My turbo 5.3 and 4l80e wagon build
- Thread starter 79longroof
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I was the same as Scott, Caleb. Knew very little. I've gotten alot of my turbo LS info from the Sloppy Mechanics Public Page on fb and the Sloppy Mechanics Wiki page. Matt Happel aka "The Denmah" (who started it all) has made a name for himself boosting stock LS engines with China turbos and making ridiculous power. And he shares nearly all of his tunes and information to help others build budget friendly boosted LS swaps. Join the group and search the group for pretty much any topic you can think of and I can almost guarantee it's been discussed on there before. Be aware, some people on there can post some really dumb stuff. The good info is there, just need to weed through it.
As for LS swap info in G-bodies, I just Google searched LS swap g body and picked through forum threads on here and various other sites to get the info I needed. If there was something I couldn't find info on, I would post a question!
And feel free to ask questions here too. I'm still new to this but have learned alot and would be more than happy to help in any way I can!
Be careful with this guy...He though the R on the steering column meant RACE!!!
That's a sweet ride! I have the 68mm GT45 in my car. It's tough/reliable but pretty lazy. How much did that rear end cost? It's a nice piece! Are you going to run a stall converter or try the stocker? Rear gears? Welcome aboard, sorry for all the questions!!
So jealous of you guys in non-smog-Nazi states. My options are severely limited out here, and expensive. Most likely doing a LS3 or LT1 E-Rod. I know...BORING!! But it's pre-approved by the clean air bureaucrats, and I'd rather just get it done and not have to mess around with going back & forth to the ref station for fixes and approvals. Looks like you're off to a running start. BTW, maybe it's just the camera angle, but that turbo looks HUGE! Are you sure it's the right size for what you want to do?
Yeah I think I accidently said it was a 78 mm. Oops. Lol
The rear was about $2200 with shipping. I had drain and fill plugs and jack pad added which added a little cost, as well as the brake line and fitting kit for the discs. But that price included 31 spline axles and third member with gearing of my choice (3.89), gear tooth pattern checked and all.
Sure, I could have bought a junk yard piece and welded the right pieces on. But I have virtually no fabrication skills and don't really know anyone who does anything like that. I wanted that part of my build to be as painless as possible.
I considered running the stock converter but don't want the car to be a dog out of the hole. So I will be buying Circle D's $550 budget stall for 4l80s. Haven't quite decided what stall speed I want just yet though. But I hear nothing but good things about those converters/company and for the price, I think it's a good deal.
The GT45 is a physically huge turbo. But it's only 68mm. From what I gather, it usually doesn't have an issue achieving 10-15 psi, which is the most I plan on running with my weaker Gen 3 rods. I eventually would like to get ahold of a Gen 4 5.3 or LQ4 and put a little more to it, but that's further down the road lol.
Its physically big, yes. My avatar is my average sized hand on my GT45. It will make way past 15psi, like 40+ but will turn all the innards to vapor at those levels because its WAY past its efficiency threshold and is basically a flame thrower. The GT45 is actually a little small on the compressor side at 68mm but makes up for it with a 77mm turbine which lets these engines breathe. They are supposedly good for 600ish whp which im really close to. Have you ever played with turbocharged gas engines?
No I have not. This is a first for me for alot of things. New to the world of LS and turbos. But I spend pretty much all my free time doing research and learning so that my first go at it won't be a disaster! Lol
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