sporadic's Turbo Duratec build thread

[FSUFocus]

Thanks for the assist Focused. I'll be talking with them soon.

[FSUFocus]

Sporadic,

Can you send me the measurements for the mani? What there someone @ JGS that might still have them available? I gotta say that's one mean set up. I've caught the FI bug bad.

[sporadic]

Originally Posted by FSUFocus

Sporadic,

Can you send me the measurements for the mani? What there someone @ JGS that might still have them available? I gotta say that's one mean set up. I've caught the FI bug bad.

Actually that would be a hassle for me at the moment.
I already have the manifold wrapped and it's a bit of a pain.
I'm sure JGS still carry the manifold and they also sell them pre-welded.

edit: Tomorrow I can take a couple measurements of the "log" section of the manifold if you like without unwrapping the header..
However, the location of the radius plate /T3-flange for my exhaust outlet will almost certainly not be the same place anybody else's is located.
I clearly took the tough route and started with a turbo that wasn't very generic, and had to fab both the exhaust elbow and ambient inlet.

I want to be as much help as possible, but know there are aspects between custom builds that will not match, and the parts I mentioned are big.
About the only thing common between my build and someone else's will be the basic "log" of the manifold.

[FSUFocus]

No worries, Sporadic.

I'll talk w/ JGS about the mani specs. Hope the custom DIY turbo is doing great for ya. Your kind of inginuity makes me keep on coming back to FF to see what ideas I can use for my FoFo.

[sporadic]

Sorry I forgot to take those measurements. I've been pretty busy lately.
I'm glad JGS could help!

[focusedaddiction]

sporadic or whomever reads this , i have a stupid question.
my compressor outlet faces my radiator & I was wondering if it's ok to rotate the compressor housing to point up or down 90 degrees so my intercooler piping will be easier to route? I don't see why not , just checking with ya all first.
so far everything is going together pretty good , starting my down pipe this week.
thanks,
steve

[sporadic]

Originally Posted by focusedaddiction

I was wondering if it's ok to rotate the compressor housing

Yes you can rotate it however you want.
Good luck!

While I'm here I'll give an update.
The car is running fantastic, with around 3,100 miles since the turbo.
I ran a modified 2007 V6 mustang and pulled on him pretty hard.
He ran a 14.5 @ 96mph that day.
The vid is on youtube. My name on there is sporadicmach.
Please keep comments about that vid to youtube and not here.

I won't be running my car at the track until next year.
I have a lot to do to make it track-ready to my standards.
There's also a friendly bet between Randy at FS and myself, so I'm not going to half-it when I do hit the strip.

[sporadic]

Just an update.
After 5k miles my original turbo died and oil blew past the seals and into the exhaust.
I was only 1/2 mile from home so there were no adverse side effects.
I rebuilt the 2nd turbo I had using a kit from www.GPopShop.com and it's working great.
I feared part of the issue was over-oiling, so I installed a .06" oil restrictor and am now running 5w30 oil.
It gets very cold here, and my oil pressure was very high with the 10w30 oil.

Here's a couple new pictures:

Burned oil on the exhaust side of the turbo:


Rebuild kit:
The Tbird IHI uses the Narrow bearings, not the wide.


I made my wastegate actuator rod adjustable:


The first turbo I installed had cracks around the WG port.
The freshly rebuilt turbo has no cracks!



Lessons learned:
- When going with a used turbo, go ahead and rebuild it just to be safe.
- Use an oil line restrictor when your oil return line exists at or below the oil level in your oil pan.
- Don't preload your WGA too much. It increases boost. 1/4" preload put me at 11psi. Higher than I wanted for now. (I'm at 9.5psi)
- When using band-style exhaust clamps, tighten with an impact wrench. I could never get them tight enough by hand and they always leaked.
- 2" IC piping would have been sufficient. 2.5" has caused more clearance headaches than anything.
- Use T-bolt style clamps. I used these from the beginning and they've been great.
- If you live in a hilly area, make sure your tuner provides enough fuel for part-throttle boost.
No I didn't have any issues, but sometimes I'd like it to be a tad richer.
- Use a Exhaust Gas Temp gauge if you can afford one. I don't have one yet.
- Budget for a new, stronger clutch from the start. The stock one WILL slip at 9.5psi of boost.
- Always be nice to your wife, just in case you blow off an IC pipe and you need her to bring you tools.

[Turbo Turtle]

haha i like the last thing on your list.

[Dan-O]

Love the turnbuckle wastegate adjuster!!
That's a great idea.
I welded in a threaded nut coupler to extend the T3 arm I used on a past project.