Quote Originally Posted by UselessPickles View Post
Just don't rush, double check everything, and don't assume everything will naturally fall into perfect position without some thought and deliberate effort. Especially all the exhaust pipes.

That's one thing I'm still planning to improve upon while I'm swapping my new turbo in. My air filter currently contacts the plastic wheel well liner. I need to loosen everything up and focus on getting the turbo into perfect position. I think the key to this will be to pre-fit the turbo (with air filter installed) to the downpipe (not connected to anything else) and focus on getting the downpipe oriented perfectly to set the position of the turbo. I think the downpipe mounting brackets should be the first thing to be tightened up and locked into final position.

Pay special attention to routing of various hoses and O2 sensor wires, use zip-ties as necessary to hold things in position to avoid rubbing between hoses and other components. The install instructions don't specify exact routing.

And when trimming the radiator core support to make room for the intercooler hoses, put in the extra effort to test fit the hoses then trim more plastic if necessary to avoid direct contact between the hose and the plastic if possible. That's the other thing I plan on improving with my install during the turbo swap, because my intercooler hoses are pressed firmly against the trimmed plastic right now.

Speaking of the intercooler, I found it much easier to get the intercooler centered and firmly mounted first, THEN attach the passenger side hose to it. This approach is also necessary if you want to properly test fit the hoses to the trimmed plastic. Following the install instructions exactly makes it a bit easier to get the hose attached, but makes it more difficult to get the intercooler centered. Be ready to pop the grill on and off several times as you make small adjustments to get the intercooler perfectly positioned (unless you don't care about perfection). The mounting brackets for the intercooler are flexible and can be bent for more fine tuning of the location/orientation of the intercooler.

Good luck!
Awesome, thank you. I plan on going slow and steady. I'm concerned with getting my old exhaust off. I figured the bolts are going to be a pain. I also have to figure something out with the return to the oil pan because of my skid plate system. I'm also expecting some interference with the new exhaust routing because of the plates as well. We shall see...