lol no real updates, i have been mocking up the manifold and turbo readjusting everything just trying to get it just right. but im so close to being done, i can almost taste it... hahaha
so no real updates yet. keep an eye out for the next few weeks though

 

readjusting? did you run into a manifold design problem?

while putting together my manifold i realized i didnt have as much room to work with as i thought and needed to change to a bottom mount. even then it is tight with the internal wastegate close to the block and the compressor close to the axel.

do you have any pictures of your final manifold design?

 

So I got a little update for you guys:
this thing came in a few days ago


I spent quite a few hours reworking my manifold. i thought i was done a few weeks ago until i did a test fit today and found out that the compressor side was hitting the heater hose coming out of the firewall, it was a pain in the ass because i had to mock it up like 6 times to see how it fit...
so far here it is pretty much finalized:

I also got started on my downpipe but didnt take any pics..


QUESTION!!!: How much does the engine torque backwards when we drive hard?? im asking because there is only about an inch of clearance between the turbo and the firewall and im getting concerned about it.

 

A lot. Especially with a turbo. You're gonna need way more than an inch dude.

 

call innovative and get some 75a mounts if you havent already. that will hold the engine tighter but the pics look awefully close.

 

your gonna need more room than that. i hate to say it, but you should do a bottom mount and take advantage of all the room that is there from the header area.

i also dont see your internal wastegate on the turbo...mine was a bitch. fittign teh turbo wasnt bad, but it seemed the wastegate kept getting in the way.
the manifold design i finally settled on was a bottom/rear mount with the inlet flange at about 25-30* from vertical and centered in the runners...maybe slightly more towards runner #2.
this deisgn gave me about 4 inches between the turbo and firewall, just about no room for a filter. i will have to cut off the bracket that the OEM header bolts to and have a 90* silicone bend up to another pipe and figure somthing out. the wastegate is about 1/2" away from the shifter cables. but there was alot of room to work with the downpipe.

 

OK I just looked at your pics again. It looks like your exhaust housing has the inlet (engine side) pointing down, so that the exhaust goes down, then up into the turbo, then out. The way my manifold is, the exhaust is always pointed down, and the turbo fits fine. It's that extra bend up that's making you get too close to the firewall.

 

i hate you guys!...so i re did it again, this time BOTTOM MOUNT!!
im so tired of reaching behind the engine bay and being under the fit.
The manifold is different than the rest because the compressor is on the passenger side and the downpipe has a little 90 degree bend into the rest of the exhaust. everything is just tacked into place for now so nothing is final, but with my luck ill have to change it again. lol

 

just a suggestion...

i found there wasnt enough room for the downpipe to be on the drivers side...due to the shifter cables. it will be much easier to mount the turbo with the compressor on the drivers side...this will allow much more room for the downpipe.

 

^
this is how my turbo is. Compressor on drivers side, with the charge piping going up and over the turbine and around the passenger side of the engine.

 

i know i know, but im trying really hard for some reason to stick with a 2.5in downpipe and there just isnt any room back there. i think ill just go down to a 2in DP and make my life easier

 

im 90% sure you can fit a 2.5" downpipe at the passenger side, i have plenty of room around my 2". i wasnt even able to fit a 2" downpipe when i had the hot side on the drivers side of the car...i dont know how your lpanning a 2.5" over there.

 

any updates?

 

No not really,(O-chem exam this week) just ordered some more parts. originally i was going to buy a aspec or a t1r cat delete and fab up the down pipe to mount to the original flange location. I've decided that since im doing the bottom mount and using 2.5in piping, ill just make my own cat delete and move the flange location a little further down the exhaust so it will give me more room to work with and flow better.
im also contemplating about a straight through exhaust system without a resonator or muffler,2.5 or 2.25in piping not sure yet what do you guys think?
...yeah so i just ordered a flex bellow, a flange and exhaust wrap, it should be here soon.

 

New down pipe/up pipe:

 

i'd advise against wrapping your piping like that. it may keep the heat in, but it will overheat the material to the point of failure.

 

No it wont.. People wrap headers and exhausts all the time. The only thing you have to worry about is holding moisture in. You could try putting high-temp paint under the wrap to alleviate this...

 

go pick up a copy of maximum boost. it may be useful on a race car that does not see heat cycles on a daily basis, but for a street car you would be better off with heat shields away from the exhaust.

 

Ok, I'll give you that heat cycles might be an issue, but I'd think that moisture + heat cycles makes more of a difference.

Anyway, I don't even have heat shields anymore... LOL. My engine bay gets pretty toasty anymore now that that cooling snow is gone.

 

get that downpipe on?