She's a Thirsty Girl

I love it when things just work right. Like these intercooler brackets - there were already two threaded holes on each side of the frame, so all I had to do was enlarge the holes on the brackets for the bolts! So sweet. Like most things with this swap, things are a bit cramped/tight, but there's still room for everything.

With some ingenuity, I was able to use the stock 3.0 V6 airbox. This way, it fits right in the car, and actually accepts the 2.7t MAF perfectly. Here I plugged up the Secondary Air return port with some JB weld putty. I pressed in the middle from both sides to get a good seal. Now it's air tight.

I picked up a 3" dia. x 4" long piece of hose to complete the intake plumbing. I was able to get a good enough seal between the coupler and the plastic accordion hose without any adhesives/sealants. The air filter from the junkyard was even super clean, so I just threw it in for now. The snorkel fits and works with this setup just fine. I'm really glad I was able to make the OEM style airbox work, since they actually are engineered very well, and do a great job letting the engine breathe.

Gutted the 1.8t harness for a few connectors... specifically a two pin for the A/C compressor.

Looks so much better "whole" in my opinion. Getting excited for the first drive!

As you can see, I had to resort to using a 4"x4" block of wood as my hood strut decided to stop working today of all days....
Radiator and condenser fitted. I had to notch out the bottom area of the radiator support where the intercooler cross-over pipe goes. That's ok since I never plan on using that again anyway. Since the 2.7t rad is both thicker and taller, the fitment leaves a little to be desired for my taste. However, overall everything else fits together pretty well.

Had to make a run to the dealer for some more coolant - drank about 2 full gallons in the end. With the coolant all full and the power steering filled and bled, it was time for a drive!!!