The DIY turbo build thread - Page 2

[CMF_Danvillan]

Thread was getting a bit long so created page 2 and the Turbo build continues........

Been a bit slack over the past couple of weeks but finally got the paint done, must say not really a fun job a lot of work to do it right (or try to do it right).

I removed all panels, hatch and doors, removed all rubber moulds, latches, locks, handle, etc to minimise masking off. The engine bay is the only place that wasn't resprayed.

Paint completed in Flat clear Young Gun Grey. Theres a few rough bits but overall its not a bad job for a home job.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Pic of the rear.

De-badged, wiper removed, slight tint on the tail lights, and the rear bar with Wald add-on

Looking pretty stealth I think it should do well in avoiding detection from radars

 

[CMF_RTK]

Color looks good

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Anyway got a lot planned for the near future, a lot of new part on the horizon thanks to all the guys parting out there mad Micras.

Got my 2mm copper head gasket being made atm by O'brien Aluminium @ South Windsor.

In the process of swapping the N13 VLSD into the N15 gearset and bellhouse (thanks Tye), I think I'll be paying someone to put it back together as I don't want to stuff it up ie. installing the selector etc.

Will get the turbo manifold finished in week or so.

Will be doing a rear disc brake swap (thanks ClimberJoel) plus installing a full suspension package F/R whiteline swaybars, lower control arm brace, front strut brace, castor kit, rear adjustable trailing arm, adj panhard rod and probably make a rear strut brace. This should work well with the coilover setup.

Once the head gasket is back I will put the engine back together, once the gearbox is done, everything back into the micra.

Plenty of work ahead and heaps more to go before it's on the road, hoping to get it on the road by July/August this year. WIll keep updating......

 

[CMF_Doom]

Looks sik.
Keep the updates coming.

Deleted the double post also

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Got my 2mm copper head gasket today, very happy with the job. Seems to fit well. If anyone else is interested in purchasing a copper head gasjet check out http://www.obrien-aluminium.com.au/gasket_1.html they make them between .55mm to 3mm, mine costed $148 which is cheap compared to other quotes I got one from a place up at Qld wanted $350 for a 2mm copper head gasket. Not much more than you would pay for a genuine HG from Nissan.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Another pic

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Started cleaning the head up a bit today. Whats the go with the exhaust valve seats on these CG13de. Everyone I've pulled apart the exhaust side of the valves seem to need a regrind (pitted) and the intake side seems good, wonder why that is? You can see the difference between the exhaust valve seat that has been reground on the right compared to the one on the left. Although from the pic it doesn't look like it but the intake valve seats seem good, what do you guys think regrind them anyway while I'm doing it or if it ain't broke don't fix it?

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Tried to clean up the mating surface on the head and deck as well. I used metho and scothbrite pads to clean it up. came up ok but needs a bit more work.

Anyone had experience in install a copper head gasket, as I believe they can be hard to seal properly. I have read some people use hylomar spray only and some use hylomar spray as well as RTV sealant around oil/water galleries. Not sure how to I should seal between the water gallery and the cylinder (see photo) I'm concerned if RTV sealant is used around this section, when the head is torqued down the sealant may ooze into the cylinder bore. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CMF_frank2]

thats a damn good price for the H/G dan ! good luck getting it to seal tho lol.
i would just smear a branded gasket sealant all over personally, has it been annealed ?
and just grind all the valves eh (yours is normal wear and tear)

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Don't believe it has been annealed, I'll have to check but I've read that copper HG don't always need to be annealed if you are not using o-ringed deck. Not sure if that's true ill have to check.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Got the runners for the turbo manifold welded up and tacked into position .

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

The collector also welded up.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Just gotta make a plate to go on the bottom of the collector. Made up a crappy template but it will do the trick. Once the plates is done a weld will be done around the runners to seal it, then the collector will be welded to the base plate.

 

[CMF_Pierce]

Danvillan! This stuff is great, as fun to watch and think about as franks stuff

Was just wondering, as another post of mine on the forum recently stated, I too am gonna try my hand at welding. Was wondering what TIG welder you have, how much it costs and would you recommend it for not only header fabrication but also for thinner aluminum jobs i.e. making an overflow tank for the coolant?

Any help appreciated mate

Also for anyone in the know; surely I can complete great weld jobs without the need of a foot pedal and argon gas regulator? I'd like to get a welder for around the $1k mark not the 2k mark...

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Hey Pierce, I only have a cheap gassless MIG welder which is good for nothing really but I use it to tac weld things together and then get a mate to finish the welds (even then he whinges about the slag in the welds when he has to go over the top of my tac welds). For the 1k mark you should be able to get a TIG (secondhand) or a good MIG off ebay, you can get small disposable bottes of argon from Repco but their only small and I don't know how long they last.

I'm by no means even close to knowledgable about welding but the guys who know about welding will tell you got to run gas to get even a half descent job.

Also noticed your interested in making an intake manifold, look at page 1 of this thread https://micra.org.uk/cmf/message/82211 and there is info about the design and the principles of the dimensions. There are other factors that need to be taken into account is it for turbo or n/a as the length of the intake runners effect torque. Turbos need a bigger plenum volume than n/a. There is plenty of info on the net about plenum intake designs just do some research and then you shouldn't need dimensions you'll be able to make yours to the custom dimension needed for your application. If you want dimension I can supply the ones I used for my one, if you want them just let me know.

 

[CMF_Pierce]

Thanks Danvillan, not to hijack ur thread, but I went for this bad boy. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bris...r-welder-24-month-warranty-toshiba/1013597005

should do everything I want it to If anyone thinks otherwise, just pm me, try to leave the thread clean

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Got my box back... N15 bellhousing and gearset with n13 VLSD....
Ready to be installed once the motor is up and running which an another issue.... ;(

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

So I was given a jap import block which had previously been turbo charged running 7psi boost (thanks Tye) and I decided to pull it apart to see how the bottom end held up to turbo charging. Well as you can see from the pistons cylinder 1 and 2 have cracked ringlands. Now this has made me reconsider the whole stock bottom end thingy with my build.

So unfortunately (for my wallet) I think I'm going to have to build a forged bottom end just to ease my mind and ensure that it stays reliable on 12 to 15 psi.

Suggestion about where to get forged pistons and rods.
So far ....
SPS pistons - $1300 - $1400 = 1 to 2 weeks wait
PAR rods - $1150 = 8 weeks wait
CP pistons from Quantum Industries = $1000+ = 8 to 10 weeks wait
Argo rods = $1400 = 6 - 8 weeks wait.

Anone know of any other options? I know Humphries have a set but I think they may be high compression ones.

So I think I'm looking at $3500 for the bottom end, this is going to sting the wallet, damn money pit...lol

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

I suppose another option is to get the rods shot peened and the stock pistons cryo frozen, any opinons?

 

[CMF_frank2]

they,ve just det,d eh dan, i det,d loads of pistons like that before i got the nistune board.
and i,ve been running the (very weak looking) CGA3 pistons @ 12psi for nearly 6 months now

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Rear axel swap today to Super S disc brakes. Will swap the rotars at a later date with some slotted one.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Whiteline adjustable trailing arm, whiteline drop links and whiteline swaybar installed.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Ohlins adjustable shocks and Tien rear spring. Panhard rod also installed. So the rear end is sorted with full polly bushes on all connection. Plenty of adjustments available for the right ride setup.

 

[CMF_RTK]

Danvillan WROTE:

"So I was given a jap import block which had previously been turbo charged running 7psi boost (thanks Tye) and I decided to pull it apart to see how the bottom end held up to turbo charging. Well as you can see from the pistons cylinder 1 and 2 have cracked ringlands. Now this has made me reconsider the whole stock bottom end thingy with my build.

So unfortunately (for my wallet) I think I'm going to have to build a forged bottom end just to ease my mind and ensure that it stays reliable on 12 to 15 psi.

Suggestion about where to get forged pistons and rods.

So far ....

SPS pistons - $1300 - $1400 = 1 to 2 weeks wait

PAR rods - $1150 = 8 weeks wait

CP pistons from Quantum Industries = $1000+ = 8 to 10 weeks wait

Argo rods = $1400 = 6 - 8 weeks wait.

Anone know of any other options? I know Humphries have a set but I think they may be high compression ones.

So I think I'm looking at $3500 for the bottom end, this is going to sting the wallet, damn money pit...lol

CP have gone up in price, when I check they were 8-900, speak to JCMicra he runs standard everything engine wise and has 10psi with 170kws, running haltec platinum 500! Are you going to run a dizzy? For 12-15psi

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

RTK WROTE:
CP have gone up in price, when I check they were 8-900, speak to JCMicra he runs standard everything engine wise and has 10psi with 170kws, running haltec platinum 500! Are you going to run a dizzy? For 12-15psi

Probably not. gotta try and work out a external coil pack setup, I'm not real cluey about the ignition setup or how it will be done.

Still not sure if I'll go forged or just get the piston and rods treated in some way.

 

[CMF_Pierce]

Danvillan,

I replied to your email mate.

If you're interested in the path I was going, let me know and we'll see if there's a discount in it for a group purchase.

That aside, when you figure out your coilpack setup, let me know, I'm clueless about it myself right now

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

It's been a little while since an update. So heres whats going on.

T25 turbo is being striped and rebuild before being fitted. Might sand blast the exhaust housing and do a DIY ceramic coating, just the cheap VHT pressure pack stuff. I'll probably upgrade the turbo to a BB turbo anyway.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

It's been a little while since an update. So heres whats going on.

T25 turbo is being striped and rebuild before being fitted. Might sand blast the exhaust housing and do a DIY ceramic coating, just the cheap VHT pressure pack stuff. I'll probably upgrade the turbo to a BB turbo anyway.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

I have to turn the flange on the dump pipe so it fits the top mount turbo. Picked the dump pipe up for $15 buck off ebay....bargin.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Got the pieces for the DIY stainless exhaust system. 2.5" stainless steel mandrel bent.
So far the parts have costed:

Rival Muffler = $50
3 x 90' 2.5"bends = $60 ($20 per bend)
4 x 45' 2.5 bends= $80 ($20 per bend)
xforce resonator = $80
2meters 2.5" polished stainless tube = $60 (won't need that much)
6 x stainless flanges = $55
dump pipe = $15

Total = $400 or so.

Pretty cheap for a full mandrel bent stainless exhaust.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

The muffler I got for cheap but it was a bit long for the micra so had to chop about 60mm of it. I'll get it tig welded back up.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Got some Tomei poncams today.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Decided to change the runners on my intake manifold. I'm going to use some 90' mandrel bends to stand the plenum upright and increase the lengths of the runner to about 200mm. I'm doing this so the torque comes down the rpm's a bit and pulls better down low. I was concerned that it would be a bit sluggish due to the huge plenum, sr20 TB and the short runners.
So had to cut the existing runners off.
Using bends is the only way to lengthen the runners without hitting the firewall.

 

[CMF_micratech]

Love this! And that flat color is just caused a major jawdrop. So nice!! :O

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Had the runner extended today. TIG welded some 38mm mandrel bent tubes. The runner length is close to 12 inches now, so should bring down the torque down in the rpm range.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

The finished product. I'm interested to see how the manifold performs most of the custom manifolds I've seen on this forum are short runner which are good for top end power but mine is going to be a daily driver so I want a more usable power range.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Turbo manifold continued... rather than making a plate as I stated above I cut just small pieces to fill the gaps and TIG welded them in place

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

After welding

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Placed the collector on top and welded it from the outside. (sorry bad pic)

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

turbo manifold completed, just need to clean and sandblast the inside to remove any dags/slag hanging around. Probably do a DIY ceramic coat like the exhaust turbine housing.

I decided to use the collector design on the manifold to promote the bernoulli effect within the manifold which hopefully assist in a faster spooling time. Heres a good video which explains this principle.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Also got the motor back from the machine shop. Block decked and o-ringed.The head was skimmed very slightly to clean it up for a good mating surface. Let the rebuild begin I'm a bit nervous first car engine rebuild (built a couple of bike engines before) hope it holds up to the turbo charger.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Close up of the o-ring in the block

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

oil return welded into the sump.

 

[CMF_frank2]

lookin great dan
what material are the rings mate ?

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Frank, I honestly don't know what material the ring are, just asked the shop to do it.
Why do you ask? Reactions between the materials?

 

[CMF_frank2]

nah, just wondering if they are copper, or something harder dan
i,m testing out something similar next week (fire-rings cut from an mls CR 1.0/1.2/1.4 headgasket)

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

Also started fabricating the turbo dump pipe, I'm going for an open chamber with a splitter plate between the exhaust turbine and wastegate. This plate extends from the dump pipe flange into the turbo housing to separate the exhaust turbine and wastegate, this is done to reduce the turbulence that is created when the void between the 2 section is left open. This will hopefully reduce spool up time a bit.

 

[CMF_Danvillan]

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