Back To Basics: Budget Rebuild

You sir, have just stumbled into my latest project...

...but got the jump in me asking fitting sizes :wink:

I know 3sx offers ready-made ones for 200 clams, but surely can be done cheaper...

http://www.3sx.com/store/catalog/coo...sx-41-600l.jpg

It can be done for around half price. Had I realized that 4AN is wrong, I would've had the 6AN and worked on it today.

6AN fittings is basically same size as factory. If you can TIG, you can just get weld on fittings and weld to the neck, otherwise you need to drill the fittings out and tap it for NPT thread. 1/4 NPT pipe thread with sealant is about as close as you'll get to perfect sizing IMO.

I'm using a 12x1.5 to 6An off of the turbos, radiused 90 degree 6AN fitting, straight swivel seal 6AN fittings on the turbo side. And a straight swivel seal 6AN fitting and the 6AN to 1/4NPT pipe thread on the waterneck side.
3SX uses banjo bolt fittings for theirs, which I debated about, I prefer the better flow of straight fittings without banjo bullshit. Not sure how big of a difference it makes though, I imagine that they prefer the banjo because it's much shorter than doing the adapters like I did, although each banjo fitting is almost $20, so actually more expensive than the straight fittings I think.

Not sure on the heater hose fitting size, I'm guessing around 12AN maybe? I'd need to get a caliper to measure and find out. You would have to weld or braze fittings onto the firewall side of it though. Looks like it'd be around a 1/2 to 3/4NPT on those fittings. Likely you'd need to do a gauge sensor fitting adapter there, something that goes from the appropriate pipe thread to the appropriate AN thread, however only option is a 1/8 NPT sender port, so you'd need to get a 1/8NPT to 6AN, which may restrict flow enough that it wouldn't matter if it was 6AN or 4AN. I'll be looking at it more closely down the road.

Been a long while since I've updated this. Unfortunately, school has been consuming most of my time, and I've bout run out of money after my truck blew a wheel cylinder out and had to get repaired (there went 400 bucks.) Hopefully more of the fuel sender conversions sell so I can get money coming in, have a couple hundred tied up in fittings and lines already.

In order to maximize the downtime and lack of fundage, I've started doing some other stuff: Polishing a compressor housing before doing the anodized paint stuff to it, working on getting brake calipers ready for another coat of paint, doing some minor port and polish work to heads, etc.

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http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ps600883ef.jpg

Lot of work left for the housing, the brakes are more or less ready for another coat of paint.

Trying to find out what alloy of aluminum the housings are made out of so I can figure out whether they can be real anodized or if I have to settle for the spray can. I'd love to be able to do a lot of these aluminum parts in actual anodized.

Compiling a list of things that I need to purchase this spring to complete the rebuild stuff:
New crank cog and crank pulley (Possibly take this time to switch from the v-belt style PS pump as well)
Timing belt covers upper and lower.
PCV (or just do a barbed fitting and a strong one way check valve in the hose)
New OEM head bolts
MOAR PAINT

Unfortunately anodizing wouldn't work for the compressor housings due to temperatures, the housings could hit up to 350F at peak boost (based on size, efficiency of the turbo, PR and ambient air temperature) which would cause the anodizing to being crazing (or cracking like spiderweb cracks) as the anodized surface expands at a different rate than the aluminum underneath. Trying to get solid figures on actual temps after peak boost, but since anodizing cracks around 100-150C (and generally closer to 100C for DIY anodizing) it's definitely going to be higher than that.

So back to painting for now it would seem.

Spent some time porting, using tungsten carbide Dremel bits at 30k rpm. The tungsten bits in extended use work very well with the turbine housings and manifolds. Have to be very VERY careful with the aluminum though as it will very quickly gunk up the bits. Bits ran me about 7 bucks each, but one bit lasts me about 2 hours of porting on the housings and manifolds as opposed to the cartridge rolls that last just a fraction of the time on those metals.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...psfa8ab5b0.jpg
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I still need to finish knocking the fire ring down on the manifolds and turbine housings, as well as do more work to the runners on the manifolds. So far haven't been super concerned with increasing overall size, as I don't want just max volume and crappy flow. For now I've been knocking down high spots and ridges and trying to get it generally smooth, then I'm going to work on spreading it out a bit more. I think that just removing the fire ring will make the largest difference though as that's roughly .5cm in diameter, which for just a 2 cm high fire ring (probably actually be taller than that) is a difference of 5.73cm^3 in volume, or around 20% increase in volume I think (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) Unfortunately, the front will have to wait until I can get it welded before I can port it any.

At any rate, smoother and better flow is always a good thing.

Porting looks good! I know i went through standard air grinder bits like they were nothing on those turbine housings. Definitely a good choice on the tungsten carbide.

Much obliged. How far down did you take yours? Currently I'm debating between just making the ring flush with the walls, or going all the way out to gasket match it.

Some days I say I'd rather have an air powered die grinder, but hell with the tungsten bits, my Dremel is pretty capable in it's own rights at this point. Highly recommend them if you can find them cheap enough. Some places want $15+ per bit, Amazon is usually at like 10-12 per bit. Sometimes you get lucky and snag them for far less. I have (had) a cylinder shaped one that is now down to practically nothing after 2 hours of porting with it, and I have a cone shaped one that I haven't even used yet. The only down sides: Aluminum is very touchy to do because it melts so easy and gets between the teeth of the tungsten bits, and it doesn't get the material you're grinding very smooth and there don't seem to be options for a finer grain style. So I'll still have to hit it at the end with some fine grit cartridge rolls, but still, much better that it was with other types of bits IMO.

I don't think I did mine as thoroughly as you did. Here's a picture of mine when I was just about done with the grinder. I only took out the ring, didn't gasket match.

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps11819de0.jpg

Well, I'm a believer that if I'm going to hog out the ring, might as well stretch it out, at least enough so that it matches the manifold which for the rear means the full 3.9cm. Still have to figure out a battle plan for the front, may have to settle for just smoothing the ring a bit on the manifold and still porting the turbine housing.

Of course even 3.9cm still leaves some material extra, looks like you could port these out to around 4.3cm give or take? So I will do what I can for the rear. Somebody seriously needs just make a cast log style manifold for the front..