[Rudd88]

Hi I have a 1972 Chevelle which is my first car. I bought it when i was 15 and now have the money to customize it. I have a 400 small block chevy that I want to build for twin turbos but I am new to turbos and would like any info on how to prepare the engine for this.

 

[CNC BLOCKS N/E]

Hi I have a 1972 Chevelle which is my first car. I bought it when i was 15 and now have the money to customize it. I have a 400 small block chevy that I want to build for twin turbos but I am new to turbos and would like any info on how to prepare the engine for this.

We helped a guy out 2 years ago with a Dart SHP block and a rotator and we fit everything and he assembled it and according to Justin Orr and his times this engine makes 850 horse and that being said I would not use the OEM 400 block as that is destin to die with that kind of HP.

Here are some links to look over

 

[Ndepth]

What size turbos? If this were mine, a Dart block would be my starting point. Diamond pistons, aluminum rods, bryant crank, little chiefs, and inconel exhaust valves, efi, and an n20 plate to help spool the turbos and then say a prayer that everything else lives through it.

Twin turbos are a pretty serious deal, and I have no clue of your power hopes, but
if I were really going to do this right the first time, A phone call to Steve Morris of SMRE would top the list. JMHO

 

[Orr89rocz]

Thats me car's been 9.73

 

[CNC BLOCKS N/E]

What size turbos? If this were mine, a Dart block would be my starting point. Diamond pistons, aluminum rods, bryant crank, little chiefs, and inconel exhaust valves, efi, and an n20 plate to help spool the turbos and then say a prayer that everything else lives through it.

Twin turbos are a pretty serious deal, and I have no clue of your power hopes, but
if I were really going to do this right the first time, A phone call to Steve Morris of SMRE would top the list. JMHO

Going to an aluminum rod will kill cam to rod clearance and I don't like using a small base circle cams and we have many sets of the JE piosnts wwith zero problems but we are also MWD with Diamond pistons which are very good pistons.

We have some Procharger engines running with steel rods in the 800 horse range and no issues the last 2 years.

 

[steve_sutherland]

If you are serious about a turbo build, all I can say is that you can't do too much reading. Ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research and reading here and on other forums. Learn about monitoring AFRs (air fuel ratios), because running the motor lean under boost can do serious damage to the motor really quick.

Will this be a fuel injected, or carb'd motor? intercooled? How big of turbos? How much boost? Why two turbos instead of just one? Just some things to consider.

Good luck with the build, that thing will be a monster!

 

[88502]

pick up a copy of the new Car Craft magazine (april edition) and see the WrenchRat twin turbo kit, Also check out the Turbomustangs.com forum.

Bill (88502)

 

[Calculated Risk]

My single turbo combo uses some low budget components and has been really reliable.
Stock OE 1pc rear main seal roller block (1996)
Iron Vortec heads.
Eagle crank, Eagle H beam rods.
PRO Tru fordged pistons

Making power with a turbo is way easier on parts then other forms of power adders. And the side effects are smaller cams, tight converters and numerically lower gears, all of which makes a turbo car a joy to drive on the street.


Here is a link to a video of my car:

there is also a pump gas video in my signature.


It was my first car that I got when I was 14.

You can build a mild Twin setup, just because you want twins does not mean the combo would be "serious" power, and it also does not mean a stock block will not handle it.

Personally i prefer a single turbo. My car is simple and has a single Borg Warner S480 which is actually a turbo that is a replacement for a John Deere Tractor engine.


Yes a Dart block is great, but it may not be needed if the OP has goals of 650hp or less and plans to keep the RPM down below 7,000. I would look at some block fill with a stock 400 block, and i'd also warn that the machine work on the stock block could exceed what a new SHP block would cost new and ready to go from Carl.

 

[Orr89rocz]

SHP from Carl is a pretty good deal. Machining a 2 bolt block oem roller setup and converting to 4 bolt splayed main caps will add up I'm sure but you wont get a 400+ cube motor out of it. Not that you need those cubes but it makes it easier to make big power with low boost. I'm low mid 10's all day long with 9-10psi. Mid 9's capable with 14-15psi but I dont have a trans brake and just leave the line softly. Its a blast to drive.

I went twins because it looks cooler. Capable of making serious power but its really not needed. Some setups, twins make it easier to package in the engine bay compared to a 88-94mm single turbo with t6 frame and 4-5" downpipe haha.

 

[Ndepth]

My single turbo combo uses some low budget components and has been really reliable.
Stock OE 1pc rear main seal roller block (1996)
Iron Vortec heads.
Eagle crank, Eagle H beam rods.
PRO Tru fordged pistons

Making power with a turbo is way easier on parts then other forms of power adders. And the side effects are smaller cams, tight converters and numerically lower gears, all of which makes a turbo car a joy to drive on the street.


Here is a link to a video of my car:
YouTube - Honk If Parts Fall Off, 9.244 @ 150.68

there is also a pump gas video in my signature.


It was my first car that I got when I was 14.

You can build a mild Twin setup, just because you want twins does not mean the combo would be "serious" power, and it also does not mean a stock block will not handle it.

Personally i prefer a single turbo. My car is simple and has a single Borg Warner S480 which is actually a turbo that is a replacement for a John Deere Tractor engine.


Yes a Dart block is great, but it may not be needed if the OP has goals of 650hp or less and plans to keep the RPM down below 7,000. I would look at some block fill with a stock 400 block, and i'd also warn that the machine work on the stock block could exceed what a new SHP block would cost new and ready to go from Carl.

Forget what I said and follow ^^^^^^^^ this guy's every move. Crazy fast sleeper, Congrats:thumbsup:

 

[greg_moreira]

Yes, definitely need some info on what you wanna do. How much you wanna drive, and how much power(how fast) do you really want to end up with?

As Mark noted....he started graphing out a path that you would want to follow if you truly want this twin turbo build to "be all it can be". Thats like the kind of targeted approach you would take to a twin turbo build that goes well in the 8's, if not faster, which is serious.

Rick showed you how he still goes RIDICULOUSLY FAST with a reliable setup that is nice to drive, and isnt all too exotic either.

Carl's version is just a more bullet proof version of a milder turbo build that probably runs great on the street too and isnt set on kill, but still obviously flies.

Its all good advice, but as you can see....when you start playing with turbos there is a HUGE margin you have to work with.

Let the guys know what you want, and they will be able to tell you just how far you have to go in order to build something reliable to meet your goal.

 

[Orr89rocz]

Carl's version is just a more bullet proof version of a milder turbo build that probably runs great on the street too and isnt set on kill, but still obviously flies.

Thats exactly what it was intended to be. A strong base build with mild turbos and cam for now as it was my first blown build of any kind. Pump gas only, drives like a dream once I got my overheating issues/radiator fan issues figured out. Upgraded turbos this year but kept the same heads/cam/intake. I hope to crank it up and start seeing some times out of this car. 141mph traps is cooking pretty good for 3550-3600 lbs estimated. Racegas I expect to see near 150 on higher boost but its a street car on stock 10 bolt 7.625" rear. Until I get spec'd to go 9's and add a rear end, its not going to see the launch to dive deep into the low 9's+

 

[cv67]

Love the way that car runs, man it picks up speed fast!

Always wanted a F.I. build just never had the $ or know how to do it right.

Bang for the buck seems to be the way to go...and have something that will live awhile.

 

[superstocker72]

Maybe the first question should be what is your budget??

 

[69-CHVL]

Very nice Rick and Justin!!!!!

Typically, what's the 1/2 life of a turbo?

 

[Orr89rocz]

I have no idea how long they last. I never ran it long enough to tell. Seals can probably wear out after a few thousand miles but a simple rebuild kit should bring them back to life

My 9.73 run on pump gas but had issues on that run late down the track. Cant wait til i get it all dialed in

 

[Ndepth]

Why build something with twins that looks cool, but runs 10's. I am in no way saying 10's are slow at all. I just wanna know the recent draw to this combo. I like flashy myself, sometimes, but I would like to back it up @ some point. 750hp is pretty cool no matter how it gets there, but twins on a decent thought out build should make 2.5+ hp/cube minimum IMO. I'm not knocking anyones dream and desire, but......... It is what it is. Takes me back to guys building stock motors w/ a roots, Cool looking, Yes, run at all, Never.


I am no expert, by any means, but less is always more in the hotrod world. The more adders the less respect for what it accomplishes.

 

[Orr89rocz]

Thats the general misconception about twins vs singles. Two of one power adder doesnt mean more or better than a single power adder. Two small turbos = one larger single turbo. A decent thought out turbo build can be capable of 2.5+ hp per cube regardless of if its with twins or singles. WHy spray 1 stage of nitrous when you coudl have added 2 or 3? Some people are content with one thing over another. Hotrodding is different than just building cars...hotrodding is doing as much as possible with the least possible. Building cars/motors can be done a variety of ways. Different stokes for different folks i guess

 

[Rudd88]

Wow thanks guys you've givin me alot to think about! Some of you asked what my goals were and how much I had to spend. Well first off my goal is to build more of a street machine than a drag car, I want something that i can drive regularly. I want to be able pull good times at the track but im not expecting 8s, I want reliability over 1/4 mile times. Ive been looking up new corvettes and I like how they hide the turbo in the rear underneath the car. Im not really worried about money I just want what I have imagined for my car, and money just means I have to work that much harder and longer to get it.

 

[Calculated Risk]

Very nice Rick and Justin!!!!!

Typically, what's the 1/2 life of a turbo?

Thank you.

The same basic turbo on my car is also on big rigs that go over a million miles and then some. It's found on farm equipment, industrial equipment and diesel generators. A turbo lasts a very long time as long as tuff doesn't go through it, it stay's lubricated and it is used within the parameters it was designed (temp and shaft rpm).

With that said, I have around 220 1/4 miles passes, and about 4,000 miles on the street in the last 3 years. A year ago I blew a tire going through the traps (139mph) and a chunk of tire and steel belt went into the turbo. I sanded abd smoothed the leading edge of the compressor wheel and compressor cover and two weeks later ran my fastest MPH ever. So a turbo is pretty tough. I'm still running it that way with no problems. I plan on upgrading instead of sending this one out to get repaired.