When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
As the title says, this is my first turbo build. Car is a 98 WS6 auto. The car has 5.7 forged bottom end, BTR stage 4 cam, TSP stage 2.5 heads, LS6 intake with a 75 to 92 spacer, 92mm throttle body, 1 7/8 headers, slp maf, 98 fast toys lid, 4L60 Performabuilt stage 2 transmission with a 3600 stall, Magnaflow catback and a 450 fuel pump. The car has 399hp @ 6300 rpm, Torque 375 @ 5000. The car is for street / drag racing. The turbo kit will be a V3 Turbo Kit from Huron Speed Products. I'm getting the kit at the end of the month. With that said I'm keeping the LS6 manifold, changing the BTR stage 4 cam for a more friendly turbo cam and getting bigger injectors. This will be my first turbo car, so I'm not trying to make 800hp right away. Goal is 600hp, get used to that power level, see what breaks and what not, and step up after that. I think I’ll stay like that for like a year and half to 2 years.
Cam: I was thinking about getting an LS9 cam but I see that some people are recommending me to BTR stage one or two turbo cam or a Cam Motion stage one or two turbo cam. What are the pros and cons of both? Also I live like 30 mins from TSP, so I can get a cam spec for this set up from them.
Injectors: I think I'll be good with Deka 80lbs? First turbo build and I'm also running e85, are they plenty? Let me know.
Turbo size: 76/75 .96 or 78/75 .96
Besides that, I still do not have a wideband or boost controller, so I need recommendations. Thanks for the help.
Here are some pictures of my 20 years old canvas
Last edited by chicofiebru; Oct 23, 2018 at 02:47 AM.
Reason: include information
Hi, I just joined this forum and stumbled upon your thread.
I have a C5 with an LS6 (balanced/forged internals) with 9:1 compression and single Turbonetics T76 turbo at 12PSI making 560whp, has been setup like this for 40K miles/4 years and trouble-free so far.
Man I just went through all of this. I have a build thread on this forum. I have not dyno the car yet nor run it, but Its much stronger than it was n/a. Its an Ls1 car also. I think my thread is worth a good read. heres what i have and my goals are the same as yours. the car is totally docile, reliable, and got 20mpg when i Drove to biloxi a couple weeks ago from Louisiana. Its pretty quiet too because I have full exhaust on it.
On3 7875 journal bearing cast wheel cheapie turbo. Spools very quick
aeromotive Stealth in tank pump
yank 3400 power adder series convertor
seimens deka 60lb injectors
dorman Ls2 intake
china shorty header on passenger side.
I built the stainless Driver log manifold. crossover goes under the car instead of in front of the motor, usually causing more under hood heat.
brian tooley stage 2 N/A cam (havent bothered to change it to a turbo cam yet...runs good as is) 227/234 @.050 pulls to 7000rpm
3" down pipe with wastegate dumping into it
4l60e trans I built
china waste gate and blow off
under sized from what recommeded intercooler. 2.5" cold side pipe. 2.25 crossover pipe.
for comparison, I raced a car the other day that traps 119-120 and even tho my afr was 10.8 to 1 (way rich) and i was only on 6psi, i pulled him on top end. I estimate trap speeds to be in the mid 120's and at least low 11 sec 1/4 times. This car weighs almost 4000lbs with me in it. So its making good power. I've got a ways to go to get it where I eventually want it, but right now it runs pretty good and I have no problems.
EDIT: Came across this thread 6/21/24, car ran 11.10@128 om 10psi in this config
Hi, I just joined this forum and stumbled upon your thread.
I have a C5 with an LS6 (balanced/forged internals) with 9:1 compression and single Turbonetics T76 turbo at 12PSI making 560whp, has been setup like this for 40K miles/4 years and trouble-free so far.
Welcome! For 4 years, thats good. I dont dd mine, so it doesnt see a lot of miles neither.
Man I just went through all of this. I have a build thread on this forum. I have not dyno the car yet nor run it, but Its much stronger than it was n/a. Its an Ls1 car also. I think my thread is worth a good read. heres what i have and my goals are the same as yours. the car is totally docile, reliable, and got 20mpg when i Drove to biloxi a couple weeks ago from Louisiana. Its pretty quiet too because I have full exhaust on it.
On3 7875 journal bearing cast wheel cheapie turbo. Spools very quick
aeromotive Stealth in tank pump
yank 3400 power adder series convertor
seimens deka 60lb injectors
dorman Ls2 intake
china shorty header on passenger side.
I built the stainless Driver log manifold. crossover goes under the car instead of in front of the motor, usually causing more under hood heat.
brian tooley stage 2 N/A cam (havent bothered to change it to a turbo cam yet...runs good as is) 227/234 @.050 pulls to 7000rpm
3" down pipe with wastegate dumping into it
4l60e trans I built
china waste gate and blow off
under sized from what recommeded intercooler. 2.5" cold side pipe. 2.25 crossover pipe.
for comparison, I raced a car the other day that traps 119-120 and even tho my afr was 10.8 to 1 (way rich) and i was only on 6psi, i pulled him on top end. I estimate trap speeds to be in the mid 120's and at least low 11 sec 1/4 times. This car weighs almost 4000lbs with me in it. So its making good power. I've got a ways to go to get it where I eventually want it, but right now it runs pretty good and I have no problems.
Have you have any problems with the ON3 before? I'm thinking about getting a VSRacing 78/75. Nothing against ON3, they are both cheap but I heard the VSRacing ones are a little better. People is making good power with both of them What wastegate/bov youre using, XS? Any issues? And yeah youre definitely making power!
Have you have any problems with the ON3 before? I'm thinking about getting a VSRacing 78/75. Nothing against ON3, they are both cheap but I heard the VSRacing ones are a little better. People is making good power with both of them What wastegate/bov youre using, XS? Any issues? And yeah youre definitely making power!
I haven’t had any issues with the on3 turbo. At all. It’s actually built pretty nice. I’ve only got about 800-1000 miles on this setup so I can’t talk about longevity in my own experience but I know a girl that has a 9 second 5.0 with twin on3 turbos and it’s been trouble free for 2 or three years now. And it’s a driver not just a race car.
EDIT: the blowoff valve needed some modding but its worked flawlessly to 6/21/24 so far, but the wastegate was absolute junk. It locked up in less than a year and overboosted my motor, luckily in the tune I added a bunch of fuel after my highest allowable boost or it would have broke the motor. I have a Tial wastegate since then and its lasted years. My advice: get a good waste gate, if you can't afford one from the get go, try a jegs because it looks just like the tial and looks to be good quality.
I haven’t had any issues with the on3 turbo. At all. It’s actually built pretty nice. I’ve only got about 800-1000 miles on this setup so I can’t talk about longevity in my own experience but I know a girl that has a 9 second 5.0 with twin on3 turbos and it’s been trouble free for 2 or three years now. And it’s a driver not just a race car.
Wow, that's super cheap! You really save some money there and if it's working good, who cares! I think I'm going to buy the XSPower bov which is $ 95.00 and a Turbosmart wastegate. I'm afraid to go through the experience of something happening to the wastegate, overboost the engine and boom, bye bye engine!
Wow, that's super cheap! You really save some money there and if it's working good, who cares! I think I'm going to buy the XSPower bov which is $ 95.00 and a Turbosmart wastegate. I'm afraid to go through the experience of something happening to the wastegate, overboost the engine and boom, bye bye engine!
I’ve heard of people having problems with turbosmart wastegates too. If your mechanically able, always always take the waste gate alert and check it. I had one that the diaphragm was messed up. Polish the valve stem. Make sure there’s smooth operation. That gate I sent you a link two is by far the best China once I’ve seen. It has a bronze or brass valve guide to keep it from seizing up. The other three China ones I had bought had a steel guide. I don’t think I’ll ever have a need to spend $300-$400 on a gate since I’ve found this one. I machine a lot of my own crap and I’ll tell you the machinework and tolerances on this one is very good. That blow off valve. Can’t believe it’s like 20 something bucks. The only thing on the gate that wasn’t good was the clamps, nuts and Allen head screws. I tack welded some better nuts on the clamp on one side and used better screws. The turbo smart clamp is much better I’ll admit. But the clamp cost more than this waste gate. I’m content with what I have. I’m building another system for a guy with a gto like mine and he has much more money than I do and I’m still using these. Because they work. I have a failsafe for over boost built into my tune. Past the safe boost level I just made it real rich. I’ve lowered the threshold and it makes the engine lose a noticeable amount of power and literally bog. Then you know to let off.
EDIT: looks like he guy posting to me was right, although I was lucky to not lose the engine.
You mention as things break, that 60e will eventually, and the 10 bolt may depending on tire and how hard the converter hits before the 60e ***** the bed.
Ever consider selling everything? You could get a good chunk of money for your forged LS1. The 4l60e is worth a lot more to someone else before it dies, and the 10 bolt can leave it or chuck it now.
L33 5.3s can be found at your local yard for <$1k with some miles on them. Find one from a reputable yard that says they've heard it run, will warranty it, and best of all will do a compression test for you. Put a cam/lifters/springs on that motor, head studs or ARP bolts and you have a motor that will hold 600+ all day, probably be fine to 800 for half the money you'll make on the LS1 if you sell.
Put the rest of your LS1 money and money made on the 4l60e/converter and get a stock 80e rebuilt and have them put a stage 2 shift kit in it. Another option is have a TH400 built and run the PTC $500 boost converter they offer that's good to 800 tire. Use the remaining funds and have an 8.8 built and run a higher gear set (lower numerically) to keep the revs down on the highway (3.27/3.08/2.73).
There's dozens of ways to skin a cat, but with what you have in that car currently, you could put together a combination of parts that would work better, AND have it all done now and not have a weak link.
80 lb injectors will be fine to around 600-650 tire on e85. Another option is blend your own e40 with pump e85 and 91 octane. Theres online calculators to help you figure out how much to run to make whatever octane you want. This will allow your fuel system to go further but have the cooler knock resistant ethanol based fuel.
Vs 78/75 cast here. Dealing with viren is better than on3 who complain about customer service. Viren has always taken care of me no questions and answers all my questions.
Ive got about 1k on my vs 78/75 cast turbo all street miles, all is good. Running a $40 speed daddy 50mm BOV and a $50 HKS 60mm Clone WG. I typically run 8-13psi street and crank it up to 14+ when I want to have more.
Also thr L33 isn’t any better than the LM7 5.3, factory the L33 only makes 15+ HP with 2 degrees more on the cam and flat tops. Being the block weighs less but mostly the iron block will prob hold more power, unless u like to say u have an aluminum block lol.
Vs 78/75 cast here. Dealing with viren is better than on3 who complain about customer service. Viren has always taken care of me no questions and answers all my questions.
Ive got about 1k on my vs 78/75 cast turbo all street miles, all is good. Running a $40 speed daddy 50mm BOV and a $50 HKS 60mm Clone WG. I typically run 8-13psi street and crank it up to 14+ when I want to have more.
Also thr L33 isn’t any better than the LM7 5.3, factory the L33 only makes 15+ HP with 2 degrees more on the cam and flat tops. Being the block weighs less but mostly the iron block will prob hold more power, unless u like to say u have an aluminum block lol.
i remember why I didn’t buy a vs racing turbo after visiting the website again after reading this post. The reason is there’s not many choices on his website and there’s no info on the turbo like there is on the on3 website. I can’t speak for customer service because I haven’t had any problems. I did email him once to see if I could buy a used compressor housing and I got a quick reply. I’m in the market for another headunit so I’m going with with another on3. No problem with mine, I just had someone make me an offer I couldn’t refuse for my setup so I’m upgrading and rebuilding it better.
i picked up an aluminum 5.3 because I just couldn’t add another 100lbs to an already heavy car and not to mention it’s in the front. I don’t care about saying it’s aluminum or not, actually have people stick their nose up when I tell them I’m going with an aluminum block for boost.
I’ve heard of people having problems with turbosmart wastegates too. If your mechanically able, always always take the waste gate alert and check it. I had one that the diaphragm was messed up. Polish the valve stem. Make sure there’s smooth operation. That gate I sent you a link two is by far the best China once I’ve seen. It has a bronze or brass valve guide to keep it from seizing up. The other three China ones I had bought had a steel guide. I don’t think I’ll ever have a need to spend $300-$400 on a gate since I’ve found this one. I machine a lot of my own crap and I’ll tell you the machinework and tolerances on this one is very good. That blow off valve. Can’t believe it’s like 20 something bucks. The only thing on the gate that wasn’t good was the clamps, nuts and Allen head screws. I tack welded some better nuts on the clamp on one side and used better screws. The turbo smart clamp is much better I’ll admit. But the clamp cost more than this waste gate. I’m content with what I have. I’m building another system for a guy with a gto like mine and he has much more money than I do and I’m still using these. Because they work. I have a failsafe for over boost built into my tune. Past the safe boost level I just made it real rich. I’ve lowered the threshold and it makes the engine lose a noticeable amount of power and literally bog. Then you know to let off.
Thanks for letting me know, as soon as I receive mine I will take a look to make sure everything is working well, also thanks for the fail safe idea. I'm doing this with my son in law, I'm definitely not a mechanic, but I can disarm an engine and put it together again. My son in law has more experience, so whatever I cant do, he can do it. What I really want to buy is hp tuners, I'm not a professional tuner but that way I can datalog everything and make sure everything is fine with the people that knows and of course, learn in the process.
You mention as things break, that 60e will eventually, and the 10 bolt may depending on tire and how hard the converter hits before the 60e ***** the bed.
Ever consider selling everything? You could get a good chunk of money for your forged LS1. The 4l60e is worth a lot more to someone else before it dies, and the 10 bolt can leave it or chuck it now.
L33 5.3s can be found at your local yard for <$1k with some miles on them. Find one from a reputable yard that says they've heard it run, will warranty it, and best of all will do a compression test for you. Put a cam/lifters/springs on that motor, head studs or ARP bolts and you have a motor that will hold 600+ all day, probably be fine to 800 for half the money you'll make on the LS1 if you sell.
Put the rest of your LS1 money and money made on the 4l60e/converter and get a stock 80e rebuilt and have them put a stage 2 shift kit in it. Another option is have a TH400 built and run the PTC $500 boost converter they offer that's good to 800 tire. Use the remaining funds and have an 8.8 built and run a higher gear set (lower numerically) to keep the revs down on the highway (3.27/3.08/2.73).
There's dozens of ways to skin a cat, but with what you have in that car currently, you could put together a combination of parts that would work better, AND have it all done now and not have a weak link.
80 lb injectors will be fine to around 600-650 tire on e85. Another option is blend your own e40 with pump e85 and 91 octane. Theres online calculators to help you figure out how much to run to make whatever octane you want. This will allow your fuel system to go further but have the cooler knock resistant ethanol based fuel.
You're right and all you say makes sense, is just that I dont like to wait man. But thats exactly what I want a TH400, this one is supposed to be rated for 700, I know it might brake with only 500 but I hope is good for at least those 700 that is rated for, at least for a year. I think the rear end will be the first thing to go, I have 295 ET streets right now and I have no problems yet, but thats gonna change fast as soon as I start making more power with the turbo. Eventually I want a 9 inch rear end.
E40 sounds good, I use one of those online calculators and for a full tank will be around 6 gallons of e85 and 9 of 91-93. Question: Obviously I dont have the car tuned yet for the turbo, do I have to run less timing? will it be a noticeable difference on power?
Welcome! For 4 years, thats good. I dont dd mine, so it doesnt see a lot of miles neither.
The previous owner did oil changes every 3K miles and trans/diff every year. I think that really helps as far as preventative maintenance especially on boosted cars.
Vs 78/75 cast here. Dealing with viren is better than on3 who complain about customer service. Viren has always taken care of me no questions and answers all my questions.
Ive got about 1k on my vs 78/75 cast turbo all street miles, all is good. Running a $40 speed daddy 50mm BOV and a $50 HKS 60mm Clone WG. I typically run 8-13psi street and crank it up to 14+ when I want to have more.
Also thr L33 isn’t any better than the LM7 5.3, factory the L33 only makes 15+ HP with 2 degrees more on the cam and flat tops. Being the block weighs less but mostly the iron block will prob hold more power, unless u like to say u have an aluminum block lol.
Thats exactly what I heard, that both were good, but the VSR customer service was better. I think I'm going with their billet 78/75, theres people runnnig 8s@150+. Obviously I'm not going to be running 8s anytime soon with a 60e and a 10 bolt, but it surely has the potential. I'll be happy with a 10.9. Aluminum or iron? I dont care man as long that is making power I'm good.
Last edited by chicofiebru; Oct 24, 2018 at 10:46 PM.
i remember why I didn’t buy a vs racing turbo after visiting the website again after reading this post. The reason is there’s not many choices on his website and there’s no info on the turbo like there is on the on3 website. I can’t speak for customer service because I haven’t had any problems. I did email him once to see if I could buy a used compressor housing and I got a quick reply. I’m in the market for another headunit so I’m going with with another on3. No problem with mine, I just had someone make me an offer I couldn’t refuse for my setup so I’m upgrading and rebuilding it better.
i picked up an aluminum 5.3 because I just couldn’t add another 100lbs to an already heavy car and not to mention it’s in the front. I don’t care about saying it’s aluminum or not, actually have people stick their nose up when I tell them I’m going with an aluminum block for boost.
In a 4000 pounds car, anything lighter counts! Make that thing faster!
You might want to check out sloppy mechanics and check-out vsracing 4 turbo kits good prices and sloppy Mechanics for all the information use 78-75 turbo and you should be good around 6:50 700 horsepower
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.
My first turbo build. 
What wastegate/bov youre using, XS? Any issues? And yeah youre definitely making power! 
You really save some money there and if it's working good, who cares! I think I'm going to buy the XSPower bov which is $ 95.00 and a Turbosmart wastegate. I'm afraid to go through the experience of something happening to the wastegate, overboost the engine and boom, bye bye engine! 
as long that is making power 
I'm good. 