So, after I get the '66 Nova finished, I'm thinking that rather than tear up the RX-7, which really seems too nice to make into a racecar, I'll put together a SBC with two turbos and fuel injection--Megasquirt?
I see kits on ebay. One has two turbos, two manifolds and some plumbing for 600 bucks. That and a few more thousand for the ECU and intake would get me close, no?
Who has done it? Why don't more people do it? Discuss.
You're looking at cheap Chinese knock-off turbos. I would personally steer clear though I have never played with one in person.
I have been told that Borg Warner makes a good line of plain bearing turbo's which are somewhat budget oriented and yet maintain good levels of performance and reliability, I believe the prefix for them is SX.
I like this idea. I have not done it. There are other here who can offer much more insight than I can. Be prepared to put in a good fuel system, good pistons and rods, and perhaps a few other doodads.
see recent build thread of rx7 drag car. 8 second pass for less than 10K or something is the title of the thread. basically a junkyard LS (don't remember the deets, but probably an iron block 5.3 with 6.0 heads - mix and match heads for lower compression) with a fat single turbo, weight and times put it in the 800 hp zone. ran 20 some passes at 25 plus PSI before lunching the motor.
Makes me really want to build an LS turbo.
I haven't done it yet because I spend so much time telling people what to do on forums - ha!
In reply to rcutclif:
He used that same turbo which I was speaking of...
But the OP said SBC, I am not sure if a gen III/Iv engine would substitute, but certainly there are few would argue against such a swap.
tuna55 wrote: In reply to rcutclif: He used that same turbo which I was speaking of... But the OP said SBC, I am not sure if a gen III/Iv engine would substitute, but certainly there are few would argue against such a swap.
Yeah, I'm pretty flexible. If the block is a fairly inexpensive lump with eight cylindrical holes in it, I could start with that. I've got a well worn '66 327 sitting in my garage right now, but I don't think that's a good starting point.
Why twin turbo? A SBC/LS motor already makes 300+hp/300+tq. Just slap a single on it.
My only stipulation is that anytime somebody slaps a turbo on something that already makes north of 300hp, it better end up running like this or its a failure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy1zeB49sU&feature=youtu.be
So this is just idle talk, but here's what I'd look to do, and this assumes that packaging is no big deal. Your 327 is a small journal crank setup with I believe a forged crank from the factory. Have it worked over by a shop and rebalanced to go with some decent rods and pistons. Research whatever ebay/Chicom turbo headers are decent and mate up to a pair of turbos like what Tuna mentioned. Intercool and mix with a TPI intake with bigger tubes and maybe a different throttle body. Add MSquirt and call up CompCams for some kind of off-the-shelf stick for this package. Shouldn't be terribly expensive, should rev well, and shouldn't require much in the way of fabrication.
HiTempguy wrote: Why twin turbo? A SBC/LS motor already makes 300+hp/300+tq. Just slap a single on it. My only stipulation is that anytime somebody slaps a turbo on something that already makes north of 300hp, it better end up running like this or its a failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy1zeB49sU&feature=youtu.be
Just seems more logical to me to run a separate turbo off each bank. I would expect better response from two "small" turbos as opposed to one big honker. But I can appreciate that a single turbo setup would be cheaper.
I figured about 600 would be a bare minimum as far as my expectation of horsepower.
I'll have to blow the dust off my copy of Corky Bell's "Maximum Boost" and see how much HP I can make with 350 cubic inches, 20 psi, and an appropriate amount of fuel.
Cool video, BTW.
20 psi into a decently configured 5.7 sounds like a lot more than 600 hp to me. What trans and axle are you thinking about using?
You should be able to make well north of 550whp on a completely stock 4.8/5.3L with the appropriate amount of fuel.
And yes, the video is bonkers. I want my corolla to be similiar when I am done with it, trying to find a turbo 4 that fits.
GForce makes a kit for T5 transmissions that is good to 600hp, and it would only break if you had traction, which you probably won't 
In reply to 1988RedT2:
I question that wisdom as far as twins versus singles. I would need more math, but in the gas turbine world, bigger is better for efficiency. Now, I am assuming that the non airfoil mass of twins is larger than that of an equivalently sized single, but I don't actually know this.
I would just put a eaton on it but that is me. A vortech is another option but usually more money. For some reason on a v8 this seams easier than all the work to fab up all the plumbing for two turbos.
Or build something that weighs half as much and is just as fast with 400hp.
Single turbo from a truck engine that has 2-3x the displacement of the race engine you're using it on is a good rule of thumb.
twin hx35's would be a cheap option, and depending on hood clearance flipped block huggers make easy and cheap turbo manifolds
In reply to Paul_VR6:
What truck engine comes with 2-3X the displacement of a 327?
Manufacturers are now offering 10.6L- 15.9L engines WITH turbos?? Woulda thunk!
I recently saw this thread about a CX Racing twin turbo direct fit kit for the goat.
tl;dr; $2600 turbo kit with $1000 fuel system + other supporting mods already on the car, 730hp / 690tq @ 18psi
In reply to SVreX:
http://www.truckinginfo.com/article/story/2011/07/when-a-13-liter-diesel-engine-is-right-for-you.aspx
In reply to pres589:
I don't think that is what he was referring to.
SVreX wrote: In reply to pres589: I don't think that is what he was referring to.
Its what i took it as. I have two "mack truck turbos" I picked up on craigslist. The model I got has become a popular one for diy V8 builds.
MrJoshua wrote:SVreX wrote: In reply to pres589: I don't think that is what he was referring to.Its what i took it as. I have two "mack truck turbos" I picked up on craigslist. The model I got has become a popular one for diy V8 builds.
i think the work "diesel" got lost somewhere in there, a turbo from a diesel engine with about 2x the displacement of the gas engine is what he was trying to get at me thinks.
Thats why I suggested twin hx35's, the hx35 supports the 5.9 ISB engine, each would flow half of the small block which is around 1/2 of the original engine.
but really i would just look around online for what turbo sizes people are using for twins, real trial and error is better then theory anyday
Here's another data point. LS turbo in a Fairmont. Budget oriented.
https://sites.google.com/site/sloppywiki/sloppy-builds/fairmont-2-0
http://www.theturboforums.com/forums/224-DIY-and-Junkyard-Turbo-Tech
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