Finally...

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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

True -but knowing me, I'll find a way to complicate it -like insisting on a tuned length for instance! :D Having the primaries tuned or at least balanced if foregoing a crossover pipe is even more important on a turbo engine than it is on a N/A engine, IMO... One of the nicest set of headers I've seen on these engines was built using ebay flanges (no longer available) and a chopped-up set of Chevy truck headers... If the flanges didn't have to be made, I might have opted to build headers, but the primaries would have to be pretty big to flow better than these manifolds. There is surprisingly a lot of room around this engine to install headers too.

Got the crossover pipe built today, except for the T-4 flange and outlet for the external wastegate. My Garrett T-04 has an offset angled inlet: the front part of the port runs straight into the housing, but it has about a 45-degree sweep-in at the rear of the inlet, so I used a 90-degree elbow from the front bank directing flow straight into the housing, and the rear bank angles in to let the housing turn the flow. It was a little trickier to build, but I think it will help to keep both banks balanced (at least at some RPMs) and still allow me to push the turbo forward a bit more to give more space for the intercooler. It will definitely flow better this way, and far far better than just chopping a hole in the side of the crossover pipe would. :no: I haven't 100% decided on just wrapping the crossover pipe, or if I want to modify and re-use the factory insulated heat-shielding.

Edit: Finished the flange today, and snapped a few pics. Remember, this is 2.25-inch pipe GM used on this thing, from each bank!
T-04 in for fitting...
T-04 in for fitting...
Twins might have actually been easier after all... Maybe next time.
Twins might have actually been easier after all... Maybe next time.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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Battery relocated! The right side of the car is shaped a little differently in front of the strut-tower, having more of a gradual ramp up to the top of the tower. The left side has a steeper ramp up because it starts farther back, to leave a long flat spot for the battery. I love the idea of transferring weight to the rear of the vehicle for better weight distribution, but hate the idea of having to run massive cables the whole length of the car. So, I modified the space in front of the right strut tower to allow enough room for the battery to comfortably snuggle in there. I still have to place the coolant expansion-tank elsewhere in the bay, but I don't see much trouble there, and may even do something cool for it instead.
We've talked recently about how hard it is welding thin metal -well this is as thin as these cars get.
We've talked recently about how hard it is welding thin metal -well this is as thin as these cars get.
Hard to see anything in this shot.  The undercoating really sealed everything up though.  It was hard making myself stick to just stitch-welding the new corner in, but it is better that way.  There is a lot of overlap here too, on both sides of the cut.
Hard to see anything in this shot. The undercoating really sealed everything up though. It was hard making myself stick to just stitch-welding the new corner in, but it is better that way. There is a lot of overlap here too, on both sides of the cut.
I started out building an actual battery tray out of stainless steel, but it is such a tight fit it just caused problems. So, I just grafted-in a small corner piece instead. There was about a 1.5 inch gap created in the steel, to give an idea how much the metal had to be moved to make room for the battery. Given the usual corrosion issues that batteries cause, I am glad I listened to my own complaints and upgraded to the stainless for this part. I then primed the whole area, and topped it off with rubberized undercoating. I also applied a generous coat to the underside, where it could be exposed to water. I am actually pretty happy with how this all turned out.
I still have to do some paint touch-ups here, I do not have any BRM touch-up paint for it, so I may just go with black industrial-grade paint or epoxy paint for now.
I still have to do some paint touch-ups here, I do not have any BRM touch-up paint for it, so I may just go with black industrial-grade paint or epoxy paint for now.
Interesting cylinder arrangement... That is the coil-pack that came with the car.  Slight modifications made to the 3100 mounting bracket/plate.  I like where these are placed now.  And yes, that is also the Crapa battery that came with the car. :/
Interesting cylinder arrangement... That is the coil-pack that came with the car. Slight modifications made to the 3100 mounting bracket/plate. I like where these are placed now. And yes, that is also the Crapa battery that came with the car. :/
Still working on the wiring, as can be seen here. I am spending a lot of time intergrating the two harnesses, in a way that doesn't damage either one or make permanent changes to the car's harness (the original tape is removed, yes, but that doesn't count). The hardest thing to overcome is the different styles of bay-to-body main connectors -the Z-34 uses rubber gasketed connectors, like the connectors used on the sensors in the Berettas' bays, but the Berettas have slightly different main connectors -no rubber boots sealing the wires in the back of the plugs, instead the whole connector is covered and packed with black tar-like dielectric compound. Makes a huge mess, and is a pain to work with. And we all know what happens inside the car when that compound gets old and cracks... More on the wiring later though... Then the exhaust build comes up after that. :twisted:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Finally...

Post by woody90gtz »

Yeah, those main wiring bulkheads are such a piss poor design. Makes dash work such a pain in the ass because I got it all sealed up and decided not to separate the connectors.

I like the battery relocation. I wanted to do something similar on the pass side bit decided not to cut it up when it was already so "finished."


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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Lots of wiring work done. Down to running two sets of ground lines into the loom on the left, supplying the LQ1's ECM with battery and ignition power, running the MIL wire to the dash, and finishing the other half (under the dash) of the ALDL wire. There were four empty slots in the Z26's firewall connector to help make the install neat and clean. I've also made a few improvements, like the temp sensor wire (single-wire sensor to the gauge) now runs through the LQ1's main disconnect harness, instead of plugged in to the bay's harness by itself. This will aid in engine removal, if ever necessary, and it should have been run through there in the first place. I also made a heat-shielded loom conduit, for where the wiring runs near the turbo. Just about the last thing I need is to bake the harness to this car.

I can think of at least three ways I could have done this faster and easier, but I wanted a truly integrated engine-bay harness, nothing cut-and-spliced, and nothing done that I can't change back 100%, plus copious notes on it and an as-built wiring diagram. Just the way I do it. :pardon:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

Wiring in the bay is finished. I have a few finishing touches to make at the PCM under the dash -like tapping in to the Battery + to send out to the LQ1's ECM under the hood via the EGR wires (that is one system that will NEVER be hooked back up to function in this car). I also have the coolant reservoir done -a Z31 Nissan 300ZX reservoir tucked in behind the grill will do the job nicely for me, and since I have the newer-style radiator with no cap, a Toyota 1NZ-FE coolant pipe (which has a cap fitting built in) is now installed between the engine's upper water outlet and the radiator. I almost built an aluminum expansion-style tank, but the lack of a pressure-cap was starting to P!$$ me off, and I just didn't have the right bits-o-junk here to finish it that way.

The coolant hoses are all silicone -I bought a Honda Civic hose set that matches my intake piping and only needed one of them, cut now into three pieces. In the future, I can replace every radiator hose on the car with one off-the-shelf hose...

Strut-tower bar is also in place, but not bolted-down yet. The ECM wiring harness unfortunately runs over the top of it, a little cozier with the underside of the hood than I would prefer. Nothing a cowl-induction hood wouldn't fix... I have GOT to get out there and snap some pictures this weekend...

Working on the external wastegate now, then I'll get to fab-up the turbo's oil-supply and return lines and cooler. I also still need to finish the five-speed clutch pedal and master-cylinder install. After that is done, I will be tidying-up the loose ends in preparation for the first test-start. I want to hear this thing run before I build the exhaust. That will be the last major step, and I am looking forward to it.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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Finally took enough time today to finish the external waste-gate supply-pipe from the cross-over pipe.
Crossoverex1a.jpg
I really didn't want to chop into the joint of the two banks as they come together and into the turbo as it just seemed like it would effect the exhaust flow, especially from the rear bank. So, I decided to draw individually from each side of the joint.
It turned out pretty clean, but I didn't like having to add the Waste-gate supply pipe to this, it already looked done to me.
It turned out pretty clean, but I didn't like having to add the Waste-gate supply pipe to this, it already looked done to me.
You can see clearly how different the angles of the two banks are, directed into the turbo's inlet.  This matches up with my T-04s offset turbine housing.
You can see clearly how different the angles of the two banks are, directed into the turbo's inlet. This matches up with my T-04s offset turbine housing.
I am really happy with how this turn out. Now if just needs finish cleaning, paint, and thermal wrap. I must say, adding the external waste-gate is a PITA -it is a good thing that I am deleting the coolant pipe running from under the throttle-body (I have no need for a TB heater, thanks) to the coolant outlet by the water-pump. Not only does it clean the engine up by removing pipes running half way around the engine, but it adds over one inch of clearance to the front cylinder head in front of the throttle body, so the waste-gate actuator valve has enough room. Now, running the pipe for the valve's outlet will still be tricky, as the clutch slave cylinder sits right underneath the valve, and my outlet points down towards it...


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
nocutt
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Re: Finally...

Post by nocutt »

impressive...
you are always doing a project, where do you find time? lol


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

nocutt wrote:impressive...
you are always doing a project, where do you find time? lol
Thank you!

As for the time, did I ever mention the Delorean project I had with Ol' Doc Brown? :lol:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

Snapped a quick pic of the exhaust parts and turbo pieces. I had intentions of running two 2.25-inch pipes out of the muffler (single 3-inch in, dual 3-inch out, would use a pair of reducers like the one pictured with the muffler to bring it down. A single 3-inch pipe flows more than two 2-inch pipes, btw, so I was going to go 2.25-inch to keep restriction out of the exhaust) over the axle-beam, then to the rear as semi-duals, but the muffler body is too long to fit in the catalytic converter cavity, so the exhaust will just stay 3-inch single to the rear, with the muffler mounted in the stock location and splitting from there (I waited to buy the smaller tubing because I wasn't sure the Flowmaster would fit). My old '95 Z-26 will be donating its' exhaust-tips (slightly reworked to mirror the stagger originally present), so the car will have four total outlets, with a factoryish look. Not certain what I will put back on the old Z yet -I would like to use a single large rectangle, but I'm not going to put any money into it right now, it runs and drives nice but needs so much work I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet -that is for another thread though.
98% of the necessary parts for the intake and exhaust, including enough aluminum tube for four or five turbo oil-return setups.
98% of the necessary parts for the intake and exhaust, including enough aluminum tube for four or five turbo oil-return setups.
I am overall really happy with how tight the intercooled intake setup is. It all stays inside the bay, nothing running back and forth across the car, nothing in front of the radiator core-support. Clean, short, compact.

Yes, the waste-gate, bypass valve, and silicone intake fittings are all purple, as is the exhaust wrap and even the silicone radiator hoses are purple -hey, the car is Black Rose Metallic, which is really just a super-dark plum color, so it fits. :pardon:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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GT_Indy
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Re: Finally...

Post by GT_Indy »

The intercooler is not in front of the radiator? I am interested to see how you had space for the intercooler in the engine bay.


nocutt
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Re: Finally...

Post by nocutt »

WhiteGTZ wrote:The intercooler is not in front of the radiator? I am interested to see how you had space for the intercooler in the engine bay.
Yeah...definitely interested in the setup as well.


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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WhiteGTZ wrote:The intercooler is not in front of the radiator? I am interested to see how you had space for the intercooler in the engine bay.
Remember where my battery USED TO sit? :D It is a 'snug' fit, but it is a fit.
This pic was from a little earlier in the project, when the engine bay was still a war zone of wires.
This pic was from a little earlier in the project, when the engine bay was still a war zone of wires.
This is a little better pic than I posted on page 1, as this is the actual turbo going into the car, but I was still waiting for most of the silicone elbows and fittings...
This particular Blackstone intercooler has a small footprint, but a very thick core, so still gets a decent Delta-T despite its' size. I'm not going to be running high boost levels, so I'm not too concerned with having a massive intercooler either. The biggest problem of course is feeding cool air to it inside the bay. If you know how I set up the ram-air on my '90 Turbo T Beretta, that will give you a sneak-peek as to my solution here too... :twisted:
It was a bigger issue to fit an air filter in there with this thing and the required MAF. I really didn't want to run a 3.25-inch intake pipe in front of the wheel-well splash-guard and up in front of the radiator (or under the headlight) just to place an air filter or air-box in a semi-accessible location, and I wasn't going to put an air-filter directly in front of the splash-guard where it can't be serviced without removing the wheel. I wanted this all in one place with as short an intake run as possible into the turbo.

Come to think of it, this is the second time I've put an intercooler under the hood of a Beretta -back when my '90 'Retta still had the LG5 and its' original T-25, I relocated the battery behind the engine nestled into a customized heater-duct plenum, and stuffed the intercooler in that spot. But the air filter was a tiny K&N cone clamped straight into the front of the turbo, no MAF, no external waste-gate, no BOV or bypass valve, and the biggest pipe was about 2-inches in diameter. That thing spooled at 1800 RPM, and was an absolute kick-in-the-pants fun to drive though. The FMIC it has now is definitely a better way to go for that particular car, but yes, it has intake piping running back and forth across the front of the car.

So yes, not only can this 3.4 DOHC fit in the Beretta bay, but it fits with a T-04 turbo, an intercooler, ALL of the intake ductwork and air filter, the ECM, original cooling fan, retains all of the ABS system, AND still keeps the battery under the hood! :D Lets just not talk about Air Conditioning... :oops:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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GT_Indy
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Re: Finally...

Post by GT_Indy »

Thats pretty cool how you mounted it. I'm interested to know how well it will work based on engine bay temps, do you plan to vent the hood in some way for air flow?
I've been debating on doing a 3400 swap or a cheap turbo on my 3.1 sunbird, seeing your car makes me want to turbo my 3.1 sunbird. lol


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

WhiteGTZ wrote:Thats pretty cool how you mounted it. I'm interested to know how well it will work based on engine bay temps, do you plan to vent the hood in some way for air flow?
I've been debating on doing a 3400 swap or a cheap turbo on my 3.1 sunbird, seeing your car makes me want to turbo my 3.1 sunbird. lol
DO IT! Forced induction = fun. :Bravo:

Essentially, there will be a divider between the intake/intercooler and the turbo/engine-bay to keep heat away from the Intercooler.

The Intercooler will be cooled by air supplied from the high-pressure air in front of the radiator which also passes into the fender area in front of the splash-guard then up through an OE hole about 3.5 inches in diameter, about where the battery originally sat. It will also get fresh air from a 280Z Turbo NACA-style hood-scoop (like the one in my '90 'Retta's hood). That hood-scoop will also provide the exit for the heated air that will naturally rise from the Intercooler. A little foamy weather-stripping should help control the airflow well enough to let the Intercooler do its' job. All this nice, fresh, high-pressure air will also feed the intake air-filter, yielding maybe another 1/4 HP at 287 MPH... :roll: Okay, so ram-air effect does actually make a little difference, probably not much in this case though.

The hood on this car looks nearly perfect though, so I won't be chopping a hole in it. Instead, my old Z-26 (also Black Rose Metallic) had gotten a replacement hood from a '96 Base, then last year before I was able to get the car back home, a major hail-storm dented it up a bit. I will still try to make it look good, but I don't feel quite as guilty cutting a hole in that hood. The 280Z scoop is beautiful, and fits our hoods' contours nicely. I may even install the non-scoop vent from the other side of the 280Z's hood on this car, despite the fact that it will be just for show.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

Spent a little time on the Z today. Most of it was wasted playing with the shifter and various cables. I had already run the two cables a while ago, but when trying to install the shifter assy today, I discovered that one of my cables has the same large, deep-V groove as used on the transmission on both ends... Not even sure now what this came out of -thinking maybe a Fiero cable got mixed in with my others, but I thought they were much longer... Then, I had issues finding another select cable with the shorter shifter-side end, but third time is the charm, right? :roll: Well, they are finally both in.

The shifter is from a '92-'94 Grand Am, and is a little different from the L-Body shifter. The Berettas have multiple mounting points, and if the clips are installed in the right slots, the GA shifter bolts right in, but sits ~1.5 inches too far back. So, I had to drill two new holes to position it correctly. The GA shifter does have some advantages though. It uses a heavier-duty round handle for a screw-on knob instead of the flimsy stamped-steel stick, and it has a rubber bushing mounting setup that will help isolate the shifter from vibration. But the GA center console also sits higher, so I had to cut down the front strap, I will likely weld a small plate to it to keep the console bolted down securely. It is definitely a challenge completing three mods/swaps/upgrades all at the same time...

Next is making a few heat-shields, then final install of the crossover pipe and turbo.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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