and another thing.. am i stupid for wanting to run this on a stock engine?
i see people with head girdles, h beams, metal gaskets, all sorts of fun parts.. im still stock.. is this an issue i should worry about?
basically, if you guys suggest a rebuild of the engine, then im gonna use my 1.6TD that i have, and not the vanagon engine im running now.. im going to be going with head studs and a metal head gasket tho.. i figure thats the LEAST i could do. i think i want to blow the fiber gasket tho, just to see what they are good for, because im honestly partial to fiber gaskets, because they have more GIVE to them, they are almost elastic in a way.. im thinking that this turbo SHOULD be fine on head gaskets tho. because drive pressure blows head gaskets, not boost pressure. being that this is a VNT, and it has a very free flowing exhaust housing, then drive pressure really shouldnt be much of an issue. i will still be monitoring drive pressure in the initial tuning stage tho.. im really not ASKING to have problems..
i know its not a good idea to run without piston cooler jets, but it shouldnt be AS BAD, being that i have a VNT..
im expecting to have lots of cool efficient boost on tap at all times.. last time i drove it was without an intercooler, and it really didnt FEEL like it even needed one. felt like it was still maintaining efficiency.. intake manifold was NOT frying hot either, witch was good. all my other turbos made the intake cookin hot after 20psi..
and being that this is a ram-horn style manifold, it comes up fairly high behind the stock intake manifold. im wondering how much heat soak i am getting from the manifolds being in such close proximity? the stock manifolds usually come straight off the head, and point towards the firewall. well, this one i got, comes out and the runners goes UP towards the hood, then head back down towards the ground, and finally, connect up to the collector of the manifold. the exhaust manifold kinda HUGS the intake manifold, basically the whole manifold. should i worry about getting the exhaust manifold coated, wrapping it, or building some type of aluminum heat shield?
coming up with a downpipe is going to be very easy tho. all im going to have to do is build/buy a turbo flange, and then one single 90* elbow will be sufficient to get the exhaust out of the engine bay. having a low mounted turbo really makes downpipe fab a cake walk..
with a high mounted turbo, you have ALOT more bends in the downpipe, just to clear everything. with a VNT, they are down soo low that you dont have to clear near as much hardware..
think it would be worth it to build a short downpipe with a v-band connection on the end, so i can disconnect it easily from the exhaust system? i was just thinking about coming out of the turbo, going about 4", and welding on a V-band connection. so basically just a short elbow that bolts onto the outlet side of the turbo, with a V-band connection.. all of it will be 2.5" also.. i dont see the need for 3" pipe, besides, its pretty hard to get 3" under a mk2 car.
i really want your opinions guys.. they DO mean alot to me. i kinda almost feel like im out here alone in no-mans land. theres NO INFO about installing a turbo like this in a mk2, or on a TD.. just nothing out there about this swap..
i should be taking more pictures of this swap!!