I've finally got my Vortech installed and it's running smoothly. Many thanks to Beefcake, Blazer707, Deerslayer, Gimme11s, UnleashedBeast, and many other community members for their expertise, advice, and write-ups. Gotta thank Jon Lund II as well for an excellent tune and QUICK turnaround. The community members on this site provided lots of info and pics to make the install a possibility. The install was very difficult for me but, to put things in perspective, the most I've done to my past cars was changing the oil and spark plugs. The most I've done to my current ride before the SC install was installing axlebacks. So if you've done more than that, which it seems most of the members here have done and then some, you're good to go. Apologies to anyone expecting a how-to with pics but like I said before, I had a hard time and didnt have the patience to take pics of the progress but I'll post all the different accessories and add-ons I purchased with the kit so if anyone gets the same combo and need help, you can PM me and I'll do my best to help out. For reference, my ride is a 2014 GT w/ Track Pack.
Here's what I got:
* VORTECH V3 black - I know the Paxton kit has more possibilities but I went with the Vortech because I wanted the boost to come on sooner. I'm not planning to go much higher in boost so this was kit I wanted. And the black looks very nice and it helps with sleeper look.
* JLT BLOW THROUGH
* JMS POWERMAX BAP W/ ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR - I asked Beefcake for the easiest BAP to install and setup and this is what he recommended. Install was indeed easy. I've read that it can be difficult to get the rear seat to come off without a breaker bar (to route accel pos sensor cable). My car was much simpler as you just push on the tab and seat comes right off
* BRISK SPARK PLUGS - Gapped to .028
* ID1000 INJECTORS
* JPC Coolant Tank - Excellent quality. The tank gets really hot so I can understand how the plastic tank that comes with kit can get soft and end up spilling coolant.
* JPC T-BOLT KIT FOR VORTECH - I was horrified reading about some members having to go back through the install to fix a pipe that blew off so I got these. Glad I did as it would've been a nightmare to have to go back and fix them.
* BOB'S AUTOSPORTS CATCH CANS (ULTIMATE FOR PASSENGER SIDE AND REGULAR FOR DRIVERS SIDE) - I originally got the breather kit from JPC but after talking with UnleashedBeast about oil change intervals, I decided to keep it a closed system.
* AEROFORCE INTERCEPTOR GAUGE W/ 3.5MAP BOOST SENSOR - Nice gauge with many parameters. Had a difficult time trying to find a switched 12v source. There's a write-up here where it was spliced into one of the wires in the harness underneath the shifter. I guess they changed that wire to be a constant 12V on this year (2014). So I got a fuse tap from my local auto parts store and wired it to the #33 slot behind the passenger side kickpanel.
Like I mentioned earlier, the install was very difficult. First, the piping. The hot side wasnt too bad but the cold side was a PITA. I learned that the fit from car to car can vary. I had an almost 3" space between the elbow just above the MAF sensor to the elbow on the TB side. I didnt notice at first but the manual does say that the location of pipes can vary. I had to play around with the different couplers/pipes to get the two to connect. This is where I believe the tbolts came in handy. The plus side is that I didnt have to redo the lines for the Boss oil cooler lines. The pipe with the multiple bends that comes up from the CAC was not obstructed by the oil cooler lines but it was a TIGHT fit. Second, the damn fan. OMG that fan. This is where your puzzle solving skills will come in handy. You have to figure out which corner goes in first so that the tabs on the bottom go into the grooves. It took about 20 hours for me. Much props to those that knocked it out in a day or hours. My respect to mechanics or those folks that work in performance shops that do this for a living has gone up exponentially. I gotta admit that alot of the time was spent looking for tools. Tools that I had in my hands minutes before. But one thing I'm proud of is that I did the install myself. And I didnt have to call Terry at all. I had his number on speed dial too. The tune session with Jon Lund II was the simplest. He responded within minutes. It took 4 revisions, spark plug regap, and it was done.
This car is a totally different animal. To the point that it can get dangerous quick. It's at over 100mph before you know it. Im still learning this new power. Before the install, the rear tires would only chirp on 3rd gear. 3rd gear is now useless. Stickier tires are definitely next on the list. I had to remove the assistant spring from my clutch pedal because it would stick (thanks Deerslayer and Manolith).
Cant give you any power numbers as I havent dynoed it. Not sure if I'm going to do it. I dont plan on tracking it either. I'd post a pic of the completed assembly but I did such a poor job on the engine cover that it's a bit embarrassing. It was the final stages of the install and I was dead tired.
Here's what I got:
* VORTECH V3 black - I know the Paxton kit has more possibilities but I went with the Vortech because I wanted the boost to come on sooner. I'm not planning to go much higher in boost so this was kit I wanted. And the black looks very nice and it helps with sleeper look.
* JLT BLOW THROUGH
* JMS POWERMAX BAP W/ ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR - I asked Beefcake for the easiest BAP to install and setup and this is what he recommended. Install was indeed easy. I've read that it can be difficult to get the rear seat to come off without a breaker bar (to route accel pos sensor cable). My car was much simpler as you just push on the tab and seat comes right off
* BRISK SPARK PLUGS - Gapped to .028
* ID1000 INJECTORS
* JPC Coolant Tank - Excellent quality. The tank gets really hot so I can understand how the plastic tank that comes with kit can get soft and end up spilling coolant.
* JPC T-BOLT KIT FOR VORTECH - I was horrified reading about some members having to go back through the install to fix a pipe that blew off so I got these. Glad I did as it would've been a nightmare to have to go back and fix them.
* BOB'S AUTOSPORTS CATCH CANS (ULTIMATE FOR PASSENGER SIDE AND REGULAR FOR DRIVERS SIDE) - I originally got the breather kit from JPC but after talking with UnleashedBeast about oil change intervals, I decided to keep it a closed system.
* AEROFORCE INTERCEPTOR GAUGE W/ 3.5MAP BOOST SENSOR - Nice gauge with many parameters. Had a difficult time trying to find a switched 12v source. There's a write-up here where it was spliced into one of the wires in the harness underneath the shifter. I guess they changed that wire to be a constant 12V on this year (2014). So I got a fuse tap from my local auto parts store and wired it to the #33 slot behind the passenger side kickpanel.
Like I mentioned earlier, the install was very difficult. First, the piping. The hot side wasnt too bad but the cold side was a PITA. I learned that the fit from car to car can vary. I had an almost 3" space between the elbow just above the MAF sensor to the elbow on the TB side. I didnt notice at first but the manual does say that the location of pipes can vary. I had to play around with the different couplers/pipes to get the two to connect. This is where I believe the tbolts came in handy. The plus side is that I didnt have to redo the lines for the Boss oil cooler lines. The pipe with the multiple bends that comes up from the CAC was not obstructed by the oil cooler lines but it was a TIGHT fit. Second, the damn fan. OMG that fan. This is where your puzzle solving skills will come in handy. You have to figure out which corner goes in first so that the tabs on the bottom go into the grooves. It took about 20 hours for me. Much props to those that knocked it out in a day or hours. My respect to mechanics or those folks that work in performance shops that do this for a living has gone up exponentially. I gotta admit that alot of the time was spent looking for tools. Tools that I had in my hands minutes before. But one thing I'm proud of is that I did the install myself. And I didnt have to call Terry at all. I had his number on speed dial too. The tune session with Jon Lund II was the simplest. He responded within minutes. It took 4 revisions, spark plug regap, and it was done.
This car is a totally different animal. To the point that it can get dangerous quick. It's at over 100mph before you know it. Im still learning this new power. Before the install, the rear tires would only chirp on 3rd gear. 3rd gear is now useless. Stickier tires are definitely next on the list. I had to remove the assistant spring from my clutch pedal because it would stick (thanks Deerslayer and Manolith).
Cant give you any power numbers as I havent dynoed it. Not sure if I'm going to do it. I dont plan on tracking it either. I'd post a pic of the completed assembly but I did such a poor job on the engine cover that it's a bit embarrassing. It was the final stages of the install and I was dead tired.