I've been looking around for turbo kits for my B18C1, but have been discouraged by the $3,600 price that most dealers are asking for.

Does anybody have any experience/words of wisdom with a homemade turbo kit?

I have friends at a local speed shop that could make an exhaust manifold and I was looking into a t3/t4 hybrid turbo.

I know that I'd need to upgrade the fuel system (injectors, pump), get an intercooler, oil lines, and a bov.....am I missing anything?

If you do have experience with these, how much did you spend?

 

searching is your friend...... also homemadeturbo.com

 

build one yourself...its simple.....i did it and for $3600 i could make something truly amazing

 

pay to play

 

what are your concerns? do you want a manifold that will last for a long time.. or to just get you there? are you concerned about clearance for a/c and p/s??

a lot of things to consider if you want it done right.

intercooelr piping - sure you can make it out of pcv plastic from home depot, or cheap steel, even stainless isn't the best because you want to stay away from heat. best is to use aluminum piping - it costs more but you get additoinal benefits: no rust issues and less weight.

exhaust manifold piping - same as above - you want to use the right quality material that won't crack/break unless you prepared to fix it every time. if its pre made for you engine then make sure it meets you clearance concerns. i suggest stainless steel cast manifold

exhaust piping - first, decide on what size to use.. i suggest at least 304 stainless steel so it last and less headaches about rust. use mandrel bends for more hp.

wastegate - very important part - don't get cheap knockoffs - overboost can damage engine if its not prepared to handle it..

dumptube - you gotta have this or you're gonna end up overheating

turbocharger - same as wastegate - get quality product, break it in correctly. don't get something too large - get something just the right size for desired powerband. too large of a turbo is no different than getting oversize close for your kids.. eventually they'll fit but not the best results until then.

oil lines - they MUST be oil and heat resistant!! braided line doesn't mean its going to handle the application. the higher the rating the better!! and it doesn't have to be braided as long as its installed properly and wrapped heat resistant material. consider checking the oil line every couple years at least the return line as it might start to crack due to excessive heat. make sure to use the right size feed/return line. location is also important, you want your return line to drain so go over that before starting the car.

leaks - double check everything you have worked on/removed/installed before starting to drive. all lines, fittings, connectors, grounds whatever else..

a/c lines and other factory lines - if exposed to doownpipe or dumptube - make sure to wrap them to avoid further damage

radiator - if too old.. might be a good time to replace - turbo run lots of heat especially if you keep the air conditoining.

radiator fans - high flow fans is a must to improve on cooling issues!! choose the largest that will fit with highest CFM

air filter - same as radiator fan - larger doesn't guarantee more hp.. however will last longer and give the assurance you have enough CFM

ventilation - you can't push more hp without allowing for more ventilation - install additoinal vents like valve cover vents - engine gotta breathe. do'nt use filters - they will clog and become a restriction!!

BOV - i could give a crap less about brand name as long as it works

intercooler - doesn't hurt to get a brand name one.. but you can get away with knockoff just find the one condensed with most rows/fins

gauges - don't skip on that one at all!!!.. even if its cheap **** gauges - you want to know your fuel pressure, oil pressure, oil temp, water temp, boost - don't skip on gauges - they come in very handy.. none of them are necessary to make hp.. but thats not the point of having them in the first place

boost controller - EBC because you control boost from inside the cabin and the more money you spend the more fancy and usefull features you can get out of it. its really worth to get a better EBC!!!

engine managment - hondata/neptune/aem.. whatever you or your tuner feels most comforatble with - you have to tune the car in order to get the best results!!!

bank account - don't even try to boost if you don't have money saved up to rebuild the car for when it BLOWS! its just part of the game, be prepared with daily driver and additional funds for rebuild

turbo timer - waiste of money - factory cars don't have turbo timers and many of home made turbos use factory turbos with hundred thousand miles on it

injectors - if no new, make sure they're cleaned and balanced

fabrication - sometimes even made to fit products will require fabrication.. but consider the overall cost. often without connections places will charge arm/leg to fabricate. and sometimes they'll do a shitty job and you'll end up doign the same thing twice!! try to do as much as possible yourself.

bolts - use highest grade bolts for exhaust parts - grade 12.5 is out there. repairing a snapped bolt on turbocharger can be a pain.

 

^ Pretty much covers everything

 

i want to save this.
very important

 

If you purchase some key pieces like the mani used and are capable of basic mock up or fab then you can save quite a bit doing it yourself.Weather the kit is "homemade" or store bought has absolutely nothing to do with the quality,power potential etc.Probably 80% of turbo setups on Honda Tech would tech. be homemade as they put it together with all the parts they wanted to use.Use the classifieds on here,homemadeturbo.com and local ones to find what you need used or via sponsors.

 

key parts to not slouch on are


turbo
manifold
wastegate
intercooler

other non major mechanical parts will do fine ie:
oil lines
intercooler piping
bov (altho i like a good bov on a setup)

 

go for it. u should be able to find most of ur parts at a junk yard

 

I pieced mine together...didnt cost as much as the kits, but still enough lol. My install and tune are going to cost enough also lol...you wanna play yuou gotta pay I suppose

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vtec.dc2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bank account - don't even try to boost if you don't have money saved up to rebuild the car for when it BLOWS! its just part of the game, be prepared with daily driver and additional funds for rebuild</TD></TR></TABLE>


By far, the MOST important aspect of turbocharging a vehicle. Many kids save up just enough for a cheap turbo, piping, and an ssauto manifold, then are **** up a creek when it breaks and blows their motor. I know 3 kids in my small town that in the last year went from a nice car to POS they had to sell because they went in cheap, blew it up, then had no backup funds.

When you do your own work, you have to understand that with the money you're saving, you shouldn't rig it up. I now have $100 extra to spend because I bored my TB out myself - accurate to within .005". Do it right, do it once.

 

Nothing beats a $400 junkyard turbo setup on a $300 winter beater.


It's not a good idea to do your first kit half assed, but once you know what you're doing you can rig up a bucket in no time.