Requirements for a turbocharger

[mrgfirebird97]

I have been searching posts and the sire all day to find out what is involved in getting a turbo for my car. Unfortuately I was unsuccessful in finding anything that would help me. If there is a post, just put a link into the topic. I would gladly appreciate it. I would like to know which parts of the car have to be modified in order to handle the turbo, which turbo suits a 3.8L at 90,000, and if I should rebuild the engine to handle the turbo. Also, if anyone has a turbo on their 3.8L for a while, is it worth it???

[Teufel Hunden]

First, let me answer your last question... YES A TURBO IS ALWAYS WORTH IT!!!! now that we have that out of the way, here goes:

a stock 3.8 will handle boost very well as long as it's within reasonable limits. You'll see awesome gains while still using the stock injectors and everything. As far as which turbo would be best... well, there are alot of variables there. The guys i know locally with turbo 3.8s use T3/04 hybrid turbos.. i'm using a T4. The best way to figure it out is to sit down and crunch some numbers and find which turbo best meets your goals.

Here's a list (all i can think of off the top of my head) of things you'll want/need to modify in preparation for the turbo.

-Fuel delivery. i'm using a Walbro 255lph intank pump, but a good number of people use the stock fuel pump with an inline booster. Either way will suit your needs just fine.
-Clutch (if you have an M5)
-Rear end (you're going to need a posi rear end)
-Exhaust. Besides plumbing the turbo in using your stock, or custom manifolds, you're going to want to make your exhaust as free flowing as possible.
-Front bumper (only for FMIC). If you mount your intercooler directly behind the bumper (like i did), you'll need to remove a small amount of material and make some custom brackets to support it.

That's all i can think of right now. The other turbo owners will chime in so hopefully you can get a more complete list. Good luck!

[Arctc Wolf]

just for peace of mind, and if it were my car, I'd rebuild a 90,000 motor. if u rebuild it, or just got a new one, it'd handle some boost, but wouldn't make the most power possible. turbo kits have been installed on stock cars, and they run fine.

[Tiago]

why rebuild it, blow it first, then rebuild [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

you would be surprised how much mileage really doesn't affect it.

[Kevin Wade]

Good because I was wondering about that. I have about 120,000 miles on my 99 Firebird and I bought the kit also. I will however begin to rebuild my engine within say the next six months replacing components with forged internals, just not right off the bat. :D

[Teufel Hunden]

My car is ready to turn 100,000 soon. I'm not really worried about how long the engine is going to last because i take good care of it. Corky Bell even states in his book,"if you drive vigorously but with some respect for the equipment, you can expect about 90% of normal engine life"

[V6Firebird94]

Originally posted by Tiago:
why rebuild it, blow it first, then rebuild [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

you would be surprised how much mileage really doesn't affect it.

i agree with tiago im gonna boost the hell out of my engine till it blows, then im gonna rebuild it so it can handle what ever i decide to give it

[WickEdSix9838]

why rebuild it, blow it first, then rebuild

you would be surprised how much mileage really doesn't affect it.

the only thing wrong with that mentality is you could end up breaking more than planned and have to buy more parts than you would have if you didnt blow it up...

[mrgfirebird97]

OK now that I know what I need for my car, I need to know which turbo would be the best and the most max horsepower. If you know where I can buy a turbo kit for my 3.8L, please send the links or phonenumbers to me. I would gladly appreciate it.

[Kevin Wade]

Do you have to ask? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Teufel Hunden]

As i said in my post, the best way to figure it out is to read up and crunch some numbers to figure out which turbo is best for your goals. Asking which turbo is best is too broad of a question with WAY too many variables. If you don't want to do the math or any reasearch associated with turbocharging a vehicle, just buy a kit. Do a search in this section, and you'll know where to look for a kit.

[Tiago]

Originally posted by mrgfirebird97:
OK now that I know what I need for my car, I need to know which turbo would be the best and the most max horsepower. If you know where I can buy a turbo kit for my 3.8L, please send the links or phonenumbers to me. I would gladly appreciate it.

Email me.

[Tiago]

Originally posted by WickEdSix9838:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> why rebuild it, blow it first, then rebuild

you would be surprised how much mileage really doesn't affect it.

the only thing wrong with that mentality is you could end up breaking more than planned and have to buy more parts than you would have if you didnt blow it up... </font>[/QUOTE]Yea but you are missing the point that the engine will gladly take most anything you throw at it. Its not easy to blow one of these up LOL..

SO if you can live with 300 at the wheels for a while there is really no reason to rebuild yet. ;)

[98goldbird]

I would go with Tiago's. That's what I plan on doing [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img] However, I do need to upgrade a few things first [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

[V6ImportKiller]

I would do what Tiago said. buy his kit, install it on your sotck engine, but have back up mods like POSI, exhaust, plugs. then I would buy another 3.8 engine and rebuild it while still having your turbo on the engine you have on ur car. Once you are done rebuilding your the engine you bought, then swap it in, tune it, and boost the hell out of it, then you will have great numbers.
Well those are my plans anyways, good luck.