Going Turbo

[99EclipseRs99]

I have spent alot of time arguing with myself on the subject of turbocharging my car and finally my verdict is in: Turbo. The reason I am posting is I would like opinions on the system that I plan to put together myself and hopefully someone can clear up some minor issues I have. In the end I am hoping to get a system very similar to that of the system in the famous sub1000$ turbosystem writeup. I plan to use the same fuel system setup with the Walbro 255 pump and the Vortech 12:1 FMU. As far as the exhaust manifold I would really prefer to get a turbonetics or a Hahn as I have read that they will usually hold up longer than homemade or fabricated ones. I plan to bolt a garrett t3 to my manifold. The only thing bothering me here is the situation of the wastegate. Correct me if I am wrong but if I use a turbonetics manifold I need an external wastegate but with a Hahn I would use a turbo with an internal wastegate? I only want 5-6 lbs of boost so I pretty sure I will need to adjust. Other than that I plan to put in a SMIC most likely a stock 2g. The last thing I have on my mind is my oil line kit. Is in necessary to weld an oil outlet in my oil pan or can I drill a hole in it and bolt fittings in? I am curious about this because if welding is needed I will need to have someone else do it as I cannnot. I hope to gather all the necesssary parts by christmas so I can do the install over my christmas break. I'm sorry for the long post but I am exited and hoping to piece a kit together as soon as the misunderstandings I have are cleared up. Thanks for reading,
Ryan

 

[DSMcrazy3]

You're on the right track. The oil line situation. It's best to weld a fitting directly to the pan due to the simple fact that bolts can back out, and or gaskets can leak. Having the fitting welded reduces the amount of connections. Minimizing the chance of a leak.

I didn't know turbonetics made a manifold for 420a-T. Hahn is a bit pricey... Your best bet would be to go with an external wastegate, however. Not many internal wastegates are set to 5-6 pounds. While the external wastegate I just got is set for 6 psi. If you're not going to be purchasing anything for a bit, keep an eye on my posts. I've ordered a Treadstone manifold which is fairly new on the market, however it's a replica of the STAR manifold I believe. I'm waiting to recieve it and as soon as I do will post pictures as well as a review of the product for all to see. That manifold is going for 300 + shipping.

 

[BigRand]

Thats awesome man, I like that you read the tech articles. Keep it up. Also don't forget www.2gnt.com They've got a lot of info over there as well.


You have to make up your mind about the turbo your gonna run, and weather that turbo is going to be internally gated or externally? That migh thelp you pick out the manifold you want. Not to mention the type of downpipe you want fabbed up.

Good luck.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

As far as I see it, you only have four choices for exhaust manifolds:
*Hahn (Overpriced, and not worth it in my opinion. You are correct though, as you would need a turbo with an internal wastegate for this manifold. I believe these manifolds are welded.)
*Star/Turbonetics (Also overpriced, but these are made of cast metal, and are much more durable. They have a port on the manifold for an external wastegate, but if you want to run an internally gated turbo, you can buy a block-off plate to cover the port until you're ready for it. ~$500)
*Street Source Manifold (For a little while, this was the best option. The price was right, and the welds are absolutely superb. Not to mention, each manifold is made to order and can be customized to your specifications. I have this exact manifold, and so far, so good. Some people have had to get the main flange milled down, probably because of a little warpage that occured during manufacturing. ~$300).
*Treadstone Manifold (We're still waiting for the verdict on this manifold. Josh is the first reputable source to have ordered one, but it isn't installed yet. I actually spoke to a consultant who helped the company design the manifold. Supposedly he advised that it both be cast, and have thicker than normal walls. This manifold also has a wastegate port, but that can be blocked off, like I said earlier. With such a low pricetag, and all the best features, I say go with this one if Josh gives us the thumbs up. ~$300).


You have three options when it comes to the oil return line.
*You can have a fitting welded on (Probably the most secure way to go).
*You can use a bulkhead fitting, which is like a threaded piece of pipe, with two nuts on either side of the oil pan wall (I have this, and I don't like it very much. It holds oil fine, but it looks flimsy, like it could leak at any moment).
*You can bolt a flange to the oil pan (You'll probably end up needing a flange for the oil return line to bolt to the turbo... just buy two of these and use the other on the oil pan. I know of a few people running return lines like this with no problems.)


My advice to you, is build your turbosystem like you'll be running 20+psi. You can still be very thrifty about it, but plan for the long run. If you skimp on important things, you'll regret it later, because they'll either break, or not be sufficient if you ever decide to upgrade.

 

[Shadow98]

What kind of turbo is ment to hook-up to the hahn 3" dp? I don't want to go to a shop around here, because nobody in this town has a mendral bender.

 

[99EclipseRs99]

Thanks for the help everyone! I have now made one decision: I would like to use an external wastegate in my system mainly because I really don't want to mess around with adjusting an internal one. It seems kind of difficult to mod something like that and do it correctly and I am afraid I would ruin something else along the way. I will definately keep my eye out for info on the Treadstone manifold. I will also get my oil pan welded but I think I will approach it by purchasing an extra oil pan in advance and having that welded to eliminate a little downtime during the install. Now my project for the day will be deciding exactly what turbo to I want. Please post any suggestions for turbos that would fit well in my system. Thanks again,
Ryan

 

[DSMcrazy3]

Well with a treadstone manifold, and most others for the 420a-t you'll be left with no option but to go with a garrett style turbo.

It's a great idea to take this day by day for awhile, analyzing what you can and want to do, rather than just rushing and buying this and that. So far you're doing a great job.

 

[99EclipseRs99]

Thanks for the advice! For now I am going to track down some of the parts I know I will need either way (fuel pump, fmu, smic, ect.) and hold out on my manifold and turbo so I can gather more information on the benefits of all the different models. Any suggestions for a good turbo to run at about 5-6psi preferably a t3 would be appreciated. Thanks again for all the help thus far and for running a site with so much information accessable by simply searching! It's great.
Ryan

 

[ninjai_ruken]

I would have to say that when it comes to the Turbo and Manifold dont cheap out on them unless you can get a good quality product. I needed a new exhaust manifold so I saved up and bought the Turbonetics from SB. I must say it is an excellent manifold and have had no problems with it. Pretty much everything I had to say was already said so I thought I would put my two cents in when it came to the Turbonetics Manifold.

 

[420a-t]

i got this manifold for my turbo setup: http://motors.search.ebay.com/?from=R40&satitle=420a+manifold+turbo (top one for 180 bucks) and have not had any problems with it cracking or anything...then again, i've only been turbo'ed for 3 months.

for my return line, i got the oil return off of a 1g-t and cut it about 2 or 3 inches away from each of the ends and bolted them onto my 14b and oil pan and used heater hose. it leaked for a long time until i took off the oil pan flange and hit the bumps out of it to make it flat. i then used gasket maker and jb weld on it. all good now.

it was a good idea because i didnt even have to take off my oil pan. bad, very bad idea because it sucked the big one in the long run. long story short, do the oil lines right the first time.

 

[DSMcrazy3]

How was fabing up the downpipe with that manifold? Even with an External wastegate, with the main collector mounted in the center of the manifold it doesn't leave much room for the downpipe between it and the upper radiator hose.

 

[420a-t]

it actually wasnt that exact one. i told him that i needed more room than that so he put the flange over to the right a little more. the pic in my gallery isnt the greatest, but you can see that the fits fine. i have a 2.5" dp.