Has anyone ever thought of mounting a turbo 90* rotated from traditional so the compressor inlet points straight up and the turbine outlet points straight down?

The only problems I can see is possible heat soak since the compressor would be directly above the turbine and maybe some oil distribution/scavenge issues related to the turbine shaft. Heat soak could be handled with a heat sheild or two, and as far as oil, I was under the impression that turbo center sections had really low flow rates to begin with. Other than that, it sure would make down pipes a lot easier, and a straight shot out of the turbine would have to be better for efficiency. You could also pull air straight off the hood. It might clean up the engine bay a little bit too. I'm not sure if I've ever seen this before.

Food for thought, this is what happens when your mind starts to wander at work.

 

I would think rotating the center section like that, so the shaft is oriented vertically would be really detrimental to the oil flow. the bearings are designed to be floating on a light film of oil, not swimming in it, and the seals wont hold oil sitting on top of them. Plus, you would have serious problems with oil return.

Hopefully the turbo guru's will chime in on this one too.

 

Most turbos are designed to be mounted with the shaft within 5-10* of parallel to the ground. You'll trash the bearings and dump all your oil out the exhaust if you mount it compressor side up…