat washer....
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...Those nuts, along with... 
   
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...Those nuts, along with the locking nuts that secure the intercooler to the radiator support, require a 9/16-inch socket.
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The intercooler and supercharger... 
   
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The intercooler and supercharger plumbing consists of alternating metal and rubber tubing secured by clamps. It is best to work from the intercoolers back since they are stationary. Do not tighten the clamps until everything is test-fit and the rubber hoses are trimmed as necessary...
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...ECS technician Marc Scharago... 
   
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...ECS technician Marc Scharago recommends zip-tying some of the plumbing to the radiator support to keep it as tight to the engine bay as possible. This is particularly important with the Y-pipe that splits the charged air from the blower to the two intercoolers--the last thing you want is a pothole grabber.
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The intake tubing is assembled... 
   
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The intake tubing is assembled next, which consists of 3.5-inch flex hose,a metal coupler, a K&N air filter, and an inlet hat that connects to the face of the head unit. Notice the absence of a mass air meter; Procharger uses a blow-through meter--meaning it is placed aft of the blower, which ATI believes more accurately measures the air entering the manifold.
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A bypass valve is connected... 
   
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A bypass valve is connected to the intake tube (via a metal clamp), which reroutes excess charged air back to the impeller from the metal J-tube on the driver side, just aft the intercooler.
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The inlet hat connects to... 
   
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The inlet hat connects to the Procharger via a clamp with the outlet pointing horizontally towards the driver side.
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Once the air inlet is connected... 
   
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Once the air inlet is connected to the blower with the air filter tucked neatly into the fender well, Marc can begin routing the plumbing from the intercooler upwards. At that point, he can connect the bypass valve to the J-tube. There is also a vacuum fitting on the bottom of the bypass valve that needs to be connected to the 3/16-inch vacuum hose. This will have a destination topside, but for now it can be fed upwards parallel to the plumbing.
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The driver-side tubing is... 
   
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The driver-side tubing is a really tight squeeze, but Marc managed to sneak past some of the vitals going topside.
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ECS furnished Project LS1... 
   
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ECS furnished Project LS1 with a set of NGK TR6 plugs, which Marc and ECS co-owner Doug Ring recommend on all supercharged engines for a colder spark. This will help prevent damage during pre-ignition (or detonation), which forced induction is known to cause.
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After the wiring harness is... 
   
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After the wiring harness is disconnected from the injectors the 10mm bolts on the fuel rails are removed, the fuel line is disconnected using the supplied fitting, and the evap line is removed with pliers so that the fuel rails can come off. The supplied 38 lb/hr injectors replace the stock 26 pounders, the O-rings are greased with WD-40, and the intake is vacuumed so no dirt can potentially rip a gasket. The assembled fuel rails are pressed back into the intake by hand and reconnected.
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By simply pressing on the... 
   
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By simply pressing on the plastic tab the fuel filter is disconnected, and the plastic fitting is then attached to the inline fuel pump line and the other end is attached to the filter. Once the red and black wires are affixed to the terminals they are then run back by the axle.
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The new pump then gets screwed... 
   
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The new pump then gets screwed into the floorboard facing the tank. We elected to use brackets other than those supplied because of the mounting location. The relay and ground wires are connected to existing screws and bolts.
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Doug connects the green wire... 
   
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Doug connects the green wire to the stock fuel pump, so that the two can work in tandem. Meanwhile...
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...the yellow wire will have... 
   
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...the yellow wire will have to be run up to the battery, and zip-tied to the brake lines to keep it out of the way along with the extra fuel line on the new pump.

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