Everything needed for topmount turbo setup?

[Angus69]

Hi guys just bought my first 33 gtst 25det and want to install a top mounted turbo. 

 

What's everything needed for the process and how hard is it? Come from working on cortinas and escorts which a very straight forward. 

 

Thanks 

[Duncan]

Well, japanese mechanics evidently have smaller hands than english mechanics for a start...

A high mount turbo install is probably more complex than any task on a cortina, difficulty to do it yourself will depend on your comfort with fabrication. Assuming you are buying a manifold rather than making it, the manifold and turbo are probably bolt on (as long as they are designed for each other). The water feed and and return and oil feed and return will probably be custom lines and they should be braided and heat shielded, so that can be DIY as well depending on your comfort making lines. The intake piping and dump pipe to exhaust is probably the hard bit to do yourself as it will involve custom piping in different sizes that need welding, beads to hold silicone on etc.

And you will likely need new ECU (plug in depending on what you choose), injectors (drop in, assuming correct model), fuel pump (generally minor work to mount in stock cradle), AFM (bolt on).

Not impossible but a pretty big undertaking 

[Ben C34]

That question is pretty vague. So answers will also be vague.

You can make haps of power with a stock manifold how much are you expecting? What's your budget?

 

[Angus69]

2 hours ago, Duncan said:

Well, japanese mechanics evidently have smaller hands than english mechanics for a start...

A high mount turbo install is probably more complex than any task on a cortina, difficulty to do it yourself will depend on your comfort with fabrication. Assuming you are buying a manifold rather than making it, the manifold and turbo are probably bolt on (as long as they are designed for each other). The water feed and and return and oil feed and return will probably be custom lines and they should be braided and heat shielded, so that can be DIY as well depending on your comfort making lines. The intake piping and dump pipe to exhaust is probably the hard bit to do yourself as it will involve custom piping in different sizes that need welding, beads to hold silicone on etc.

And you will likely need new ECU (plug in depending on what you choose), injectors (drop in, assuming correct model), fuel pump (generally minor work to mount in stock cradle), AFM (bolt on).

Not impossible but a pretty big undertaking 

Haha smaller hands for sure.. 

 

Thanks for the info. It seems fairly straight forward. Just an expensive exercise.

[Angus69]

35 minutes ago, Ben C34 said:

That question is pretty vague. So answers will also be vague.

You can make haps of power with a stock manifold how much are you expecting? What's your budget?

 

Yeah sorry was just looking for a rough estimate. Nothing extreme.. after looking into it more, it's probably easiest to just keep it as is and upgrade the turbo etc. 

 

 

[JarodC]

You'll have to do a bit more researching in terms of seeing what parts are available brand new or second hand around your local area. You'll have to start with what turbo you're going to go with, if you want to keep the factory turbo then your front facing turbo manifold will have to have the same flange as your turbo, T3 flange and 6 bolt rear housing. It quickly becomes quite a big thing to do but generally you'll need the following. 

Front facing turbo manifold 

Turbo to suit manifold  

Downpipe off turbo to suit 

AN fittings for turbo feed lines, oil and water if needed. And turbo drain feed

Wastegate if going external/Wastegate plumbing if wanting to re-plumb from external 

Gaskets for manifold, turbo, oil fittings, down pipe etc etc 

New intake piping to suit different location 

Hope this helps ya!

[Angus69]

23 hours ago, JarodC said:

You'll have to do a bit more researching in terms of seeing what parts are available brand new or second hand around your local area. You'll have to start with what turbo you're going to go with, if you want to keep the factory turbo then your front facing turbo manifold will have to have the same flange as your turbo, T3 flange and 6 bolt rear housing. It quickly becomes quite a big thing to do but generally you'll need the following. 

Front facing turbo manifold 

Turbo to suit manifold  

Downpipe off turbo to suit 

AN fittings for turbo feed lines, oil and water if needed. And turbo drain feed

Wastegate if going external/Wastegate plumbing if wanting to re-plumb from external 

Gaskets for manifold, turbo, oil fittings, down pipe etc etc 

New intake piping to suit different location 

Hope this helps ya!

Cheers man helped alot. Was going to just leave it but I think in going to go through with the process.. should be piss easy as welding and lines etc isnt a issue, seems really straight forward and when you know what your looking at it's actually a fairly easy engine to work and modify. 

 

Thanks again for the help bro.

[hardsteppa]

Also you can still use stock intake manifold, just remake the intake pipe. Tight fit but does fit.

[Kinkstaah]

 

Yep, topmounts can fit with the stock manifold, but you can see why people go FFP and deal with the issues of a FFP, purely to clean it up. Works though!