I would like to know what all is needed to piece together my own kit. I'm going to do a single turbo set up, because I think it will be easier and more cost effective. I was reading up on the kits and it looks like turbonetics is the only one who is making a single turbo set up, and they say that they retain the stock exhaust mani. How does that work? I'm a noob when it comes to 350s. If I'm correct, these are the only parts I'll need to do the turbo.

Turbo (and mani?)
Oil feed line
Oil return line
Oil pan welded for oil return
Downpipe
650cc injectors (wanting around the 400whp range)
BOV
Wastegate (I already have the raptor BOV, and the evolution wastegate, but I might use a TIAL this time around)
Intercooler
I.C piping
Fuel management (UTEC?)

I'm fairly confident that I can pick this stuff up for way less than 3k, as long as The price for the manifolds if it turns out I actually need one aren't 1000- 1500, and I buy some pieces used. Also, I'm not sure if the turbonetics set up used any crossover pipes, I assumed they did, but I guess I may need that aswell. Any insight or advice from those who have put a kit together instead of just buying one? Where would be a good place to scout the stuff I'm looking for out. I didn't see a classifieds on here.

 

Get with Turran, I sure he will be more than happy to hook you up!

 

Taurren**

 

Miaplaya

 

APS also makes a single turbo kit.

 

Oh, I didn't know APS made one, and I'm not really familiar with them. Turbonetics lied!!! Thanks, I'll look up Taurren on here. If anyone else has any info I'd love to hear about it and how they did it. I'd also really like to know how Turbonetics retains the stock exhaust manifolds.

 

both aps and tn retain stock manifolds. they use crossover piping off the manifolds and route that to the single turbo. Now if you want to step up to a twin setup, that basically requires new manifolds as a turbo hangs off each bank.

I wish you luck with a custom built setup, but personally think it is a waste of effort and $.

 

Why would it be a waste of money? Granted, I am still learning about the Z, but I know hondas pretty well, and I know a nissan is not a honda, but turboing would be reletivley similiar I would think, and there are lots of guys I know running custom setups on their hondas which ran them substantially less than kits. I guess I got to look under the car to check out how a turbo would connect to the manis, and where the cross over pipe would go.

 

yay for first post! haha, the tn crossover pipe is $262 for tn directly. I am in the process of doing the exact same thing as you. Since my car is going to sit over winter, i am going to do the install then. People will say its a waste, but if you know what you are doing, you will end up with a better 'kit' than what you can get on the market for a lot less. I feel a lot safer with utec than i do a flash, plus you can use it when you build your block (if you do, but i plan to be boosted a year at around 400whp, and then build it and get around 650-700) What are the specs on the turbo you are going with?

 

Not to be a d!ck but all of your questions have been answered over and over again on this site if you search for them. As for how it retains the stock manifolds look here:
http://www.turboneticsownersclub.com/viewtopic.php?t=2

 

Technically, the STS kit is a single turbo kit also. Its just rear mounted.

I dont see anything wrong with piecing together a kit if you're willing to put in the effort. It might end up costing you as much or more then a prefabbed kit though.

 

oh yeah, I came from an integra - no one seems to buy kits for those, and i come over here and thats all i hear - but there is still a ton of usefull info on here - i guess thats why i havent had to post anything, i can search for almost everything i need! what were your numbers on your honda?

 

Just by your questions and statements you are not well informed enough to even know how they would retain the use of the stock manifolds. You could have looked up the install instructions on both the APS and TN setups to get a feel how two different manufacturers put together their single turbo setups. This is a V6 motor, not an I4 and thus different. There is much less room for fitment, making a custom setup much more difficult. this isn't just finding a single manifold and then bolting up a turbo like it is on a honda. You have to route two exhaust banks into one. Then find a suitable mounting point for the turbo. Then reroute the exhaust off that turbo into a location that is not OEM friendly, basically meaning you will need a custom exhaust. On top of all that, you need to properly match the turbo to the motor, setup up a proper method to control boost, route all the IC piping in cramped spaces, and on an on



Basically it is a waste of effort and $ because there are viable single and twin turbo conversions that are proven. Why risk your motor in an attempt to save a nonexistant amount of money? I say nonexistant because after you attempt this, and most likely end up with numerous issues, you will be paying to have those issues resolved and end up spending more money than you would have if you would have just bought a proper setup from the get-go

 

I can't believe I agree with Zivman on something. Someone check the weather report for hell... oh yeah... +1

 

308 whp 280 wtq on a b18b. I had a b16vtec head but decided against using it.

It was fun to drive. Since reading this thread, I think I may leave my Z stock.
It seems like it's to difficult to piece together the kit because of fitment issues, which I could deffinatly see, and I don't want to pay 6-10k for a kit and install for only 400whp. I think I'll hold on to this for a year since I just bought it then trade it for an STI. Hopefully the 08 models will have drove prices down on the 05's and 6's.

 

No

 

<<< How to spell my screen name. heh...


Yeah, you forgot the hardest part of building a kit - the exhaust side piping. you could do it from scratch, it would just take a lot of adjusting, cutting ,and welding. You have a V motor, so for a single turbo you must make a crossover pipe of sorts to merge the exhaust streams, and an up pipe to the turbo. Depending on if you want to recirc the wastegate dump, you might have to worry about that as well.

 

Alright, now i'm mad.

ARE YOU GUYS REALLY A BUNCH OF PUSS*ES OR WHAT?!!!!!!

I'm thinking about getting a 350z in about 6mo. Found this site. Obviously the first thing i research into is a turbo kit cause the Z realistically is not that fast(i come from a turbo 240sx) stock.

Researched the TN single kit and the APS single kit (i just don't like twin for some reason and $$$). Then i start reading more about this forum and its participants and i realize, most on here don't really have a clue about basic engine theory or even more broader, basic engineering theory.

Anyway piecing together a turbo kit is a piece of cake on almost any car. Come on people, its basically just a bunch of pipes! You talk about clearance being tight blah blah... yo just measure! WTF is that hard?

You guys also mention not being able to come out of a custom kit better off financially or better in general. Are you kidding me? I can probably piece together(which i am going to do by the way) a kit for around 3g +or - and be capable of up to 500-600hp with tuneablility and reliability.

On my 240, i custom made intercooler pipes (Al), custom made up/DP and bam thats it everything else you just buy and put where you want. **** i even made my own BOV flange out of aluminum on a lathe out of a billet piece of stock. Obviously i planned it out to a T so i wouldn't have any hiccus and you know what after 10k miles or so my engine/turbo is still going strong with not one problem since. My custom kit is capable of 450rwhp only thing limiting me is injector size(didn't want a hugh injector) and engine. This "kit" would probably sell for 5g's from an aftermarket company. I made it for way less.

The TN kit i think comes with too small of an injector size, which hampers upgrading the boost. And the TN kits intercooler pipes SUCK ***** compared to the APS kit's. Booth kits comes with some type of generic turbo tune, which you can't tune yourself. All these things you can improve on with some research, time and effort because that is what you are mainly paying for.

ps - I would also have to agree that the person who started this thread didn't research enough.


Now that i called yall puss*es, please don't be mad LOL, its just that i see more and more people get into the aftermarket performance section of this industry and have no idea of HOW or WHAT the hell they are doing. And the best way to learn is doing yourself. Thanks and i'mma get of my box now and hide in the corner.

 

Your right, I haven't done a load of research, but I'm doing it now. I've been reading the turbonetics manual and such, but hell, I've had the Z less than a week. I'm just trying to figure out which way I'm going to go.

 

Well since you are CLEARLY far more knowledgeable than Turbonetics or APS and are obviously better at turbocharger system design than several degreed engineers in the industry for 20 years or more (according to you anyways) have at it. Build your own kick @ss kit that out performs them all. BTW not everyone has access to a lathe, mill, mandrel bender, or many of the other things you need to build one on your own. If you do and want to do it, have at it no one cares. For all of the people who ask about building a custom kit or "piecing" one together 99% of the people don't have the skill, access to equipment, or experience to do it. For those people the best and most cost effective option is to buy a kit from a manufacturer. If you are in that 1% of people who have the skill and access to tooling required then go for it. NO ONE here gives a ****. Before you start calling people pussies though you may want to consider that just because you buy a kit from a company doesn't make you unaware of engineering principles or basic theories of engines. Some people just may prefer to leave the work to someone else and buy a finished product with a warranty. And for the record there are several degreed Mechanical Engineers on this forum who **** more knowledge about design and engineering principles this morning than you have accumulated in your shoebox of car intelligence. Way to make a first impression. I can tell you will be well liked here.