INDEEP

I am in need of an RB20DET harmonic balancer. And is there such a thing as a 2-pulley (less p/steering) balancer? Reply here or inbox me if you've got one you want to part with. Cheers, Rus

That's not a bad idea. It would slightly affect the airflow by a localised creating a low-pressure area though I think. I think I'm just going to have a bit of fiddle with it, and see exactly what I can and can't do. Looking at it will only do so much...

I had a good poke around the front of the car the other day with an aerosol can (67mm diameter) and because of the location of the front subframe, I can't actually fit anything on the bottom side of the front stone tray/radiator plenum area. Well, not without butchering the stone-tray and completely destroying it's sleeper appeal. Everything is a compromise...

I think that by switching the hot and cold pipes from my dodgey picture on the previous page, and running the hot pipe under the front of the harmonic balancer into the RHS of the intercooler, I'll get away with it without too much trouble, and without running that much out of the ordinary (as when compared to a Skyline). I figure the closer it resembles a Skyline under the bonnet, they better it's going to work. Lines will be updated to 8mm braided versions. OEM stuff is plastic, and I really doubt it's good for the pressure of a late-model EFI system. They're also probably 35 years old! Several good reasons to do away with them.

Yep... So you're talking something like this awesome piece of art below?Green being the air filter (der!), Red intercooler to TB, and Orange turbo to intercooler.

I wouldn't say space is plentiful...

Exactly. I don't want (or need) the headache of tuning/sorting a modified engine that is also housed in completely foreign surroundings. The intake question purely exists as I'm really doubtful as to how well I can plumb up the 'cooler "traditionally" with the limited space I have in front of the engine with the style of intercooler I have (see image): . I think I'm just going to have to see what I can do with it first. Seems to be quite a few guys singing the praises of the stock plenum, so making it work (even if I have to change the intercooler) makes more sense than throwing coin at an aftermarket version that is only working to a small percentage of it's potential. Looks like most RB20's run 2.5" piping instead of 3"? And I'm assuming most mock theirs up with white PVC or something beforehand? (I refer to those who can't buy a kit).

My next stupid question. Are there any major problems (ie: a significant drop in boost) by installing a bigger plenum on a car with a stock turbo and running stock boost?

Hmmm, I've got $35, 3 cartons of Cartlon Dry and a rubber chicken. What can you organise? With my new found backyard engineering prowess, I considered cutting and shutting (something), but my limited spare time (2 jobs) doesn't allow for too many hours of looking outside the square. Especially when I'm just probably just being a bitch about the most effective way to run the intercooler piping... Yep, I'm THAT guy when it comes to building stuff. So, I've established that Chinese eBay parts are shit, and that the stock RB20 turbo is paper mache`. This is actually helping. Thanks gents.

I'm hoping it's done before the end of the year. Most of the tricky fabrication is done, or at worst, thoroughly nutted out. You're on the money, I don't see the point in plumbing it all up twice. I'm happy to run with the stock turbo (for now), but I'd like to get the intake side sorted, so I'm not setting up all the pipework twice. I'm really starting to think that my tax cheque should buy me a Plazmaman intake manifold, even though I've been trying to talk myself out of it. It seems all too aparent that the eBay stuff is crap. I always had reservations about the quality of the eBay stuff, purely because it's so much cheaper, but like I said at the top, I'm new to Skylines, and cheap and nasty doesn't really exist in the World of Chevy BelAirs (my other car). With them, everything's either expensive, or really expensive. Expensive is made off-shore, really expensive comes with "Made in USA" blazened across it.

This is the kicker... I avoided the SR because it would've been a relatively easy conversion in contrast (well, not really, the radiator would be the only difference). The problem is, when you want to do something ridiculously unique, you gotta make sure it's hard enough to achieve that 15 sheep don't follow along behind you. Bubba, that manifold looks sweet. Cost an arm and a leg?

The stock intake will fit (exhaust too, but like I said, there's no room for anything but a stock turbo, and it will no doubt blister the paint being so close- something I want to avoid). My main problem with the intake is the piping for the intercooler. The engine is so tight in the engine bay that the radiator will have to be mounted on the grille side of the support panel (luckily there's a good 300mm between the radiator support and the grille), so there's no room to run the radiator-parallel pipe from the FMIC to the TB like a Skyline does. So unless anyone out there wants to buy my brand new 'cooler so I can get one with the both the inlet and outlet on the same side, I need to find a way to make it work, and efficiently.

So I'm fairly new to the World of Skylines, and the RB engine family. I know they're good though, that's why I'm putting one (RB20DET) into my abstract daily drive (a 1976 Triumph 2500 Mk II Saloon). The engine is basically in the car (and is currently 100% OEM), but I'm running into a little bit of trouble with the intake and exhaust manifolds (particularly the exhaust manifold) in regards to engine bay space. Intake wise, I'm interested in these top-only front TB type throttle bodies: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item20bbaae484 Does anyone have one fitted? If so, what do you think of it? I've been around cars long enough to know that, "bolts directly" often really means "just bolts up after 7hours of resigning and modifying part". I'm using a traditional 450x300x65mm intercooler with the outlets at the 'top' of either side (again with limited space), so a front positioned TB type plenum is almost a must-have. Plazmaman etc are out as I'm on a slim budget, and I'm not about to shell $1000 for a single part for a car that barely owes me $3500 all up. Mock me if you will, but I'm trying to prove a point with this thing, which is, decent performance, and driveability in a unique form, without spending the value of a new family sedan. The exhaust/turbocharger is where I run into trouble. The turbo is very close to the subframe, so much so that I wouldn't be able to upgrade to even an RB25 turbo without it fouling on something. So I've been emailing all these eBay stores asking for some dimensions from the turbo flange to the cylinder head. It would seem telling them I'm performing a "one-off" conversion doesn't quite sink in, and so far (we're talking 4 replies so far) I've been asked "what body" and told "we would have one to suit that body". No, you don't! I guess I'm asking for some dimensions if you've got one, and perhaps some pics. Because I really don't know how well they will fit, and I don't fancy my chances of getting a refund if I buy something that ends up being useless... I'm particularly interested in these (see below) "front mount" models, but I really need to see one installed (and get those few measurements before I go ahead with an order for one). http://cgi.ebay.com/...sQ5fAccessories I'd appreciate any help. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3924997/1976-triumph-stag

Hey gang, I'm putting an RB20DET into my Triumph 2500 sedan, (because I like to do things differently) and I've run into a small problem with the stock plenum, clearing the strut tower (there's probably a 5mm gap at best). I've no doubt it will hit the tower when I give the engine a rev and it comes on/off boost, so it needs to be changed out for an aftermarket plenum (Plazmaman etc). I've contacted a few manufacturers (including Plazmaman and a couple of dodgey Thailand/Chinese eBay "performance" shops) in an attempt to get some overall dimensions, but nobody has replied as of yet. I'm just assuming it's because they all think I'm going to attempt to build my own. Seeing as I've custom made everything to even get this engine in my car, it's probably not that much more of a task at this point! What I'd like to know is, if you have a single front TB mount plenum on an RB20DET, how wide it is from the cylinder head, to the outside (near the strut tower), what brand it is, and I guess, what performance improvement you feel it's given. Ditto with exhaust manifolds too I guess, do the tube-style side-mounts bring the turbo closer to the head, and make it sit any higher? Cheers in advance, Rus. 1976 TriLine 2500/2000DET on CarDomain.com Fugly Garage on FB

I found that after I posted. Great resource! I especially liked all the: "It would've made more power but a fly landed on the dyno, which affected the balance of my fluffy dice and the figures got botched" type excuses.