stick the blue spring back in.
TurboClunker (a.k.a. cheap-ass slaps a turbo on his LX)
- Thread starter Heckraiser
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- Thread starter
- #242
Gonna collect a boost gauge from my buddy this week and see where I'm at. If it's less than 5-6psi, then I'll probably try a manual boost controller and leave the little red spring in there.
Having the hood back on and my non-rusty yunkyard find rear hatch sitting in the garage, I'm kind of having second thoughts about cutting a hole in the hood. There is an off chance I could actually make this truck look presentable
The current thought rattling around in my head is to go front mount by relocating the PS paperclip (or removing for a transmission cooler type) and drilling some of the holes in the front cross member a little bigger and sleeving them with heavy tube, then run the pipes through the front cross member. There's just a lot of stuff around the front of the truck (AC lines, headlight housings, battery box, etc) that seems like it would make routing a big challenge. If I could just custom design my own intercooler with the inlet/outlet exactly how I want them, that would be awesome, but too pricey for me.
I think an FMIC will take up enough space that I might have to do a front receiver rather than a winch mount bumper, but I'm not really sure. The only "off the shelf" front bumper I'm considering is the TG one because I'm cheap. If anyone picks one up in the Denver Metro, I'd love to come take some measurements.
Having the hood back on and my non-rusty yunkyard find rear hatch sitting in the garage, I'm kind of having second thoughts about cutting a hole in the hood. There is an off chance I could actually make this truck look presentable
The current thought rattling around in my head is to go front mount by relocating the PS paperclip (or removing for a transmission cooler type) and drilling some of the holes in the front cross member a little bigger and sleeving them with heavy tube, then run the pipes through the front cross member. There's just a lot of stuff around the front of the truck (AC lines, headlight housings, battery box, etc) that seems like it would make routing a big challenge. If I could just custom design my own intercooler with the inlet/outlet exactly how I want them, that would be awesome, but too pricey for me.I think an FMIC will take up enough space that I might have to do a front receiver rather than a winch mount bumper, but I'm not really sure. The only "off the shelf" front bumper I'm considering is the TG one because I'm cheap. If anyone picks one up in the Denver Metro, I'd love to come take some measurements.
That's exactly why I went A/W, with the Slee short bus and winch I couldn't do a front mount. That and the overheating issues people have and under performing A/C, I just don't like the idea of adding more heat and less flow to the front.
- Thread starter
- #244
After driving it to subway and back, it's definitely peppier than I was thinking yesterday, spool up is a little quicker and seems to begin around 2700, which is a little higher than I would like. I think the reason it felt so underwhelming yesterday is because the whole thing just gets heat soaked in a big hurry. First drive of the morning is actually pretty spunky 
Yeah having that IC under the hood without some kind of directed air flow it's going to act as an intake heater more than a cooler. I look forward to seeing what you come up with if you don't want to cut the hood.
2700 still seems a little late for spool, but let's get the boost gauge and AFR on there and see what's actually happening. Maybe that spring is just too light and the valve is opening just slightly with very little pressure. You could test that by swapping springs out but you need to be very careful with throttle application to avoid overboosting.
2700 still seems a little late for spool, but let's get the boost gauge and AFR on there and see what's actually happening. Maybe that spring is just too light and the valve is opening just slightly with very little pressure. You could test that by swapping springs out but you need to be very careful with throttle application to avoid overboosting.
A nice discreet hood scoop in corner would be kind of cool in my opinion. Excited to see what you do.
- Thread starter
- #247
The biggest challenge I'm coming up with for the hood scoop is the fact that the IC resides right under the passenger side body line of the hood "bump" If that makes any sense... there is a body crease running right through where my scoop would go, which will make it hard not to look funky.
Ahh yeah that may be a bit of a challenge. Could still be done with some trimming on the scoop to follow the lines.
Gonna collect a boost gauge from my buddy this week and see where I'm at. If it's less than 5-6psi, then I'll probably try a manual boost controller and leave the little red spring in there.
Having the hood back on and my non-rusty yunkyard find rear hatch sitting in the garage, I'm kind of having second thoughts about cutting a hole in the hood. There is an off chance I could actually make this truck look presentable
I think an FMIC will take up enough space that I might have to do a front receiver rather than a winch mount bumper, but I'm not really sure. The only "off the shelf" front bumper I'm considering is the TG one because I'm cheap. If anyone picks one up in the Denver Metro, I'd love to come take some measurements.
I'm in Westminster and have a TG bumper. Shoot me a PM and you're welcome to check it out.
Just a edged screen would do wonders, it could easily follow the body lines and not stick out to the average Joe.
I am kinda kicking around the idea of doing a aux Battery tray on the passenger side , putting a scoop that would force air into that Battery box. Mount the intercooler similar to yours but in the battery tray area. That's just my thinking out loud. It's cool to see this build. Ryan, you have a build thread?
Yeah, I have 2 build threads kind of going. Both are down in my signature. 
Hahaha does Ryan have a build thread... That's kind of funny because many on here have been lusting after his turbo setup for quite some time.
alia176
SILVER Star
Ryan doesn't wheel, he just builds....
Ha, you have no idea how true that feels sometimes. It's been over a year since I have had a truck in the dirt. Only saving grace is I lived in Moab UT for 4.5 months before that and I was out on a trail just about everyday. 
But let's not focus on my lack of wheeling
and focus on this kick ass, reasonably priced turbo setup!!
But let's not focus on my lack of wheeling
and focus on this kick ass, reasonably priced turbo setup!!
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@scottryana yeah you're on the east coast now. It is not the same. How are you liking those Virginia inspection stickers? What a scam that is! I had one shop fail me for windshield wipers - and they were less than 48 hours old. My cousin told me that one inspector he knows loosens the 02 sensor in order to get a CEL.
You're in the only state I know that literally has taxes on taxes, and that allows local politicians to use community funds for personal expenses - like golf club memberships! Squirly
Does this mean you're revisiting an A/W setup?
You're in the only state I know that literally has taxes on taxes, and that allows local politicians to use community funds for personal expenses - like golf club memberships! Squirly
Does this mean you're revisiting an A/W setup?
Total curiosity and sorry if this has been addressed earlier in the thread...
What made you decide on a top mounted IC vs. a front mount?
Don't get me wrong I love the look and the job you've done thus far looks amazing, but as others have pointed out heat will be a concern in this configuration.
I've often thought that if I were to run a turbo a top mount would be cool center mounted, pretty sure they have these in OZ. I also have a 2" body lift so might have more room across the top plane of the engine then you to fit one in that location.
Now, what about running something like a hood "vent" vs. a scoop... Run the vent "backwards" to draw air in... It really needs to be forward of the IC on the hood were you have the most real estate and don't run into the raised center portion of the hood body line.
Awesome build and my hat off to you for going outside the box.
-A
What made you decide on a top mounted IC vs. a front mount?
Don't get me wrong I love the look and the job you've done thus far looks amazing, but as others have pointed out heat will be a concern in this configuration.
I've often thought that if I were to run a turbo a top mount would be cool center mounted, pretty sure they have these in OZ. I also have a 2" body lift so might have more room across the top plane of the engine then you to fit one in that location.
Now, what about running something like a hood "vent" vs. a scoop... Run the vent "backwards" to draw air in... It really needs to be forward of the IC on the hood were you have the most real estate and don't run into the raised center portion of the hood body line.
Awesome build and my hat off to you for going outside the box.
-A
Found this site with a few options: Custom Hood Vents for Cars & Trucks at CARiD.com
$$$ ranges from carbon to plastic... Lots of options, might even find a small scoop that would work as they have those also.
$$$ ranges from carbon to plastic... Lots of options, might even find a small scoop that would work as they have those also.
- Thread starter
- #259
I chose top mount for two reasons:
1) I got in a wreck a couple months ago and need to replace my front bumper--bumper is currently pushed in taking up IC space in front of the truck. I didn't want to limit my bumper options by putting the IC up front.
2) because it's less plumbing and therefore cheaper, less opportunity for leaks and a shorter intake tract should result in marginally improved throttle response
My TMIC location behind the passenger headlight is superior to the more common top mount (subaru style) because the centered TMIC places the IC right on top of the engine and downpipe, basically right in the hottest part of the engine bay. My IC location is forward of the turbo, exhaust manifold and dowpipe, so presumably in a cooler location, also plenty of room to add a heat shield on the exhaust manifold or around the IC itself. The only drawback in my mind is the aesthetics of an off-centered scoop.
I have also considered drawing cool air from behind the bumper (or even removing the passenger-side blinker) and drawing it through a duct up to the IC, then placing a vent in the hood above the IC for air to exit (less ugly than a scoop, IMO). Kind of a ram-air duct so the air moves through the IC from bottom to top. This is a cool idea, and I think pretty feasible, but would require the relocation of my airbox (which I am quite happy with). Something to consider.
And FMIC, for obvious reasons would be the coldest location, but longer pipes, more potential leaks, more installation challenges.
Lots and lots of options depending on your priorities. I'll probably just make a scoop like I originally intended because I don't want to put much more time into this project.
A/W was never a consideration for me because I want mechanical simplicity, but there are certainly some advantages/disadvantages to consider there.
1) I got in a wreck a couple months ago and need to replace my front bumper--bumper is currently pushed in taking up IC space in front of the truck. I didn't want to limit my bumper options by putting the IC up front.
2) because it's less plumbing and therefore cheaper, less opportunity for leaks and a shorter intake tract should result in marginally improved throttle response
My TMIC location behind the passenger headlight is superior to the more common top mount (subaru style) because the centered TMIC places the IC right on top of the engine and downpipe, basically right in the hottest part of the engine bay. My IC location is forward of the turbo, exhaust manifold and dowpipe, so presumably in a cooler location, also plenty of room to add a heat shield on the exhaust manifold or around the IC itself. The only drawback in my mind is the aesthetics of an off-centered scoop.
I have also considered drawing cool air from behind the bumper (or even removing the passenger-side blinker) and drawing it through a duct up to the IC, then placing a vent in the hood above the IC for air to exit (less ugly than a scoop, IMO). Kind of a ram-air duct so the air moves through the IC from bottom to top. This is a cool idea, and I think pretty feasible, but would require the relocation of my airbox (which I am quite happy with). Something to consider.
And FMIC, for obvious reasons would be the coldest location, but longer pipes, more potential leaks, more installation challenges.
Lots and lots of options depending on your priorities. I'll probably just make a scoop like I originally intended because I don't want to put much more time into this project.
A/W was never a consideration for me because I want mechanical simplicity, but there are certainly some advantages/disadvantages to consider there.
- Thread starter
- #260
Shopping list:
BASIC NON-INTERCOOLED SETUP:
Borg Warner s300sx .91a/r T4 turbo Borg Warner Turbo S300SX3-60 .91A/R T4 Airwerks 177272 $588 shipped
Bosch 110 diverter valve (OEM for audi/VW/Saab, lots of aftermarket options that fit up the same way) $35
Tial Sport 38mm F38 Wastegate with small blue 8.7psi spring ebay$159 shipped
Tial Small red 5.8 psi spring ebay$28
Treadstone Manifold $419 (needs to be clearance in a few spots, and may need to be re-tapped)
Treadstone 3.5” Vband clamp and flange $45
TURBO DRAIN:
Turbo drain line adapter ebay Turbo Oil Drain / Return Pipe Kit HITACHI HT12 5/8" Hose barb $13
½” NPT brass tap with hose barb $3 Home Depot
2’ of half-inch high-temp rubber hose $3 local parts store
TURBO FEED:
2x 1/8” NPT male to -3AN male adapter (oil feed into top of turbo) JEGS Performance Products 100752 | Buy JEGS Brake Line Fitting Adapters at JEGS $12
2’ -3AN oil feed line JEGS Performance Products 635008 | Buy JEGS Pre-Assembled Brake, Hydraulic Clutch, and Mechanical Gauge Hose at JEGS $14
1/8” BSPT Tee for oil feed at pressure sender Amazon.com: Squirrelly Oil Pressure Sending Unit Adapter 1/8" BSPT Port Male Female T: Automotive $30
GENERAL PARTS:
OEM exhaust manifold gasket set $38 friendly MUD parts vendor
Exhaust nuts (OEM nuts are too large to fit in several locations, these are smaller, use a washer wherever you can make one fit) https://www.summitracing.com/parts/arp-200-8663?seid=srese1&gclid=CJ6w9aiy6cwCFQUIaQod6dcOiA $10.27
Studs/Nuts for manifold-turbo connection $6 Rockauto.com or local parts store
INTAKE/CHARGE PIPES (allpurposepipes.com)
3.25” to 3” silicone reducer (MAF to intake pipe) $11
3.25” silicone coupler (MAF to air filter) $7
3” to 4” silicone reducer (intake pipe to turbo inlet) $13
90* 3” to 2.5” silicone coupler $20
90* aluminum 2.5” bend $12
2.5” bulge/bendy silicone coupler $13
2.5” aluminum BOV adapter pipe $25
1.25” silicone coupler $5
2.5” to 3” silicone reducer (charge pipe to TB) $10
EXHAUST:
3” stainless steel 45*mandrel bend $16 (all purpose pipes)
Schoenfeld headers 2530 reducer @ Summit Racing $8
Schoenfeld headers 3530 reducer @ Summit Racing $9
3.5” 90* steel mandrel bend $30 amazon.com
Wastegate dump tube 35MM/38MM UNIVERSAL TURBO/CHARGER MANIFOLD WASTEGATE STAINLESS DUMP PIPE PIPING $25
Acura Integra (’94-’01 )air filter & Box $40 junkyard
Subtotal: $1654 This does not include hose clamps, vacuum hose, general nuts and bolts, so figure in a 50lb sack of nickels as well, so that should bring us up to $1700
Optional Stuff, but good to have:
Hiwowsport T4 Titanium turbo blanket Amazon.com $42
AEM UEGO Wideband Gauge Amazon.com $166 shipped
Boost Gauge: $10-150 depending on how spendy you want to get
Exhaust heat wrap: $15 allpurposepipes.com
Subtotal: $240
INTERCOOLED SETUP:
CX Racing intercooler CXRacing Intercooler Turbo 16.5x11x3 Inlets on One Side $120
Remove 90* 3” to 2.5” silicone coupler listed above (-$20)
Add 2.5” aluminum pipe $12
Add 2.5” 45* silicone coupler $17
Add 2.5” straight silicone coupler $6
Subtotal $135
Basic Setup $1700
Plus intercooler extras: $135
Plus “good to have” extras: $240
GRAND TOTAL $2075
Now I went through a lot of trial and error, so I would be lying if I told you that’s all I spent, but if you use my thread as a guideline, you should be able to git’r done for about that much. That price factors in some shipping costs, but not all. The parts listed above are not necessarily what I purchased, but what I would purchase if I were to do it all over again. Particularly, the exhaust nuts and the turbo oil feed/drain lines I could have saved a lot of time and money on.
Also depending on your collection of tools, you might have to do a little shopping to stock up the garage. If you’re not removing the upper pan to drill your drain line hole, you’ll need to get your hands on a right angle drill that will accept a ½” chuck, you’ll need a ½” NPT tap. Otherwise, your basic shop tools should get you through.
Also if you don’t have a tire step, do yourself a favor and get one now.
I figure I'm in the project for about 20-25 hours of wrench time, and I easily spent four times that sitting around scratching my head, shopping, driving to the store, cursing, crying, etc. I think this could be done in one weekend, but the key is planning. Be organized. Test fit every little part together before you try to install anything. Make sure all your ducks are in a row. My own lack of planning and test-fitting ended up costing me more time and money in the long run.
BASIC NON-INTERCOOLED SETUP:
Borg Warner s300sx .91a/r T4 turbo Borg Warner Turbo S300SX3-60 .91A/R T4 Airwerks 177272 $588 shipped
Bosch 110 diverter valve (OEM for audi/VW/Saab, lots of aftermarket options that fit up the same way) $35
Tial Sport 38mm F38 Wastegate with small blue 8.7psi spring ebay$159 shipped
Tial Small red 5.8 psi spring ebay$28
Treadstone Manifold $419 (needs to be clearance in a few spots, and may need to be re-tapped)
Treadstone 3.5” Vband clamp and flange $45
TURBO DRAIN:
Turbo drain line adapter ebay Turbo Oil Drain / Return Pipe Kit HITACHI HT12 5/8" Hose barb $13
½” NPT brass tap with hose barb $3 Home Depot
2’ of half-inch high-temp rubber hose $3 local parts store
TURBO FEED:
2x 1/8” NPT male to -3AN male adapter (oil feed into top of turbo) JEGS Performance Products 100752 | Buy JEGS Brake Line Fitting Adapters at JEGS $12
2’ -3AN oil feed line JEGS Performance Products 635008 | Buy JEGS Pre-Assembled Brake, Hydraulic Clutch, and Mechanical Gauge Hose at JEGS $14
1/8” BSPT Tee for oil feed at pressure sender Amazon.com: Squirrelly Oil Pressure Sending Unit Adapter 1/8" BSPT Port Male Female T: Automotive $30
GENERAL PARTS:
OEM exhaust manifold gasket set $38 friendly MUD parts vendor
Exhaust nuts (OEM nuts are too large to fit in several locations, these are smaller, use a washer wherever you can make one fit) https://www.summitracing.com/parts/arp-200-8663?seid=srese1&gclid=CJ6w9aiy6cwCFQUIaQod6dcOiA $10.27
Studs/Nuts for manifold-turbo connection $6 Rockauto.com or local parts store
INTAKE/CHARGE PIPES (allpurposepipes.com)
3.25” to 3” silicone reducer (MAF to intake pipe) $11
3.25” silicone coupler (MAF to air filter) $7
3” to 4” silicone reducer (intake pipe to turbo inlet) $13
90* 3” to 2.5” silicone coupler $20
90* aluminum 2.5” bend $12
2.5” bulge/bendy silicone coupler $13
2.5” aluminum BOV adapter pipe $25
1.25” silicone coupler $5
2.5” to 3” silicone reducer (charge pipe to TB) $10
EXHAUST:
3” stainless steel 45*mandrel bend $16 (all purpose pipes)
Schoenfeld headers 2530 reducer @ Summit Racing $8
Schoenfeld headers 3530 reducer @ Summit Racing $9
3.5” 90* steel mandrel bend $30 amazon.com
Wastegate dump tube 35MM/38MM UNIVERSAL TURBO/CHARGER MANIFOLD WASTEGATE STAINLESS DUMP PIPE PIPING $25
Acura Integra (’94-’01 )air filter & Box $40 junkyard
Subtotal: $1654 This does not include hose clamps, vacuum hose, general nuts and bolts, so figure in a 50lb sack of nickels as well, so that should bring us up to $1700
Optional Stuff, but good to have:
Hiwowsport T4 Titanium turbo blanket Amazon.com $42
AEM UEGO Wideband Gauge Amazon.com $166 shipped
Boost Gauge: $10-150 depending on how spendy you want to get
Exhaust heat wrap: $15 allpurposepipes.com
Subtotal: $240
INTERCOOLED SETUP:
CX Racing intercooler CXRacing Intercooler Turbo 16.5x11x3 Inlets on One Side $120
Remove 90* 3” to 2.5” silicone coupler listed above (-$20)
Add 2.5” aluminum pipe $12
Add 2.5” 45* silicone coupler $17
Add 2.5” straight silicone coupler $6
Subtotal $135
Basic Setup $1700
Plus intercooler extras: $135
Plus “good to have” extras: $240
GRAND TOTAL $2075
Now I went through a lot of trial and error, so I would be lying if I told you that’s all I spent, but if you use my thread as a guideline, you should be able to git’r done for about that much. That price factors in some shipping costs, but not all. The parts listed above are not necessarily what I purchased, but what I would purchase if I were to do it all over again. Particularly, the exhaust nuts and the turbo oil feed/drain lines I could have saved a lot of time and money on.
Also depending on your collection of tools, you might have to do a little shopping to stock up the garage. If you’re not removing the upper pan to drill your drain line hole, you’ll need to get your hands on a right angle drill that will accept a ½” chuck, you’ll need a ½” NPT tap. Otherwise, your basic shop tools should get you through.
Also if you don’t have a tire step, do yourself a favor and get one now.
I figure I'm in the project for about 20-25 hours of wrench time, and I easily spent four times that sitting around scratching my head, shopping, driving to the store, cursing, crying, etc. I think this could be done in one weekend, but the key is planning. Be organized. Test fit every little part together before you try to install anything. Make sure all your ducks are in a row. My own lack of planning and test-fitting ended up costing me more time and money in the long run.
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