i was recently looking at the archived article "turbos for tightwads" and was intrigued by what this guy did. I want a cheap winter project to do on my car thatll give me some horsepower. Has anyone else here performed this or a similar inexpensive turbo intallation on a traditional pontiac v8? And also I read on here somewhere that the guy who did this offered plans that listed off exactly what you had to do for this mod. If I could somehow find those plans itd save me a ton of time in checking and rechecking the way stuff is gonna fit. I would definately change a few things he did like the whole radiator cap thing and id use an intercooler as instead of the water/alcohol injection. if anyone has any info id really appreciate it. thanks in advance.

Jim  

nothing?  

I'm not saying any of this will work but as a diesel truck mechanic, I have looked at these possibilties- the turbocharger off an International DT466 engine from the late 80's- early 90's is compact and should have plenty of capacity, but it doesn't have a wastegate and it's outlet side has a separate cast iron housing that bolts onto the exhaust manifold so it may not be the best bet. the later 93 or 94 and up had a wastegate and an integral exhaust flange (either 3.5 or 4", using a V-clamp). On the diesel, these can make up to 30psi boost, but you might be able to modify the wastegate for lower pressures. The really cool thing is the intercooler (air-to-air) that International uses on it's 4900 series trucks in the 90's. It's about 2.5 inches thick and the size of a small car rad, with 3" inlet and outlets on one side. In the big trucks these were mounted side-by-side with the rad in a supportive framework, and could be easily mounted in front of the rad of your Pontiac, with the inlet on one side (under the rad ) and the outlet on the other side (still under the rad). Check out a heavy truck wrecking yard for these pieces, don't be shocked if they are pricey, the cooler is all aluminum, and the turbo's are pricey just for their core value.  

I agree with barneyformula on this one. Turbos are an expensive way to go.  I should know.  

Be that as it may, I did talk to the guy to owned the "turbos for tightwads" Gen-2 Firebird.  He ripped out the fenderwells and did other stuff which would not apply to a production-typical vehicle.  After I talked to him, he never would converse with me, for whatever reason.  

IMO, that car is a slapped together piece of junk.  IF the owner has some problem with my opinion, please post here.

Craig  

For those who don't know, Craig is the guy from HO Racing that put together a turbo kit for Pontiacs, as well as lots of great handing pieces back in the day. He's been pretty modest on here, but he knows what he's talking about.
Steve