hey guys,
Here's a truck, belonging to a forum member, that has gone through a lot of changes.
Originally, the truck started it's life as a Regency 4.8L 5speed.
Soon after, the crave for more power was needed, so a remote mount turbo system was installed.
After a few weeks, the truck felt average again, so more boost was added.
Initially, the trucks intentions were to become a fun, street truck, so the factory 5speed was swapped out for a TKO 5speed and shifter.
Once the transmission was taken care of, attention was put back on the engine for more power.
Unfortunately, the lil 4.8L didn't hang in there too long. So, a 6L was installed.
Now the power was acceptable, for now.
Shorty after, the rear mount was traded in for a front mount setup with a larger turbo and a custom front a/a intercooler.
Now the truck was heading in the right direction. More pressure, a custom cam and misc upgrades resulted in a 650hp truck.
Once again, another set back, the new 5speed didn't take well to all the power. So, an 80e swap was performed.
After one step back, two steps forward, the truck's drivetrain was now working well together. It was no longer just a fun street-only truck, but also ran as expected in the 1/4 mile.
As is, the front mount kit was ok, but needed upgrades to handle the quest for more power. A 4" downpipe was fabbed, a larger turbo, and more boost was next on the list.
A more aggressive cam was chosen in place of the docile cam to extract even more power.
In the end, two kits later, 3 turbocharger upgrades and mics mods, over 750+hp was accomplished and the truck was running as it should.
Most truck owners would have stopped there, but not this one.
Fast forward a few months.
After deciding more power was needed, new plans were drawn up.
Due to packaging and limits of a large single turbo and downpipe, while keeping all factory accessories, another route had to be taken.
So, what is this long post about, it's about finally creating a front mount setup that will support any future modification, from high boost to a larger engine.
So what happens now?
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How about an easy to install, low cost, high quality twin turbo package?
This build has just started and is in it's beginning stages. It will be done shortly, due to the ease of installation and minimal custom fabrication needed.
It starts off with strong, proven stock 6L manifolds that won't crack, warp and flow well enough to put the camaro guys in the 8's.
All hot parts are 14g stainless steel. The short distance from the manifold to the turbo is going to provide instant spool up for those big T76 turbos.
38mm wastegates will be added to control boost.
Connection between the manifolds and turbos are accomplished by a set of intermediate tubes and waterjet cut flanges that fit like the factory intended. Custom T4 flanges support the big turbos.
Downpipes are built from 16g stainless steel with free flowing bends.
All hot parts will be tig welded then wrapped in heat resistant wrap which will provide low underhoood temps and a less chance of burns.
Spark plugs fit just fine with room to route the plug wires in stock fashion.
On the cold side, the compressed air is routed to the intercooler with 2.5" 16g aluminum mandrel tubing. Minimal hose will be used to reduce the risk of blown off silicon hoses. T bolt clamps are standard.
Air will be cooled by a custom air to air intercooler that supports 1400hp and measures 23tallx19widex3.5core, with 2.5" inlets and a 4" outlet.
The chilled air will then exit the bottom of the intercooler, and into the throttle body.
Compressor surge will be handled by a 50mm blow off valve.
All cold parts will eventually be sanded smooth and powder coated black for a stealth look.
So why the step by step and progress of this truck, it's simple.
If you're planning on building a high horsepower street truck, skip everything mentioned above and go straight to a twin turbo setup. Or, be ready to mount a huge single turbo and have fun routing a 5"+ down pipe.
This kit is overdone for your typical driver, but keep in mind it will have great drivability and be driven to car shows and to the track, no trailor queen here!
For smaller displacement engines/setups, smaller turbos with integrated wastegates, 2.5" downpipes and 800hp intercooler will be available.
The larger turbo systems will support up to 1400hp, the smaller setups will support initially, up to 600hp, with added upgrades up to 800hp.
We weren't going to post this yet, but we figured the members would like to see the build as it progressed.
We'll post up the official turbo package at a later date.
Stay tuned, as we have 4 more trucks in line for the twin turbo package, ranging from a stock 5.3L, to a 408.
thanks for reading,
Allen
NP
Here's how it started, rear mount with custom front mount intercooler:
Not much to look at, you know what a rear mount looks like.
Here's where the fun begins:
Please excuse the mess, it'll all be cleaned up when completed.
Turbos are mounted in this orientation:
Passenger side view of downpipe:
View of Driver's side dp:
Plenty of clearance:
No melting the fuse box:
A few comments on the passenger side dp:
We have to relocate the PCM a little lower on the frame. Once shielded, it'll be fine.
The main harness wire will have a heat shield as well.
The two brake lines in the way next to the manifold were blocking the dp's route, so, we simply had two new flex ss hoses made, which will be included if needed.
Passenger side has no issues, no bending the a/c lines, heater hoses were simply routed up out of the water pump and to the heater core instead of sideways.
We decided to use an fbody waterpump on the larger turbo package. This was no issue, simply remove the truck pump pulley and install on an fbody pump (pics later).
As far as major changes to the wiring, accessories and lines, that's it. Not bad for the power potential this kit will make!
Intercooler will be in next week, we'll have detailed pics of that along with all hot pipes tig welded.
thanks and enjoy the pics, feel free to comment and provide feedback,
allen
np
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