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Why so blue? Tim's Paxton Supercharged GT Journal

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SoCalTim

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Yours a daily? Before I even consider a new radiator id like to know if the PP guys are seeing lower temps. Difference might not be too noticeable.
Yep, shes my daily. I'll definitely be putting an uprated radiator on mine, and will report back my results on here.
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Looking good, Tim! Glad to hear Procharger is being responsive and taking care of you. I'm confident your small issues will be resolved in no time.
 
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SoCalTim

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Goods news on the tune front...car is running well. No surging, not throwing any codes (touch wood)...seems like the revised Procharger tune has fixed my initial issues which is a huge relief! I'll give it a few more days before seeing if I need any tune issues addressing, but early indications on the latest tune are very promising.

I'll have to do a power run at some point to see what she makes once its all running perfect. No rush for me to do that though, as for me as long as it drives nice on the street and feels like all the power is there, then I'm a happy camper.

So, I'm looking to add any parts that will ensure worry free long term operation. I have a new Watson Racing radiator ordered (got it for a price I couldn't turn down), although it is stated for 'Manual Transmission', I'm not sure what the difference will be VS the auto?
Looking at the photos compared to the Mishimoto radiator, all the fixing points and brackets look to be in identical positions. There is a specialist fabrication shop near me that can make any bracket modifications if there is indeed a difference VS the auto.

Here is the radiator.... The end tanks looks slim, so shouldn't be an issue with the Procharger intercooler pipework.





In addition, I ordered a full t-bolt clamp set to change all the clamps out on the Procharger kit. They just showed up today, and they look like stout quality clamps, twice the width of the worm drive clamps that came in the blower kit.







 
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SoCalTim

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Watson Racing Radiator Install


For the past few days I've been having all kinds of fun installing my new radiator from Watson Racing. To say this thing is massive is an understatement; it measures 70mm core thickness...thats just shy of 3" thick :eyebulge: The Mishimoto radiator by comparison is 52mm thick...so I am pretty certain the Watson is the largest available for the S550. Needless to say, fitting the radiator with my already busy engine bay compartment with the Procharger blower and boost pipes has presented its challenges.












Firstly, Watson do not sell a radiator for the Auto trans GT. I knew this at the time of buying it, and figured I could macgyver it to work. The main issue being that it was not equipped with the mounting points for the trans cooler...which required me taking the radiator to a local aerospace fabrication shop for them to lighten my wallet in return for some custom trans cooler mounts fabbed onto the rad.

The trans cooler is secured in place with 2 bolts on the passenger side, and a large slip-in tab on the drivers side. You can compare the two radiators and see the fixings that the aerospace shop added for me...














They did a nice job, and looked tidy. Best part is...all their measurements were correct so the trans cooler went on without any fettling required.


Once I went to fit the new radiator, to say it was a tight fight is a gross understatement. I literally had to wiggle it down 1" at a time on each side, clearing obstructions as I lowered it. All boost pipe work had to be removed, and the AC condensor lines had to be bent outwards slightly to allow clearance.

On my back, looking up at the radiator, attaching the bolts to the transmission cooler and also ensuring the AC condensor was fully home in all the small hangers...





With the cooling fans on the back, it was laughable how much clearance (or lack thereof) that I had to the front of the motor. I had to trim the thermostat hose connection by about 1" to allow it to clear the fans...




About 1mm between the blower outlet hose and the fan housing...





The coolant tank had been pushed back about an inch, which was fine because the Procharger coolant tank had adequate clearance to clear the throttle body boost inlet connection....





With the radiator cover back on, the new radiator is still easy to spot as it pokes out a good bit...





And the finished install...(Also threw on a black Ford Racing strut brace as I'd been wanting one for a while :))











Aside from it looking the part, I am hoping it will certainly help keep my boosted motor cool during the California summer. I will be sure to report back on how it has effected my CHT's after a decent amount of driving on the new radiator :)

 
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Jmeo

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Wow Tim when you told me it was tight you were not kidding! Looks great, nice work.
 

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Great build thread! Enjoyed seeing the progress. Do you have any videos of the helical gears?
 
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Great build thread! Enjoyed seeing the progress. Do you have any videos of the helical gears?
Thanks! Trying to keep a good log as I work my way through the build :)

I can certainly try to add a video, I'll see if I can host on Photobucket and get some idle footage with some revs. I will say this...they are louder than I expected, but in a good way. They sound smooth and loud, and I now enjoy driving with the radio off and the windows down, just listening to the whistle as I cruise along haha :D
 
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Just to give some feedback on how the Watson radiator is performing in comparison with the stock GT (non-PP) radiator, here are my observations on my Cylinder Head Temp changes after a weeks driving:

Cruising > Before 205-215 ..... After 190-200
Prelonged Standstill at idle in traffic > Before 220-230 .... After 210 -217 ( 218 is the highest its ever got since the upgrade)

So, I've seen around 10-15 degrees lower temps overall. And I'm very pleased with that. Sitting in traffic it will get up to 217 before then coming back, whereas before I was at 229 before I saw any reduction. I feel MUCH better about the new lower CHT temps, and am very pleased with the improvements.

Once California summer hits, I'll get an even better test on the cooling effect, but for now it looks like a measurable improvement.

In other news, I just performed the first oil change on the P1SC blower head unit last night. Procharger recommends changing the oil at 500 miles, but I decided to do the change at 250 miles. I'd rather just get the 'run in' first batch oil of drained out and a clean fill up in the head unit to be sure its running with minimal particulates in the oil from bedding in.

From here on out I'll do another oil change in 1000 miles and then every 6 months in conjunction with my regular engine oil changes. The blower sounds sweet as a nut and whistles so beautifully...can't recommend the helical gear upgrade enough!

Next on the list I'm doing a custom PCV set up, as the current stock Procharger kit set up has the PCV lines returning to the air intake tube on the blower. I'd rather not have the oil carry over going to the blower, so I'm going to install separators on both the drivers and passenger side PCV lines.

Updates to come :)
 

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Thanks for the feedback Tim. Awesome write up as usual. Glad you're enjoying the beast.
 
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Moroso Oil Separator


As I mentioned in my last update, I have been planning to add a pair of oil separators to the PCV system to remove any oil carry over back into the air intake.

I previously had a JLT separator, but that wasn't solid mounted and 'floated' if you will. This time around I wanted something that fixed onto the body of the car with a solid mount. I considered the Mishimoto offering, and infact I actually purchased one but didn't end up using it (going up for sale tomorrow), as that mounts up front next to the upper radiator support.

I had a last minute change of plans and purchased 2 of the Moroso kits.

Here is a link to the product for those who aren't familiar:

http://www.lethalperformance.com/mo...-0l-small-body-air-oil-separator-brushed.html

I purchased 2 kits with the intention of modifying the bracket to allow me to mount one also on the drivers side. So a symmetrical looking set up.

Unluckily for me, the vendor accidentally only shipped me one kit, even though I ordered and paid for 2 kits :headbonk: So I'm getting another kit sent out on Monday so that I can complete the install.

This evening I tackled the passenger side install, and naturally given the simplicity of the design it was a breeze.




Heres the kit (minus the mounting bracket as I'd already mocked it up on the car the moment I opened up the box :D)















And the mounting bracket mocked up on the passenger side strut tower...





Assembly was very simple. Just attach the two fittings to the separator unit, ensuring the correct orientation as per the instructions. I opted to use thread sealant rather than teflon tape....gives a cleaner look once installed....





I then utilized the supplied piece of 1/2" hose to make the short length connection going to the passenger side valve cover. This re-uses the OEM snap-on connections to the valve cover, so its a nice tidy fit.

The separator unit is secured into position by the 2 aluminium circular brackets. Simply adjust the separator to the correct height and nip her up tight once it measures up correctly (Instructions state 1" from the top of the separator to the bracket).

Here is the set up staged up fully assembled...





I didn't like the look of the raw metal mounting bracket, so I took it off and gave it a good prep and paint with some high temp matte black. Looks much better.


And so, the finished install on the passenger side...











Sorry for the dark final photo....I wrench at night, so all my photos are done with overhead garage lighting. Update to come next week once the other kit arrives and I can complete the same job on the drivers side PCV :)





.​
 
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SoCalTim

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Drivers Side Custom Moroso Separator

So my other separator kit showed up, and I managed to macguiver the kit to work on the drivers side, just as I hoped.

The bracket that is supplied with the kit is specifically shaped for the passenger side, so you cannot simply flip the bracket and install...it required some re-shaping to make it work.

I put the bracket in a vice and re-shaped it to the correct bends, gave it a respray in matte black, and then plumbed in the PCV hoses as tidily as possible. There is a tee-piece that goes from the drivers side PCV line to the back of the intake manifold, so I had to pick up a brass tee connection from home depot. I hid the connection under the strut tower brace, to keep the hose clutter in view to a minimum. I was able to cable tie the tee piece to the side of the strut tower body shell, so it stays nicely tucked out of sight. Overall, I am very pleased with how the set up has turned out. If I'm being really picky, I'd rather have the brass fittings in black, but they don't look bad, and overall they look like quality separators, so I'll live with it.

Not too many photos, just a couple of the finished install...












 

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Is it fast?:ninja:
 
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SoCalTim

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Is it fast?:ninja:
LOL, yes she is handful!

Already had a play on the roll with some 'fast cars', BMW M Series, Maserati, etc .... left all of them behind instantly in second gear. By the time you are hard in the top of third gear, you are at the kind of speeds that will get you a night in jail :lol:

So yes, it's quick :thumbsup:
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