Trying to do a homemade low budget turbo kit. Opinions needed
 

I have a small T3 Tangable IHI Turbo that came off a 1987 Thunderbird that I wanna use. It was capable of putting out 18 psi boost on the thunderbird but for now I only wanna do 5-6 psi. I would use a boost controller for that. As I understand, I will need another actuator off a 300 or 280 zx to run this turbo. Right now I only have the turbo and need to get the other parts preferably used. Need a T3 header, but was told it would be hard to find one. What u think? If no, what do you suggest.

Oh yea, my buddy is runnning the Greddi low boost kit and it workes great.
Thanks in advance

I suggest you go to the noob section and make a proper introduction. Then read. Everything you need is already written up. Oh and brush up on your spelling:giggle:

On another note,

Welcome to the forum:)

Will do... I'm posting from my iphone and it may be trying to correct some words for me or all together adding a word that I didnt want to use.

Ah, I see. Well that explains it a tad. There are a ton of threads on t3 turbo setups on here man, you will have absolutely no problems figuring out your plan of attack. I'd start with the diy faq and useful saved threads section. Lots of info in there. Then work your way down

Welcome.


Please update your profile with your location and such.

If you want to run less than 12psi I have a smaller compressor for that turbo which would give you much quicker spool....and I would really like to have your compressor so I can turn up the boost in mine. If interested let me know.

Those are great little turbos, just not a lot of info out there. I found a compressor flow map for the one I have (RHB5) and have plotted the 1.6L motor on it. You should be able to easily find a map for the Tbird, try the MX6 forums if you don't see it anywhere else.

What do you plan on doing for engine management?

+1 on you needing to make an intro thread in the Meet&Greet section explaining your goals, budget and capabilities.

I plan on running 5-6 psi now and maybe 10-12 psi when I put in a fresher motor. I'll get u pics of the turbo. Haven't decided on engine management. Trying to save as much money as possible so I can put money towards a fresher motor

From what I've read around here, a better ratio of cash spent on engine rebuild to turbo isn't to spend so much on the rebuild and so little on the turbo.

Keep it down to only better rods and pistons, freshen up the head, and spend the rest on good engine management. You'll be capable of much more than 12 psi with only those engine upgrades.

I was thinking of simply finding a low mileage motor and keeping boost to 12 psi and lower. I'm only wanting 200 rwhp at the most. My existing motor has 240k miles +. Most are from 120 mile round trip 5 days a week. Still runs strong

Great. Now stop posting and start reading the DIY FAQ.

(here's a tip though. ebay shit is generally rubbish as far as manifolds go, although the cast t3 ebay manifold is only ~120 and is rock solid. that's gonna be your best bet)

You might have a hard time finding a wastegate that will fit that turbo and run 5 to 6 psi. Remember, a boost controller is only good for turning boost up, not for lowering your boost. Your base boost pressure is determined by what your wastegate can handle. For my DIY build, I spent $100 on the turbo, $300 on the manifold, a used BOV (free), $120 for intercooler, about $400 for metal (downpipe, charge pipes, etc). The basic parts can be had for quite cheap. BUT, I spent $1500 on the AEM EMS ecu, about $500 on sensors, $200 on the M-Tuned fuel rail (with connection kit), $300 for 460cc injectors, $350 for my boost controller...

So what I'm trying to say is, prices can get up there very quick, but if you take your time then you can make quite a wicked system,.

Trying to do a homemade low budget turbo kit. Opinions needed - MX-5 Miata Forum
Here's a link to this guys identical thread at m.net.

A 5-6psi turbo kit on a 1.6 with only an AFPR and timing retard will get you about 140whp if the motor is healthy to begin with. To get 200whp, you're going to need a full round of bandaids... injectors, fuel pump, Bipes, 02clamp, etc... you're kidding yourself if you think you can do a 200whp build for less than $2k with quality hardware... unless you find somebody selling their complete setup for less.

It's just that you have a lot more homework to do. This forum is the place, so read and read and read. Having been around this forum for awhile, I can tell you that skimping $$$-wise on a homebuilt turbo setup is a recipe for having the thing up on jackstands for months at a time, straining the relationship with your wife because you just need another $400 to buy a good manifold because the $150 one cracked... or you want a 3" exhaust because the used Borla you found on CL just isn't big enough... or all those bandaids just won't tune well enough and all the guys say you need a Megasquirt.

Do it right the first time, do it in this order:
1: SET A POWER GOAL
2: SET A BUDGET
3: ASSESS YOUR ABILITIES
4: Do homework to ensure 1/2/3 are compatible, if not, revise 1/2/3 so they all work together
5: BUY PARTS!

I have an extra 7psi actuator you might be interested in. I can't recall what psi actuator the t-bird came with.

begi makes a t3 cast logtype exhaust manifold

then there is this one that a few on here have used with success, I have one I might be trying soon as well 89-93 MAZDA MIATA 1.6L B6 CAST T3/T4 TURBO MANIFOLD:eBay Motors (item 330339609876 end time Jun-29-09 18:55:45 PDT)

Looks good. I'm hoping to score a whole kit here used at a good price.

i have done one hell of a diy job on mine
cost me about $1800 new zealand
including a second hand t25, bov, and miata link ecu, new intercooler and oil lines and i fabricated my own manifold, downpipe and intercooler piping
my thread is at
https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t33770/
if you want any ideas

this is the turbo I'm wanting to use:

T3 Tangable IHI Turbo that came off a 1987 Thunderbird


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ars/turbo1.jpg

I think I may just try to do a homemade kit with the turbo I got pictured above. I may just buy a turbo and go from there. Hopefully to find a matching downpipe and do the rest of the plumbing with some ebay piping and my very low welding skills, LOL:fawk: