What did you use for a turbo bracket?

AngM018 · 10-10-2007, 03:16 AM

I have been trying to fab something up to mount a K27HFS. My headers are SSI's so they were custom built, and may not put the turbo in a factory location. The factory bracket is useless as the holes are way off (couldn't even modify it). The odd thing is my muffler will still work.

what did you guys do for a bracket? Just forget about it all together? If you did make something, could you describe it or show a photo?

sand_man · 04:53 AM

I've heard of leaving the actual turbo support bracket off all together, and just using a good muffler bracket that's often times attached to the lower portion of the A/C pedestal (that's where my '87 supports it's muffler). However, I'm currently running both: turbo bracket and muffler bracket.

RarlyL8 · RarlyL8's Garage

The stock bracket has to be modified when using an aftermarket K-series turbo, nomatter what heat exchangers you have. Mine was cut and re-welded to fit a K27 and I have stock heat exchangers. The muffler will fit as before the modification.
If the alignment is not too far off you can simply elongate the mounting holes. I have heard and seen that some don't use the bracket at all as Sandman stated. Personally I would not consider not using the bracket given the propensity for exchangers to crack due to stress and constant heat cycling over the long haul. They need all the help they can get.

spuggy · 10-10-2007, 05:35 AM

I've been a little puzzled by the discussion of turbo brackets not fitting K27s. I can only figure the guys having issues have got the turbo in a different place.

My motor got a rebuild, plus GHL headers (apparently the later style, certainly no overboost issues here), K27/HF and a Kokeln. When I looked at my motor in the stand with the GHL headers fitted, it looked like the turbo bracket wouldn't line up, so I mentioned it.

"Nah, they all look like that, it'll fit just fine, we won't need to do anything. It'll all bolt-up except the intercooler, which we'll have to mess around with a little" I was told. Being mostly a check book mechanic, I left the professionals to do what they do...

Sorry, I've no idea how it was done, but the original turbo bracket is in place, doesn't look to have been heated, cut, bent or modified in any way (and I'm told it wasn't), and that's not a 3DLZ hanging off there.

RarlyL8 · RarlyL8's Garage

You actually have some play in the Y-pipe of some aftermarket exchangers, such as SSI. If you install the turbo and bracket before the Y-pipe is installed it can be tweeked to mate up. The trade off is that the muffler may not fit in the exact same spot as before. It may fit, but won't be in exactly the same place. The reason is that the turbo housing sizes have changed while the mount position has not.

AngM018 · 10-10-2007, 08:10 AM

Yeah I thought about it, and I definately dont want a big $1700 piece of hardware flying out the back of my car. I also came accross some info on rennlist about just how prone these headers are for cracking/breaking when I was researching the turbo bracket.

I decided to make this mount work. may take me hours/days, but I will make it happen. I am just glad I forgot to send it off for powder coating with the rest of the parts.

Here is a pic of the first hole I made. As you can see its pretty far off from the origional. I started heating and bending the bracket to be able to secure at least one of the lower bolts.

If the Muffler does not fit, then I guess that will push me over the edge to get a Zork (from RarelyL8 of course)

Tom F2 · 10-10-2007, 09:17 AM

You've got to cut the bracket vertically, and reweld it.

E-man930 · 10-10-2007, 03:05 PM

don't bother with the factory bracket...
here is what I did.
E-man

DonE · 10-10-2007, 04:31 PM

I don't use a turbo brace either. Instead, I support and brace the muffler from the same location as the stock turbo brace so indirectly, the turbo is supported. The muffler brace is something I made and could easily support 75 pounds (I hung weights from it to see what it could take before bending).

David · David's Garage

I added a little hanger to the exhaust flange. Here it is before the muffler was all welded together:

WERK I · WERK I's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngM018

I decided to make this mount work. may take me hours/days, but I will make it happen. I am just glad I forgot to send it off for powder coating with the rest of the parts.

Don't powder coat the bracket! That's what I did and the gaskets fused to the bracket when the powder coating melted from the high temps. Had to take the the bracket to the machine shop to get the damn thing milled to get the old gasket material off.
Hope it's not too late.

RarlyL8 · RarlyL8's Garage

Nice work David, too bad we don't all have a CNC machine in our basement - HA!

I still have the stuff you set me up with and have not forgotten your generosity. It will be used when I free up some time.

David · David's Garage

Rarely, it sounds like you're worse about having too many projects than I am

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