System Upgrade
 

I am interested in upgrading the stock turbo.. but without having to modify any engine internals… etc.

Many techs say I should upgrade to the TA49 Turbo, 160 degree thermostat, 009 injectors, Adjustable actuator, and a higher stall converter then the stock one.

I have a Chip from Turbo Tweaks installed, aswel as a test pipe / cat delete, Shorty headers, and hooker exhaust.

Also... Should i keep the headers or go back to polished-stock?

Any info regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Re: System Upgrade
 

The TA-49 is an outstanding upgrade!! AND, you DO NOT need to change torque converters when upgrading to that turbo. If you upgrade injectors, I would strongly recommend going with ANYTHING other than 009's. They were always terribly non-linear, and are old school! The newest and best street upgrade injector is the new 60's. You will of course need your chip updated to match whatever injectors you decide on.

Re: System Upgrade
 

Roger that (what TurboDave said!)

Sound advice and an easy way to pick up quite a bit in performance without big $$$.

While doing the injectors (and the 60s are a great choice) BE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD FUEL PUMP! Without it, you'll find out pretty soon what the internals of the motor look like.

When you talk about "shorty headers" ... what are those? I've never seen anything like that (unless you're talking about the Chinese knock off junky headers?)

Basically, headers won't change much in performance at the level you are talking about. They start becoming more effective with bigger turbos and a lot more flow rate...

Re: System Upgrade
 

Don't think you can "polish" the OEM headers to a shine. Maybe you were talking about a mild port and polish job.

FWIW, I don't think the 009 injectors are that bad. However, the MotoTrons give you a lot more headroom for future upgrades.

Aftermarket headers are really not necessary until you are heading toward 10.90-10.50 or faster.

FP and hotwire are a must for every car, no matter what.

Re: System Upgrade
 

hello; I'm in the same boat as the OP. But do the still sell the TA-49 turbo? And if not what would be the next best thing?
I have 42 lb injectors is that enough? My TB is a street car.
thanks
IBBY

Re: System Upgrade
 

Several vendors still sell the TA49 and the new(er) Garret GT series in equivalent size/performance ranges.

The 42lb injectors will work fine with that turbo (with a matching chip). If you need new injectors, 60s are the way to go.

Re: System Upgrade
 

hello; I've been looking at vendors sites and I have not seen the TA 49 for sale. Could you give me some vendors that do and also the TA 49 has been around a long time so is there an updated version or is the Garrett GT that ?
IBBY

Re: System Upgrade
 

Precision Turbo and Engineering, FullThrottleSpeed, etc. Give them a call and they can guide you. The GT series is sort of a "next generation" option and I'm sure that FullThrottle can help you there too.

Re: System Upgrade
 

Try Gbodyparts.com. Limit Engineering has them as well, but they are more expensive than the next generation turbos that are coming from Precision.