99 3.8 turbo questions

[Spirow1555]

im not too familiar with turbos so i need a little bit of help. ive seen a couple boosted 3.8s online and thought why not.

im planing on going with the under the k member setup because i want to keep my a/c. this is my daily. im not looking for 500hp. especially on a stock block.
im not sure what turbo to go with, ive seen the t70 beeing used by the 3.8 guys and the ls1s too so is it a good choice? also, i have a friend selling a hx35 from his cummins for a good price. witch one is better?
im looking to get (or better said, id be happy with) at least 300+hp to the wheels. im not expecting my stock motor to last forever so im building a gtp block on the side to drop in when my motor blows. they come with forged internals.

if someone can make a parts list for me with some information thatll be awesome!
iv done some research so dont tell me that the search button is my friend. just need more information.
thanks!

[ssms5411]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

Whats the specs of the HX35 turbo, a GT35R is a good choice or T70 is fine because the A/R is .63 and .68 , for stock it works out perfect. Parts list is easy a turbo , wastegate, BOV, Intercooler with pipping and couplers , oil lines. Also for tunning Hptuners, a 255 fuel pump and bigger injectors and depending on your budget a boost gauge and fuel PSI gauge also a wideband with gauge.


Also read up on turbos and how they function. Search through the threads so it will be easier to know what to get. Theres enough turbo threads that should help you alot.

[Spirow1555]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

dam, thats exactly what i need lol thanks. i dont have the specs on the hx35. all i know it came out of a 99 cummins diesel 12 valve. i guess ill just go with a t70.
what brand is a t70 and where can i get one? remember, i dont **** about turbos. i can build n/a motors all day but im completely lost when it comes to turbos.
also, what size intercooler will i need? and besides, the turbo, can i just get ebay name brand stuff? (intercooler, wastegate, bov etc etc..)

[Spirow1555]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

btw i dont mean to be cheap but if i can get away with ebay stuff, why not.

[ssms5411]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

Ebay stuff is fine , T70 you'll find on ebay along with all the other stuff or they have a GT35R knock off on there , search some turbo threads you'll find what you need. Intercooler 2.5" is fine should be about $100 shipped. For pipping going with steel pipping and building your own intercooler pipping is the way to go , I made the mistake of trying to do ALM. but it was too hard unless you can weld alm. pipping.

[ACiFiC]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

Do you plan on making your own headers?

[ssms5411]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

Do you plan on making your own headers?

He said he was going to do under K to keep his A/C , so I assume he has welding skills to do so.

[Spirow1555]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

im actually going to be taking it to a friend of mine that owns a muffler shop to do the piping. and okay, thanks! i really want to get a decent name brand turbo, i dont want any excuses on why it blew and as for the other misc stuff i guess ill get it off ebay. thanks again.
ima look around some threads to do more research.

[ssms5411]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

I went with a Garrett GT35R turbo with a .63 A/R, spools up real quick with 3.73 rear gears.

[Spirow1555]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

been pretty busy with work and school, thanks for all the inputs.
got another question, what cam can i use for my application? sadly i havent started taking my car apart yet. still saving up money for parts.
as soon as i do ill make a build thread ;]

[Gutless]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

The whole E bay turbo thing is shaky. Some say they are good and others will tell you to run for your life. If you read HOT ROD they did a turbo V8 junkyard series with Ebay turbos and did a test of a precison turbo vs a ebay turbo. The precision made 46 more HP than the ebay one. They also said that the intake temp went down with the precision.

If I were to turbo mine on a budget, Id get an old school Garret. You can pick up a TA49 afforably and have it rebuild for not much more than a new ebay turbo. The garret will last 100,000 miles and not have a problem assuming it has oil. Ebay turbos can only last 5000 if you get a bad one.

If you are going to put a BOV in, dont skimp out. Theres a reason they are cheap. The other question is, do you need one? A Series II 3800 is similar to a 86-87 GN 3.8. Theres thousands of fast turbo buicks and most dont have a BOV. If you are REAL mean to the turbo eventually the thing will get hurt, but really if you are running low boost and dont have a manual you are fine. Like I say, theres enough fast GN's that dont have a BOV to prove you dont need one.

This is one of the better turbo guides ive ever seen. Keep in mind the GN stuff and turbo 3800 stuf may be different, but they are fairly close. Displacement is the same and basic layout will be the same so stall, injectors and HP numbers are close. 3800 heads are quite a bit better so you gain a bit there over stock 3.8 heads but its a starting point.

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/turbo/turboupdate.html

[97RSSM90]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

lol the op is my cousin

[97RSSM90]

Re: 99 3.8 turbo questions

his car is a 99 rs 5 speed