Turbo LQ4 1970 Camaro RS

[1970camaroRS]

Starting a new thread since my previous one is very different than where I'm going with this one.

The previous build thread can be seen here: http://www.bangshift.com/forum/showt...4-(version-two)

Car is a 1970 Camaro RS with a LQ4 and a 700r4. Trapped 111mph with the secondaries only opening 1/8th of the way. Had full interior, street tires, etc.

After getting down the track twice last year with a carb'd cammed LQ4 with shaved CNC ported 241s, I got home and promptly tore 500 lbs of stuff out of the car. Then, after driving home from my folk's place and listening to a turbo'd late model RX7 cruise next to me while stuck in traffic...I know, but still...the turbo sound sucked me in. So, I sold off all of the carb stuff (thanks you the people who bought my stuff!) and picked up a TC78 with a 1.15 AR housing.



I grabbed a Howard's Cams mild grind with a wide LSA. 226/232 @.050, .578/.587 lift, 115LSA. Installed it and degreed it. Also got a set of stock 317 heads to get my back to a forced induction compression ratio. Slapped my PRC .660 lift springs on them and put them on the engine with a set of .040 MLS gaskets. Then I temp installed some truck manifolds and set the intake in place to get some ideas going.



Driver's side will be easy. I will slap a v-band on it and just do a gentle curve around the alternator and into the cross-over.



Driver's side, in order to get a nice bend into a merge near where the turbo will be placed, I will have to cut in back a lot before I put a v-band on it. Kind of points off into nowhere right now.



I'm going to place the turbo somewhere roughly over the frame rail and at the same level as the headlights.





First major modification for the turbo install was drilling and tapping the oil pan for a drain fitting. My goal right now is to get the engine sealed back together before I do anything else. Here it is with a -10 to 1/2 NPT fitting in the flat space on the passenger side of the oil pan between where the starter and cross member would interfere.






Build plan is to use a 44mm wastegate, 50mm BOV, ebay intercooler, Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump and regulator, fuel cell, truck fuel rails and intake, and.....

Does 15psi and 3,000lb race weight sound fun to anyone?

[Beagle]

you snuck this one in and I missed it - hell yeah! We want pics / description when you modify the manifolds. Are you gonna toss them in the oven and then weld them or what? Huh? Huh? Huh? That's a big dang hot side! I'm guessing the split scroll will help though.

On the injectors, I'm guessing 70-90 lb/hr... what are your plans there?

[1970camaroRS]

This will be a VERY slow build. I'm going to have an experienced welder do the v-bands on the manifolds. If I stay pump gas, I'm just going to use 60 lb injectors. If I run e85, something in the 90+ range. I will do my best to document what I do. At the moment I'm searching for a chopsaw or a band saw for cutting pipe and a Miller 140 or similar. I should have a bunch of 2.5" tubing sitting in my garage soon to do the hotside. Still need to order the intercooler so I can locate that to make sure I place the turbo exactly where it needs to be to feed it.


Also, for the manifolds, my research has found that many people don't even heat them before they weld. Some dont even do a cool down. A bunch of people have found success using a simple flux-core wire and no gas. They say these manifolds contain a surprising amount of steel and aren't like normal cast iron. We shall see.

[SuperBuickGuy]

stock corvette, camaro, or gto manifolds would be far easier to modify (they're tube already, not cast). Otherwise, don't cut, simply run make an adapter that bolts to your manifolds - here's an example from the guy in Wenatchee that builds turbos for 350 buicks

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/seanbuick76/Buick%20350%20pics%20Jan%2009/twins5.jpg

Also - what are your plans for the car? If it's drag-centric, why not chemically intercool with either Nitros or Alcohol?

[1970camaroRS]

Biggest reason to cut to add v-bands is because v-bands tend to not leak. The 3 bolt flanges always end up leaking. It also gets that huge flange out of the way. It's a must if I decide to run the manifiolds pointing down and forward. A-arm clearance is an issue.

Examples (not mine)

[SuperBuickGuy]

those are pretty, cast welds; however the skeptic in me wonders what the looked like after a few heat-cycles. Welded iron is crack-prone (in fact, when welding cast you minimize cracks - meaning, that cracks are going to happen), and while you can minimize cracks with brazing rather then welding; if you braze or weld, it's still very weak - thus vibration, heat cycles, dissimilar heating, or having the weld under stress will each or in conjunction cause them to crack and fail (sometimes spectacularly). The best would be to simply to buy flanges and a box of stainless tubes, second best would be an adapter to the flange, third would be to find headers and put v-bands on them... given the size of your engine compartment - it'd be pretty easy to fab up a couple shorty headers and adapters to run your turbo.

[1970camaroRS]

Dudes have been running them this way for years now without issues. It's pretty much the way everyone does it now unless they pony up for a set of custom headers.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I might have some stock headers off my GTO soon .... just sayin

No one will be cheering louder than me if the cast ones work for you.

[BOOOGHAR]

with the turbo that far fwd on the pass side is there going to be a issue with the radiator, battery, headlight assy ? and are you running a intercooler ?

[1970camaroRS]

Only thing that was in the way was the battery. Battery in the trunk will fix that. Other than that, it's a wide open space. There's a lot of space on either side of the radiator to route the Intercooler piping (after a hole is cut of course). Plenty of space in front of the radiator for the Intercooler, just had to cut a chunk of support structure out.