I ran an STI '8' IC on my MY98 (Phase 1.5 engine) for a while but it wasn't a straight froward swap.
The brake fluid res gets in the way but can either be cut down or swapped to newer version which sticks out beyond the larger IC.
The other big issue on the MY97/98 is the way the recirc valve mounts. The standard new age bolt-on version won't fit with the Idle Control Valve so you have to replace the hole with a pipe like the standard IC has.
The only other issue is then getting mounting brackets to line up to keep it in place... Oh and the small matter of the under scoop tray to seal to the larger IC.
I went through all this as I really didn't want to go front mount either... In the end I went to FMIC anyway and to be honest, other than cutting the bumper it's a much easier conversion than the larger top mount.
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