i have a drag 3 kit on my teg, intercooler has some dented and bent fins, bought it used from Drag III integra . my car is red and im going with a theme of red and black. black slips, cf hood etc. why have a silver interccoler and blue hoses? how is this idea? im thinking of painting my intercooler and piping flat black. or would a glossy black be better? has anyone ever done this? btw ill be adding red hoses too. im kinda excited abotu defacing my own property lol

 

I would definately do it. But I would go with black hoses instead. The less people that know you have a turbo the less chances there are of it getting stolen. There are quite a few people that have done it in the FI forum. BTW, I think flat black would look nicer.

 

thanks boostn , have you seeen it done? my car is red, and im wondering how it would look? my dad says just spray paint it black. i have the polished piping from drag, paint that black too? i need some suggestions or any pics of how its looks would help alot thanks

 

that would look real nice....use a flat black color and red hoses

 

some people on ht have their intercoolers painted black, i think it looks nice, kind of steath looking

 

plus it doesnt reflect radar guns as much

 

would you paint the piping black too?

 

I remember a guy posting his stuff for sale and DRAG III piping was one of them. He had a GREEN LS and it was painted FLAT BLACK Looked SOOOO ****** awesome. Your heading in the right direction Dustin, NICE WORK

 

Found some links

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=238310
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=156450

 

ill be painting my intercooler soon, i also heard somewhere that there is a special type of paint you can use which will actually help the flow of air (has something to do with conducting the heat faster because its a special type of black) can anyone help me out ?

 

wanna know that 2

 

not sure on the paint that helps cooling, but if you got it anodized black it wouldnt hurt cooling at all

 

Wrap it in womens panty-ho's.

Creates the same effect, plus you can take them off anytime.

It's been done and it's definitly worth a try.

 

Good idea! By the way I like your username.

 

just paint the piping thats connected to the endtanks black, leave the rest polished.

 

When my friends black hatchback was boosting, the intercooler was painted flat black along with the piping, and he used a 3inch dump under the car, with a factory CX muffler hanging out the back, sleeper style. Always able to suprise people. Only outward clues to any performance was the lowered suspension and wheels, no one knew there was a B20 turbo under the hood.....until he mashed the pedal But that's just if you're looking to be sleeperish, plus it doesn't attract as many theives.


[Modified by rodrez, 1:45 PM 12/17/2002]

 

im going to paint mine, not to much for the bling, besides i want to keep my car if you know what i mean...


Rob

 

just mask off the fins, and put a few light coats of spray paint...


the cheaper the paint, the more often you're going to have to respray....







and this is my version of the thermal 3" - chopped off shiny tip, then sprayed black.



and pics of my set up...

 

doesn't painting the IC lower the cooling effectiveness?

 

yeah.... i just painted mine the other day and put it on yesterday... it looks amazing. im gonna figure out how to post pics here so you guys can see

 

IMO intercoolers look the best SHINY

 

will panty hose obstruct airflow? because i'd rather slip a pair of panty hose over the intercooler and be able to take if off. where as painting it, i would have to strip off the paint (pain in the ***) if i change my mind.

 

Definitely worth it and looks much better in my opinion. Had mine polished for a little while, but didn't want everyone to notice it so me and a friend painted it and the piping black with just regular spray paint. Sprayed at an angle, not directly into the fins, and only applied a light coat, just enough to look even color. I love the way it is now and havent had any problems with restriction or cooling. Now all i need is a new stock front bumper without the grills cut out and it will really be hidden.

 

if worried about efficiency try http://www.swaintech.com/race.html, they have stealth black coatings that actually improve the heat transfer. its technically the right way to do it, but if u do a light coat with krylon and make sure to hit the fins with a toothpick or i even use an old thin valve gapper tool to make sure no paint is inside.

 

no, as long as you're not pouring paint into the fins, and you only use a few light coats there will be no harm done.