Focus Fanatics Forum banner

sporadic's Turbo Duratec build #3

46K views 273 replies 27 participants last post by  thovey 
#1 · (Edited)
sutyak's Turbo Duratec build #3

History:
Build #1 (2007): Stock motor with custom Thunderbird IHI turbo
Build #1b: Upgraded IHI turbo to a hybrid
Build #2 (2012): Upgraded turbo to GT2871r. Switched to external wastegate.

Current build:
Same GT2871r (EDIT: Now a billet wheel GT3082R)
SuperTech 10.4:1 pistons
SuperTech rings
CXRacing forged H-beam rods
ARP head and main studs
Clevite main and rod bearings
Crower valve springs and retainers
Exedy Hyper Single clutch
Torsen LSD

Goal: 375whp+ and/or 115mph in the 1/4

The motor I'm building is the original out of my car. It suffered an overboost with the IHI turbo and damaged/broke a ring landing and began smoking like crazy. This happened a few years ago, but I'm just now getting around to rebuilding the motor. This is my first ground-up rebuild. With the exception of some very minor scratches (can't even feel it with a fingernail) the motor was fine and fully rebuild-able.
Since this motor had no significant damage and very low mileage I'm lucky enough to not need anything professionally machined. That being said I'm still measuring everything and comparing against the Haynes manual.

The cylinders were a bit shiny and I wanted to get that small scratch out of cylinder #2 so I used a 3-blade 220 grit hone to give it a new cross-hatch. I did as little honing as possible and stayed with the 87.5mm pistons.
Following SuperTech's formulas I gapped the top ring to .018" and the second ring I left at .023" as it came out of the box.

For now I'm sticking with the stock head and cams, but I did upgrade the springs and retainers to Crowers in case I want to spin it over 7K. Also if I want to swap out cams later the springs and retainers (the hard part) will already be done. I went with steel retainers vs. titanium after speaking with a representative at Crower. The steel are also significantly cheaper.

I'll be using a TurboSmart dual-stage boost controller, with a toggle switch for the second stage. First stage will probably be around 13-15psi, and second 20-24psi. [strongman]

My base tune is from Tom, and I tweak it as necessary using the SCT Pro Racer Package. I plan on slowly tuning up to 24psi myself if possible. Chances are good I'll have to hit a dyno rather than street tune like I have up to now.

I'm in no particular rush with this build, so I may not be updating daily like I used to. There's a good chance I'll post a few days and then be silent for a couple months. Family time and home improvement projects tend to come before the car.

So far I've assembled the short block and just finished rebuilding the head with new valve stems seals, cleaned up the old valves, and installed the Crower springs and retainers. At this point I need to think real hard whether or not I want aftermarket cams, but I'm still leaning towards no.













 
See less See more
7
#37 ·
Today was a bushing and painting day. Installed poly bushings in the front control arms and sway bar, and aluminum bushings in the steering rack. I painted the new wheel hubs and also pulled off the old Exedy stage 2 clutch and flywheel so I can swap the motors on the engine stand tomorrow. I think the old clutch faired pretty well. Quite a bit of dust and grooving as expected, but no cracks or major hot spots. Still quite a bit of life left in it if anyone is interested in trying out an Exedy stage 2. [thumb]





Removing the stock rubber front control arm bushings was a pain. The larger bushings I drilled out what I could, cut off what I could, then used an angle grinder with a wire wheel to remove the rest of the rubber. Smelly and messy for sure. Definitely has to be done outside. The smaller bushing I used the wire wheel on one side and pounded it out the other.


Aluminum steering rack bushings. I have no particularly good reason for this modification other than I just wanted to try it. I'm keeping the stockers in case I want to go back.


Extended ARP studs in new hub. Original knuckles just painted.
 
#42 ·
Exedy Hyper Single installed. I'm shocked how little material there is to start with.
Transmission is mated to the motor, and a few other small things done. I hacked up a 90 degree plastic hose barb for a better PCV delete.



Used stage 2 on left, hyper on right:


 
#44 ·
I got a ridiculously good deal on a set of new Lakewood traction bars off ebay. I'm not 100% sure they will fit a 2006 without modification, but I'll find out.

 
#45 ·
Motor is in the car. Hooking up all wires etc sometime today hopefully.
Drilled/tapped the intake manifold for the individual meth injection jets. Talk about a pain to hold in the drill press. I got one hole a bit crooked when tapping it. At least it erred towards the head. I'll keep it plugged until the motor is broken in and I get the low-psi tune worked out.



 
#46 ·
Didn't get a lot done today. I swapped in the "big red" 11.6psi wastegate spring. Original was a 7.2psi "small green". Using the boost controller I should be able to run at least 23psi. At that point with 10.4:1 CR there will be a lot of methanol involved.
The turbo now has 1/2" banjo bolt style coolant fittings. I'll be running the coolant lines in and out vs. tee'd.



For those not familiar with the Tial 38mm wastegate, the small and large springs can be paired up to increase the psi.
This would result in a minimum 18.8psi, which I'm not interested in for street driving. If anyone is interested in a 7.2psi spring let me know.

 
#48 ·
Almost ready to crank. Turbo is mounted, coolant lines run, wiring hooked up, and went ahead and mounted the main radiator support from the Lakewood traction bar kit.
I had to drill out two of the holes in the bar. Other than that it fit OK. My new coolant lines were much stiffer than I planned for, so I had to use more length to make up for it. What were supposed to be small U's are now exaggerated. It will work fine, it just doesn't look as clean as I had hoped.
Tap/die kits can be a real lifesaver. Twice today I had to chase threads.
Tomorrow I should get time to mount the new intercooler, and possibly fire it up.



Stock radiator support vs. Lakewood






 
#49 · (Edited)
The engine has fluids in it now. I began mocking up the intercooler and found the cold side piping is about 1.5" too long now due to the Lakewood radiator support bar. No big deal. The Lakewood bar also pushes the lower part of the radiator back about an inch. That's actually going to be useful so I can mount the intercooler back further away from the bumper cover.

For those curious, the cross bar for the Lakewood traction bars clears the Duratec oil pan just fine:
 
#51 ·
IT LIVES! [strongman][cheers]
I only idled it for a couple minutes to get fluids circulating. I may actually get it on the ground tomorrow.

I first tried to see if it would build oil pressure by dry cranking it with the fuel pump fuse, but it didn't build pressure. I crossed my fingers and went ahead and started it without certainty that I properly primed the oil pump, but as soon as I cranked it it slowly built up oil pressure.
I'm not used to the sound of the Crane cams and Crower springs/retainers. The valvetrain is noticeably noisier. It's "clackier", but I'm thinking that could be the valves closing harder?

The intercooler is mounted far better than I had the old one. Hopefully fewer rattles and vibrations.
I would like some opinions on whether I should paint the intercooler black or leave it unpainted. I have no concerns about paint lowering the cooling efficiency.

Old black intercooler (I personally love the black intercooler look)


vs. new unpainted




Almost ready to put the bumper cover on




Engine bay
 
#52 ·
The noisier valve train is likely akin to the ST. its all sorts of loud! Love the build so far! Nice work.

I didnt see much in the way of goals or the use of your AEM WMI system. did you actually go PI? Have you considered a higher end WMI system, such as the Aquamist HFS4v3?
 
#53 ·
Goal is 11.9 in the 1/4, regardless of horsepower. I have a feeling it will take every bit of the stock fuel pump to get me there, and maybe a boost-a-pump.
I don't have a WMI "kit". It's pieced together with the components I chose. The tank is custom from another member, the pump is from Alcohol Injection Systems, as are the individual direct port nozzles. The only thing AEM is will be the progressive controller, which I have not purchased or installed yet. I want to get my 11.6+ psi tune with the MAFia set before I add more variables to the tune. I tune my car myself using the SCT Pro Racer Package, so the fewer variables I throw in at once the better.
The intake runners are all tapped and ready for the nozzles.
I'm not sure what the Aquamist would give me that my current setup would not, but I'll look into it.

Here is my WMI tank:


Pump:
 
#54 · (Edited)
The car is finally on the ground and running strong. [strongman] The poly control bushings and aluminum steering rack bushings are excellent. It's nice and tight but no more harsh. The out-of-boost tune is surprisingly close to what it was before, but that's what I was hoping for since it's nearly the stock compression. I'll dial in the tune after the holidays since I won't be driving it anyway. The Exedy Hyper Single clutch is definitely aggressive; more so than the 3-puck stage 2 Exedy.
The transmission is much quieter than before. The stage 2 clutch chattered a good bit. So far the Hyper Single has no chatter at all.
I only have about 10 miles on it. I'll run it for about 100 miles then change the oil, then again at 500 miles. I'm using regular 10w30 for my break-in oil. After break-in I'll switch back to 5w30 full synthetic.
There are zero fluid leaks! The only minor leak so far is a small air leak at the coolant reservoir return line. I just need to use a tighter clamp.
I pressure tested the intercooler to 30psi, so I feel better running up to 25psi through it.
Right now I'm extremely happy with how the build came out. The only questionable issue I have at the moment are some valve train sounds which I'll keep an eye on. If it bothers me enough I'll pull the valve cover off and measure the clearances and adjust from there.

Winter wheels on. The unpainted intercooler is growing on me.


In the garage


Extended studs. I just cut the ends off the OEM lug nuts for now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jburks
#56 ·
I'll definitely post up a chart/video when I get to a dyno, but that's low priority. I'll tune it on the street. Plenty of rural stretches around here to open it up without traffic/pedestrians/etc. Chances are good I'll get it to the track before a dyno.
 
#60 ·
Looks like I have a rear main seal leak. I got the first 50 miles on the car and went to change the oil and saw a drip of oil coming out of the transmission/oil pan hole. Transmission coming out again soon. Very glad I have another car to drive.
On a positive note my daily driving tune is basically complete.
 
#62 ·
Not too much. I probably ran through 10 tunes changing a few things here and there. Having the pro racer package I swear I can always find something to change.
 
#64 ·
Well I was right; the main seal was leaking. Turns out it folded when I installed it. I could have sworn it was straight, but that's what I get for not using the proper tool. The new seal arrived and included the tool, which was unexpected but much appreciated! Hopefully my mess up can help someone else.

Bad/folded seal:


New FelPro seal with guide:


Installing:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top