Ok, i got a 94 Camaro Z28. Im starting to get to the point where ill be able to do some stuff to it to make it quicker, thats in another post. but anyways... i was looking on ebay, not like id really buy one from there unless i heard it truely worked, but i found these twin turbo kits, and was wondering, if this would at all work with the lt1, ive heard that the lt1 isnt made to take in that much air or somethin like that, but thats comin from a kid who has a vdub who switched engines out for a 1.8 turbo vdub engine. so im just lookin for opinions on twin turbos, or even just turbo kits, for a z28. what would i have to do for it to work? how much am i looking at for a good one to work? any success stories or stories about turbos on lt1s would be helpful. thanks alot...
$Glen$

 

step one would be to build you engine

i would worry about bolt-ons first if i were you

 

LT1s with stock internals can only handle maybe 6-7 lbs of boost and you will have to do a lot of fab work to fit two turbos and the plumbing under the hood.

 

alright, as far as engine rebuild, like ive said, im new to all this, what does that consist of.... how much and how long would it take?
$Glen$

 

depends on what you plan to do yourself, general rule of thumb is a machine shop will almost always take twice as long as they say though

depending on your exact goals[and more so your budget] you could go with a stock crank forged h-beams and pistons, or a forged crank for more money

how much do you want to spend is the real question, my n/a setup with mods in sig cost about 6.5k and i did all, and i mean all, the work my self

 

well, you know, i would be able to answer that, but i dont even know the answer myself, i just want my car to basically, run as good as it can, for daily driving, and ocassional street racin and what not. i mean, 6.5k is pretty much outta the question for now. but i mean, im debating on what i really wanna do. im 16, work two jobs, and im in high school. so my car is very important to me, and i would like, if at all possible to keep this car for a long time. as long as physically possible. lol. its got 144K miles on it. but i mean, whats basic rebuild take time and cost wise, just the basic deal. if anyone knows.
$Glen$

 

Start by doing supporting mods, I'm talking about Catback exhaust, Cold Air Intake, headers and y-pipe and a computer tune. If you go and put turbos on something without the supporting mods is kind of pointless...I mean you will make power but not nearly as much as you could.

A basic rebuild with just boring the block and new pistons (reusing the stock crank and rods) along with doing something like a new cam and ported heads will cost you upwards of 5-6k.

I was in your very same shoes 5 years ago. Just save your money up and read these boards, you can learn a lot here

 

this is the best advice your gonna get, just doing the supporting mods will cost you quite a bit, and take you long enough to learn everything you need to know about a forced induction motor, take your time with this and you will be much happier

 

just FYI, to get headers made by RealQuick here on the board for a turbo, your looking 1450-1850
then a turbo - 600ish
injectors
wastegate
intercooler
piping
you'll have about 2600 into just the turbo setup.
locally, i can get a forged scat rotating assembly with machine work and installed n everything for around 1500
than you need heads and a cam

 

Buy yourself a nitrous kit and some drag radials and have fun for under a grand.

 

Don't worry about the turbo setup just yet, it's WAY more expensive and time consuming than you want or need right now. Get the basic bolt ons and enjoy the car.

 

Even if you had 7k to put into a new motor and 2k for supporting mods, what would you drive in the mean time? Would you have time to work on it? I'm not trying to discourage you, just advice. I'd say go with a CAI, headers, catback, 373s, and have fun.

-Pete-

 

LT1s can take boost but they dont like it. Ive seen more than one instance of people puffing their motors on only 6-7 pounds of boost, after only a few thousand miles. For that reason im not touching boost until i have a forged motor to take it. youre better off with nitrous or motor work for now.

 

Lots and lots and LOTS of research. There is a forced induction forum on this site. Start searching around there. See if you can find anything in google. Your largest setback will be money. You'll feel really dumb if you spend thousands of dollars on a turbo setup for a stock block, blow that up and then have to spend several thousand more to build the right engine to handle boost. After all is said and done you are more than likely going to spend at least 15K if not more depending on how involved you are in the project. Count on spending more if you have someone else do the work who knows what they're doing. Count on spending even more if you have some typical clownshoes work on it who sells you the idea they know what they're doing.
This is no walk in the park. You will have many setbacks that will cost you time and money. If you are all about the cash money then by all means go for it, but if you are money conscience then do what's already been suggested and start out small.

 

I build turbo systems for people constantly and I can tell you from experience that this is not an area for the budget minded. Something I heard once talking with a few friends. "It'll never happen to you, so don't be suprised when it does"

I see it 4 out of 5 cars I build. The guy saving his money to get a kit built and figures he can just get his foot in the door and wait until something happens later to fix it. Most times they can't afford to right when it happens and the car either sits until they get money, or they part the car out. You can't predict everything, but it is always best to cover your bases and leave nothing to question. If you're always worried about cracking a ring land, blowing your diff, or running out of fuel.. the car is no fun to drive.

Work from the bottom up - Build your foundation (block, drivetrain, suspension) These are the biggest areas of concern when nearly doubling the power output the car was intended for. You can buy the kit first and build later, but in the long run it isn't really about just getting your foot in the door, it is about being able to enjoy the dance once you're inside. If you were going to prioritize any part of the foundation, the engine is going to be the most important. That is the heart of your system and if done wrong can end up costing you the most money. Build with a cushion, remember, your sanity depends on it. Alot of us aren't really into drag racing the car every week, so the need for a 9" rear, adjustable suspension etc isn't such a big need right off the bat. Rears blow under stock conditions, so plan on getting a good setup afterwards.

With all honesty, there is no such thing as a cheap turbosystem. They either shift cost to some other part of the car such as the engine/drivetrain or end up evolving with better parts as time goes on. If planned out correctly, you won't be spending money on parts you will be putting on ebay later once you upgrade it. This all depends entirely on your needs and situation though.