There is atleast one thread a week about the infamous ebay turbo kit. Here is the rundown on it as multiple people have used it on here. This is the kit that comes fully stainless, with the passenger side going back and crossing under near the bellhousing to the driver side.

Pros
- Cheap
- Material and welds are actually not bad
- Keeps A/C
- No real fabrication required(not in all cases)
- The only "needed" part is an alternator relocation bracket(Modular Turbo, Hawk, Speed Inc)

Cons
- Id recommend solid motor mounts, or atleast wrap the driver side mount. It may melt.
- Sparkplugs on the driver side are a bitch #1 and #3 specifically, Id recommend spark plug heat shields also
- Some of the header flanges need to be drilled out(not in my case but Ive heard of it)
- Downpipe to steering shaft clearance is not optimal. Ive heard of some people being able to make the downpipe work but I was unsuccessful.
- Dumptube for wastegate does not line up and youll either need to reweld or dump to atmosphere
- o2 sensor positioning is sometimes troublesome. Most people have to relocate atleast 1 o2 bung

Tips and tricks
- Install the kit loose i.e. dont clamp down all the way on the V-clamps, this will make the install alot longer
- Test fit before wrap/powdercoating, needed due to inconsistencies with this kit. Id recommend either of these be done to keep heat down.
- I went ahead and went with steel braided power steering lines due to all the heat around the stock rubber lines


Overall: Considering price, this is not a bad kit by any means. Its CHEAP and its cheap because you are not paying for American/Canadian(free bump to by brothers to the east!) quality and R&D, these are built in China. Most of us that went this route used it as a stepping stone to truck manifolds or other kits. Not to say you cant make power, I put down 485hp/492tq @ 8psi with this kit, so you can still have alot of fun. The ultimate decision comes down to you but I would look at sponsors/vendors kits before buying this.

 

Im sure Tally, 98camarod and others will have stuff to add.

 

I have a partial ebay kit. Different down pipe etc. In the end I should've done a sponsors kit with as much stuff as I've bought to replace some of the ebay parts. Don't have it on yet but will post results when its done.

 

nice, i read the may issue of Hot Rod and it had a mustang 4.6 with the kit and made good power. any pics of your setup?

(they also put a pair of leaf blowers on a c4 vette, and it did make an extra 30-40 hp/tq!)

 

Heres my build thread from last year:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-in...-ebay-kit.html

 

Something to think about:
-making your own power steering lines is a pretty good idea as well
-the wastegate didn't line up and needed to be welded up and dumped

 

Other cons:
Terrible ground clearance if your car is lowered
likes to melt plug wires and power steering lines (i melted the PS line on the dyno and the engine bay caught on fire)
the wastegate recirculation tube does not line up, you need to cut it off and weld the hole in the DP shut. WG will be vented to atmosphere
downpipe will not work with a factory K-member
MY 02 sensors didnt line up properly, I had to weld in new bungs
turbo is very close to radiator/fans/etc, and it needs a blanket or ceramic coat to keep the heat down
DO NOT USE THE CHINESE WASTEGATES (i blew up my motor when mine malfunctioned - it boosted to 20psi)

pros:
i made 505rwhp on 9psi with a 224/224/114 cam
its very cheap

 

+1 for sticky!

 

Added some more to the cons. Thanks for reminding me about the dump tube and o2 bungs. I mentioned the power steering lines already but I highly recommend it.

 

To many cons lol I may change all mine...geez

 

I didn't have a problem with the o2 bungs. My downpipe worked with the stock k member as well.

 

CONS: Lowers the value of your car to someone who knows what it is.
PROS: Raises the value to someone without a clue.

 

i dont see how it can lower the value of your car with having it, the kit is not bad once you work all the kinks out of it, and honselty your getting a kit that is all stainless steel that keeps a/c and uses headers instead of stock manifolds

yea there is some bullshit that you have to fix and take care of but if your not ready to do a lil fixing then you should not be thinking about FI, period!

btw does anyone have pic of there custom ps lines? im about to make one this weekend out of some 3/8 steel brake line (bend it up and tig weld it to the factory ends)

 

I personally do not like any of the stuff that comes from China even if it does not seem bad at first. If I were looking at a car with a lot of the eBay China parts on it I would know that the car likely had a lot of shortcuts everywhere. Quality is always better than quantity.

 

Ya just because its an ebay turbo kit doesn't mean the car is a cheap piece of ****. It'll go either way.imo

 

I'd recommend not doing that. You don't know what kind of flow disturbance you are going to cause by welding. That power steering system is upwards of 3,000 psi IIRC. You can get all the parts for like 100 bucks from summit for both power steering lines.

 

i highly doubt its going to cause any problems, have you seen the flare ends on our ps lines?
plus with a good tig weld there should be no deformity on the inside of the line