Time To Turbo, Where Do I Start?

[social]

Hey guys,
After a long thought one cruisey night (and many others lol) i came ot the conclusion of turbocharging my car, heres the details on her and some questions i would like answered. So im aware its quite a pricey job, but il afford it over time piece by piece!
Thanks to all in advance

The Car Details:
5spd Manual
3.8L V6 Buick (180,000kms)
Stock Intake
Stock Exhaust
Always run on BP Ultimate

Questions (Very detailed replies if possible please):

Exhaust, what needs to be done here?

What specific parts will i need?

What turbo should i use?

Is it better to just buy a kit for $4000(ish) or buy piece by piece?

Anything internal on the engine that should be advised?

Do i need to upgrade any other parts so my engine is compatible?

Is there a certain oil to be used in the engine one it has been turbo'd?

I plan on installing all parts myself, as an apprentice mechanic i know a bit, good or bad idea?

Who would you advise to talk to about any further questions concerning my plans?

Thats all ive got so far so yea we'll start there

[Sgt Santa Cruz]

good for you man i hope you come through with the goods..

now basically the first things on the agenda is twin or single?? both have there ups and downs on each one.

alot of things varie depending on what you are after power wise and budget wise.
if it was me
1.Rebuild Motor with Lower comp and forged pistons
2. Select the right cam and injectors and rockers to match your power
3.the right ecu for your requirments.
4.Rising rate fuel reg.
5. Stock intake will do for a lower budget but there are twin throttle manifolds which would prob be the go.
6. of course depending on your setup a 3 inch exhaust or twin 2.5 but then that also depends on the power you are pulling and if its single or twin.

Thats a basic basic step guide by what I would do alot of other ppl will give you different opinions, tips etc etc

good luck dude go for it!

[social]

good for you man i hope you come through with the goods..

now basically the first things on the agenda is twin or single?? both have there ups and downs on each one.

alot of things varie depending on what you are after power wise and budget wise.
if it was me
1.Rebuild Motor with Lower comp and forged pistons
2. Select the right cam and injectors and rockers to match your power
3.the right ecu for your requirments.
4.Rising rate fuel reg.
5. Stock intake will do for a lower budget but there are twin throttle manifolds which would prob be the go.
6. of course depending on your setup a 3 inch exhaust or twin 2.5 but then that also depends on the power you are pulling and if its single or twin.

Thats a basic basic step guide by what I would do alot of other ppl will give you different opinions, tips etc etc

good luck dude go for it!

Well as for the rebuilt motor, i was going to go with the curent status of the engine seeing as the condition of it is quite good actually, so the idea was to stick with external only other than possibly upgrading as u said, the rockers and injectors.
As for power i honestly dont know what type of power level im looking for really, shes currently sitting on around 120kw and i would really like to start pushing 170-180 if possible, that would also depend on the costs ofcourse, would really like a range of power to price if possible
Moving onto the fuel rate reg. can i buy aftermarket ones of these?
And also the ECU, who can reformatt mine and how would it be reformatted eg. what would they change?
The twin throttle manifolds, where can i get my hands on these and what price are they, can i put them on myself like just a simple bolt on or more sophisticated?
So now that you know the power range, do you recommend a 2.5 twin or a 3, because unless im hitting boost, the 3inch would have no benefit imo..
Thanks,
Social.

[WogBoyz]

Well as for the rebuilt motor, i was going to go with the curent status of the engine seeing as the condition of it is quite good actually, so the idea was to stick with external only other than possibly upgrading as u said, the rockers and injectors.
As for power i honestly dont know what type of power level im looking for really, shes currently sitting on around 120kw and i would really like to start pushing 170-180 if possible, that would also depend on the costs ofcourse, would really like a range of power to price if possible
Moving onto the fuel rate reg. can i buy aftermarket ones of these?
And also the ECU, who can reformatt mine and how would it be reformatted eg. what would they change?
The twin throttle manifolds, where can i get my hands on these and what price are they, can i put them on myself like just a simple bolt on or more sophisticated?
So now that you know the power range, do you recommend a 2.5 twin or a 3, because unless im hitting boost, the 3inch would have no benefit imo..
Thanks,
Social.

I know Mace sells a twin throttle manifold for VR/VS commys

[social]

I know Mace sells a twin throttle manifold for VR/VS commys

do you know of a price range mate?

[WogBoyz]

do you know of a price range mate?

They dont say on the site, but send them an email asking for the price

MACE ENGINEERING GROUP

When i ordered products off them they were very helpfull and answered all my questions

[Sgt Santa Cruz]

if your running anywhere between 1-5 psi boost the motor will be fine but if you boost it up a fair bit thats where lower compression, pistons and other features come into play.. if you were after those sort of kilowatts why dont you try stroking the motor instead. consistent power (no lag) and maybe a bit cheaper option depending on who you talk to or what your after.
I know Pro stroke in Heathcote can definatly help you out for any budget. Pro-Stroke Engines
im not sure if come racing do a kit for it either but either way you could get one of their packages and build it yourself or they could do it.

[delcowizzid]

this would have to be one of the easiest setups ive ever seen delcohacking.net • View topic - Turbo VN V6 only requires one passenger manifold to be fabricated a new crossover pipe from the stock drivers side manifold to the rear of the new passenger manifold ,a waste gate ,a turbo T3/T4 or T70 or KKR380 or similar, 1 intercooler and pipe work ,3" exhaust ,BOV and 30lb injectors.dont go the aftermarket rising rate reg waste of time and money and a pig to tune with and most of them never hold constant pressure.check it out clint does over 100km a day to work on a stock $57 ebay engine and it runs at 16psi.

[social]

if your running anywhere between 1-5 psi boost the motor will be fine but if you boost it up a fair bit thats where lower compression, pistons and other features come into play.. if you were after those sort of kilowatts why dont you try stroking the motor instead. consistent power (no lag) and maybe a bit cheaper option depending on who you talk to or what your after.
I know Pro stroke in Heathcote can definatly help you out for any budget. Pro-Stroke Engines
im not sure if come racing do a kit for it either but either way you could get one of their packages and build it yourself or they could do it.

Well im unssure of what boost will obtain what source of power, and how exactly do you change the boost? like for example if i want to thrash around for a bit i would be running 5psi, otherwise just 1 for usual driving right? Id prefer turbo mainly because i crave that blow off valve sound, the kick in power at a higher revs rather than off the spot and also that stroking it out is alot louder..

this would have to be one of the easiest setups ive ever seen delcohacking.net • View topic - Turbo VN V6 only requires one passenger manifold to be fabricated a new crossover pipe from the stock drivers side manifold to the rear of the new passenger manifold ,a waste gate ,a turbo T3/T4 or T70 or KKR380 or similar, 1 intercooler and pipe work ,3" exhaust ,BOV and 30lb injectors.dont go the aftermarket rising rate reg waste of time and money and a pig to tune with and most of them never hold constant pressure.check it out clint does over 100km a day to work on a stock $57 ebay engine and it runs at 16psi.

wow thats quite interesting, if this is so cheap why doesnt everyone resort to it? whats the downside?

[Skater_jj]

from what i have been told, a 3 inch exhaust on a 3.8L turbo is illegal in all states, so to be on the safer side your probably better off with the twin 2.5's as you will get a much nicer sound from it in my opinion, 3 inch pipes are generally used on the smaller engines like subaru and lancer 2.2L's and gives off more of a rumbling sound, had a 3 inch exhaust on my old Lancer, it did sound nice but it also caused a few minor power issues , but the option is upto you i've only ever heard the twin 2.5 exhausts on v8's so dont know how they sound on the v6

[greenfoam]

wow thats quite interesting, if this is so cheap why doesnt everyone resort to it? whats the downside?

Pretty easy and cheap to turbo the V6, you have one major major problem, That is it's not legal in any way shape or form so as with all other boosted setups on modern cars the day you first get pulled over you will be removing it all and going over the pits with a stocker. And that's why not many people do it

[immortality]

stock VR donk has been pushed to 19psi and only blown a headgasket with a overboost (boost controller failure, 21psi). i'd suggest fitting a ecotec oil pressure spring. stock is only 50psi and with turbo using oil some extra pressure can't hurt. ecotecs run about 75psi.

as delco said, stick with the stock ecu and fuel setup. you may want to fit a bigger pump but thats about it. don't get the rising rate pump, people used it to get around tuning properly but they generally always resulted in some sort of engine failure sooner or later

[delcowizzid]

you can get the turbo certified over there easy enough i have a few cars ive tuned over there that are fully certified for turbo.

[social]

Alrighty well ive taken all this info in so far and i officially understand the turbo concept and how it works lol. This is my basic understanding...(paint style lol)

Exhaust gases are sent through piping into side A of the turbo and a pipe into a wastegate, resulting in turning the turbine, as the turbine builds up pressure, the wastegate will open once it has reached a certain boost psi allowing excess exhaust gases to exit so that the engine doesnt overload (if i cn put it in those terms), The result of the turbone turning on side B pulls through a larger intake of air and depending if there is a intercooler or not, either runs through it or not and then enters the throttlebody. A Loud whistle is dispersed from the fast escaping pressure out the blowoff valve as it builds up and once the gear has peaked out, and the clutch has been pushed in, the throttlebody closes causing the pressure to escape through the blow off valve causing the well known WHHHHHHIII CH CH CH CH CH... Please correct me if im wrong lol

My plan / questions are as follows...

For the turbo itself im probably going to do with a t70, although im not 100% sure at what point the spooling wqould occur, i would prefer a 2500rpm spooling to start... if anyone knows of specific turbos or how i can work out the right one for me, please post up

As for the manifolds, ive browsed mainly two different types . One requires the crossover pipe to run around the back at the bottom of the engine and the other in the front (2 diffferent setups in pics below). Im most likely going to choose the front setup, mainly because i have more opportunity to seeing the results and parts needed etc. I will somehow find out the specs for the piping and get some measurements going and end up welding it up myself, i kno too stingey to buy a pre-made set, but wheres the fun in that and who in their right mind as 1st yr apprentices can afford it lol.
Here the two setups;


Front setup A


Front Setup B


Rear Setup

[sweefu]

hey guys would the setup be much different for an ecotec? Could you just get new manifold, turbo, intercooler, tune, exhaust, injectors?
Has anyone on here done this?
Thanks guys, and goodluck social

[VR ST3LTH]

When doing a setup like this do you need to have a 1,2 or 3 MAP sensor? if so where abouts do you place it.. cheers.

[VR ST3LTH]

oh and this may sound really stupid but what is that part thats been outlined in yellow?