G body 5.3 budget turbo setup suggestions
 

I've finally decided to boost my 5.3 regal. I've searched through and read every gbody turbo thread I can find here and I'm now in the parts gathering stage.
My goal is around 5-600 whp. I have a th400 I'm gonna replace the 4l60e with. The car will be driven mostly on the street but it will be seeing the track often.

Right now NA it's making 345 to the wheels with a mild cam. I want it to be fun to drive on the street but comfort is not a top priority for me. I have almost no experience with turbos and would love some suggestions on what to buy and how to reach my goal. So far I've ordered HPtuners and I'm thinking a truck manifold setup with a cheap eBay turbo is gonna be the most budget friendly and will be capable of helping me get to the 500-600hp mark. I plan to run a front mount intercooler and I know I'll need injectors but I need guidance with specific parts. There seems to be a lot of different ways to approach this and I'd appreciate any help or advice I can get before I dive into this project.

If you're going to see much track time/hard driving with the car, I'd suggest either sticking with the TH400, or if you want overdrive go with a 4L80e. The 4L60 is known to be considerably weaker under WOT shifts.

Contact Viren at VS Racing and let him know your goals. He can get you a kit started including turbo, injectors, and other supporting mods you'll need at a great price. Lots of budget guys around here use his stuff.

What fuel will you be using? I'd recommend the Deka 80# injectors. They have an 80% duty cycle at about 800 hp on pump gas, so they'll give you some head room for when you want to turn the boost up. They're basically the same price as 60#ers too.

You'll also need a wideband O2 if you're doing your own tuning with HPT. Check our sloppy's website - he has all the other info you'll need and even parts lists. I think there's a "what parts should I buy" 2017 edition somewhere in there that he basically spells it out for you.

I've alctually already hurt the 4l60e lol. 400 will be going in well before I add boost.
I've been looking at widebands and just trying to narrow down my choices. Injectors are on the list to buy also.

My bad, I read it as you have a th400 and want to replace it with a 4L60. I have an AEM 30-4100 wideband, it reads from 10-19 AFR so works well for me. VS Racing has a Denmah kit that is made up of sloppy mechanic's most popular parts. You can pick which things you want to upgrade, but it makes it very easy to get all your parts from one guy and you get a good deal

You basically just asked "what parts do I need for a 600 HP turbo setup".

There are more than 52,000 topics in the Forced Induction section. I'd bet 30,000 of them answer that question.

Nothing exotic will be needed, just enough fuel. 80 lb siemens dekas have been proven over and over and they're inexpensive. They will take you far. What does your fuel system consist of now and what cam is in the engine? Vs racing 78/75 billet or cast wheel seems to fit the Bill for most of the "street" cars looking for that amount of power and more easily. Can't beat the price either. I went with a log manifold setup on my g body for simplicity and less underhood clutter but that's just me. Don't over complicate things, just get enough fuel to it and you'll be fine

Amazingly helpful comment. Don't know what I'd have done without that. Thank you sir lol

Seriously though I've looked through tons of threads like I said in my original post. Just trying to narrow it down a little now.

Right now just stock truck injectors and a walbro 255.

You'll be right at the edge of the 255 at those power levels. I have a Kenne Bell Boost-a-pump that I need to sell if you're interested. Complete wiring and 2-3 psi Hobb's switch to activate the booster. That would give you enough pump to feed your setup for sure. And it's a much easier install than a dual pump setup.

I'll keep that in mind. I'll find the cam specs when I get home but planned to swap the cam once I picked out the turbo.

Cam that's in there now:
522/529 212/218 114

I'd run that cam and get a good converter If you don't have one

I was thinking about just trying it out to see how it did. Looks like I'm gonna end up with around a 76mm turbo. 3.42 rear. Was planning on talking to a few converter companies and seeing what they'd recommend.

Any suggestions for an inexpensive turbo around that size? I'd love for it to spoil quickly and be fun on the street.

Looking hard at the eBay gt45's too but I see quite a few different options...

Call Viren at VS Racing. He has the hookup on all chinese turbos and can get one that fits your needs.

As far at converters, PTC seems to be the company of choice for budget converters. Their $450 unit holds up to 700 whp on a heavier street car. Please learn from my mistake. Don't try to save $100 and buy a converter from a small local trans shop. They're probably not experienced enough with turbo cars and it probably won't be right. I saved $100 over PTC, but have had the converter out of the car twice (not a fun job) and paid $130 for them to reflash the converter. Now it still isn't right so I'm selling it and going with PTC or FTI like I should have the first time.

If you're looking for some G body hot pipes to make your life easier, let me know. ;)

I'll keep that in mind. $450 doesn't seem too bad.

More than likely I'm gonna roll with the vs gt45 and leave the cam in it. Still trying to sort out manifolds and a good FMIC. I'd like to keep the turbo in the passenger side.

I'd stray away from the GT45. Not a horrible turbo, but there are much better affordable options out there.

could you offer up any suggestions? I'd really appreciate it. Also, what's your opinion on the cam?