Converting lux to turbo

[Noahs944]

Hi,

Figured I'd post some of my slow progress on the 944 turbo conversion. Planning on driving in about 2.5 months, but still a long way out.

[Noahs944]

[Noahs944]

[Noahs944]

[Noahs944]

Good morning! Normally I post on RL but haven't been able to access the site with my desktop. Call me weak, but I find it energizes me to post online. We all have our reasons for coming here I suppose.

So the "log manifold" is a simple age old design that works well in turbo application. I have chosen this route because my turbo design isn't playing nice in the oem type configuration, but also to duplicate the oem design would reduce the efficiency and add weight and limited accessibility (make it much MUCH harder to work on then this design).

It's not as straight forward as it seems, however because the tubes have different center heights & directions. I determined that "flipping" the middle two upside down helped and then reconfigured for better flow because my exhaust will exit forward & up not rearward & down.

[dgcantrell]

Damn.. I guess that's one way to do it.. Did you do any mods to the compression of the cylinders? How much boost are you planning on running?

[Noahs944]

Smart question mate!

Installed oem 8:0:1 951 forged pistons & rods. Boost? Not too much for the first year while on stock n/a clutch & brakes.

[Noahs944]

Running a stock gasket. Planning on next year running higher boost, but plan on matching stock 951 performance using the stock clutch and brakes.

While "in there" porting of intake & exhaust ports was performed. And additional pickup tube reinforcement was done because no b.s.

[Noahs944]

Vin Diesel called and told me to get this thing ready.

"1/3 of the way done boss, quality takes time".

[Noahs944]

Reinstalled the manifold to head to prevent warpage. Fillet brazing the welds which I have ground. My theory (may be wrong) is this will help prevent cracks because resilient.

[Noahs944]

Well this method I'm using is not a very efficient one.
1) cut the secondary holes to match the exhaust primary tubes
2) observe major gaps (as large a 3/16" in some cases
3) fill the gaps using the mig to created "bridges"
4) grind down the massive fugly welds
5) braze
6) braze doesn't take in some areas where contaminated
7) also notice cracks or what appears to be cracks, which brazing doesn't fill (because contaminated.
8) grind areas that appear to be cracked or contaminated for purposes of re-weld
9) mig weld those areas then grind them down
10) re-braze

Example of step 9:



Example of step 10:

[Noahs944]

Well, it is what it is.
My primary concern is reliability and basic function.





Before continuing cutting & welding I had a thought. I reflected to the Callaway design.
Tonight I will remove my turbo & just see if I can pull this off. My main dislikes were the proximity of hot turbo near fuel lines. Worried about water splash on hot turbo. Drainage of the oil.




But in fairness, there are compromises with my design... things I didn't want to see happen. I will keep you informed as to my findings.

[Noahs944]

Hmmm, initial findings are that their turbo is smaller than the one I'm using. Callaway used 10 psi, where as I'm probably going to be running 7 psi the first year.

[Noahs944]

Okay, there is no way the t3/t4 T104 turbo is going to fit in the Callaway method. It's too large of a turbo. The one they used must be tiny. Oh well, it was a nice thought.

One thing I have learned. If you want a turbo car... BUY A TURBO CAR!

[grendiers]

You're reinventing the wheel here! The 'log' style exhaust manifold is found on 924 turbos, and aftermarket, BAE turbo kits for the 924 n/a. Having owned several 924 turbos, even Porsche's high-quality cast iron manifolds were prone to cracking. Hanging a heavy turbo, along with user-provided poor maintenance in the form of lean AFR settings combined with vacuum air leaks, many of these cars are now resting in fields waiting for their new owners. Buying a stock turbo is good advice~!

[Slam]

Hi, Noah. Sime here. So THIS is what you're up to!

BTW, those parts you sent live on. The 84 is back on the road. Looks awful but runs like a champ. Slainte!

[Noahs944]

Originally Posted by Slam

Hi, Noah. Sime here. So THIS is what you're up to!

BTW, those parts you sent live on. The 84 is back on the road. Looks awful but runs like a champ. Slainte!

Right on brother! Happy to hear it... I hope things are good for you and your family

[Noahs944]

Good news, albeit a small thing. My adapter coupler for the big 3" crown vic throttle body to the 2.5" IC piping came in.

[Noahs944]

It occurred to me that the best place for this turbo on "Wilson" is dead smack in the front of the engine. That would offer the most access for service & allow me to have a nice free flow exhaust to the back. It would also offer better oil drainage then the system I am dealing with when hanging under the intake manifold. And certainly better than the Callaway and again better than oem Porsche.

[Noahs944]

Need to wrap this up, made some decisions about the direction after exploring other options that all involved mounting the stupid turbo in different positions around the engine.

Decided the position I already had (hanging under the intake manifold) was best.

Here are pics of the porting I did this morning to allow for misalignment (which does exist due to warpage from the heat unfortunately).