Summary:

In part 2 we are going to take a look at what would you need to make your own Turbo setup, we will also try to point you to some shops that sell some of the parts, but if you want to keep cost down you might have to try your local junkyards. At the end of this document you will find an "estimated" price list.

Details:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Part 2

Important: this page will be updated as more info becomes available.

List of Parts:

TURBO (S) (preferred with wastegate included)

Garret T04 (single) (Trim and
Garret T3s (Dual)

INTERCOOLERS:

You will need one big or twin intercooler's, look for intercoolers that were placed in 2 liter or larger engine Turbocharged cars, you can place them side by side or soldered together as a unit. A good radiator shop can help you with the soldering if needed.

USED HEADERS

You can use stock or aftermarket headers, stock ones are a bit restrictive so i suggest getting at least a set of 1 5/8 unequal length shorties. Go to your favorite classifieds BBS or junker and look around, a decent set can be bought for $50. The headers will be modified later so don't worry too much about the quality, just make sure they are not rusted.

MANDREL BENT PIPES

For the laymen around, a Mandrel bender is a device that bends tube without distorting the shape of the tube so there are no abrupt transitions that can disrupt airflow. There are several companies around that sell PRE-BENT pipe pieces of several diameters. We will use mostly 2" and 3" inch pipes with smooth bends of 45 to 90 degrees in several radiuses. Hooker and Cartech are 2 sources that come to mind, they offer a large variety of bends.

FLANGES & GASKETS

Several different flanges and gaskets will be needed to hook up everything, most noticeable are the Compressor IN and turbine OUT flanges and gaskets, also needed for the setup will be the oil in-out ones and the Compressor Outlet to your exhaust system.

HOSES & CLAMPS

Long lasting, heat resistant hoses are needed to hook up most of the Turbine outlet to Intercooler and TB. Two good sources are Cartech or Turbocity. You will need mostly 3" diameter ones.

FUEL & ENGINE RELATED

Well, if you plan on dialing more boost, you will need more fuel to avoid detonation, here you are on your own, but plan ahead, 24 pound injectors will be a good start for a stock engine but i suggest you get at least 30 pounders, the price is almost the same and you will have a safety margin.

To feed those injectors you will need a larger fuel pump, again don't go to the next size of 155lph, get a 190lph in tank pump.

To tune the engine for the new injectors you will need to either buy a recalibrated Mass Air Sensor (MAF) or have a Custom made chip to recalibrate your EEC. Pro-M offers two types of MAF's; pull- through or push-through. You will have to use the correct one for your application, if you are keeping the stock one, the MAF must be placed before the turbine inlet. A push-through type must be used after the intercooler to TB path.

An adjustable fuel pressure regulator will be a valuable addition for tuning the fuel delivery.

BLOW OFF VALVE

One of the worst TURBO enemies is reverse air flow, also known as back flow. When the compressed air charge gets into the manifold, some of it wont be used and will try to go in "reverse flow" and return to the Turbine, that will make the turbine spin in reverse, that can kill a turbo in a short time. One way to avoid this is by installing a Blow off valve, which will detect the reverse flow and release it to the atmosphere. This is a good safety measure, by all means install one.

HEAT SHIELDING

One of the most common problems in a Turbo setup is how to shield some components from the heat generated by the exhaust tubes inside the engine compartment. Heat in no time can destroy your wiring, all plastic pieces and some critical electronic components. Shielding those components is a good safety and reliability measure. Other good practice is to move those components to the inside of the fender wells. One of the best insulators is aluminum, it dissipates heat very fast, also look after several brands of heat shield materials in various forms such as tape, tubes and mats. Some manufacturers such as ThermoTec and DEI have some decent products, check out Summit Racing for more info.

OIL FEED

Good lubrication is very important for turbo life, you will need preferably braided line to connect the turbo oil lines to the engine. We also advise on changing your oil when you install the system.

COOLING

Increased cylinder pressure will create more heat, installing a 180 degree thermostat and a higher capacity radiator is a good safety measure if temps raise too much.

We also recommend to install a good engine oil cooler.

EXHAUST

A good exhaust will promote less back pressure and better performance, at least install a good set of low restriction mufflers.

FINAL COMMENTS

We recommend to first search for the Turbocharger(s) and Intercooler(s), then start to draw a plan on where to install.
In the case of the Twin Turbo's each Turbo will fit at 2 spots, close to the fender wells behind the headlights and over the exhaust. Some people have placed their turbo's inside the fenders, but they are hard to get at and the piping might be more complicated.

In the case of a Single Turbo setup, there are 2 preferred choices, where the battery is or at the air filter location, which side you decide to install at will depend on some variables such as REWIRING and REROUTING some pipes and harnesses, at the drivers side you might need to relocate the A/C lines, the Power Fuse Box and some wiring. At the passenger side you have the EGR plumbing, a/c stuff to name a few.

IMPORTANT: The turbo's oil feed line must ALWAYS be at the top, and drain at bottom, the oil is gravity drained.

Plan ahead and start rewiring and routing stuff before you make any attempt at doing your setup. After you do this you can even start placing the Turbo(s) and Intercooler(s) in place and then start making the intercooler to turbo pipes.

The most difficult part will be modifying and installing the exhaust to turbo pipes, to test fit these pipes you can use exhaust pipe clamps before welding them.

PARTS AND PRICES (constantly updated as we find more sources and better prices)

Optional parts in Italics

Some Turbo's to look for:

END of PART 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5