LSChevelle

Thanks a lot! This car has been a huge learning curve but I couldn't be happier about how it has turned out!

I haven't updated this for a while because not much has been going on! I was waiting for one of the turbos to show up so that I could get her running again. Finally, on Friday the replacement GT45 showed up. I bolted it on and went for a rip, without changing anything else the turbo had stopped burning oil, spools faster, makes less noise and feels like it has an extra 100 horsepower!! Needless to say I am stoked. I'm running it on 6.5 psi right now as I slowly get it tuned. The car is scary fast. This setup has also converted my dad, who picked up a 6.0L over the weekend for his '55 post.

I did a bunch of tuning, got the VSS hooked up to HPTuners and hooked up the FMIC. I'm not super happy with the bend from the turbo compressor into the intercooler, it is almost 180 degrees.. I may have to change something there.

Other than that I am just driving and enjoying the car! It's nice to get some miles on her.

krwyellowZ28

iTrader: (10)

Great build thread and project! Keep the updates coming.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

Cool, we need to see this thing in action so we can live vicariously through you!

edit: we = me

Sleeperls

nice. Just give the gt45 to your old man and throw the s475 on.

LSChevelle

Thanks! I will for sure! Nothing much to report, the S475 showed up today. I am surprised that the dimensions looks nearly identical to the GT45. The compressor side may be a about an inch larger in diameter. It should fit in the spot I currently have the GT-45 though, so that is good news!

I will make sure that I take some good side by side size comparison shots when I go to swap them.

Hahaha, alright I will take a few videos and post them up. The weather has been absolutely fantastic the last couple of days so I have just been driving the car! Went to a local meet last night, it was getting lots of looks! Especially while it was running haha.

I was also thinking that might be a good place for it to end up! He has an old SBC style vortec supercharger that he is adapting to it right now though. Maybe if that falls through we will throw the GT45 on. I also thought about slapping it on my DD 5.3 yukon... We will see how much free time I have this summer!

LSChevelle

Hey all,

Sorry I have been slow with the updates since I started driving the car!



I have put around 2000 km on her in the last month. Everything is working well! I fabbed up an exhaust. It's a 4" dump into an electric cutout that then splits into dual 2.5" out the back. I still need to finish the over axle portion.

The car is really quiet under boost now! As you can see in this vid all you can really hear is the turbo spooling.. I did a pretty sweet burnout in that same spot before this. Unfortunately, the video didn't work.


I'll get a video with the exhaust open here soon.

I have taken the car on a few cruises, and to quite a few meets! She fits right in with this crowd..



I also did a little bit of iphone photography.. some of these turned out better than others.





and a couple with a guest appearance from my dads 55 nomad.





The only problem I have had since I started driving it happened on Sunday. The Dorman 300-123 pulley that I had to use to clear the steering box.. exploded. It was a plastic one that I wasn't sure would live. Luckily it didn't hurt anything on the way out. I am currently trying to figure out a metal alternative. Does anybody know of a .75" inside diamater pulley that is less than 6" in diameter?

In the mean time I got a belt that I can use to limp the car home (without powersteering) if the pulley breaks again.

Cyrperformance

iTrader: (1)

I got this off ebay for $98, it is 6.5" in diameter and looks like it has 3/4" shaft, It's on an F Body pump from like 2000 camaro. Hope this helps, The car sounds mean in the video can only imagine how good it sounds in person.

Cyrperformance

iTrader: (1)

Dorman Products 300-130 Steel Power Steering Pulley
Steel Power Steering Pulley
1995-2007 Chevy/Buick/Cadillac/Pontiac/Olds 3.8L V6
Belt Type: Serpentine
Width: 1-5/32"
Inside Diameter: .75"
Outside Diameter: 5-25/32"

Jegs has them for $35.99 and free shipping
Link on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dorman-Produ...a6d777&vxp=mtr

Link on Jegs: http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...chTerm=300-130

LSChevelle

Good find!

Thanks a lot, I will give that one a try and let everyone know how it works.

1slo5ohh

Great build man, definitely didn't waste anytime getting her done. It's cool that you and pops get to tear it up together.

Agent_Orange_Shuvel

iTrader: (8)

The dorman 300-130 pulley is the same one I am using, I had to over-press the pulley on the pump shaft and space the pump out to get it aligned with the rest of the pulleys though.

Cyrperformance

iTrader: (1)

Is that the new one? I had thought you had a plastic and the number I shared was steel? Did it work or no?

LSChevelle

That looks like it will work. I picked up 300-130 but haven't had a chance to try it yet. My GT45 started smoking like crazy last week so I put on the S475, I'll update with pics here soon!

LSChevelle

Hey guys, I finally found some time to update this! Last week was a rough one, I had the power steering pulley explode on me early in the week. Got it back together a day later only to have the GT45 give up.

I did one second gear pull, let out and there was blue smoke billowing out of the exhaust. But, it stopped fairly quickly. I thought to myself, that was weird. Drive the car home, park it for an hour. Fired it up to head to a meet and you could tell the turbo seals were gone. Blue haze from the exhaust at idle.

So! I pulled the turbo out, took some side by side comparison shots, reworked the FMIC piping and rad placement and bolted the S475 on! It had been sitting since I originally had issues with my first GT45.

Comparison shots: The S475 is the one with vband style clamps to hold the compressor and exhaust housing on. GT45 has bolt on.










As you can see, the turbos are nearly identical. Pictured here are the:

69mm, Ebay special - GT45 "Denmah Special" from VS Racing and
75mm, Borg Warner S400 with T4 1.25AR (83mm exhaust) from forced inductions.

The exhaust housing was basically identical. I ended up having to shorten my downpipe by about half an inch.

The compressor housing was slightly larger on the borg unit. I think if you went with the race cover and did away with the 5" inlet, 4" outlet it would fit right in.

The oil drain bolted right up, reused the same gasket. The oil feed is a 3/8 NPT on the new turbo. Which wasn't a problem, I just picked up a AN to 3/8NPT converter for the oil feed and did away with the restrictor. Since the borg unit has an internal restrictor.




It would have fit the same way as the GT45 but I didn't like the 180* turn from the compressor into the FMIC. I moved the rad a bit closer to the drivers side and swapped my intercooler inlet and outlet. *see vid*

I also finished puting on the 4" exhaust cutout. Right now it is a bolt on cover. But if I can find a decent deal on an electronic cutout I will give that a try. After the cutout the pipe merges into dual 2.5" pipes into dual mufflers. Some cheap brand, I had them on the car when it was a 4bl 350. I haven't had a chance to do the over the axle portion yet.


I also moved my IAT sensor from the pipe right before the throttle body to right at the outlet on the FMIC. I thought that the sensor was heatsoaking. However, I now think that my high IATs while idling are being caused by the turbo sucking in the hot air from the engine bay. When moving everything is fine. I have been playing with the tune to prevent the car from going lean when it sits. I am still playing with the IAT vs ECT table. Let me know if anyone has any tips on this please!




I am really liking the new turbo! It spools a couple RPMs earlier than the GT45. However, I am unsure if that is because of the better routing on the intercooler piping or not. This turbo also doesn't seem to mind the backpressure from the exhaust as much as the GT45. With the cap on the exhaust and the GT45 my spool was close to 500 rpms later. With the S475 it makes approx a 300rpm difference. This turbo is also moving approx. 10% more air at any given boost level. I had to compensate in my tune. I move approx. 65lbs/min of air with this setup on 9ish psi.

I would love to turn the boost up and have some fun but I don't have traction as it is. I am going to order some beefier axles for my 12 bolt and get some DRs. Then we will see what she can do! Also planning on taking it to a track once the DRs are on.

oldgoat69

Very nice, I love the Chevelle and Nomad together, old school and contemporary.
I noticed you had potential issues with the turbo seals. In my experience you can't go too big on the return side. Make sure that the return goes to an area of low or negative crankcase pressures and no windage. I take it the new turbo is a journal bearing unit?

LSChevelle

Thanks! I thought they went pretty well together too.

I did have turbo seal issues at the very beginning. I'm fairly sure it was more to do with just getting a bad turbo. The replacement turbo didn't burn oil for a month and a half. Not sure what kind of life I should expect out of an ebay turbo.

The new turbo uses a hydrodynamic bearing.. I'm not exactly sure what that means. I think it is a revised version of journal bearing.

oldgoat69

I have been watching your build for some time, nice job, keep it up.
Here is a link to an explanation of a hydrodynamic bearing. It is similar to a journal bearing, more like an engine main or rod bearing. In my estimation a superior method, not as prone to foaming and burning like a ball bearing. http://www.epi-eng.com/piston_engine...e_bearings.htm

Agent_Orange_Shuvel

iTrader: (8)

Looking good, you'll have to get some more video up with the S475 on there!

lt170chevelle

iTrader: (2)

Looking good! I believe I have that same ebay turbo on mine and has been doing great.

LSChevelle

Thanks a lot! Great link, I agree this seems like a much better design.


I'm working on it!! Had a nice little extended long weekend at the lake this weekend. I will work on getting some more vids. How do you like the gopro? Thinking about picking one of those up.

Thank you! Yea everyone I have talked to got a lot more time out of that turbo than I did. Maybe it's the Canadian air!