Well I got it most of the way done. After I welded it I noticed a bit of warpage. Damn! Well I bolted it to an old head and am gonna try to heat it up with my torch and see if it'll straighten out. Think it'll work? Also, I was thinking of extending the pipe from the header and just mount the turbo on the pipe like in one of my pics. I set a weld flange on it. That's not the actuall position but you get the idea. When I was holding it all up trying to find the best way to get it mounted that looked like the best and easiest. No Bends!!!

Brad...


http://12.229.137.41:3128/header02.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/header3.jpg

 

nicely done

i cant wait untill i can start my own project

 

This project seemed a bit intimidating at first till I got started doing something wether it worked or not. I was pissed that my weld flange warped. I'm hoping by heating it up with a torch while it's bolted to that head will straighten it out. It was hard getting started. I kept putting it off, now I'm all over it. Lets see some pics when you start yours. I've been getting camera happy since I bought my digital camera. It's too cool.

Brad...

 

From the pictures they look like really nice welds. What are you using (what kind and size wire, welder...)? Generally I can get really pretty welds if I just sorta start and keep going, but if I do a lot of tacking and stitching I can manage to prevent most warping and other problems but can never get it looking as nice.

It will work no matter what you do, as long as you've got an air tight passage from the port to the turbo, but you'll get better spool and total flow if you make some attempt to get smooth flow. In other words, if you can get a nice bend where it joins the pipe (the stubs and the turbo flange) it would be better but don't worry about it if it's too big a pain in the butt...

 

I'm using .040 wire with 25/75 CO2/Argon mix gas and I bought this Chicago Electric welder at Harbor Freight. For being a cheap welder it sure works good. Here is a pic of it. When I put the pipe on the stubs it will be a perfect fit. Just gonna have to do a little grinding. No prob with that. Those stubs are close to the same size but not quite. The wire I'm using is just regular mild steel wire. I should have the pass side turbo mounted for sure tomorrow. I might have to use some of that flex exhaust pipe for the down pipe just to get things going once I get some more weld flanges.

Brad...

http://12.229.137.41:3128/welder.jpg

 

.040" wire... man that's big. I'm surprized that you're not having problems buring through. Out of curiosity, are you doing any weaving while laying the bead or are you going straight around the weld? How many amps is that welder rated at?

Is that mild steel or stainless tubing?

Pretty cool...

BTW, with the warped fange. Get it as straight as you can now, before you do any more. Then bolt it up to the head and have at it. When you're done just true it up with a big mill file...

 

Hy looking good! I cant believe you are getting that big of a wire to work too. Do you have the power turned down on that thing or what?

Are you sliding the tubes THROUGH the flange? If not, then you are bound to have cracking issues. Reason is, with the primary slid through the flange, you can get a good bead on the inside of the tube to the flange which is what will do the best in supporting your turbo.

Also, another bit of advise. If you keep the flange bolted to the head, and tack everything to it, will keep it straighter.

One more tip. Cut the areas between the front and middle ports and the middle and back ports. It will give each area of the header its own room to grow and make it less prone to cracking as well.

Looking good so far though! Keep it up!

 

oh i really want to get mine going. but being at college, it puts a damner on things.

i just got done reading jester's PM and a couple of ideas that i had now have issues that i need to figure out a way to resolve.

i want to go the s-10 header way now, but seeing your progress i am more hopefull in the log style exhaust.

is that steam pipe you are using? or is it just regular mild steel exhaust tubing.

keep us posted

later

andrew

 

Yes it is a bit big. I bought some .030 wire I was gonna use but didn't feel like changing it out. Just gotta be quick with the gun and not sit too long in one spot. I welded subframe connectors on a friends car with that .040 wire on that paper thin floorpan with no probs. Guido, do you mean to cut my weld flange inbetween the pipes? So it's like in pieces? Then bolt it to the head then weld on my pipe? That would definately help with my warpage problem. I'm sliding the tubing into the flange. It's not buttwelded. I have the heat setting on max at the welder and the wire speed at 5 on the dial. 83 Crossfire TA, here is a pic of the max amps on my welder. The duty cycle kinda sucks at the setting I have it at, but I'm not making any really long welds.
Hey Ace, I was gonna use the S10 headers but they look like *** so I decided to make my own. I was a bit intimadated about this project and almost said to hell with it. But once I got started it wasn't so bad and making those headers is childs play, and if I can just mount the turbo on the pipe then it'll be too easy. For the log I'm just using 2" ID conduit. This is funner than I thought it was gonna be. I was dreading it. But having TT's is just too cool and it will be different then most.

Brad...

http://12.229.137.41:3128/amps.jpg

 

Mine are separate also, but a lot of people swear that this promotes warping. The fact is that this stuff is not that rigid, and with the flanges cut the 6 good size bolts used to bolt them down should flatten it a little.

Since you have the full flanges I would keep them that way till you are at least done welding. If you’re unable to flatten things out then I’d cut them. The one that’s warped already… well, maybe cutting it and bolting it on and then welding the rest on might fix your problem, but remember that welding causes the metal to shrink so considering all the welds for those pipes will be on one side of the log I’d bet that you’ll find that if you cut them first, weld them an then unbolt them that the spacing between the flanges will try to change. It’s somewhat of a gamble either way, but I don’t think it will be that bad either way either. If you have a torch, you might be able to cut them, bolt them up, weld them and then ‘stress relieve’ the thing with a torch and let it cool and it should stay the same shape when you unbolt it.

 

Wow, I tried .035” on my Hobart Handler 135 (the little 110V one) when welding to the frame rails on a 3rd gen. On the lowest setting I was burning through almost instantly, on the second lowest setting (where I tried first) it was more like cutting then welding. I use .023” body work wire for 90% of my welding in that machine, it works great for exhaust work. I’ve been using .030” 308 stainless for my headers and stuff. On 11ga. (just under 1/8” thick) I get good welds on the lowest setting, I get better welds on the second lowest setting but really have to move to keep from burning through.

Hum, that’s a 220VAC welder, right? I think that the amp range is 30(or 35)-135 on my 110VAC Hobart. I run it off of a split 220 line anyway since at higher settings it will blow breakers on most 110 circuits. I may rewire it to work on 220 (looks like all the parts inside are the same as the Hobart 175, it’s just wired different).

No matter, the way those welds look in the picture you can’t ask for better…

Yea, I think I posted something about trying those like 2 years ago, but when I got around to it I decided that
- they’re ugly
- they’re made of light gauge mild steel, not a combination for long life at 1500*
- I didn’t like the thin flanges (I’m using all 3/8-1/2” stainless)


Well, it seems like everyone is talking about going TT

Bhaas, have you looked at your driver’s side yet? What year is your car?

I’m trying to get both sides worked out before I do the final locating of the turbos and I’ve got to say I’ve spent more time trying to get the PS bracket like I want it then I have disassembling the car and building the headers so far.

From appearances I’m guessing that you’re planning on running the down pipe over the top of your manifolds? (mine are going under)

 

where did you say you got your pipe? and i take it you got your flange from summit or something, same with the primaries?

from where you are putting the turbo, do you have alot of room betweent the turbo and the accesories? one of my goals is to have A/C but i think i am going to try and buy that new Vintage Air accessorie belt system as seen in one of the new hot rod magazines. it moves all of the accessories infront of the engine, and uses somewhat smaller parts, and looks bitchin at the same time.

I am thinking of trying a true dual setup for the exhaust after the turbo, but i have to figure out how to do that. I want to try and keep the engine bay somewhat clean.

later

andrew

 

Dude, your design is awesome!! I have been racking my brain trying to think of a way to make headers on the cheap, and have come up blank. If you don't mind, I think I might try what you are doing. Rest assured, I won't be doing this until at the earliest, next summer. So you will get all the credit for the design. Looks good so far. As far as wire, I used .035 wire to weld up my whole exhaust. It is a Craftsman welder w/o gas, and only high/low settings. On low, at medium wire speed, everything welded great.

 

I swapped spools of wire to .030 and I was actually using .035 wire, not .040. The tip said .040 so that's what I thought I was using. The lable on the spool was upside down. The first weld I made with the .030 wire I blew a hole through one of my stubs.
I'm thinking the galvanized conduit I'm using isn't gonna work very well. Seems thin to me. I might start over but with heavier pipe. I'll finish welding this one up and see. When I cut the holes for the stubs in the conduit I had some nice size gaps to fill and it's getting pretty hot and making cracking noises so I took a smoke break. The .035 wire seems to weld a lot better than the .030 wire. Or I don't have it set right. My car is a 1986 SC. Had a V6 but I took that out. I haven't investigated the drivers side too much yet but I think I might be able to do the same thing on both sides. I got my weld flanges and bends from Turbo Tech here in Tacoma. Costed me $192 for 8 bends and 2 flanges. I should be able to run my exhaust under them. Looks like I have enough room. I don't have AC so I don't have to worry about that. Just an alt, P/S pump and water pump.

Brad...

 

Sounds like you're having 3 problems...
- the zinc in the galvanizing will cause spattering and make the weld shoot around. It also makes toxic yellow smoke when you weld near it. I've never had great luck grining it off, because you force some of it into the metal when you grind or wire brush. What does work is to soak it in some muriatic acid (can get it at the hardware store, it's sold to etch concreat for painting/resurfacing). The muriatic acid dissolves the galvanizing much faster then the steel. Strong Oxalic acid will work also, but it's harder to get (welding supply will have it as a metal prep for aluminum, some of the older, eat through anything wheel cleaners (the red ones) use it also but you'll have to soak it for a long time).
- Sounds like your wire speed is to low with the smaller wire
- Gaps suck. I've found 3 good ways of filling them. If you can cut a little piece of metal (even welding wire or rod) to fit the gap and weld across it. Otherwise I've suddenly gotten really good at filling them by setting the wire feed higher then I would normally have it and sorta weld into the existing metal (this never worked for me till I got better with the welder, untill you're OK or better at it you'll just make the hole bigger). Lasty, if you can't do the first one that the second one isn't working for you then what will work is to sorta pulse the welder. Point it at the hole and tap the trigger, wait a second, tap it again... the little spot welds will fill the hole and often you'll get welding wire that burns off across the hole that you can weld over.

HTH

 

Yes, gaps suck. I hate 'em. I had some filler wire but not enough. Just kept running welds till it built up enough. Patients is the key here. And I was getting impatient. When I cut the holes for the stubs with the torch the galv burnt and came right off with a wire wheel. Wasn't the nightmare it usually is to weld. Use to weld that **** all day. I hated it. And that yellow smoke isn't yummy either. I took some more pics. Don't laugh too hard. The welds actually look better in real life. Am I posting too many pics or should I just make a web page? I know some of you don't have a cable modem and these pics take a while to load. Or I could just post the links. I have plenty of room for the turbo on the pass side. Getting the bolts through the headers is tough. I might have to go with studs. I think I will go with those. Just getting those 2 bolts on to hold it wasn't easy. And lots of room for the exhaust to go underneath. Yes!!! The stubs do go into the pipe a bit. About a half inch. Hope that isn't too much to cause any probs. You can't really see them in that pic very well.

Brad...

http://12.229.137.41:3128/th1.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th2.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th3.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th4.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th5.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th6.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/th7.jpg

 

It's on!!! . Look ma, no hands. Just gotta cap off the ends, clean things up a bit then start on the other side.

Brad...


http://12.229.137.41:3128/h2.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/h3.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/h4.jpg

 

I have the same unit & found the same thing. I dont think that this unit has the best control down @ the low end. when I turn it up & do thicker stuff it behaves a little better.

BW

 

Sweet! Now you’re making me feel bad, you’ve gotten more done in a couple of days then I have in the last couple of weeks.

I’m going out to the garage…

 

Better get on it. And take lots of pics to.

Brad....

 

Well, you've officially done it, you've go tmore pics here then my slow dialup is happy with....

I think it might be time to start a web page or something...

 

I was getting kind of sick of them myself. Took a while even with my cable modem. I'll convert them to links.

Brad...

 

I'm taking a break today cause I'm lazy and the drivers side looks to be a bitch. That's not gonna be fun.

Brad...

 

yea, that's sorta why I've been taking my time. I decided that I'm going to try get the driver's side as close to what I really want as I can, and then build the passenger side based on what I come up with (try to get somewhat even flow).

I can't see more then a couple of hours work on the passenger side, the drivers, well, like I said, I've spent 4 hours tinkering with the PS bracket and still don't have what I want (I don't want it to rely on any of the exhaust fasteners so that I can pull the headers/turbos without removing the front accessories. I don't like how the corner of the bracket seems to jut out about 4" into nowhere either).

Well, I’m also messing with other things, I’ve been building an injector test stand to tinker with some fueling ideas that I’ve got…

 

I noticed that 4" piece sticking up right in the way to. I'm gonna whack that off with my torch. That'll give me some more room. That's all I've come up with so far on that side. I'll get on it tomorrow probably. It's raining pretty good here and I do my cutting and welding outside cause I don't have any room in my small one car garage. Gotta move some brake lines to. I hate bending lines. They like to break.

Brad...

 

Dude in all seriousness Keep posting pics and informing us of what your doing, Step by Step if you have to... It will serve to help us poor thirdgeners with no money make a serious bad *** setup.

Maybe it will even become a tech article....

 

I'll keep posting pics. I might have some new ones today. Gonna start the drivers side today. I blew it off yesterday out of laziness. But I did buy more lighting for the garage so I did get something done yesterday. I was also wondering if I could hook the oil drain from the turbos to where the mech fuel pump goes. That would sure make it easier and I wouldn't have to drill into my oil pan and get metal shavings in my oil or have to pull the motor and take the pan off and do it.

Brad...

 

now that my engine is out of my car, i am considering on mounting one of my empty blocks with heads on it. and then i am going to try and modify the engine compartment in spots to get more room.

i am thinking of moving the a/c condensor somewhere, and i would like to do something with the master cylinder.

also at the same time i am gong to be replacing all of the fuel and brake lines, probably moving them to keep them away from the heat. i am also wanting to sandblast the cross member to make that all nice and pretty too.

but everytime i make a bracket or a tube or something, i will mark down the sizes and post them. i want to try and make a nice and clean setup. it will take longer, but i believe it will be worth it.

keep up the good work, and nice pics.

 

I like this shot right here:



Looking good man! Keep at it! Dont forget to figure something in there for building a support bracket. Those turbos wont support themselves and could cause some cracking at your welds if you dont support it properly.

Otherwise, keep at it! Its looking good.

 

Question. Everything I have read on turbo header/manifold design says that the log style manifold is not the way to go. Was simplicity the factor that made you choose that design or is there some technical benifit to it?

SB

 

Simplicity pretty much. What's wrong with log style manifolds? Well I started the drivers side. When I swapped welding wire the other day I just ended up putting the old one back in. How could I be so stupid. I saw the new spool I thought I put in on the back of my car. Well I was gonna go back to the .035 to weld on the stubs but it was already in there. That .035 sure welds purdy. Until I get to the galv. pipe then it's back to sh!tty welds. I welded it bolted to the head this time. Here's some more pics.

http://12.229.137.41:3128/p1.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/p2.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/p3.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/p4.jpg

 

Although its been awhile since I researched the whole mess, I do believe the complaint was with the exhaust pulses conflicting and just generally not excellent flow. I can consult the book I was reading on this, but I believe the complaint/issue was along those lines.

Mind you I am not slagging your design or your work, I was just curious. I dont think I have ever seen someone pull together a turbo build up as quickly as you have. Keep it up.

SB

 

Tell me about the brake lines, you can’t win. Go up, you hit brake lines, go down, you hit more. I thought that I’d post some of my own pics (honestly, don’t remember what I’ve listed on this board). Yes, one of the brake lines is right in the way (the edge of the collector is pointing at it):



I’ve been trying to figure out if the MC is interchangeable with one from a full size truck. It’s IDENTICAL outside except that the line fittings are drilled on the opposite side which would move the lines out of my way.

Last night I finally sat down and fixed my PS bracket problem (I figure that what I came up with might help you). I decided that the way it’s built it needs to be mounted from at least 3 sides, so I got rid of the top and outside bracket all together (after cutting it half a dozen ways trying to get it to fit the way I wanted), shimmed the pivot out so that it is in the same place as before I removed the top brackets, I’m using the inside adjustment point off the front bracket like it is, and made a new outside rear bracket that engages the stud on the outside, back of the pump. I used parts of the old bracket and some 1-1/4” x 1/8” flat stock that I welded into sorta a curved ‘L’ with a notch cut out to clear the exhaust bolts:



Here is how it clears everything on the engine, it actually does not stick up past the height of the exhaust manifold and tucks almost entirely behind the power steering pump:



All the joints are gusseted/welded from the back so that it’s actually stiffer then the stock setup even though it has less then have the mounting points and much smaller. Before I went to sleep last night I took it back off, gave it a nice coat of semiflat black enamel (matches the stock brackets) and baked it on so that it will not come off…. After I have a chance to test it I’ll probably whack off the outside of the font bracket attached to the waterpump) that used to attach to the old bracket.

Yea, small change but probably more work then anything else has been so far.

 

That’s pretty much a myth. There are 2 theories of turbine operation, the pluse and the heat/pressure theories. Pulse is what you’re quoting, which is nice in theory (no substantial backpressure), but no turbocharged gas engine works that way. Almost all of them have 1.5x or more exhaust back pressure then boost, and work on pressure/heat. Because of that, your design criteria become making sure the passages are big enough to flow what you need to flow and keeping the volume as low as possible between the valve and turbine for faster response. If you want some good examples of this, look at some of the mustang turbo kits out there. There are at least 2 that are good for 550-650hp that force the whole engine’s exhaust through a 2” opening.


Yea, I’m impressed also. I’m betting that I’ve currently got as much of the work done (but I’m building both sides at once) in fewer hours (I've put about 6 of actual work in including the dissaslembly, pulling the ac/heater box (not really turbo related, just something that was annoying me), modifying that, making brackets, headers/collectors...), but I’ve been spreading it out much more.

 

Brad, I'm envying some of your tools. I would kill for a chop saw and torch. I'm cutting everything using a hack saw, wizzer wheel and a jigsaw. I've got a sawzall but haven't had anthing big enough to cut with that.

 

Thanks 83, nice bracket work. I just cut the end off of mine and left it at that. Since it's been working fine for the last year with the few bollts holding it on I figured I'd leave it. Less weight Now you know why I'm not married or have any kids. I'm raising a Camaro and that takes patients, sacrafice, commitment, etc. And lots of tools. I keep refinancing my house for car/tool money and I keep paying less. Gotta love these interest rates. This pass side is gonna be a bitch for sure. I moved my break lines out of the way as much as I could. I'm gonna mount that turbo as far as I can forward and that should give me enough room for the exhaust. My arms are getting tired of holding that turbo up trying to find the perfect spot for it. I should have it mounted today. Hopefully I'll have enough argon to make it. My welder likes to leak it out. I left the valve open for about an hour yesterday cause I forgot. I hate it when that happens. That's a good idea putting that "L" on that bracket. I could do that and bolt it to one of my header bolts. :hail: Thanks for that tip Guido, I thought I could just let it sit there like that. I'm gonna make an adjustable support for it so I can get it nice and snug. Will post a pic of that secret design when I get to it.

Brad...

http://12.229.137.41:3128/p5.jpg
http://12.229.137.41:3128/p6.jpg

 

Hey 83 Crossfire TA, do you have headers on upside down on your car for the turbos? Kinda hard to tell in that pic. I lightened it up a bit and that's what it looks like. That would work perfect for the drivers side don't you think? With my log exhaust, it kinda gets in the way. Nice and tight in there. But I should be able to make it. You need to go to Sears and get some tools. That's gotta be tough doing all that with just those tools. I hate hack saws. That's all I had before the chop saw. I love that thing. And my air compressor kicks ***. My neighbors hate me. I'm always making lots of noise late at night and my air compressor is about 20 feet from their bedroom window. I do try and keep it down though.

Brad...

 

It’s a set of stainless ‘vette headers that I found on ebay for $25. I had to cut them all at the flange, reposition things, reweld them and then make different collectors for them. If I went with manual brakes there would be room to mount the turbos up top, sorta over the valve covers (I checked, it clears the hood). I’m planning on making little u-shaped tubes connecting them to turbos mounted about where yours are. The advantage is that you could pretty much put them anywhere and it could be made to clear all the stock accessories if I wanted to.

Tell my wife that...

I’ve got an OK selection of tools, just not much to cut metal with. The top of my list right now is either a torch, plasma cutter or band saw.

I’ve got a big 6.5hp Craftsman Pro series compressor… man is that thing loud. I’m thinking of building a little sound proof room/box for it and possibly moving it to the basement…

 

LOL, why I have my 60 gal under the basement stairs, still makes a good racket. I need to insulate the stairs. Hvaent had any complaints, tho having an old furnace blower mounted to the back wall blowing into a 55 gallon drum filled with water for dust/paint capture has raised a few eyebrows.. hehe, only one comment about paint fumes wafting into the bedroom in the middle of the night. Damn I need a gas conversion....

 

Killer deal on those headers. That's a lot of work. I think my log headers would be easier. But you have stainless. I have crap. Nothing some header paint can't fix. For a while anyway. Well they're both on. More pics.
I'm tired. Time for nap.

Brad...

 

I just dont see any room for a decent sized downpipe on the drivers side, other than that, great job man.

 

It'll be a pretty tight bend, but it'll fit. My only main concern is the thickness of the conduit. It's 1/8, I'm worried it'll heat up and warp to **** or get red hot. If that does happen I can always make some more now that I know how to do it. My second one came out much better than my first one. I'm hoping it'll work. That conduit seems pretty strong. When I get the downpipes hooked up I'm gonna test start it and just let it blow and see how it runs. I'm also gonna try and figure out a way to drain the oil into the mech fuel pump area. I don't see why that won't work. Hey 83 Crossfire TA, get a torch. You already have a welder, might as well pick up a chopsaw to. Then you'll be unstopable. I ran out of argon and was running low on .035 so I went to get it refilled and we were talking about plasma cutters and a good one costs about $1200. I'd love to have one, but I REALLY don't have much use for one. If I had a bigger garage I'd get one and a CNC setup for it and I'd love to have a mill or a Smithy to. But for the price of a plasma cutter you could have a nice torch setup and a chopsaw and money left over. My torch setup costed me $451. I already had an oxy bottle so I had to buy an acetylene but for both bottles it would have been about $600. Still way cheaper than a plasma cutter.

Brad...

 

So, where are the pics? I don’t think that you’ll have any problem with the conduit. Sounds to be about 11ga. There’s a bunch of people that have gotten away with 16 and 18ga mild steel. I’m using 16 and 18ga stainless (starting to wonder if I should just use mild steel for the rest, it welds and cuts soo much better).

That’s what my plans were when I was going to go single turbo. Hell, the way things fit on the driver’s side I’m still considering putting the twins on my truck and getting a big single. It looks like I’ve got pretty close to enough room for a 5” down pipe on the passenger side if I wanted to run something that big, I know 4” will fit.

How do you plan on getting the oil line from the driver’s side over? I gave this another serious look today and I’m just not seeing it. I’m hoping to run ¾” drain lines and there just isn’t the room. Maybe when I get the thing mounted it will look more doable. One thing I did consider is plumbing it into the hole in the front of the block that drains into the fuel pump boss, that would save a 180* turn around.

Are you running pure Argon? If you are, that might be another reason why you’re able to run more power with the welder (C25 makes things hotter with the same power).

The torch is probably the top of my list. Not only does it have a lot of other uses besides cutting, but it’s got a much greater cutting capacity then all but the really high dollar plasma cutters. Though there’s just something nice about pulling the trigger and cutting. Neither is going to happen right now, I’ll just dream about them.

I spent some time installing the PS pump (that bracket couldn’t be any more perfect) and then took a coolant bath, spent time removing all the extra coolant hoses associated with the factory oil cooler the original heater bypass T, assorted brackets that aren’t holding anything anymore…. I also spent some time holding the turbos in assorted positions and am coming to the conclusion that my battery is either getting moved to the passenger side or the trunk.

 

Interesting, I thought the two theories worked hand and hand, live and learn I guess. Im also fairly curious on the mustang setup and will look that up.

SB

 

Looking great brad! I think youa re going to have to wrap your driver side DP under the header int he middle to get it under the car. just mythoughts from looking.

i used 16 ga. stainless on mine.

keep up the good work.

 

Thanks Guido. I won't be able to start on the downpipe till I get my weld flanges. I bought 2 of them from that guy on E-Bay. 83 Crossfire TA right on, that's what I wanted to hear. The stubs do go into it a little. I guess I won't know how it works till I get it running. If I had the weld flanges I'd have it running this weekend. I'm using a 25/75 mix of argon for my welding gas. Works great and makes the welds nice and pretty. 100% argon makes even nicer weld but with less penetration. And a 100% CO2 gets killer penetration but makes a splattery mess. I hate 100% CO2. Would have to use it at work if that's all we had when we ran out of argon. Single turbo does look a lot easier. There's plenty of room on the pass side. I looked on the front of my block by the fuel pump boss but I don't have a hole there to run oil. There's nothing there but a bracket boss to bolt something to. If I'm able to use that fuel pump area I won't be able to run a mech fuel pump and will probably use the stock pump and another back-up pump for boost. Or I could maybe put on a fat spacer for the mech pump and get a custom push rod and run a fitting out of the top of the spacer. But that's a lot of work. I wish I could just run it to my valve covers. I have 50 psi oil press. You'd think that would be enough to push it through. I was able to keep my battery in the stock location. I thought I was gonna have to move to the back. I might someday though. A torch is the better way to go. I agree. I've always wanted my own torch and finally bit the bullet and bought one. Tired of borrowing my friends all the time. Now I'm all set. Glad to see your making some progress. It'll be more fun once you start mounting the turbos. That seemed to be the most work. Now I just gotta run oil and water lines and downpipes. Here's some pics of the clearance issues on the drivers side.

Brad...

 

Ah, makes sense now, have fun with plug changes

I've decided to go this route

 

Oh ya, I forgot about the plugs. They is gonna be a bitch. Just getting the drivers side header on is gonna be a major PITA. I think I'll have to take the down pipe off to do the plugs. That makes checking the plugs a nightmare.

Brad...

 

Checking the plugs while tuning after putting a system on was one of my main worries for setting up a system on my car, played a role in the decision for nitrous, that and i'll be able to fit my a/c, nitrous, and LT1 all together nicely, while still having room for a blower if i choose to add that later.

 

bhass i would like to know at this point how you chose that size / type of pipe for your headers? also, why cant you run oil return to the valve covers? And one more thing: Are you going to use a wastegate / blower off valve / boost control? If so, what kind, How many, and where will you put them all?