ICE air conditioning install

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x_atlas0

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Hello everyone.

I was told by the owner of ICE that Rob Siegel of Roundel did an article on installing the ICE system on an older BMW. I know it is a shot in the dark, but would anyone happen to know where this article is or have a scan of it?
 
X,
I have the articles (I think it was a series of two) -- somewhere... I made photocopies of it for some folks a few years ago. I'll dig around this weekend and see if I can find it.

I'm not sure about scanning and posting it -- it would be copyrighted by the Roundel, and the BMW CCA has a bunch of twitchy lawyers that I'd rather not meet. With a photocopy I still have plausible deniability. Or I did, until I posted this message. :shock:
 
Rob and I have swapped a few emails. Velocewest, thanks for the offer. I don't want you to get arrested, though. If you happen to know the month/year the articles come from, I would be more than willing to purchase back issues containing the articles.

Based on my correspondence with Rob, he used a lot of OEM parts, especially the interior components, which is more than a tad impractical for the budget-deficient like me. Thusly, I am considering modifying the 2002 kit to fit the E9. I haven't been able to get any detailed drawings of the ICE evaporator unit, so I don't quite know how to design the console/heater interface around it. I would connect this evaporator unit to the heating duct, that way they both output through the same ports.

My dad broke my center console, so I am going to have to fix it anyway. He seems to be on a roll, after the window. But, it is ok, I know he is just trying to help.
 
I spoke with Rob for a couple of hours, and he seemed very interested in my idea to modify the ICE 2002 setup. The info ICE sent me seemed to indicate the unit was placed behind the ash tray area of the 2002, which isn't a terribly large space. Thusly, I think it would fit in the coupe section with a minimum amount of fuss, as the actual mounting of the unit could be accomplished with some aluminum stock and spacers. The most difficult thing would be connecting the output ot the output vent of the heating unit. The vents are apparently made of very brittle plastic, so I would need to heat it up a bit to make it somewhat pliable, then cut a hole in the proper place for the ducting, as well as make a pair of holes in the firewall for the tubing. The controls are thankfully included in the ICE package. A new compressor is potentially required if I decide to convert to R134A. Custom hoses will most assuredly be needed, as well as a couple of pipes for the extreme turns required in the E9. (like behind the glove box)

Depending on the size of the blower unit, I plan to mount it way in the back of the center console, almost against the firewall. I will probably run at first without any kind of console side panels or front panel to faciliate easy leak testing.

If anyone has some suggestions, please feel free to speak up.
 
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