GTM turbo kit feedback thread
07-30-2009, 11:25 PM
#21
It seems like I'm the only one who had problems with it but I guess I'll just let the cat out of the bag.
I ordered my GTM Stage 5 kit around 4-12-2009 and I was told it would be 2-3 Weeks before it shipped, I was very patient because I know there was a large amount of orders for the kit. The kit finally showed up about 6-7 weeks later and everything looked A-OK until I started bolting the turbos to the manifolds.
One turbo had a t-25 flange and the other turbo had a T-3 flange on it... WTF? So I called Sam and let him know about the mistake and he sent me another housing in ~ a week, but the crappy thing was I had to ship the old housing back at my expense. $13 wasn't really worth the hassle of trying to get the credit back so I just forgot about it.
I immediately started putting the kit on the car and noticed that on one turbo the gasket didnt match up with the 5 bolt housing on the passenger side turbo. Not only did this make me have to modify the gasket with a dremel, I also had to modify the downpipe flange to bolt up to the turbo. I got the downpipe bolted up and tried to put the 4 bolt wastegate pipe on the manifold only to find out that it wouldnt bolt up flush to the manifold surface because the pipe was hitting the downpipe. I ended up having to take a hammer to the wastegate pipe and flattening one side to get it to fit right.
I had all sorts of fitment issues that I know were not my fault, the intercooler brackets didnt line up with the holes on the intercooler, so now I have 5 bolts holding the intercooler on instead of 6. The front bumper wont fit on because the pass side intake pipe sticks out too far (I looked at another GTM G35 Coupe build and the pipe looks to be modified to go into the center of the car where as mine does not) and the driver side intake has nothing to support it so I have to cut the bracket off and weld a new one on.
One other small issue was the fact I was missing 2 T-Bolt clamps as well.
So here I am almost 4 months after I ordered the kit, still without a working car, still with no turbos (thats another story). I am done with this car after I get it tuned, the whole experience has basically ruined my passion for cars and I have no interest in modifying my G any more after this. And it only makes it worse that Stylin Z just made ~600 whp with my old kit :P
I ordered my GTM Stage 5 kit around 4-12-2009 and I was told it would be 2-3 Weeks before it shipped, I was very patient because I know there was a large amount of orders for the kit. The kit finally showed up about 6-7 weeks later and everything looked A-OK until I started bolting the turbos to the manifolds.
One turbo had a t-25 flange and the other turbo had a T-3 flange on it... WTF? So I called Sam and let him know about the mistake and he sent me another housing in ~ a week, but the crappy thing was I had to ship the old housing back at my expense. $13 wasn't really worth the hassle of trying to get the credit back so I just forgot about it.
I immediately started putting the kit on the car and noticed that on one turbo the gasket didnt match up with the 5 bolt housing on the passenger side turbo. Not only did this make me have to modify the gasket with a dremel, I also had to modify the downpipe flange to bolt up to the turbo. I got the downpipe bolted up and tried to put the 4 bolt wastegate pipe on the manifold only to find out that it wouldnt bolt up flush to the manifold surface because the pipe was hitting the downpipe. I ended up having to take a hammer to the wastegate pipe and flattening one side to get it to fit right.
I had all sorts of fitment issues that I know were not my fault, the intercooler brackets didnt line up with the holes on the intercooler, so now I have 5 bolts holding the intercooler on instead of 6. The front bumper wont fit on because the pass side intake pipe sticks out too far (I looked at another GTM G35 Coupe build and the pipe looks to be modified to go into the center of the car where as mine does not) and the driver side intake has nothing to support it so I have to cut the bracket off and weld a new one on.
One other small issue was the fact I was missing 2 T-Bolt clamps as well.
So here I am almost 4 months after I ordered the kit, still without a working car, still with no turbos (thats another story). I am done with this car after I get it tuned, the whole experience has basically ruined my passion for cars and I have no interest in modifying my G any more after this. And it only makes it worse that Stylin Z just made ~600 whp with my old kit :P
For me I ordered my kit and OS clutch 5 months ago and got the kit shipped 3 months later to find out its missing the thewastegate pipes and reroute pipes,then Sam sent me the clutch and thewastegate pipes a month after that and told me the reroute pipes needed to be redone and will ship it to me later, and since I bought the turn key kit I sent Sam my ROM FILE to get me a tune (MY CAR IS A NONE US CAR) as soon as i got the kit witch is two months ago and finally Sam called me yesterday and told me the tune should be finished in a couple of days. yaaay
The kit is one of the best kits I ever seen in term of quality.
I will try to update this thread as I start installing the kit after I get the tune (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) and I shall see how hard is it to install and review the fitment and what ever I face then. stay tuned
07-31-2009, 06:12 AM
#22
For me I ordered my kit and OS clutch 5 months ago and got the kit shipped 3 months later to find out its missing the thewastegate pipes and reroute pipes,then Sam sent me the clutch and thewastegate pipes a month after that and told me the reroute pipes needed to be redone and will ship it to me later, and since I bought the turn key kit I sent Sam my ROM FILE to get me a tune (MY CAR IS A NONE US CAR) as soon as i got the kit witch is two months ago and finally Sam called me yesterday and told me the tune should be finished in a couple of days. yaaay
The kit is one of the best kits I ever seen in term of quality.
I will try to update this thread as I start installing the kit after I get the tune (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) and I shall see how hard is it to install and review the fitment and what ever I face then. stay tuned
The kit is one of the best kits I ever seen in term of quality.
I will try to update this thread as I start installing the kit after I get the tune (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) and I shall see how hard is it to install and review the fitment and what ever I face then. stay tuned
07-31-2009, 09:57 AM
#23
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Mike This applies only to HR and the VHR not the De, In a mater of fact Jason will be the first to get additional oil restrictors in top of the of the ones that comes in his turbos originally .
Both of our r&d cars the 350z hr and g37vhr never had any oil restrictors and never had any smoking issue .
We start supplying an additional oil restrictor to the HR/VHR after dealing with a car that will smoke sometimes on decal, this was an 08 G35 Hr automatic sedan. With some additional testing we found the HR and VHr have a lot more oil press than the De, This sedan will have over 100 psi at the turbo (oil temp hot) at all the time. So we came up with the additional restrictor .
I know its frustrating sometimes when dealing with any of these challenges, we are always working on supplying superior quality service Through continuous improvement in everything we do.
We appreciate everyone input.
Sam
Both of our r&d cars the 350z hr and g37vhr never had any oil restrictors and never had any smoking issue .
We start supplying an additional oil restrictor to the HR/VHR after dealing with a car that will smoke sometimes on decal, this was an 08 G35 Hr automatic sedan. With some additional testing we found the HR and VHr have a lot more oil press than the De, This sedan will have over 100 psi at the turbo (oil temp hot) at all the time. So we came up with the additional restrictor .
I know its frustrating sometimes when dealing with any of these challenges, we are always working on supplying superior quality service Through continuous improvement in everything we do.
We appreciate everyone input.
Sam
07-31-2009, 12:36 PM
#26
It seems like I'm the only one who had problems with it but I guess I'll just let the cat out of the bag.
I ordered my GTM Stage 5 kit around 4-12-2009 and I was told it would be 2-3 Weeks before it shipped, I was very patient because I know there was a large amount of orders for the kit. The kit finally showed up about 6-7 weeks later and everything looked A-OK until I started bolting the turbos to the manifolds.
One turbo had a t-25 flange and the other turbo had a T-3 flange on it... WTF? So I called Sam and let him know about the mistake and he sent me another housing in ~ a week, but the crappy thing was I had to ship the old housing back at my expense. $13 wasn't really worth the hassle of trying to get the credit back so I just forgot about it.
I immediately started putting the kit on the car and noticed that on one turbo the gasket didnt match up with the 5 bolt housing on the passenger side turbo. Not only did this make me have to modify the gasket with a dremel, I also had to modify the downpipe flange to bolt up to the turbo. I got the downpipe bolted up and tried to put the 4 bolt wastegate pipe on the manifold only to find out that it wouldnt bolt up flush to the manifold surface because the pipe was hitting the downpipe. I ended up having to take a hammer to the wastegate pipe and flattening one side to get it to fit right.
I had all sorts of fitment issues that I know were not my fault, the intercooler brackets didnt line up with the holes on the intercooler, so now I have 5 bolts holding the intercooler on instead of 6. The front bumper wont fit on because the pass side intake pipe sticks out too far (I looked at another GTM G35 Coupe build and the pipe looks to be modified to go into the center of the car where as mine does not) and the driver side intake has nothing to support it so I have to cut the bracket off and weld a new one on.
One other small issue was the fact I was missing 2 T-Bolt clamps as well.
So here I am almost 4 months after I ordered the kit, still without a working car, still with no turbos (thats another story). I am done with this car after I get it tuned, the whole experience has basically ruined my passion for cars and I have no interest in modifying my G any more after this. And it only makes it worse that Stylin Z just made ~600 whp with my old kit :P
I ordered my GTM Stage 5 kit around 4-12-2009 and I was told it would be 2-3 Weeks before it shipped, I was very patient because I know there was a large amount of orders for the kit. The kit finally showed up about 6-7 weeks later and everything looked A-OK until I started bolting the turbos to the manifolds.
One turbo had a t-25 flange and the other turbo had a T-3 flange on it... WTF? So I called Sam and let him know about the mistake and he sent me another housing in ~ a week, but the crappy thing was I had to ship the old housing back at my expense. $13 wasn't really worth the hassle of trying to get the credit back so I just forgot about it.
I immediately started putting the kit on the car and noticed that on one turbo the gasket didnt match up with the 5 bolt housing on the passenger side turbo. Not only did this make me have to modify the gasket with a dremel, I also had to modify the downpipe flange to bolt up to the turbo. I got the downpipe bolted up and tried to put the 4 bolt wastegate pipe on the manifold only to find out that it wouldnt bolt up flush to the manifold surface because the pipe was hitting the downpipe. I ended up having to take a hammer to the wastegate pipe and flattening one side to get it to fit right.
I had all sorts of fitment issues that I know were not my fault, the intercooler brackets didnt line up with the holes on the intercooler, so now I have 5 bolts holding the intercooler on instead of 6. The front bumper wont fit on because the pass side intake pipe sticks out too far (I looked at another GTM G35 Coupe build and the pipe looks to be modified to go into the center of the car where as mine does not) and the driver side intake has nothing to support it so I have to cut the bracket off and weld a new one on.
One other small issue was the fact I was missing 2 T-Bolt clamps as well.
So here I am almost 4 months after I ordered the kit, still without a working car, still with no turbos (thats another story). I am done with this car after I get it tuned, the whole experience has basically ruined my passion for cars and I have no interest in modifying my G any more after this. And it only makes it worse that Stylin Z just made ~600 whp with my old kit :P
When I called to order the kit Sam said it would take about 10 days before they ship it and it shipped exactly 10 days later and got to my house in about 3 business days and I was quite happy. This was pretty good time considering it usually takes about 6 days for me to get something from California.
I have the kit with internal w/g's so I cannot comment on Blackbird's issue with the wastegate pipe fitment. I did however have my own issue with the internal wastegate actuator assembly. The threaded rod coming out of the actuator is supposed to thread into the extension piece that GTM supplies which is the piece that attaches to the actual wastegate. I threaded one of them together and it felt a little tight about halfway down but I didn't think anything of it. The next one did not go so smoothly. It threaded on fine until just before the halfway point then it just would not go anymore by hand. This left the actuator assembly too long so I decided to try to use a small set of pliers to turn it the extra, maybe 2 turns. The first turn went fine but then the actuator rod snapped. Yes, that is my fault that it snapped but both pieces that GTM machined were obviously not tapped properly and caused the issue to occur. The threads on the rods on the HKS actuators were fine before I threaded the GTM piece on. I called Sam and explained the situation and after a few phone calls he said he would replace it. I then received the new actuator and end piece and it didn't fit again, so I dremeled a few inches off the actuator rod and I was finally able to adjust it properly.
The intercooler was/is a pain to say the least. I bolted up the first intercooler only to find out only one side (3 bolts) will bolt/line up. So I call Sam and tell him and he first suggests to try fitting it again and move it around and I proceed to tell him that I have tried many times, it does not fit. He asked me to send him pictures of it, so I did. The next day we get to talking and he offers me the steel welded brackets or a new intercooler and says that either one will solve the problem. Well, I wanted to keep the billet brackets so I asked him to send a new intercooler (I presume he thought they could weld the end-tank brackets to fit my brackets based on the pictures). A few days later the intercooler arrives and I ship back the old one along with the broken actuator. I'm all excited to drive the car and finally finish it up. Well, this intercooler has almost the exact same fitment as the old one, indicating that it is the brackets that are the issue. I then proceed to tell Sam that this new intercooler does not fit. I said maybe the aluminum was not properly aligned when it was put in the CNC machine and that I probably just have a bad set of brackets. After insisting that this probably isn't the case he asks me to send more pictures. I sent him pictures of this setup and called to confirm he got them. As with many other times I called him he was busy at the time (understandable) and whoever I spoke with said they would make sure he saw the e-mail. I figured I had hounded them enough with other issues and I would wait to here back from him, Well here I am 3 MONTHS LATER with NO RESPONSE.
I had to dremel out the stud holes in the gaskets for the 5 bolt housing on both the driver and passenger sides. After spending time dremeling, I bolt up the downpipes and testpipes (int. w/g) and they are too close to the underbody. I removed the heat shields that go above the testpipes thinking maybe that extra, small amount of space would allow everything to clear. WRONG. Now everytime I accelerate I hear a banging noise on my floor
. Now, in all fairness I have yet to mention this issue to them because after the whole thing with the intercooler and not hearing back from them, I had enough of chasing them.I also have not been able to drive the car much for other reasons, which is also part of why I got sidetracked from addressing all the issues. I have a life, a job, and school to attend to. I had a few other small issues that I won't get into because they are negligible. Barring the issues with some of GTM's service/in-house manufacturing, the kit does include some top quality parts and I am happy with the drivability of it all. It runs great so far and the IC/intake piping fit pretty well in my case. I also must say, the few times I spoke with George over e-mail/pm he gave quick, accurate responses and was very understanding. I hope these are issues that are/have been addressed because this kit has great potential once all the kinks are worked out.
07-31-2009, 07:24 PM
#27
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By looking at the pictures experienced fabricators can tell that GTM is fairly new to building complex turbo systems, which isn't their fault. Everyone starts somewhere. they are a good company and do stand behind their work no matter what. And unfortunately there will be issues hopefully to which they can fix . Just give them some slack and they will be only getting better as time progresses..
I would assume they are using HKS manifolds, and building the rest from there.
I would assume they are using HKS manifolds, and building the rest from there.
Last edited by FredB; 07-31-2009 at 07:26 PM.
07-31-2009, 08:33 PM
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believe me there are others out there with issues with this kit just never posted due to it being a waste of time and nothing ever gets resolved....
i my self was missing 60... yes 60 total parts out of the kit including down pipes when i received it 2 months after ordering. Sam sent part by part to us over 4 week time period... I eventually said f it and just fabricated the parts needed to make the kit work .... things i never got till this day are
all the water lines and fittings for the turbos..
auto trans cooler with lines and fittings....
The kit is well put together and uses top quality parts, they just need a new warehouse guy or who ever packs these kits up....
So all that being said good luck with who ever buys these kits ....
i my self was missing 60... yes 60 total parts out of the kit including down pipes when i received it 2 months after ordering. Sam sent part by part to us over 4 week time period... I eventually said f it and just fabricated the parts needed to make the kit work .... things i never got till this day are
all the water lines and fittings for the turbos..
auto trans cooler with lines and fittings....
The kit is well put together and uses top quality parts, they just need a new warehouse guy or who ever packs these kits up....
So all that being said good luck with who ever buys these kits ....
08-01-2009, 12:58 AM
#31
I would like to say that I am writing this only to inform others of possible issues that may go with getting this kit. Blackbird, you're not the only one who had problems with the gaskets, intercooler fitment, and missing clamps ( I was also missing two clamps). I have the Turn-Key HR kit in case anyone is interested.
When I called to order the kit Sam said it would take about 10 days before they ship it and it shipped exactly 10 days later and got to my house in about 3 business days and I was quite happy. This was pretty good time considering it usually takes about 6 days for me to get something from California.
I have the kit with internal w/g's so I cannot comment on Blackbird's issue with the wastegate pipe fitment. I did however have my own issue with the internal wastegate actuator assembly. The threaded rod coming out of the actuator is supposed to thread into the extension piece that GTM supplies which is the piece that attaches to the actual wastegate. I threaded one of them together and it felt a little tight about halfway down but I didn't think anything of it. The next one did not go so smoothly. It threaded on fine until just before the halfway point then it just would not go anymore by hand. This left the actuator assembly too long so I decided to try to use a small set of pliers to turn it the extra, maybe 2 turns. The first turn went fine but then the actuator rod snapped. Yes, that is my fault that it snapped but both pieces that GTM machined were obviously not tapped properly and caused the issue to occur. The threads on the rods on the HKS actuators were fine before I threaded the GTM piece on. I called Sam and explained the situation and after a few phone calls he said he would replace it. I then received the new actuator and end piece and it didn't fit again, so I dremeled a few inches off the actuator rod and I was finally able to adjust it properly.
The intercooler was/is a pain to say the least. I bolted up the first intercooler only to find out only one side (3 bolts) will bolt/line up. So I call Sam and tell him and he first suggests to try fitting it again and move it around and I proceed to tell him that I have tried many times, it does not fit. He asked me to send him pictures of it, so I did. The next day we get to talking and he offers me the steel welded brackets or a new intercooler and says that either one will solve the problem. Well, I wanted to keep the billet brackets so I asked him to send a new intercooler (I presume he thought they could weld the end-tank brackets to fit my brackets based on the pictures). A few days later the intercooler arrives and I ship back the old one along with the broken actuator. I'm all excited to drive the car and finally finish it up. Well, this intercooler has almost the exact same fitment as the old one, indicating that it is the brackets that are the issue. I then proceed to tell Sam that this new intercooler does not fit. I said maybe the aluminum was not properly aligned when it was put in the CNC machine and that I probably just have a bad set of brackets. After insisting that this probably isn't the case he asks me to send more pictures. I sent him pictures of this setup and called to confirm he got them. As with many other times I called him he was busy at the time (understandable) and whoever I spoke with said they would make sure he saw the e-mail. I figured I had hounded them enough with other issues and I would wait to here back from him, Well here I am 3 MONTHS LATER with NO RESPONSE.
I had to dremel out the stud holes in the gaskets for the 5 bolt housing on both the driver and passenger sides. After spending time dremeling, I bolt up the downpipes and testpipes (int. w/g) and they are too close to the underbody. I removed the heat shields that go above the testpipes thinking maybe that extra, small amount of space would allow everything to clear. WRONG. Now everytime I accelerate I hear a banging noise on my floor. Now, in all fairness I have yet to mention this issue to them because after the whole thing with the intercooler and not hearing back from them, I had enough of chasing them.I also have not been able to drive the car much for other reasons, which is also part of why I got sidetracked from addressing all the issues. I have a life, a job, and school to attend to.
I had a few other small issues that I won't get into because they are negligible. Barring the issues with some of GTM's service/in-house manufacturing, the kit does include some top quality parts and I am happy with the drivability of it all. It runs great so far and the IC/intake piping fit pretty well in my case. I also must say, the few times I spoke with George over e-mail/pm he gave quick, accurate responses and was very understanding. I hope these are issues that are/have been addressed because this kit has great potential once all the kinks are worked out.
When I called to order the kit Sam said it would take about 10 days before they ship it and it shipped exactly 10 days later and got to my house in about 3 business days and I was quite happy. This was pretty good time considering it usually takes about 6 days for me to get something from California.
I have the kit with internal w/g's so I cannot comment on Blackbird's issue with the wastegate pipe fitment. I did however have my own issue with the internal wastegate actuator assembly. The threaded rod coming out of the actuator is supposed to thread into the extension piece that GTM supplies which is the piece that attaches to the actual wastegate. I threaded one of them together and it felt a little tight about halfway down but I didn't think anything of it. The next one did not go so smoothly. It threaded on fine until just before the halfway point then it just would not go anymore by hand. This left the actuator assembly too long so I decided to try to use a small set of pliers to turn it the extra, maybe 2 turns. The first turn went fine but then the actuator rod snapped. Yes, that is my fault that it snapped but both pieces that GTM machined were obviously not tapped properly and caused the issue to occur. The threads on the rods on the HKS actuators were fine before I threaded the GTM piece on. I called Sam and explained the situation and after a few phone calls he said he would replace it. I then received the new actuator and end piece and it didn't fit again, so I dremeled a few inches off the actuator rod and I was finally able to adjust it properly.
The intercooler was/is a pain to say the least. I bolted up the first intercooler only to find out only one side (3 bolts) will bolt/line up. So I call Sam and tell him and he first suggests to try fitting it again and move it around and I proceed to tell him that I have tried many times, it does not fit. He asked me to send him pictures of it, so I did. The next day we get to talking and he offers me the steel welded brackets or a new intercooler and says that either one will solve the problem. Well, I wanted to keep the billet brackets so I asked him to send a new intercooler (I presume he thought they could weld the end-tank brackets to fit my brackets based on the pictures). A few days later the intercooler arrives and I ship back the old one along with the broken actuator. I'm all excited to drive the car and finally finish it up. Well, this intercooler has almost the exact same fitment as the old one, indicating that it is the brackets that are the issue. I then proceed to tell Sam that this new intercooler does not fit. I said maybe the aluminum was not properly aligned when it was put in the CNC machine and that I probably just have a bad set of brackets. After insisting that this probably isn't the case he asks me to send more pictures. I sent him pictures of this setup and called to confirm he got them. As with many other times I called him he was busy at the time (understandable) and whoever I spoke with said they would make sure he saw the e-mail. I figured I had hounded them enough with other issues and I would wait to here back from him, Well here I am 3 MONTHS LATER with NO RESPONSE.
I had to dremel out the stud holes in the gaskets for the 5 bolt housing on both the driver and passenger sides. After spending time dremeling, I bolt up the downpipes and testpipes (int. w/g) and they are too close to the underbody. I removed the heat shields that go above the testpipes thinking maybe that extra, small amount of space would allow everything to clear. WRONG. Now everytime I accelerate I hear a banging noise on my floor
. Now, in all fairness I have yet to mention this issue to them because after the whole thing with the intercooler and not hearing back from them, I had enough of chasing them.I also have not been able to drive the car much for other reasons, which is also part of why I got sidetracked from addressing all the issues. I have a life, a job, and school to attend to. I had a few other small issues that I won't get into because they are negligible. Barring the issues with some of GTM's service/in-house manufacturing, the kit does include some top quality parts and I am happy with the drivability of it all. It runs great so far and the IC/intake piping fit pretty well in my case. I also must say, the few times I spoke with George over e-mail/pm he gave quick, accurate responses and was very understanding. I hope these are issues that are/have been addressed because this kit has great potential once all the kinks are worked out.
This scares the **** out of me since I will start soon on the car and I live outside the US and any issues I will have will delay me weeks to get any parts replaced!!!
08-01-2009, 10:14 AM
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For me I ordered my kit and OS clutch 5 months ago and got the kit shipped 3 months later to find out its missing the thewastegate pipes and reroute pipes,then Sam sent me the clutch and thewastegate pipes a month after that and told me the reroute pipes needed to be redone and will ship it to me later, and since I bought the turn key kit I sent Sam my ROM FILE to get me a tune (MY CAR IS A NONE US CAR) as soon as i got the kit witch is two months ago and finally Sam called me yesterday and told me the tune should be finished in a couple of days. yaaay
The kit is one of the best kits I ever seen in term of quality.
I will try to update this thread as I start installing the kit after I get the tune (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) and I shall see how hard is it to install and review the fitment and what ever I face then. stay tuned
The kit is one of the best kits I ever seen in term of quality.
I will try to update this thread as I start installing the kit after I get the tune (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) and I shall see how hard is it to install and review the fitment and what ever I face then. stay tuned
i just got my engine today from the work shop and fixd all the issues.
there was alloot of problems in my darton sleevs.
it was not installd correctly. so thats way i had the head gasket issue.
08-02-2009, 06:05 PM
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, just a small hit on the down pipe will get the job done. i can show u a pic if u like to.
Last edited by SmallTuner; 08-02-2009 at 06:06 PM.
08-02-2009, 06:13 PM
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I would like to say that I am writing this only to inform others of possible issues that may go with getting this kit. Blackbird, you're not the only one who had problems with the gaskets, intercooler fitment, and missing clamps ( I was also missing two clamps). I have the Turn-Key HR kit in case anyone is interested.
When I called to order the kit Sam said it would take about 10 days before they ship it and it shipped exactly 10 days later and got to my house in about 3 business days and I was quite happy. This was pretty good time considering it usually takes about 6 days for me to get something from California.
I have the kit with internal w/g's so I cannot comment on Blackbird's issue with the wastegate pipe fitment. I did however have my own issue with the internal wastegate actuator assembly. The threaded rod coming out of the actuator is supposed to thread into the extension piece that GTM supplies which is the piece that attaches to the actual wastegate. I threaded one of them together and it felt a little tight about halfway down but I didn't think anything of it. The next one did not go so smoothly. It threaded on fine until just before the halfway point then it just would not go anymore by hand. This left the actuator assembly too long so I decided to try to use a small set of pliers to turn it the extra, maybe 2 turns. The first turn went fine but then the actuator rod snapped. Yes, that is my fault that it snapped but both pieces that GTM machined were obviously not tapped properly and caused the issue to occur. The threads on the rods on the HKS actuators were fine before I threaded the GTM piece on. I called Sam and explained the situation and after a few phone calls he said he would replace it. I then received the new actuator and end piece and it didn't fit again, so I dremeled a few inches off the actuator rod and I was finally able to adjust it properly.
The intercooler was/is a pain to say the least. I bolted up the first intercooler only to find out only one side (3 bolts) will bolt/line up. So I call Sam and tell him and he first suggests to try fitting it again and move it around and I proceed to tell him that I have tried many times, it does not fit. He asked me to send him pictures of it, so I did. The next day we get to talking and he offers me the steel welded brackets or a new intercooler and says that either one will solve the problem. Well, I wanted to keep the billet brackets so I asked him to send a new intercooler (I presume he thought they could weld the end-tank brackets to fit my brackets based on the pictures). A few days later the intercooler arrives and I ship back the old one along with the broken actuator. I'm all excited to drive the car and finally finish it up. Well, this intercooler has almost the exact same fitment as the old one, indicating that it is the brackets that are the issue. I then proceed to tell Sam that this new intercooler does not fit. I said maybe the aluminum was not properly aligned when it was put in the CNC machine and that I probably just have a bad set of brackets. After insisting that this probably isn't the case he asks me to send more pictures. I sent him pictures of this setup and called to confirm he got them. As with many other times I called him he was busy at the time (understandable) and whoever I spoke with said they would make sure he saw the e-mail. I figured I had hounded them enough with other issues and I would wait to here back from him, Well here I am 3 MONTHS LATER with NO RESPONSE.
I had to dremel out the stud holes in the gaskets for the 5 bolt housing on both the driver and passenger sides. After spending time dremeling, I bolt up the downpipes and testpipes (int. w/g) and they are too close to the underbody. I removed the heat shields that go above the testpipes thinking maybe that extra, small amount of space would allow everything to clear. WRONG. Now everytime I accelerate I hear a banging noise on my floor. Now, in all fairness I have yet to mention this issue to them because after the whole thing with the intercooler and not hearing back from them, I had enough of chasing them.I also have not been able to drive the car much for other reasons, which is also part of why I got sidetracked from addressing all the issues. I have a life, a job, and school to attend to.
I had a few other small issues that I won't get into because they are negligible. Barring the issues with some of GTM's service/in-house manufacturing, the kit does include some top quality parts and I am happy with the drivability of it all. It runs great so far and the IC/intake piping fit pretty well in my case. I also must say, the few times I spoke with George over e-mail/pm he gave quick, accurate responses and was very understanding. I hope these are issues that are/have been addressed because this kit has great potential once all the kinks are worked out.
When I called to order the kit Sam said it would take about 10 days before they ship it and it shipped exactly 10 days later and got to my house in about 3 business days and I was quite happy. This was pretty good time considering it usually takes about 6 days for me to get something from California.
I have the kit with internal w/g's so I cannot comment on Blackbird's issue with the wastegate pipe fitment. I did however have my own issue with the internal wastegate actuator assembly. The threaded rod coming out of the actuator is supposed to thread into the extension piece that GTM supplies which is the piece that attaches to the actual wastegate. I threaded one of them together and it felt a little tight about halfway down but I didn't think anything of it. The next one did not go so smoothly. It threaded on fine until just before the halfway point then it just would not go anymore by hand. This left the actuator assembly too long so I decided to try to use a small set of pliers to turn it the extra, maybe 2 turns. The first turn went fine but then the actuator rod snapped. Yes, that is my fault that it snapped but both pieces that GTM machined were obviously not tapped properly and caused the issue to occur. The threads on the rods on the HKS actuators were fine before I threaded the GTM piece on. I called Sam and explained the situation and after a few phone calls he said he would replace it. I then received the new actuator and end piece and it didn't fit again, so I dremeled a few inches off the actuator rod and I was finally able to adjust it properly.
The intercooler was/is a pain to say the least. I bolted up the first intercooler only to find out only one side (3 bolts) will bolt/line up. So I call Sam and tell him and he first suggests to try fitting it again and move it around and I proceed to tell him that I have tried many times, it does not fit. He asked me to send him pictures of it, so I did. The next day we get to talking and he offers me the steel welded brackets or a new intercooler and says that either one will solve the problem. Well, I wanted to keep the billet brackets so I asked him to send a new intercooler (I presume he thought they could weld the end-tank brackets to fit my brackets based on the pictures). A few days later the intercooler arrives and I ship back the old one along with the broken actuator. I'm all excited to drive the car and finally finish it up. Well, this intercooler has almost the exact same fitment as the old one, indicating that it is the brackets that are the issue. I then proceed to tell Sam that this new intercooler does not fit. I said maybe the aluminum was not properly aligned when it was put in the CNC machine and that I probably just have a bad set of brackets. After insisting that this probably isn't the case he asks me to send more pictures. I sent him pictures of this setup and called to confirm he got them. As with many other times I called him he was busy at the time (understandable) and whoever I spoke with said they would make sure he saw the e-mail. I figured I had hounded them enough with other issues and I would wait to here back from him, Well here I am 3 MONTHS LATER with NO RESPONSE.
I had to dremel out the stud holes in the gaskets for the 5 bolt housing on both the driver and passenger sides. After spending time dremeling, I bolt up the downpipes and testpipes (int. w/g) and they are too close to the underbody. I removed the heat shields that go above the testpipes thinking maybe that extra, small amount of space would allow everything to clear. WRONG. Now everytime I accelerate I hear a banging noise on my floor
. Now, in all fairness I have yet to mention this issue to them because after the whole thing with the intercooler and not hearing back from them, I had enough of chasing them.I also have not been able to drive the car much for other reasons, which is also part of why I got sidetracked from addressing all the issues. I have a life, a job, and school to attend to. I had a few other small issues that I won't get into because they are negligible. Barring the issues with some of GTM's service/in-house manufacturing, the kit does include some top quality parts and I am happy with the drivability of it all. It runs great so far and the IC/intake piping fit pretty well in my case. I also must say, the few times I spoke with George over e-mail/pm he gave quick, accurate responses and was very understanding. I hope these are issues that are/have been addressed because this kit has great potential once all the kinks are worked out.
and yes, there are some other small issues but it can be done.
08-02-2009, 07:15 PM
#38
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I spoke to Sam about this thread.....always wait for all 3 sides of the story.
08-02-2009, 08:21 PM
#39
And I know Sam will fix WHAT EVER issues I will have
but my only concern was the time delay since I live in the Middle East and any issue with the fitment would mean that I have to ship the parts back and wait for the new ones to get shipped and that is more waiting for someone that is tired of waiting and dreams at night about driving his turbocharged Z
.