hey yall,

after 3 months of intense research and reading, i think i am finally ready to go turbo. I have a good list of parts to buy and I am gonna start the shopping on eBay pretty soon.

Now, I really really did my homework on turbos, spending hundreds of hours on 2gnt and other forums to make sure I understand everything....by the way thanks for GsGoingFast for tons of informations...I am planning on building a similar setup :

T3 @ 7 PSi ( I will NOT go over 7, i need my car as a daily driver)
FMIC
Walbro
FMU
MS

bla bla bla.

Now the reason I am posting this is to ask you guys a simple question, I know yall have made mistakes somewhere and wish you would have gone one way instead of another....

Any, any recommendations, advices, on top of what i already been researching, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx everyone

buying a kit rather than piecing it myself was my mistake. You're on the right track so far.

you do not need a MS if you are going to sit at 7 psi and will not be using really big injectors. shit for 7psi you don't even need the SAFC.

I'm glad I could help :thumbsup My only regret so far is taking off my manifold to try to fix a weld, and warping the flange, which makes it sound like a lawn mower. Otherwise I was very happy with what I got for the price I paid. Good luck, feel free to PM me if you have any questions or suggestions for my writeup

Trying to go cheap on certain parts. I bought the kit with a gsx pump and it didn't raise fp the way I needed it to. I ended up buying a sfmu b/c I thought my fmu was broken. Turns out I just needed a walbro.

Also not having all the right tools accessible when doing the job. (i.e. 1 1/16 inch deep socket for oil pressure sending unit.

Originally posted by cs82685
Trying to go cheap on certain parts. I bought the kit with a gsx pump and it didn't raise fp the way I needed it to. I ended up buying a sfmu b/c I thought my fmu was broken. Turns out I just needed a walbro. Also not having all the right tools accessible when doing the job. (i.e. 1 1/16 inch deep socket for oil pressure sending unit.

yeah i went to the performance shop in town today with a list of part i need and eBay is still the cheapest, even after shipping !

There is a reman T3 for sale on www.spooledmotorsports.com for $169. anyone ever delt with them ? i m interested of bying it....

thx for all the infos guys

dont forget to tap your manifold for an egt, you will eventually want one, this was my biggest mistake. also id go with an s-fmu over the fmu, im running a stage 2 set up with 7-10 lbs of boost and my fmu just pours the gas on with absolutly no managment at all, im in the process of going with an s-fmu now and possibly 30# injectors but im not sure. dont forget to use anti seeze on your manifold bolts, turbo bolts and downpipe bolts, one day you will need to get them off believe me, and stick to whats in that turbo install write up , its awsome. and if you need any maintance done ie, timing belt, valve cover gasket, head gasket, cam seals, blah blah blah, fix it first or youll be sorry you didnt. keep your boost at 7psi intercooled and watch your a/f ratio and egt temps and it should make a good daily driver for you. Make sure you take the ness. steps to keep your engine as cool as possible, your gonna want colder plugs, thermostat too. goodluck and as always got a question just ask.
joe

i just recently finished piecing a kit for under 3k but comes with all the good stuff :) however i was lucky enough to get most of the star parts off 1 person. got nothing better to do so here's some pics + info that might be of help.









way more stuff i didnt take a pic of like 4 gauges with pillar + 30lb injectors + ss feed fuel line etc etc...
stick with a side mount if u plan on running 7 psi for a long time. no reason for a front mount it will cause turbo lag cause of extra piping. 2 to 2.25" is what intercooler piping size u should use, no need for anything larger unless u plan on boosting more. use ss lines for ur fuel system if u plan on adding an sfmu. hmm, u will need a walbro atleast. stay away from cheap ebay kits unless they are custom not ones that come from streetsource etc... get your fuel cut defender from eclipse982nrRST (cheaper and better than a missing link). hmm lets see what else, oh yeah always check wanted section of this forumn i gaurantee u will find alot of cheap good parts. if u want im selling my side mount + piping (new and needs welding). ill give it away for cheap since im switching to a front mount setup. also do not use anything weaker than grade 8 bolts to bolt up ur kit. thats about all i can think of right now.. if u need any help let me know..
good luck :)

thanks everyone for all the good advices, i m writing them down and it actually makes me wanna wait even more to collect all these infos before I order the parts !

right now i am researching as much infos as i can, i will let you know guys if i have any questions...

Thx yall

Originally posted by chronicshit
stick with a side mount if u plan on running 7 psi for a long time. no reason for a front mount it will cause turbo lag cause of extra piping.

I actually have to disagree with this statement. I originally thought the same thing, however you should see why this is not true. Obviously a bigger front mount would be needed for a bigger turbo, running more boost, but actually, a smaller turbo will actually need more intercooling at the same boost pressure as a larger one. This is due to the fact that the smaller turbo will be 'working' more to generate the same output as the larger turbo, and in so will be generating a lot more heat. Besides, even if you have a front mount, the quick spoolup of a smaller turbo will fill the extra volume in a negligible amount of time. You will see very very little, if any, difference in spool up time. So basically, if you have any plans of getting a frount mount in the future, don't waste money on buying 2 setups, just buy the one you will use for later and be done with it. Hope this helps and good luck with your project.

Originally posted by 97eclipse97

Originally posted by chronicshit stick with a side mount if u plan on running 7 psi for a long time. no reason for a front mount it will cause turbo lag cause of extra piping.

I actually have to disagree with this statement. I originally thought the same thing, however you should see why this is not true. Obviously a bigger front mount would be needed for a bigger turbo, running more boost, but actually, a smaller turbo will actually need more intercooling at the same boost pressure as a larger one. This is due to the fact that the smaller turbo will be 'working' more to generate the same output as the larger turbo, and in so will be generating a lot more heat. Besides, even if you have a front mount, the quick spoolup of a smaller turbo will fill the extra volume in a negligible amount of time. You will see very very little, if any, difference in spool up time. So basically, if you have any plans of getting a frount mount in the future, don't waste money on buying 2 setups, just buy the one you will use for later and be done with it. Hope this helps and good luck with your project.

Actually I already have ordered a front mount no-brand intercooler on eBay for like $150. I figured out that I would be better off buying parts that i could re-use if i ever wanted to go with a bigger setup....It is pretty big, i think 23 x 8 x 2.5

Originally posted by aivanne182
Actually I already have ordered a front mount no-brand intercooler on eBay for like $150. I figured out that I would be better off buying parts that i could re-use if i ever wanted to go with a bigger setup....It is pretty big, i think 23 x 8 x 2.5

And that is very smart of you ;) A number of people in my area are running with the cheap, no name intercoolers and honestly, it really is the way to go. Not one has been heat soaked or performed any worse than you would expect from an IC of that size. You can not beat it for the money either.

One more thing, if you're buying used parts test them before putting them to use. The first time I got on my car I found out that my wastegate was leaking from everywhere. POS deltagate. I managed to fix it without having to pick up a tial, but I know it will eventually start to leak again and I'll have to get a new one. I'm lucky I didn't screw anything up spiking 12psi on stock injectors.

Originally posted by chronicshit
get your fuel cut defender from eclipse982nrRST (cheaper and better than a missing link).

Or just build your own for around 7 dollars in parts. If you can read then you can assemble one. Its easy.

here:

http://www.fwdmopar.com/sites/dennis/howto.html


.

Originally posted by djtrickee

Originally posted by chronicshit get your fuel cut defender from eclipse982nrRST (cheaper and better than a missing link).

Or just build your own for around 7 dollars in parts. If you can read then you can assemble one. Its easy. here: http://www.fwdmopar.com/sites/dennis/howto.html .

thx man, that s very cool, i love fabricating that kinda stuff ! and it saves money....

another question for you guys : I found a walbro 190 lph....is it enough for a 7 psi boost ? i found it locally for 40 bucks so that would be great, i also found a 1st gen BOV for 25 bucks and an FMU for 75. Now i am not sure i m gonna get the FMU as a lot of people tell me that it is not the best solution...

nah waste of money, pay the extra $40 and get a 255 walbro trust me u will be worry free.. is that a normal fmu or a vortech sfmu? i'd pay the extra money for a vortech its way better.

Originally posted by chronicshit
nah waste of money, pay the extra $40 and get a 255 walbro trust me u will be worry free.. is that a normal fmu or a vortech sfmu? i'd pay the extra money for a vortech its way better.

yeah the walbro 255 is only $100 on eBay, i can afford....It's a votech sfmu. yeah i heard sfmu VS fmu is way better so i m gonna go that way

looks like i am finding lots of parts pretty quickly, I m stoked !

thats good, as long as the sfmu comes with all disks/rings/springs etc.. also look to make sure it has a bleed valve cause u will need a little bit of open bleed for a 7-10 psi setup.
oh yeah one more thing if your buying a sfmu start looking for a fuel pressure gauge, i recommend B&M. u will need this to tune ur sfmu.

Do your research before you start buying (which it seems like you are) and make a list of ALL of the parts you need. Then what I did was list what brand and exact part (like I want a Tial 38mm wastegate, not a deltagate) I wanted for each part of the "kit" and stuck to it. It may take a little longer to piece together but I think you will be alot happier with the end result. Good luck with your endeavors.

http://www.2gnt.com/nuke/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=82

I found this to be the most useful link for setting up the sfmu, if your not sure what you need then this is a great guide.

alright, i am currently bolting on whatever i can so i have less to do when i get the turbo and need to finalize the project.

I got my intercooler today and put it in place.....i wanna start on the piping, now my question is :

can i just run a pipe from the intercooler to my intake manifold and an air filter on the other side, even if the turbo is NOT installed ? or my engine won t get enough air ?

i m asking that because i am lazy and i i finish the piping i don t wanna remove it to put my CAI back and stuff.....

thx guys

It will be fine as long as the filter is in a good location (i.e. plenty of cool air). It is essentially the same thing as a turbo car keeping the wastegate open (no boost). It may feel a little sluggish, but you may not even notice the difference.

Originally posted by 97eclipse97
It will be fine as long as the filter is in a good location (i.e. plenty of cool air). It is essentially the same thing as a turbo car keeping the wastegate open (no boost). It may feel a little sluggish, but you may not even notice the difference.

awesome, i can get started on the piping !

got a hahn manifold for $227 on eBay last night...i m stoked

I have a question for you guys which is along this topic, do you need an FMU if you are going to be running megasquirt? Because I thought this guy said he was going to be running an FMU and MS. I'm new to the whole turbo issue I was just wondering.

By the way... to the guy who started this post, I can't wait til I am in your position with enough money to get my project started. So are you going to even bother running megasquirt even though you are only going to be running 7 psi? Its not really necessary is it? Wouldn't an SFMU suffice just fine at that low of psi? Good luck finishing it up and post pics when you get a chance!!! Congrats on the setup so far!

a vortech sfmu will do more than fine for only 7psi of boost...

Originally posted by clipse_2005
I have a question for you guys which is along this topic, do you need an FMU if you are going to be running megasquirt? Because I thought this guy said he was going to be running an FMU and MS. I'm new to the whole turbo issue I was just wondering. By the way... to the guy who started this post, I can't wait til I am in your position with enough money to get my project started. So are you going to even bother running megasquirt even though you are only going to be running 7 psi? Its not really necessary is it? Wouldn't an SFMU suffice just fine at that low of psi? Good luck finishing it up and post pics when you get a chance!!! Congrats on the setup so far!

thank you. yeah eveything is going well so far...I work my ass off to pay for all that crap, it makes it even more satisfying ! I did a little bit of research about the megasquirt and I must say that it is pretty confusing to me..

I heard plenty of people say that a FMU is good enough for 7psi of boost but not the best....and some people would not even bother with it and go with much more complicated/probably reliable stuff.

So yeah i am gonna go with a vortech fmu. I installed a fuel pressure gauge to make sure it works well and I ll also use an A/F gauge.

I heard that to get accurate and relevant data, I should get a wideband 02 sensor...is it true ? because it is pretty damn expensive...

Originally posted by aivanne182
I installed a fuel pressure gauge to make sure it works well and I ll also use an A/F gauge. I heard that to get accurate and relevant data, I should get a wideband 02 sensor...is it true ? because it is pretty damn expensive...

yeah narrowband is a POS, wish I hadn't wasted the money on it, and it's only accurate at WOT. Even then it's not the most accurate cause it just measures voltage coming from your 02 sensor. you can start with fp, boost, and egt gauge and then add the Wideband later on. And the fp gauge can just be a mechanical one under the hood so you can just make sure your sfmu and pump are working properly.

yeah u will definitely need a fuel pressure gauge to tune ur sfmu. get the B&M engine bay one and just place it in between the feed line which you are going to run from fuel rail to feed port of sfmu. no need for a wideband right now unless u have the extra money to blow.

Originally posted by chronicshit
yeah u will definitely need a fuel pressure gauge to tune ur sfmu. get the B&M engine bay one and just place it in between the feed line which you are going to run from fuel rail to feed port of sfmu. no need for a wideband right now unless u have the extra money to blow.

alright, that's what i was thinking of doing ! cool cool

the wideband will wait, I haven t even bought my trubo yet.....but everything else is pretty much in my garage, waiting and waiting and waiting

building a turbo kit is FUN !

Originally posted by clipse_2005
I have a question for you guys which is along this topic, do you need an FMU if you are going to be running megasquirt? Because I thought this guy said he was going to be running an FMU and MS. I'm new to the whole turbo issue I was just wondering. By the way... to the guy who started this post, I can't wait til I am in your position with enough money to get my project started. So are you going to even bother running megasquirt even though you are only going to be running 7 psi? Its not really necessary is it? Wouldn't an SFMU suffice just fine at that low of psi? Good luck finishing it up and post pics when you get a chance!!! Congrats on the setup so far!

if you go MS you hafta ditch your fmu/sfmu. the ms requires a 1:1 fpr. you should decide if you want to use ms eventually now or you will be wasting a little money. a MS isn't ONLY required if you want to run high boost. it's just a better method of fuel delivery. fmu/sfmu type devices work by just cranking up your fuel pressure and hoping the right amount of extra fuel gets FORCED through the injector during the standard pulse width. MS actually controls pulse width based on boost/rpm/etc to deliver more fuel. MS provides benefits even if you're NA. it gives you extensive control over your fuel maps.

Keep it up man looks like your doing good. Im even still new to this but ive learn alot of things here even on this post. LoL Im still in the process of buying all of my items. Only problem im going to have is the welding issue because i dont have a welder and no welding skills especially for the drain plug. So is it alright to run low boost on just a 12:1 vortech FMU?? so far im following Chris's Turbo setup. Some things im confused on is just installing the FCD. Im not good with electronics LoL. Definitely take pictures.. anything that could help me out too lol
Turbo Project In Process:
Items still needed..
-Oil Feed and Return Lines
-InterCooler Piping
-Walbro 255 fp
-FMU
-FCD

I'm done with my FMIC installation, here it is :





A little bit ghetto but it ends up great imo....

http://www.usyvan.com/intercooler/intercooler.html to read the whole process

Originally posted by Dsm98Nt
Keep it up man looks like your doing good. Im even still new to this but ive learn alot of things here even on this post. LoL Im still in the process of buying all of my items. Only problem im going to have is the welding issue because i dont have a welder and no welding skills especially for the drain plug. So is it alright to run low boost on just a 12:1 vortech FMU?? so far im following Chris's Turbo setup. Some things im confused on is just installing the FCD. Im not good with electronics LoL. Definitely take pictures.. anything that could help me out too lol Turbo Project In Process: Items still needed.. -Oil Feed and Return Lines -InterCooler Piping -Walbro 255 fp -FMU -FCD

Hey man you know I'll help you out on any installs if you need it.


Interesting install on the FMIC... Did you just drill holes through the front bumper support for the bolts? And where did you get such massive bolts?

Originally posted by GSGoinFast

Originally posted by Dsm98Nt

Did you just drill holes through the front bumper support for the bolts? And where did you get such massive bolts?

Yup I just drilled through the support....massive bolts?? Home Depot of course!....like, $2.79 each !