[Texas Notorious]

Why don't anyone build their own Turbo Kit? Instead of spending 3 to 5 grand for a kit, piece one together yourself. Is it just because it is easier to buy everything from one place? I have been looking around on the net and piecing a kit for my focus would cost less then a grand and I am just curious why noone is doing this?

 

[MattZX3]

uh... reliability... quality.... you could do it yourself... but its like carving a wheel out of a rubber block.. it can be done.. but why?

lol

 

[Texas Notorious]

so basically you don't either.

 

[Dathlok X]

If I had to guess, welding and pipe bending skills(or lack thereof) is what keeps people from doing it.

 

[hkysk8r07]

i was gonna build my own. i still might..i have a list of everything i plan(ed) on getting and it's all priced out. 3500 including tuning(no cheap ass ghetto parts either). should be 240+whp when finished, stock internals.

but to DIY you pretty much need access to a shop/welder(which not many people have) to do your manifold/down pipe also a lift helps A LOT.

you don't really need pipe bending skills since you can buy enough random aluminum bends from racing-solutions for $45 then cutting and welding to look nice instead of tons of rubber clamps.

and the lame response goes to...

uh... reliability... quality.... you could do it yourself... but its like carving a wheel out of a rubber block.. it can be done.. but why?

lol

have fun paying tom $5g's for a turbo kit that you will most likely, destroy your trans with, while i take the 2g's i save for a fully built one. and how is it a reliability issue if it's done correctly with high quality parts??
jgs manifold kit w/ some beefy homemade welds. hook up my gt28rs, run some braided oil lines, get a nice stainless steel 2.5" down pipe, 2.5" aluminum IC piping, a good fmic, high quality rubber clamps, a good BOV, a good MAF + tube, the correct injectors, step colder plugs, then spend the $20 for ford racing wires, xcal2 w/ PRP(professionally tuned), a wideband 02, J&S, good EBC, then if you want a turbo timer, and EGT, and some extra gauges if you like to look at lights in your car at night.

oh and FYI if you spend a grand on a DIY kit have fun spending 3grand for a new motor. or barely get any power from it. junkyard turbo kits are fun builds for a show like pinks but not a good idea for a DD. tuning alone will cost you $500 at least. maybe if you get a bunch of good deals you'll be able to do it say if you find a wrecked dsm or evo w/ good components. but 1000 on parts and no tune is not really a good idea. also running a J&S should be required almost if you don't want to pay for a good dyno tune. but then again J&S is like $500 there goes your budget.

 

[Texas Notorious]

Well I work at a custom shop(not as the mechanic) and I can get most of the stuff I need at cost. Which lowers the price down for me alot. Although if not buying an accual kit will be hard on my motor as a daily driver I guess I will just do some other upgrades and not boost it. Thanks for the help.

 

[hkysk8r07]

you can run 12psi if it's intercooled and be fine on a stock motor. just make sure you ahve the right injectors and spend a good amount of time tuning

 

[2004SVTAutoXer]

Building the kit and welding it together isn't the problem. Tuning is. The Zetec is a wretched beast, and more people have blown their motors within 3000 miles of their custom built turbo than have made it through.

That's why Tom has a niche market for them, nobody else who makes turbo's has the chops to get that kind of result when it comes to maximum power and maximum reliability.

 

[StreetFocus_02]

it would take so much time also. alot of people are so hyped to get a turbo they just dont wanna take the time cause they know they will cut corners because they are so excited to get done. there are so manythings you dont even think about that include buidling your own kit. i beleive you will spend almost the same amount of a quality kit, if you build a quality kit. You might save 500-700 but your car is not down for 3 months waiting on parts and custome making your stuff.

 

[hkysk8r07]

Building the kit and welding it together isn't the problem. Tuning is. The Zetec is a wretched beast, and more people have blown their motors within 3000 miles of their custom built turbo than have made it through.

That's why Tom has a niche market for them, nobody else who makes turbo's has the chops to get that kind of result when it comes to maximum power and maximum reliability.

tuning is EASY and CHEAP for the focus. most other cars with custom turbo kits that are fully built have to run on stand alone programs like AEM EMS or other copies of that which are EASILY 1000-2000+

if you take a day off work and rent a uhaul tow hitch thing and tow the car to a tuner it will be under 1000 mosty likely to get everything you need to run safe with plenty of power. just because people you know were dumb and didn't fik their tuning issues or have a J&S hooked up to tell if their engine was knocking doesn't mewan that it's a DIY kit's fault. there's plenty of good SCT tuners spread around the US that are all within a day's drive. most of those blown motors were because of overboosted JRSC's that weren't being properly cooled nor watched for knocking. fine examples are "THE Frush" j20000/justin" also "ztsfucus"(blown on the roush kit but had jrsc on long before that which most likely caused the problem)

it would take so much time also. alot of people are so hyped to get a turbo they just dont wanna take the time cause they know they will cut corners because they are so excited to get done. there are so manythings you dont even think about that include buidling your own kit. i beleive you will spend almost the same amount of a quality kit, if you build a quality kit. You might save 500-700 but your car is not down for 3 months waiting on parts and custome making your stuff.

why would your car be down for 3 months?? you order parts and keep them in a pile until you have everything needed then you take a weekend and put it on. or give it all to a shop and tell them to make it work.

 

[Texas Notorious]

hkysk8r07, thank you for your input. You seem to be the only who really understood what I wanted to do. I have decided though to just got with some smaller mods right now and maybe boost later.

Again thank you for your help.

 

[EricR]

Look on these forums for ForceFedFocus. He's done really well for himself - and spent less than a grand.

 

[Moe-van1]

I am considering a custom turbo.. I mean why not..? isn't that what modding is all about

 

[1turbozx3]

i made my own putting down 326hp at 20 psi (built motor) but u will not do this for 1500$ i payed 780 just for the turbo and i have sct prp for tuning

 

[1turbofocus]

tuning is EASY and CHEAP for the focus. most other cars with custom turbo kits that are fully built have to run on stand alone programs like AEM EMS or other copies of that which are EASILY 1000-2000+

if you take a day off work and rent a uhaul tow hitch thing and tow the car to a tuner it will be under 1000 mosty likely to get everything you need to run safe with plenty of power. just because people you know were dumb and didn't fik their tuning issues or have a J&S hooked up to tell if their engine was knocking doesn't mewan that it's a DIY kit's fault. there's plenty of good SCT tuners spread around the US that are all within a day's drive. most of those blown motors were because of overboosted JRSC's that weren't being properly cooled nor watched for knocking. fine examples are "THE Frush" j20000/justin" also "ztsfucus"(blown on the roush kit but had jrsc on long before that which most likely caused the problem)



why would your car be down for 3 months?? you order parts and keep them in a pile until you have everything needed then you take a weekend and put it on. or give it all to a shop and tell them to make it work.

Talk is cheap and i think you have a looooooooooong road ahead of you , Its real easy to sit there and talk about how easy it sounds to buy this and get that and have it ready and just do it , I can tell by reading your post that you havent done one yet and i wish you the best

On a side note i dont know of anyone that has blown a ATX/MTX with one of my kits

Tom

Tom

 

[Texas Notorious]

That is why I decided to go another way with my Focus. Thanks for everyone's help.