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Update: 01/17/17 "My crappy turbo build" + Dyno Vid
I guess I mine as well post pics of my build. Not the best of pics and documentation but ask questions if your curious about anything. Last phone got pretty much destroyed with all the in depth pics I will update the build when things changes. So bare with me
This is a 97 Trans Am WS6. It all started out as a head cam swap to make it a little fun street car. After doing some research and discussing some things with the guys here, I found that it was not ideal to do a head cam swap on a LT1 that has 130k miles on it. At that point I said screw it and rebuilt the motor myself. It feels good to have buit something with your own hands.
This is the pig. Picked up in KC for $3K
Started removing minor things to get the show on the road
Out with the T56
Removed the entire engine from bottom. Very easy and simple. Especially with a lift
Now the actual fun part. Disassembling the stock motor.
Parts started to roll in an phone got destroyed a little after this point
Slowly started putting things back together
Had this TC7875 turbo. Was going to run it but started second guessing myself. More concerned with back pressure issues
So I was spec'd out this turbo. And I was informed that it was a good idea to make the change
Here is the results of the missing pics along with my new BMR K member
The story behind this next pic. The whole reason I went turbo was I found a deal on CRAIGSLIST (yea I know). So this guy was selling this kit that was LT1 specific. Which was kinda odd to me because not too much LT1 stuff is still around, especially turbo stuff. The kit included 2 garret turbos hotside, cold side, intercooler, boost controller etc. Basically everything I needed to make the turbo kit function properly. But me being a dumbass and being excited I jumped on the deal. It caused me more harm than help. I spent $1K and regret it everyday. So once I got the motor built and ready for mock up, nothing fit. Everything was crap. The only thing out of the entire kit I kept was the intercooler. I had to basically start over and figure out how I was gonna make this setup work. To make matters worse, he lied about specs and brands and pretty much everything. Wouldnt answer my calls or questions so I was stuck. I learned my lesson from jumping into forced induction without a lot of knowledge and understanding of a lot of things.
At this point I said screw it and installed the motor and took it to my friend who is a great fabricator to get my hot/coldside built. Best money I'd ever spent
Added MWC bumper support, stood radiator up for turbo clearance, 98-02 front clip conversion to allow air flow for intercooler and added fender exhaust exit.
I will continue to update until D day. Wish me luck. And thanks for all the advice some of you guys have given me
Last edited by SwampWS6; 01-17-2017 at 10:56 AM.
Reason: Update build thread
build looks nice, got bummed out by the 98+ conversion.. car looked sick before, uncommon to see a nice 93-97 TA.
Yea, I sat on the idea for a while, and then thought about how much airflow the cooler would actually get, it was a no brainer. By still being LT1 I need as much flow and power I could get in order to keep up with these LS guys. I wanted to keep that LT1 look, but there where no aftermarket bumpers available without it looking all ricered out. I thought of the Formula bumper, but I couldnt mix that and a WS6 together....
One thing I noticed is how the turbo is right in front of the Opti, make sure you wrap the turbo, that heat might kill it. Mine was actually like that, then I had the turbo move away from front of the Opti..
One thing I noticed is how the turbo is right in front of the Opti, make sure you wrap the turbo, that heat might kill it. Mine was actually like that, then I had the turbo move away from front of the Opti..
That was a concern of mine. But with a high quality blanket it should be ok I think. Especially if the blanket is cool to the touch. A 24X conversion would work out much better.
Looking good. Are you planning on going 24x or sticking with the opti for now?
My 1st kid is due in June. So trying to finish this up and save money, Im gonna have to wait on the 24x. Thats a minimum of $1500 and I have this new S60 on the way, so there is noway I could afford the conversion now. But I do get jealous everytime a 24x swap. Are you running a 1 bar or 2 bar MAP?
Update: Got started on wrapping the hotside with my heat wrap this past weekend. I was very excited to get my care package from PTP Turbo Blankets (http://ptpturboblankets.com/). Ran outta material for my downpipe, so I am currently waiting on that to arrive
01-23-2015, 03:03 PM
Update: 01/17/17 "My crappy turbo build" + Dyno Vid 
