Ive got one of these turbos on my B18 LS, some might consider it big but it i brought it when it was on special brand new so couldnt find anything at the time to fit what i wanted to do for my budget brand new.

https://gcg.com.au/Turbo-Charger-T04...583-5006S.html

I do alot of street and Track circuit, im finding it hard to keep the down pipe connected to the rear turbo. Ive tried nord washers, and star washes to no effect, the bolts still keep backing out leaving me with a massive exhaust leaks. Have replaced all bolts with new hardware as well.

Dont want to weld the bolts as need the ability to remove it, thread locker will burn off... V Band will solve this issue im fairly confident

I have been quoted to mill the current rear housing at a cost of a kidney, so i dont wanna loose a kidney, and especially over a turbo that isnt rated very highly on a car i just use every now an than.

Can i swap the rear housing for a GT30 or GT35R rear housing with T3 flange and V Band?

They do look very similar so im hoping that its possible as they all share similar features

 

Give nord lock washers a try. On our applications they seem to really work.
If the special washers fail:
https://www.atpturbo.com/mm5/merchan...e=GTHGTW-VBAND

 

I was having issues with bolts backing out too. I've since gone to Stage8 locking hardware and haven't had an issue since.

 

Stage 8 is the way to go, but likely your main issue is stud stretch. Stage 8 will keep it from coming too loose, but you will still need to snug it up every once and a while. I highly recommend switching to inconel studs along with the stage 8 nuts for both the turbo and downpipe. it has completely solved my issue.

V-bands would solve the issue all together. I have since switched to a turbo with a v-band downpipe, but still need the inconel studs on the manifold to turbo connection.

 

I have the same turbo and I’m wanting to change mine out for a vband too. One of my thread is stripped on the turbo exhaust housing. Can’t drive it much cause the exhaust fumes leak into my cabin 🤦‍♂️

 

Stage 8 works perfectly. Physically impossible for the bolts to back out.
.
The other option is drilling small holes through the bolt heads, then running a small tie wire through each head bolt...they won't move in that case either.

 

Till the studs stretch. Trust me, I have done it all. V-band or Inconel studs along with stage 8 or safety wire is the only way.

This setup did not use inconel stud or bolts and eventually loosened up enough to leak, never fully backed out:


This is my current setup: Inconel studs and stage 8 nuts on the manifold and a v-band downpipe outlet. Zero issues.

 

If you're going to safety wire, you can find the hardware already drilled to save the time, pain, and cost of broken bits from trying to drill a tiny hole straight through a bolt head without a jig. Safety wired fasteners (and safety wire...and safety wire pliers) can all be found at aircraft supply houses (like Aircraft Spruce). Safety wiring takes some thought to work correctly, and is an art.

But I agree with 90civichbsi - your best bet is to use a locking method in combination with a high strength stud/bolt material (like inconel) that will not creep at the high temperatures seen in a turbocharged exhaust housing/manifold.

90civichbsi - where did you get your inconel hardware from?

 

On my old manifold I ordered from http://www.trackspeedengineering.com/ but it does not look like they are listed on their website anymore. My current custom manifold using PRL flanges had a 1.25 pitch on the manifold side and the only suppliers of inconel studs I could find were in Austrailia. I ended up ordering through https://gcg.com.au/

 

My Pre-vband setup used the safety wire method. this looks like a a Mini-EQ exhaust manifold. Is that the case here?

 

It is based on the Mini-EQ design, I always liked that layout so I decided to take a stab at it. I built this manifold and setup myself with the main goals of raising up the oil drain and positioning turbo better for a backdoor IC setup and enclosed airbox. My previous manifold in the top picture had a less than ideal oil drain because it sat so low.

 

Amen to that. I changed over to the same design for the very same reasons.

 

Ultimately i am just going to weld a V band directly to the rear housing, i did think about a 4 bolt to V band adaptor with Inconel studs and stage 8 hardware as pointed out, but V Band welding vs the cost of those hardware are very comparable, so really welding a V band is what im going for, thanks guys

PS I know welding on S/S onto casting is a trick thing, which is why ill end up getting someone who knows it well to do it, i wont even attempt to weld it myself haha