I was looking through ebay and saw this: itemZ280184068779 Twin turbos for $789. At that price I'm tempted to buy some but I thought I better post here first. I need your advice on this as I haven't used turbos before. My car is a basically stock 305/ 5 speed.

 

You certainly get what you pay for, and although I don't have any personal experience I've seen plenty around this board and others with nothing but bad experiences with those cheaper eBay Turbo setups. They will chime in.

 

I am using them on my 383, I haven't run it yet but overall I think the kit is a good deal in my opinion and most people that I have had look at it concur.

 

I've heard of people that were gonna try them out but not on the road yet. I Might use the turbo manifolds that would be about it. Dont think i would want those turbos letting go and dumping metal in the oil. Just me though..

 

I have yet to see or hear of anyone who is actually RUNNING an ebay turbo kit in a 3rd gen.

I've seen ONE running 3rd gen using the ebay forward facing headers, but they were modified and everything else was custom fabricated (intake, exhaust, accessories, the works). Not saying it doesn't exist, but I've never seen it. However, I've come across multiple instances where someone bought the kit, said how great it looked, couldn't complain about the quality, but couldn't make it work and gave up on it... draw your own conclusions.

Also, if you want to cut your losses, the still-in-box re-sale value is pretty low considering you can get it new and un-fooled-around-with for very cheap.

 

Nothing personal but have you ever actually laid hands on one? Or are you basing what you say on the internet? And I would like to know why you say they couldn't make it work it is a pretty straight forward operation.

 

the turbos themselves, 4 times... love'em. The headers, never... basing everything on pictures and what I've read by other people that actually own the kit. I only know "they" couldn't make it work because "they" said so... thats why I left it open for the reader to make their own conclusions. As for the rest... i just read the parts list in the auction, having done this 3 or 4 times I got the gist of it.

I presume that the most difficult part of using the forward facing headers is the accessory mounting. If you have a serpentine belt setup (for example) some people may not be willing to modify accessory mounting, or may not have the money to do it. The other challenge is the down pipe(s). I couldn't figure that out, so I built my own turbo kit. I ended up with a better setup, lighter wallet, and no worries. I calculated that the time and effort spent redesigning my engine compartment would be better spent building my own kit, but everyone is in a different situation, and the best path to the final outcome (a sweet ride) is different for everyone.

The intercooler and charge pipes that come in the ebay kits are just a universal kit that requires fabrication and modification to work (not that big a deal with a hac saw, a screw driver, buy a few more parts, and spend a few more hours than you'd expect). No thought was put into the charge pipe routing, just a bunch of universal bends and couplings wrapped neatly in a box.

The oil lines and fittings might work... I don't know, whether you buy the kit or build your own, you're going to be modifying the oil pan, valve covers, fuel pump block-off plate or a combination of those to drain the oil back into the crank case. I prefered to buy exactly what I needed instead of the "universal" oil line kit that came with the ebay turbo kit. Again, no thought was put into this design, you'll have extra fittings, and more than likely need additional fittings to make it work. Its probably about 90% of what you'll need... not bad.

even with the ebay kit you'll be doing an appreciable amount of fabrication and design for yourself... or paying to have it done. Also, you can get all of the parts in the "Kit" cheaper if you buy them separately. I got turbos at $135 each... make them an offer of $125 and haggle from there. Oil lines from McMaster.com and/or fittingsandadapters.com for under $80 (EVERYTHING NEEDED). 6 feet of aluminum pipe ($35) from McMaster and a pile of rubber elbows from lowes or home depot ($7each)... (I also used random radiator hose off the back wall at the car parts store)

I think the people that gave up on the kit expected to just bolt it on. Or else they took it to a shop, asked them to bolt it on, and got a call back the next day telling them it couldn't be done.

I'm sure its possible to do, but there is usually a better alternative.

I could say more, but I gotta go

 

I emailed them asking if any instructions were available and was told a definite no. The turbos seem to be a bargain, especially if they could be bought for $135. That may be the way to go. Thanks for the info!

 

Hey looks like it would fit on a lt1 pretty easy using a lower alternator mount. A hack saw some fabbing and a few extra parts and that kit could work. I might try a kit like that someday.

 

I just looked at the auction. it does not look complete, and I bet you the first thing will go wrong with that kit is the turbo headers, and i do not see how they will support the weight of the turbo.

here is the link for the auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280184068779

 

guys on turboforums are running 1000hp through those turbo headers that 400Z28racer thinks are "Wrong" without ever testing them. Of course the guy has them in a g-body not a camaro, but still 1000hp is 1000hp. Making a bracket to help support the weight of the turbos wouldn't be a bad idea considering the majority of factory turbo cars have support brackets.

 

I do not have to test them
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/powe...guy-about.html

 

that thread looks like it's mainly about the turbos, i don't see mention or pictures of the headers being broken...? due to the extreme heat cycling most turbo headers do crack some point in time, but that guy has 75 drag strip passes and tons of street miles with his turbo headers with no issues. But it's ok because my brother's uncles sister told me so.

 

did click on the second link? http://www.dsmloggers.com/stuff/aas.jpg it is up to you, it your money. Later

 

i see no turbo support bracket at all.

 

i did not see that either in the ebay auction

 

So what does that have to do with anything? Looks like improper install to me. I've seen a bunch of blown up SBC engines, that mean they're junk too? I've broken suspension parts, etc EVERYTHING breaks and you will find examples of this.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy-SBC-Twin-Turbo-TT-Kit-1982-1992-Camaro-Trans-AM_W0QQitemZ260196178833QQihZ016QQcategoryZ33742QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Heres a link to another ebay twin turbo kit don't know if its any better. Its supposedly can produce 700hp. Just seein what you all think as a alternative to the other kit.

 

the turbos do not clear the hood by like 6 or 7 inches. I tried flipping block huggers over before... I know first hand.

 

guy on turbo forum is running those flipped headers, both turbos stick halfway out of the hood at least. Not my idea of a good design, but they would work great in a fullsize pickup or something similar that is much taller.

 

which turbo forum?

 

www.turboforums.com

 

Don't by any of that junk.... It's exactly what it is. Junk.

That last link is a joke. I about fell out of the chair... 700hp oh god.

Gail Banks makes the most complete "bolt" on kit but it's not cheap.

Custom built is the best bet. Or go to STS and get a setup. That'd be easier for somone who's not good at fabrication.

Your still going to need alot for the Tune since that's 99% of how a turbo car live/dies or makes good power or nothing. With out the right tune it won't matter how much you spend on it. It'll be short lived or you'll be unhappy with how little power it makes.
~Scott
Or you could go V6
Scott

 

I really need to finish my motor just to shut all the naysayers up. Look just because parts don't cost what in your opinion they should cost doesn't mean they wont work. The parts I have sitting in a box at the shop are of good enough quality that my machinist and diesel guy both say they would run them on there personal vehicles, and personally I'm inclined to believe them over any rice burner or garage body. You guys can say all you want and link to all the pictures you want it wont change anything, people will still buy "junk" give it a rest I'm tired of hearing all the brand name hype.

 

I would like to see exactly what is involved in making one of those kits work.

 

i say buy them and fiind out
then tell us about in on here?
sounds like a good idea.

 

If i didnt just buy a turbo kit for my sled i would have bought one of these kits just to see which dies first, my motor or the turbo setup!

 

With the problem of fitment of these turbos could that be solved with a cowl hood or is it still to big?

 

a cowl hood won't fix that problem. A cowl hood gives extra clearance from valvecover-to-valvecover for tall intake manifolds and air cleaners. the turbos sit outside of the valvecovers, so it makes little difference.

 

 

Seems like an expensive job then and cutting the hood doesnt seem like a very fun job.hmmm Sounds like a headache to me.

 

I doubt those manifolds would even fit in a truck unless it had a 3" body lift (cab lift, not suspension lift).

I have seen a set of ebay single turbo headers first hand. I was not impressed with material, the fitment, or the welds. At some point I may post a thread with more info. on them. Appearance wise, they sure are pretty. Nice chrome plating (very thin) and TIG welds. The TIG welds are only for beauty...they run a bead over the poor welds to make them look nice. It is like a kid welded them and then a senior TIG welder went over them real quick for just looks and no penetration. Pin-holes at the stops & starts here and there. Flange on the turbo header is warped bad and probably would not seal well for long. Needs a grind to true it up. Pipe material is only 16-18 gauge and not 1/8" like I had read on the web before. Welds at the header flange are only welded on one side (going to crack). I may seem like I am picking them apart, but for the price they are reasonable. They just need work out of the box. Finish welding the flanges, fix pin-holes, true the header flange, make a brace and they seem like they would work fine.

 

i was looking at these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Camar...em250205898356
are those pretty much same as described above? Is it even possible to get a good kit for under $1200?
maybe this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy...em330205058976