Hello
However much i would like one, I don't have a T Type. I make do with what I can afford and, although i know a lot of chevy bashing must occur here ;), I could really use some input from you guys.
I post a lot on Fbody Boards but no one over there would know too much about turbos. So here goes.
I am curious as to what it would take to install a Garrett T3 Turbo A/R .63 on my 350 chevy which is in an 87 camaro. I am looking into getting some new heads and with the purchase of heads with larger combustion chambers, I can reduce my compression to about 8.7 or so for the turbo application. Lower is possible as well if this seems too high. I realize that the turbo is needed as well as some way to cool and oil it. I am told that i can get oil from the oil pressure sending unit area and by using a T, still have the sending unit. Then i could route the return into an oil cooler for the engine which i would have to purchase. This is not a stock L98 but a ZZ1 with only 5K miles on it. It has a forged crank and forged rods with hypereutic pistons. The cam that I am currently running has specs of 235/235 .480/.480 114deg LSA. I plan on eventually changing this to something like 230/236 .544/.545 110deg LSA if i were to stay NA but I don't know too much about what cams work best in turbod cars and figure that a small LSA would not be particularily good. IE in one side and out the other? I am going to be running a siamesed TPI system and have the ability to get chips burned to dial it in. I assume the turbo would stop this system from falling on its face above 4500 rpm. I am running a pretty good exhaust with an electric cutout and realize i would need a custom header and Y pipe.
Do i need to change my rings to anything in particular if I plan on running a small amount of boost, ie stock for a GN. Zero gap rings?? what about if i wanted more boost?
I have no components yet and am just starting to research this because it appears that it might be cheaper than all the upgrades i was planning on doing to keep the engine NA. It would be faster as well and make my brand X chevy stick out in a crowdas well.
Thanks for your input,
Jason
A couple of things:
1. First you need to determine a few things: what rpms will you turn, will you add an intercooler or not, and how much boost will you run? Those are the primary items that will determine the size turbo you will need. Do not try to use some random turbo just because you have access to it, it problably won't run like you want it to.
2. Oil return is a gravity drain. Turbo regals drain back to the lifter valley. Some people run them straight back to the pan. Do not try and return it to a pressurized passage or go through a cooler, that will just back things up.
3. Cams... Comp Cams has some new turbo specific grinds for SBCs. You may want to look into those.
4. Corky Bell's book "Maximum Boost" is supposedly a good reference for those wanting to learn about turbo systems (haven't read it myself though). It would probably be well worth your time and money to get it and learn what you can before jumping into a project like this!
John
Hey thank you for the response. I will not be running an intercooler and i will be running about 8-9 lbs of boost. The engine spins up to about 6500 although i will very rarely be above 6000 rpm.
Is the current cam acceptable for this application? I know the LSA is good but the single pattern isn't so nice as far as i know.
I figured out how to run the oil line from another post and thanks, your info lines up perfectly with what i have been told.
A couple more questions though, where do i run the MAF sensor? Before or after the turbo in the intake lines? And then, where do i make the port to connect the waste gate to. Before the Throttle body or acutally inside the plenum of the intake. I know i have to get some sort of manifold pressure to it so it knows to start diverting the exhuast gas past the turbo.
Thanks