Can I mount a turbo vertically? ie, 90 degrees from how it is mounted in most kits? Like with the compressor housing directly above the exhasut housing? The only thing that I can think of is that maybe the oil would not flow right if mounted like that.

P.S. Since I know that I will get a million posts wondering why I would do this, it is due to space restrictions on my 73 Super Beetle. I want to relocate the turbo out of the engine bay to keep as much heat out of there as possible, since it is only air cooled. I was thinking that maybe I could put it under the rear fender, and then build a shield around it to protect it from dirt, grime, and thermal shock from water and stuff. What do you think? TIA.

 

bump

 

No, like you said, no matter how you clock the center housing, the oil return would always be horizontal. It uses gravity to drain it and needs to be vertical.

 

So I can rotate the housings all I want, as long as the center housing stays level? I wonder how much of an angle I could turn it before it starts to loose effciency? Thanks.

 

Yes you can rotate the housings all you want, but one of the 2 holes in the center housing has to be pointed up to the sky and the other one has to be pointed down to the ground, not side to side. That is where oil goes in and oil comes out. The smaller hole is the feed and the larger one is the return....they cannot be horizontal with the ground.
If you mount your turbo with the compressor side above the exhaust side, those holes will be horizontal with the ground no matter how you rotate the center housing.....not good.