Finally...

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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

More progress. Very slow going for me though... I could have built two or three 3800 swap Berettas by now, it seems. :(
My LQ1 is super-clean inside.  Not enough miles on it yet to worry about carbon build-up, and zero sludge.
My LQ1 is super-clean inside. Not enough miles on it yet to worry about carbon build-up, and zero sludge.
I completed the oil-pan install, turbocharger's oil return line, and 95% of the oil supply line -I still need to get a Tee fitting to feed the OPSU and the supply line, and attach the bracket to mount the oil-cooler to. I ultimately reused the car's original transmission cooler-lines to supply oil to the cooler then on to the turbo -I already know they handle high temperature petroleum under pressure, and I only had to rework the ends a little. The cooler itself was pulled from a Chevy truck IIRC, with the quick-connect fittings swapped out for inverse flare.
This is how the bay looks right now.
This is how the bay looks right now.
I plan on using stainless steel straps to hold the silicone intake fittings to the intercooler, with the T-Band clamps attaching the assembly to the throttle-body and the turbo. Should be very secure, clean, and compact. I still have to fab-up a bypass pipe from the valve to the intake pipe between the MAF and the turbo inlet, but I have a few of these silicone hose pieces from the Civic hose kit I bought. The color of the silicone couplers look very different in the picture, and there has been some UV fading from the parts sitting in the car, but it is all the same color except for the intake pipe from the turbo to the intercooler, which is unfortunately a shade off. I also have to make the dump-pipe from the wastegate, and build the exhaust system. Additionally, I need to install the clutch pedal assembly, but the hole for the master cylinder has already been cut.
5-Speed Z-26!  Almost...
5-Speed Z-26! Almost...
Still a long way to go, but it is getting close to the first test-start... :twisted:
I am looking at using these braces to help support the upper tie-bar.  We all know it needs something...
I am looking at using these braces to help support the upper tie-bar. We all know it needs something...


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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themixer
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Re: Finally...

Post by themixer »

wow this is super neat


nocutt
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Re: Finally...

Post by nocutt »

DANG!! fast indeed...
I know you talked about it, in terms of ducting air over the Intercooler...are you doing a Z34 cutout or run cool air from the bottom. Its super duper tight in there as it appears...


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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nocutt wrote:DANG!! fast indeed...
I know you talked about it, in terms of ducting air over the Intercooler...are you doing a Z34 cutout or run cool air from the bottom. Its super duper tight in there as it appears...
280ZX Turbo hood-scoop, just like the one on my '90 Turbo 'Retta. A NACA-style inlet in the front (these have virtually no drag, yet allow air in and since the path widens, air slows down and increases pressure -perfect for both heat transfer and ram-air induction) will pull fresh air in, just in front on the intercooler. This will feed ram-air to the intake air filter, and push pressurized air under the intercooler. More air will be supplied to the same area from the 3.5" hole that sat under the original battery tray, that air comes from the high-pressure area in front of the radiator that then goes in front of the splash-guard. This high-pressure air under the intercooler will be happy to rise up through it and extract through the back half of the 280ZX hood-scoop, which is a large vented grill. If I am not happy with the amount of air-flow through the IC, I could attach a small air-dam in front of the grill to create an even lower-pressure area, but I don't want to if I don't have to. So, the air will actually rise up through the IC to escape to ambient.


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
bonecrrusher
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Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Finally...

Post by bonecrrusher »

Holy F - I'm not sure how I missed this.

3.4 TDC in a Beretta - man you are nuts.

Talk about stuffing 10 lbs of stuff in a 5 lb bag!

Looks awesome so far - great progress!


2005 Chevrolet Corvette Z51
2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD
2014 Chevy SS
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

Car is officially a five-speed Z-26! Yay! My Master Cylinder looks like it is leaking. Boo! It may just be caused by an air-bubble that got in there from sitting, I don't know. I will give it a chance to heal itself (yeah, right) after bleeding the system out. So far as Master Cylinders go, has anyone figured out what the differences are between the early '88 design (like mine) and late '88-92 design? On the slaves, the difference is obvious, but the masters have the same bore and stroke, and I can't see any difference in the housing, unless the new ones have more of an angle tilting them downward?

I have also ordered a set of #3 AN adapters for the Slave and Master cylinders, but rather than going with the steel braided clutch line, I will be fabricating my own (shocker) out of rigid steel brake line and new AN tube-nuts -absolutely nothing to dry-rot out other than the X-rings in the fittings and of course the packings in the cylinders themselves. In all, I should have my new all-metal clutch line in for less than $30, not including the 37-degree AN flaring tool I had to buy for this to fab the line, which I am sure I'll use elsewhere too. The turbo practically rests on the original plastic hydraulic line. On my '90 Turbo 'Retta, I had soldered copper tubing onto the OE clutch line fittings to reroute away from the T-04's heat and get rid of the plastic -meant as a temporary solution, it has been 100% for me for several years now, so I am not in any hurry to replace that setup, but nor do I want to duplicate it.

I am really concerned about the turbo's heat so close to the ABS components on the brake master cylinder, so I will also be looking at turbo blankets. My '90 'Retta did have a lot of temperature-control issues under the hood, but more associated with the headers than the turbo. In fact, the original T-25 gave me more heat-related headaches than the much larger T-04 did.


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
bonecrrusher
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Re: Finally...

Post by bonecrrusher »

Can you put on a turbo blanket?

Also maybe ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds and the turbine housing.

I put a ZR1 hood with a Vent on my Vette - you can see the heat escaping through the top with my TVS2300 on top.


2005 Chevrolet Corvette Z51
2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD
2014 Chevy SS
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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

bonecrrusher wrote:Can you put on a turbo blanket?
Also maybe ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds and the turbine housing.
I put a ZR1 hood with a Vent on my Vette - you can see the heat escaping through the top with my TVS2300 on top.
Well, I don't think I can find a turbo blanket that fits me personally. :D But yes, I can fit one in the car...
I bought an adequate quantity of thermal-wrap, so the crossover pipe and downpipe will be sufficiently insulated. The stock manifolds are shielded pretty well too. How much difference does ceramic-coating really make? I know it insulates a bit, but I think I need more in the tight area by the brake master cylinder. I ended up heat-shielding the sensitive components, like shift-cable ends and the CTS on my '90 Turbo, and am working on similar shielding for this car...
The hood-scoop/vent on my '90 Turbo 'Retta also vents heat out visibly, but I don't have a divider between the bay and the intake/ECM area under the vent anymore (I want to form one that will funnel heat from the turbo over and up to the vent). One of our Toyotas has a carbon-fiber vented hood (modeled after the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo vented hood), and you can see the heat distortion rising out of it very clearly -I agree, vented hoods work, period.


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 »

Rettax3 wrote:
bonecrrusher wrote:Can you put on a turbo blanket?
Also maybe ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds and the turbine housing.
I put a ZR1 hood with a Vent on my Vette - you can see the heat escaping through the top with my TVS2300 on top.
Well, I don't think I can find a turbo blanket that fits me personally. :D But yes, I can fit one in the car...
I bought an adequate quantity of thermal-wrap, so the crossover pipe and downpipe will be sufficiently insulated. The stock manifolds are shielded pretty well too. How much difference does ceramic-coating really make? I know it insulates a bit, but I think I need more in the tight area by the brake master cylinder. I ended up heat-shielding the sensitive components, like shift-cable ends and the CTS on my '90 Turbo, and am working on similar shielding for this car...
The hood-scoop/vent on my '90 Turbo 'Retta also vents heat out visibly, but I don't have a divider between the bay and the intake/ECM area under the vent anymore (I want to form one that will funnel heat from the turbo over and up to the vent). One of our Toyotas has a carbon-fiber vented hood (modeled after the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo vented hood), and you can see the heat distortion rising out of it very clearly -I agree, vented hoods work, period.
If the hood scoop vents towards the windshield that would make a great defrost for the winter. lol


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

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GT_Indy wrote:If the hood scoop vents towards the windshield that would make a great defrost for the winter. lol
:lol:
Good!

Of course, if it vents out away from the windshield, it would only work well in reverse... :P

I received the last of the required -3 AN fittings and clutch adapters today. Maybe this weekend I'll get the clutch's hard-line built and installed. I also somehow screwed up the order for the last exhaust-pipe U-bend I need to run from the muffler outlet to the passenger's side exhaust-tip, and was supposed to get a 2.25" mandrel-bent pipe, instead I ordered a 1.25" mandrel-bent pipe with a 2.25" radius, but they screwed up too and sent me a 1.5" pipe with a 2" radius (a more expensive pipe). Not what I wanted, not what I will need, BUT I will need it for the waste-gate dump-pipe, so it is all good (except that I still need the 2.25" bend!).


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 »

Rettax3 wrote:
GT_Indy wrote:If the hood scoop vents towards the windshield that would make a great defrost for the winter. lol
:lol:
Good!

Of course, if it vents out away from the windshield, it would only work well in reverse... :P

I received the last of the required -3 AN fittings and clutch adapters today. Maybe this weekend I'll get the clutch's hard-line built and installed. I also somehow screwed up the order for the last exhaust-pipe U-bend I need to run from the muffler outlet to the passenger's side exhaust-tip, and was supposed to get a 2.25" mandrel-bent pipe, instead I ordered a 1.25" mandrel-bent pipe with a 2.25" radius, but they screwed up too and sent me a 1.5" pipe with a 2" radius (a more expensive pipe). Not what I wanted, not what I will need, BUT I will need it for the waste-gate dump-pipe, so it is all good (except that I still need the 2.25" bend!).
Hope it all works out. Will be nice to see video of this car when its all done!


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Rettax3
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Re: Finally...

Post by Rettax3 »

GT_Indy wrote:Hope it all works out. Will be nice to see video of this car when its all done!
Video? Isn't that kind of like a picture with a moving radio?? No wait, that's not right...


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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Slow work on the LQ1 this week -a lot of other work going on. I got the wrong U-bend pipe -I was trying to get a 2.25-inch pipe for the passenger-side tail-pipe from the muffler to the tips, but was sent a super-tight radius 1.5 inch pipe instead -okay, I'll use it then! So, I have it rough-cut for the waste-gate dump-pipe, and it is tight enough that I can run it under the turbo and still meet up to the 3-inch downpipe without interfering with the transmission shifter linkage.
Honda Civic vs Turbo LQ1 -not good for a down-pipe, but 1.5 inch is perfect for the dump-pipe.
Honda Civic vs Turbo LQ1 -not good for a down-pipe, but 1.5 inch is perfect for the dump-pipe.
I have also been having some difficulty matching up my T-04's outlet with the right size flange for the downpipe -partly because I haven't tried very hard, partly because I don't want to spend very much, partly because my old setup with this turbo used a 2.5-inch downpipe. So, reduce (not the exhaust size though), reuse, and recycle!
Not used for stopping anymore, this brake rotor at least helped keep me going today.
Not used for stopping anymore, this brake rotor at least helped keep me going today.


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 »

Oil-supply line to the turbo is finished, I finally got around to picking up a Tee fitting to retain the OPSU. Finished some minor clean-up details, like shimming the alternator pulley farter out to align it with the other pulleys, tightened some bolts, installed a fresh Bosch oil filter, etc.

So, here is my list of still-to-do (and I am sure I am missing some things):
-Install the OE cooling fan.
-Install Turbo Oil-Cooler mounting bracket.
-Fab bracket for coolant reservoir -I am pretty sure I have another 300ZX reservoir that is in better shape.
-Install hose-clamps on upper hoses and filler-cap housing, replace coolant cap and pressure-test system.
-Top off oil, fill coolant.
-Fill transaxle, GM12345Whatever -Synchromesh.
-Complete exhaust downpipe (with O2 Sensor bung), flex-joint, and waste-gate dump-pipe fabrication. Wrap pipe with the header-wrap.
-Complete exhaust and muffler installation. Remove and modify tips from the old Z-26, buy 2.25-inch U-bend pipe for the right-side exhaust.
-Remove OE clutch hydraulic-line, install AN adapters. Cut, bend, and flare steel line, bleed clutch hydraulics (and probably replace master-cylinder).
-Finish fabricating engine-bay divider (stainless).
-Install AFPR, fab high-pressure fuel hoses. (I MIGHT try running this engine without the Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator -in actuality, the OE regulator does increase pressure with increased manifold pressure, and since my ECM is strictly regulating fuel by MAF and O2 -sensor feedback, I might be just as well off leaving it alone until I can tune the ECM).
-Install intake cone-filter, band-clamp intake pipes.
-Fabricate and install intake bypass-valve return-charge pipe.
-Fabricate and install Cruise Control Module mount where EGR valve used to go, decide if I want another light-duty brace attaching intake manifold to strut-tower brace.
-Finish 3100 right lower (originally dog-bone brace) mount bracket.
-Drill holes to mount radiator upper-core support bracket braces and install same, repaint engine mounts and braces as needed, bolt-down strut brace.
-Complete installation of heat-shield sleeve for shift-cables (currently waiting for exhaust down-pipe completion).
-Install vacuum-lines, charcoal canister, wheel-well splash-guards.
-Install new brake caliper bushings (the right caliper had NO BUSHINGS in it when I got the car).
-Install front wheels, spindle nuts, etc.
-Install battery and negative cable. Fabricate a hold-down for the battery.
-Replace Power Steering pump (my LQ1's original pump has been contaminated with dirt, it is easier to just swap the Z-26's pump back in for now) and attach lines.
-Install Turbo Boost Gauge, wire in the LED backlight.

Round Two will include things like; install a piggy-backed Z51 Rear Sway-Bar, place "Turbo" and "24 Valve" emblems on the car, replace the shift-boot with a suede one like my other Berettas get, buy and install a new shift-knob, replace the OE stereo with a Pioneer double-DIN deck I have for it, swap instrument clusters with my old Z-26 (silver-faced Electro-Luminescent gauges with custom-colored purple needles and stainless-steel bezel) and install purple LED bulbs, install connector for 'low coolant' sensor in reservoir, and I might install some HID conversion bulbs I've been holding onto.

Lots to do still.


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 »

Down-pipe and dump-pipe assembly is finished. I have some hesitations about this not having a flex-joint of any kind in the dump-pipe, but I'm hoping the 1.5-inch pipe itself has enough flexibility not to bugger things up. I'm also not crazy about the fact that the turbocharger needs to be removed to get the dump-pipe out from under to remove the down-pipe assembly, but this is a compromise for ditching another joint in the assembly that could eventually leak, and still keep everything tucked-in tight, with as little extraneous piping as possible.
Using a new-type welding wire.  Not sure I like it as much as the old stuff I've used for years, I'm learning a few tricks with it though.  VHT will hopefully keep it protected, and I'll wrap it later to control the heat.
Using a new-type welding wire. Not sure I like it as much as the old stuff I've used for years, I'm learning a few tricks with it though. VHT will hopefully keep it protected, and I'll wrap it later to control the heat.
I've got it routed well away (relatively) from the ABS and master-cylinder, I think it will be fine with just the header-wrap. Still might need a turbo blanket though... I'll likely also insulate the bottom of the ABS unit, so long as it can still dissipate its' own heat.


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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