gmacrae

a few months since i've checked in on this thread, and i find you decided to boost the thing?! Nice work mate, keep it up

3UZFTE

it depends on your definition of cheap. This to me defines what a cheap DIY turbo build is. I have a total of MAYBE maybe $5,000 in the car, parts, welder, etc., it doesn't get much cheaper then that.

haha, Adam, this build was on the back burner for the summer as I just got outta school, trying to find work, and just lost a little motivation to be boosted, all is well again, and now were back at the grind stone.

this guy knows what I'm talking about. Life's busy, and I have too many projects at the moment. Priorities.

hey, thanks for the kind words. It really has taken a lot to get it to this point, but with e57820, he has made it like clock work for me and has given me the insight that I so desperately need. Unfortunately, after I go boost, it'll need all new shocks/struts and disc and rotors as well as two front calipers. But oh well, we'll deal with it when we get there.

hey, thanks for not forgetting about me, glad to see I'm a little missed. Anyways, the dark age is over. Updates will be a little more regular as I've decided I am continuing my project that's been on hold for about 6 months.

3UZFTE

Update. Sorry guys, I know it's been a long time (6 months) since I've updated this thread, and it appears that there are a few people that were waiting for the final result. I have put a lot of energy and myself into this car, and it is pretty difficult to pour your free time and hard earned money on a car that I don't drive. If you guys are familiar with this thread, then you know we have 2 classic cars, the 62' Vette and the 64' Falcon with the 5.0 engine in it. Well I have been very busy with life, just graduated from school, trying to figure life out, go to some car shows, maintain relationships, etc. About 3 months ago, when I realized my manifolds weren't going to hold boost, my dad talked me into just bolting the exhaust back on and selling it to re-coupe some money back. Well that was the story up until a few days ago when e57280 emailed me and asked if I had fallen of the Earth. After hearing from him, and seeing his projects, I got the bug again. After visiting YouTube and some Turbo forums, I was able to amp myself back up about this build. Now the build is going down, again. And since the one thing that was holding me back was creating a log style manifold, and instead I jut flipped the factory manifolds around, (bought a SC400 Driver's manifold for the passenger side) which allowed me to not have a log manifold, and just run to separate turbo feeds, and connect right before the turbo, where they'll meet at a 3" 'Y-pipe' that will feed the T3 flange.

SC400 Driver's manifold, chopped and screwed, Turbo style.


Top: SC400 manifold that had to be chopped up in order to fit. Bottom: LS400 driver manifold that didn't fit because it interfered with the alternator, so I was able to work with the SC400 manifold because it joins up soon on the manifold, which allow for some room to work with behind the alternator. The LS manifold just wasn't going to work without some SERIOUS modifications.


You can see the SC400 manifold tucked up in there, I know the picture isn't the best, but you can see the pipe protruding in the picture, and all that needs to be done is extend it up, and meet up with the driver side crossover, and *wallah*, turbo hot side pipe is almost complete, minus the waste gate.


This is the factory passenger side manifold that has been turned around and has had the flange cut off. Again, the SC400 manifold would have made things 10x easier, but I wasn't going to buy a full set to chop up, and since my AC was junk, I pulled the compressor, lines, condenser, receiver/drier, etc. The choice is AC or TC... I choose turbocharged all day long, at least I can create my own breeze when I'm boosting, and it's not an everyday driver, which made it an easy decision.


Turbo Build progress....


"Emotions in this game run deep, so before these haters can kill me in my sleep, I'd like to say IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE..." - A Rapper.

BLKonBLK98

got a question for ya:

did you ever find out what the little blue valve was for? i broke mine upon removal but i am also deleting my egr system. it appears to not be connected to anything in this pic (i'm assmuing it was part of the egr system) so could a just plug the hole with a bolt?

stanleyCa

damn nice come up

3UZFTE

I did, it's called a Bi-Metal Vacuum Switching Valve, or a BVSV. Like I mentioned, herehttp://www.lextreme.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10891 you should be able to go to most parts houses and ask for a "ported vacuum switch". Anyways, they come on most American Toy/Lex rides, and basically are in charge of switch the vacuum as the coolant heats up the "Bi-Metal" pieces in the sensor, and basically re-route the vacuum to somewhere else as the motor warms up. A guy in the thread mentioned that Australian cars don't have this sensor, I would bet that it's due to our emissions, but I found it unnecessary. But, as you mentioned, you plan on deleting your EGR altogether. So what I did was break the remaining fitting off of the sensor, and putting some Teflon tape around the threads, and put it back in so the broke fittings are facing rearward so no one can see what the deal is. I chose to reuse the sensor because I didn't want to have a protruding bolt in the coolant passage way as I will be needed every drop of coolant running through that engine now that it's going to be boosted. Since the fitting was junk, I just reused it because the threads were perfect. As long as you have the threaded part of the sensor, I would reuse that, because the sensor is sealed on the inside, and doesn't have coolant going into it, all you need to do is just screw it back in and your good to go. It's pretty simple to be honest, the hardest part was fabing up the EGR plates, but if you buy them, there goes the fabing part. and the rest is easy. I will mentioned that other than the fabing part, is removing the EGR pipe and connector off of the passenger side manifold, not much room to work with, but with patients, its only a matter of time.

BLKonBLK98

cool. i have already got all the egr stuff out and bought some plates so it's good to go. i'll probably just find/cut a short bolt to plug the hole.

3UZFTE

Sounds good, it's a much cleaner engine bay when you do. I would imagine you could get a straight plug for it at your local hardware/plumbing store. I can't remember 100%, but I think it's 3/8 NPT, any ways take it down there and match it up. I will say you might have an issue finding a bolt that's NPT or Natl Pipe Thread, which tapers to help create a seal.

3UZFTE

I called Midas this morning to see what they would charge to bend one 90* bend, he said "Well, most guys would charge half an hour, so I'd say $52.50." I replied, ahhh ok.. Do you sell prebent material? And he said, "Ah what do you mean prebent, I don't really sell it bent, no." at this point I thought I'd ask if I could get a few bends, but then figured why waste my time, he's going to try to get every penny he can. Anyways, moral to the story, I'm doing wagiri construction style piping until I make the down pipe and exhaust. It made my day.

Edit: I had the day off, so I was really geared up to do some pipe fitting. I was almost laughing after my conversation with the d1ckhead at Midas. I've worked in a shop for a while, I understand overhead and machine costs, but for 5 mins of their time, I would've paid $20. So instead of making $20, they made nothing for doing nothing. The shop is less than 2 blocks from my house, I drive by all the time, needless to say they have 2 cars on hoist, the other 6 bays are empty. Anyways, here is the result of that whole ordeal. I know it's not perfect, but had they bent me a 90* it would've saved me an hour or two but I can't complain.

3UZFTE

I got a little antsy today, and got after her. I finished today with two manifolds that appear to be 90% complete. I need to make it as basic as possible in order to make it an easy install. Anyways, here is what I came up with. I had to modify the SC400 manifold that I'm using for the passenger side due to frame rail clearance. This is what I came up with.
Passenger manifold.


Both manis sitting side by side.


And here is a basic layout of what I intend to pull off. Seems to be one of the more basic setups. I am quite happy with it.



More to come soon... e57280, what do you think?

vinnie420

iTrader: (1)

This is gonna be one sick LS!!! I definitely like your idea with the sc400 manifolds. I didn't think the original one would build boost until crazy high RPM's. Definitely keep us informed. I would like to see what kind of boost and hp numbers are possible with this engine. It may persuade me to do something creative to mine.

3UZFTE

Hey, thanks for checking out my build. I really only used the driver's side manifold as my passenger side, and could've benefitted from having both SC manifolds, but inspirit of the budget build, I just decided to buy what I needed and make use of what I have. The reason why I was going with the log style was because I was actually copying this LS here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZS9rToLAhU&sns=tw and he seems to make some decent power with an almost identical setup I was going to create. I think the flipped manifolds is an easier way out, but should achieve decent results.

The above pictures are basically a mock up of what the overall setup should look like. As e57820 mentioned, I need to be aware of thermal expansion and so I will be welding a woven exhaust pipe in to allow both sides to move and have a "weak point" in order to prevent cracking, etc. I am also going to be welding in (2) 2.0" v-band clamps on both manifolds in order to make install/teardown somewhat easier. I have decided to order a premade two 2" into a single 3" y-pipe/merge pipe. I can make one, but I would just rather buy one if I'm going to spend the same amount of money for the material.
Anyways, that will be in due time, I spent a few hours creating some 90* and loose bends. I think I need one more small 90* bends to feed to merge pipe, but for now I think this will give me a good idea of what I need to make the crossover. Thanks for dropping by.

I know my welding sucks.

3UZFTE

Hey everyone, I know it's been a couple days, but this thread is deader than dead. I just thought I would take a few minutes and update you on my progress of this Turbo LS4 build. I recently have been driving back and forth from my house to my dad's shop in order to be able to tack something, or weld something. Needless to say it gets old having to do this all the time, so I am now going to run 220v @ 60amps out to the garage in order to put my TIG welder out there so I can use it without having to make the 10 minutes drive just to lay a bead, or just to measure. Its basically a 2 ft. trench, that stretched 60 ft. across the yard, and there we are setting up a sub-panel in order to safely run and power the welder as well as the compressor, and the other tools and lights that might need to be operated such as a drill press, etc. Who knew that the 6awg wire that was needed is about $4 a ft.


I got bored yesterday after having lunch, and thought I would sit down and do a little sketch to help me assess what is done, what needs to be done, as well as the overall look of the setup. I split it into two sides, a hot and a cold to ensure that the drawing was more easily understood. The part where the manifolds feed the merge pipe is a bit hard to see, so I decided to blow it up a little bit to help illustrate it. On the cold side, the only thing I didn't account for is the location of the blow-off valve, so I edited the photo with Microsoft Paint to point to where I think it should go. The last thing is the intercooler, and since I am still sourcing one, I am going to try to find one that has both inlet and outlet on the same side to save space and reduce the amount of piping needed, even if it is slightly more money.


Here is what I had been tinkering with for a bit. It's the pipe that is going to go underneath the alternator, and than come out the backside and up to feed a 90* bend, which will feed the merge pipe. It definitely looks better, flows better, and fits better than just two straight pipes and a 90* bend. This way I'll be able to maximize the amount of space I have.



Now for the piece de resistance, of the moment you've been waiting for... I know that it is not a perfect mock up, but it is very difficult for me to mock it up in the engine bay and still take detailed pictures to illustrate what exactly is happening.

A little closer.


And finally, the y-pipe/merge pipe feed. Since I had to use one of the 90* bends to make this picture, I didn't flick the whole setup because it would've had a vital part missing, I just need to make one more 90* and then I believe it is ready for the v-band connectors and the merge pipe.

A little closer.


I just wanted to update this thread as it appears it has gone by the wayside. Anyways, just thought I would give you guys a better idea of what's going on, and put a little eye candy out for you guys so you have something to look at. Thanks for coming by, and always feel free to leave any questions, comments, or concerns if you wish. Thanks again.

3UZFTE

Update. I feel like I'm talking to myself, anyways here is what I would like to call progress.
I meant to do this yesterday, but got caught up with some friends and needed to get some fresh air. I got most of the piping either tacked up or welded. I am just waiting for 3 sets of 2" v-band clamps so I can fully weld the horseshoe. Once it's completely welded, I will come up with the final solution for the merge pipe.


The crossover, which contains the woven pipe to give it some room to move around a bit, a bit tight, but has about 1/2" to spare between the swaybay however, I haven't added any connectors yet so I'm sure the distance will increase. The radiator and oil cooler are gone, so don't mind the tubing or the corrosion because it's being replace with a thick aluminum 2 or 4 core, a hayden oil cooler, a power steering fluid cooler from an Acura Legend and a Ford Taurus e-fan wired to push. My serp belt will be about 30" long now.


Passenger side, the view from the turbo.... Drool....


The end of the day yesterday. Overall I am about 75% done with the "hot side" of the turbo. The merge pipe will be tricky, but I kinda got a trick up my sleeve. The downpipe will be pretty easy as it will be a 90* downward and another 90* rearward, then pretty much straight back.


So I went home and had been adding up my costs in my head and doing a little math (math's not my strong subject) and where to buy what I wanted for the cheapest price, I was close to $500. I ended up cruising Craigslist as usual, smart guy that Craig, anyways, I stumbled upon a turbo kit for a K-series Honda motor. Blown Garrett T3 turbo, oil seal are blown, some shaft play, K-series log manifold, intercooler, 3" downpipe, 2.0" to 2.5" IC pipe, 2.5" IC piping, Blown eBay BOV, GReddy type RS BOV, and standard K-series oil pan from an 03' RSX, and few couplers and bands. I got it for a little over $200 from a guy about 10 minutes away from my house, the only thing I didn't account for is the intercooler piping is steel instead of aluminum, which will add a few pounds, but will give me the model shape that I need in order to get this beast running.


Here is the basic layout of using the existing pipe work that he gave me. I didn't want to cut it just in case I came up with something else. I toyed with a few scenarios, but due to the suspension and chassis a 2.5" just hangs a little low, and since I'm not going to oval it or flatten it out for a little bit, I just took out the windshield washer reservoir and ran the piping up the existing 3" hole that was drilled for the reservoir. Of course I will need to relocate the battery now to the rear, but I can live with that, and it's probably a little better for weight too. I can fab my own box with some scrap left over from my buddy's sheetmetal shop. and I'm sure I can find a more compact windshield washer resv which can be had at most junk yards. The setup isn't perfect, but the blow off valve will sit just to the right of the intercooler, which will reside behind the bumper. or driver's headlight, haven't decided. Clearly the pipes need to be adjusted, but this is how it's going to be laid unless there is good reason not to. (I used anything I could find to prop stuff up, don't be surprised.)

Needs to be shortened in two spots, but should fit like a glove. (There's no gas in it.)

Clearly this won't work, but the pipe fits there nicely, and the BOV will be a little father away than this, but will likely end up around this area.

And for the long passover from the driver's side to feed the MAF and ultimately the throttle body. Since the MAF and TB are about 3" , I think I will just run a 3" pipe between the two to because It doesn't make sense for me to reduce it from the MAF then step it back up to the TB. Insight?


I know I type/talk a lot, but I think there are a ton of details and this is my place to kind of document that. I will recap for those who skipped. I bought a kit from a guy with a blown turbo wanting to just sell his stuff. It is steel instead of aluminum, but I got it for a pretty good price. The kit came with a blown Garrett turbo, and genuine Greddy BOV, and cheap intercooler, and piping. I am removing the existing AC equipment, so I have a bit of room to work with. I will also relocate the battery to the trunk if I need to, which looks like I might, either that or buy a slim battery. The radiator is junk, and will be replaced with a 2/4 core aluminum with outlets on the driver side to clear up the downpipe/hot side area. I am going to wire in a Taurus e-fan either on a thermostat switch or just wire it back into the UZ electronics. Since I already have a Hayden oil cooler, I'll just use that, and I have a tranny cooler from an Acura Legend that I will use for a power steering cooler since I have the space. I will also need to have a custom line made to feed the steering rack because I just don't have space for the extra slack on the pressure line. So at the end of the day, I can easily tuck the IC up under the bumper just to give it a pretty stealthy look.
Can we say... "Sleeper...."


As usual, no one say anything....... and I'll just update it whenever I get a chance, unfortunately I am busy tomorrow, more to come soon.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

lol nice progress so far. its coming along.