Turbo Blackie
 

Time to start a simple build blog on my NA, which will be turbo'ed in the near future. Having finished up my NB LFX project last year, the need for dicking around in the garage got pretty strong, despite the $$ loss this usually entails. I haven't had an NA since around 2003, and always liked the hardtop shape, so I started looking for a potential project that would be in nice shape to start with, and already have the top. I found a high miles, 190K, but solid, clean '93, that had just received a JDM NB6 engine and 5-speed, had fresh T. belt, pump, seals, clutch, quality roll bar, and also came with the Elise seat, and a MSM2PNP installed. Fresh paint too, so that lets me out of the usual body work, and $$ for paint. This will be a street car, so at first I had no turbo plans, but enjoy the learning process, and mechanical bits a little too much to leave well enough alone, so started watching the FS section, and gradually have built up all the parts for a good quality install, with lightly used parts, for a pretty reasonable price. Things like a MSM Torsen 4.1 diff and axles have also been found. The plan is to install the turbo in the next month, but leave her in open waste gate, while a friend of mine with a dyno, and lots of Megasquirt experience gets time to re-tune her. I am a good welder / fabricator, but don't even own a laptop, so will be happy to watch that part. Here's a few photo's of where we start. and the LFX brother.
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Getting comfortable in the car, I needed to mod the seating position, and pedals a bit. I like the Elise seats, but they will numb my butt in about 40 min. of driving, so that needed attention. I had a local seat guy make a simple foam pad and Alcantera liner that I velcro'ed in place of the stock Elise back pad, which made a much more comfortable seat, but still didn't like the position with the floor slider in place. Ended up making a simple steel floor mount that bolts to the seat in a fixed position, and gets me where I am comfortable in my driving position. The steering wheel needed a 1 in. spacer to get closer for the now very rear mounted seat, and a small throttle pedal cover makes it easier to heel and toe.

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Next bit of prep was replacing the 190K stock fuel pump with a DW190. Once underway, I could see the new pump is too long to fit in the stock mount position, so I ended up cutting the tubing so it would fit. Also found a slightly used Odyssey PC680 battery, and did a simple mod to mount it in the stock location. Now hopefully won't have issues with the DW pump, as others are finding.

I couldn't be any more excited to see this thread. This is a great friend of mine's previous car. I never put it together that you were the person that bought it from him.

Super pumped that the turbo parts from my car will make their way onto this. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Thanks Shibby, your parts look great; appreciated your help, and cool to know about my car's former life!

Just for grins, I swapped the 6UL's from the LFX onto Blackie; think I like the Darth Vader'ish look.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...653dc6645c.jpg
15 by 8 UL's, with 205/50/15 Yoko S-drives
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Turbo Install Progress
 

Started to install; I'd picked up a lightly used CSF rad, so that and the FM intercooler went on first, pulled the existing exhaust system, and installed the turbo today, ( thanks Shibby!). Not really happy with the FM method of bending the water-bypass line out of the way, I removed it, cut back about 3 in. and re-installed it. This gives me a lot more room to get the rubber line away from the turbo heat. I'll wrap the lines before I'm thru. Finally a question: The FM system has probably been installed a few thousand times, but I'v not read about the difficulty in tightening the rearmost lower manifold nut. I could tell the stock, shouldered not did not have enough clearance with the manifold to be used, so found a plain nut, but cannot get any to tighten it beyond finger tight; no socket will fit, and not room to move a wrench. Almost seems like the drivetrain would have to be out to get at this bolt. Any ideas?
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Nice to see some change by the end of the day!
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Bypass, before surgery.
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Short version.
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Final clearance.

I don't recall which tool I used to access that lower rear bolt, but these were so helpful during install in various ways: https://www.harborfreight.com/7-piec...set-93922.html

Problem is the casting shrouds the head stud so tight that even with a different, thinner -wall nut, I can't even fit a thin wall socket around it, let alone a box end wrench. The firewall, trans, other stuff doesnt let me move an open end wrench either. Odd, because so many of these are running around, I'm not the first guy to encounter this. I may grind down a custom, thin socket, and try to be gentile with my twisting. Thanks for the suggestion tho. For now, I'm ignoring it, and welding up an exhaust.

Progress
 

Engine bay work is finished; made up some heat shielding for the turbine, and around the compressor, and have the coolant tubes re-routed and finished. Just waiting on the Magnaflow to arrive, so I can finish up the exhaust, and get a date for some dyno time. To confirm: I need to put one-way flow check valves in both PVC line and brake booster vac. line, correct? I do have the Ford PVC installed, with vent-to-atmos. on the cold side, and plan on seeing how happy she is set up that way. Being a street car, I don't anticipate the need for a catch canister, but we will see.
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steel shield, with reflective heat tape inside.
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Stainless top cap.

Black roadsters look the best. :likecat:

Good luck, make it woosh real nice like!

I bet that hot side reroute was fun to plan around. Nice progress!

Yup, it's a pretty busy corner between the firewall and engine. Muffler comes today, so it shouldn't be too long before she's running again.

Exhaust progress
 

Hoping to get to my tuner friends place in near future, to set up the Megasquirt for the new turbo. Did finish up the 2 1/2in. exhaust, so she's all set to go. Chose the smaller diameter to match the 1.6, and street future of the build, and use up some SS bends I had from the LFX project.
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Your car is coming along nicely!

Thanks! Hope to have the turbo working in the next week.

Nicely done.

I know the hotside reroute was probably done originally because of the weird 180 intake setup, but any reason you kept it rather than do the more simple coldside routing?

The area behind the head is so tight, I was loath to mess with the routing; the car came to me with the cooling re-route on the hot side, so it was pretty simple to make the changes. I'm not a fan of the long hose on the cold side, so would have had to make up aluminum lines to change to the that side, so just kept it simple. I admit, it is a little cluttered looking going over the turbo, and adds more heat up there as well. If the engine had to come out, it may get changed.

It lives!
 

I was able to get together with my buddy, Cody Loveland yesterday at his shop, and wake up the turbo. I'd been driving around for a few weeks with the waste gate wired open, waiting till he could get some time. After a struggle to get his old laptop happy with the MS2 program, and my fuck-up of getting the plug wires off on 2 cya's, after pulling the coil to check it, we were able to get Blackie tuned. I opted for a safe 9-10 lbs. boost, and was surprised to see 184HP out of the 1.6. I'll enjoy her at this level before adding any more boost. Here's what the build is:
JDM NB6, stock, unopened, with fresh timing belt, seals, etc., coolant re-route, uprated rad, NB 5-speed.
FM kit with Garrett 2560R, 640 Flowforce injector's, plugs, vent to atoms. BOV, and 2 1/2 in. downpipe, and 2 1/2 in. pipe with smaller Magnaflow muffler.
MisterR coilovers, 8 by 15 949 wheels, Smaller Wilwood kit on fronts, GarageStar frame rails, and Racing beat front sway bar, stock rear.

Next Winter, she will get all new A-arms, with mostly stock rubber bushings, a 4.1 Torsen diff from a '05 MSM, and newer rear uprights/hubs. For now, it will be fun seeing what she's like with the boost. Really surprised how quick the boost comes on! Shot of one of the dyno runs: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theaterhttps://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5d1a9f68a6.jpg

Yes I'm liking the black on black. It's funny I already own a black hardtop that's sitting on NB. I could swap and you'd almost not tell us apart.