Date: Tue, 08 Aug 1995 00:52:52 +0200
From: fbro@innet.be (Frank Brochoven)


Well people here's my report on the installation of my Aerodyne stage II
turbocharger. If you don't want to read it please hit ctrl+d now......

All the others please read on. I'll try to keep it short.
Disclaimer: I don't have ANY relation to any of the companies mentioned here.

First, I have to say thanks to the people at Brainstorm. I had ordered a
Sebring supercharger from them. When I found out I could go for the Aerodyne
($$!) they canceled my order without any problem! (Must have made the next
customer pretty happy...)

I got the system from the Dealer Alternative. Bill was very helpful from the
beginning. He found me white boost and oil temp gauges to go with the others
(also white). 

When the packages (2) arrived and I opened them, I was completely dazzled.
It seemed like bits and pieces kept coming out of the boxes forever. I
started to get scared, wondering what had gotten me to decide to install the
thing myself. I'd never done any engine work before. I didn't even know what
half the stuff under the hood was. 

When I'd gotten myself together and started having a close look at
everything and read through the installation instructions, I figured this
was gonna take a while. I have to say the instructions were sometimes a bit
vague. They did not have any pictures and only a few drawings to clarify. (I
already told Bill about this and he'll probably add pictures soon)

The instructions started by telling what to remove from the car. This was
easy and a good way to 'get into it'. After an hour or so, I had a whole box
full of stuff to put in the basement! 
Now I could REALLY get started! 

I started by putting on the new manifold and the turbine. This made it look
like I was making a lot of progress! I couldn't reach all the nuts with the
torque wrench, but Bill had assured me I could hardly over-torque them. 

I needed to install a new fuel pump. The instructions said it should be
installed at the rear of the car. Bill advised me to put it parallel to the
fuel filter. This looks a lot neater indeed! I didn't connect the fuel lines
yet - I was a bit scared of pulling the fuel hoses off , I'd never done that
before. 

The intercooler went in very easily (after I'd figured out how to mount it.
I don't drink beer too often, but I got a six-pack especially for the
installation to make it more 'real'. It helped too!) I did have to relocate
the air horns though. BUT I did find a great spot for them! I had put the
compressor where one OEM horn had been and the trumpets in place of the
second one. The compressor could stay but the trumpets needed to be
relocated. They are now attached to the same bolt as the compressor. (The
trumpets are attached to the OEM horn bracket, which I have bent and adapted
a bit). I could easily reach everything, since the plastic cover under the
engine was off as well as the black plastic thing in the mouth (I was going
to have to leave them off for cooling - I didn't like that idea at first,
but the grill I have covers up very nicely.)
The trumpets are now very close to the compressor and point downwards. They
are noticeably louder than before.
The intercooler tubes are connected with radiator type hoses (orange ones).
Two of them were the wrong size, so I had to get some hose myself. Not too
bad, because I could get black hose, which would be less eye-catching in the
mouth. Under the hood I kept the orange ones - I liked the look of them. I
also had to get some additional hose clamps. 

Installing the MSD was very easy, but finding a good spot for it was not.
Bill had advised me to put it next to the ECU in the passenger's footwell,
but the ABS control unit was already there. I trimmed the metal cover so I
could put it next to the engine computer anyway. 

All in all I spent some 30 hours on the installation I think. I did take it
slowly and carefully read the instructions. When in doubt, I e-mailed Bill
at night and he answered my questions by the time I got up. I also called
him a few times with urgent questions. When he wasn't in, someone else took
a note and Bill called me back. When the weekend came he even gave me his
home number and promised to check his mail regularly during the day. 

I'm now very proud I did the installation myself. Looking back on it, it's
wasn't all that hard. I'd do it again - it was great fun and I feel I know a
lot more about the engine and what all the things around it are for. 

I've been on a 3000+ miles trip and will report about it probably tomorrow.
It was a great chance to get to know the car. I'm also going to get it dyno
tested soon. You'll read all about it. 

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. 


____________________________________________________________
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 1995 16:34:03 +0200
From: Frank Brochoven fbro@nic.INbe.net

This is gonna be the one but last part of my report. Still to come are the
dyno results. I hope to finally get the car on there next week.

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts and ramblings about the Aerodyne...

About the installation: the directions would have benefitted from some
pictures. The installation notes are made for a (professional) mechanic. I
told Bill about this and he said he might add some pictures from
installations he'd done. 

Looks: the system looks very good. IMO it looks a lot neater than the
Sebring (no flames!!). I only know of two people that have one fitted. I
couldn't help noticing that the added tubes and hoses just ran where they
were supposed to go, making everything look less stock. I've also compared
it to the BBR turbo and still prefer the Aerodyne's looks. From what I've
seen from the pictures in the MCA catazine, the Bell Supercharger looks
similar in setup to the Aerodyne. 

Tools: no special tools are needed. You need a pressure gauge to set the
fuel pressure, but this is included in the package. A torque wrench is only
needed for a limited amount of bolts. I tried to use it for all the bolts on
the manifold and compressor, but couldn't reach half of them. 

Fit and finish: everything is very well finsihed. Most parts, like the
intake tubes, the intercooler and the airfilter box are painted in a black
'crinckle' finish (like the Voodoo stuff). Everything fit like a glove,
except the new manifold heatshield. I had to do some trimming to make this fit.

Cost: the system is already quite expensive. But it cost me nearly 50
percent extra. All things added together (I did get an expensive boost gauge
and an extra oil temp gauge): shipping (express - I needed it fast because
of the trip), import taxes and local taxes (VAT) the whole setup cost me a
little over $5K! It was substantially more than I had bargained for. I'd
think twice about it now. I am very pleased with it though, but I might
consider the Bell Supercharger instead (if available). Due to the lower
cost, I'd have to pay a lot less taxes here. This money is completely
wasted! I could have gotten new shocks for that kind of money and upgrade
the brakes too and still have some left! 
I do think it's definately worth the $3.5K it costs you people over there.

Mileage is improved slightly with the turbo. This will of course not be the
case with the Bell Supercharger. But if it's worth the higher cost of the
system...

Drawbacks: You have to run higher octane fuel. Here in Belgium that's not a
problem, but sometimes in the mountains I had trouble finding it. 
You'll burn a lot more rubber too!

Would I do it again? Definately! The car feels like it was meant to be this
fast. Mazda should put out a supercharged/turbocharged miata asap!

____________________________________________________________
Frank and Bibi (who thinks the Porsche and Mercedes don't look as good as
she does)
from Antwerp, Belgium