Turbocator Installed

[mudguppy]

So, i was finally able to get my hands on an guage and get it installed so i could turn up the fuel.

so, doing some shopping i was able to find the R609-10 and R7603 thru my local diesel shop for $246 - i thought that price beat the pants off any other price i've found.

anyway, the thermocouple probe was very straight forward - this is my 4th probe install, but 2nd easiest location to get to. i drilled and tapped w/ the engine running - no problems.

the boost fitting, however, didn't go quite as easy. the 1/8" NPT plug in the intake elbow was seized up solid - could not get it out and ended up stripping it. so rather than trying to drill it out and extract it (which never goes to plan), i simply drilled and tapped a new port.

i would have had to take the elbow off anyway, so i just picked a location that was in the intake stream by also had plenty of material thickness to tap. i actually could have tapped it closer to the middle of the elbow radius, as i had plenty of material where i ended up tapping (see photos).

i installed the guage in a convenient location - thought about the steering column, but the steering wheel spokes would probably be in the way too often. and the chevy steering column i have is not easy to mount to. also, the left corner of the "dash" is less distracting than taking your eyes all the way down to the steering column. thirdly, this is traditionally where all my other guages have been located, so consitency is a plus.

i ran the thermo (pyro, to some of you) lead wires and boost tube up through an opening directly behind the guage - i still haven't hooked up the guage light yet, so i still need to wrap the wire/tube bundle.

trial readings - stock fuel setting (tamper plate still on fuel plate stop rod):
max egt - 1000°F (and it was hard to get it up that high)
max boost - 6 psi

removed tamper plate and turned the fuel up - started w/ one full turn:
max egt - 1100°F (again, hard to get there)
max boost - 9 psi

then added another half-turn / 4 flats:
max egt - 1250°F (might be able to see 1300°F if i stayed in long enough; like minutes)
max boost - 12 psi

all in all - driveability has greatly improved. the truck will now actually accelerate in 3rd thru 5th instead of just getting louder. i can also get to 2500rpm under load now. engine seems fine w/ the power increase. transmission, on the other hand, doesn't quite seem as happy in 4th under WOT - but i never thought the tranny was all that healthy to begin with... i had planned to adjust the droop screw, but think i'll leave it alone as the bottom end fueling seems fine - it was top end i was lacking.

bottom line: i realize this is not a race-truck, i just needed better merging power and uphill speed. and, no, i'm still not driving beyond my braking capability...

just thought i'd share the latest mod. i plan to remove and paint the guage OD to match when i wire in the guage light (this weekend?).

 

[AceHigh]

Very nice. That is on my short list.

 

[cruzinz28]

I have this gauge installed on my bobbed truck right now, just haven't had the change to tap and install the probe yet to make the pyro part functional.

I had a question. Everyone suggests that you drop the turbo and tap the manifold to keep shaving out of the turbo, does tapping it while the truck is running eliminate the step of dropping the turbo??

I am a bit spoiled with my motor being a LDS. The way my truck sets it will spool 12 psi plus easily and there is very little problem with power even though I am running 46" XML tires. I just want to monitor temps as soon as I can to see where the fuel is set on my truck.

 

[mudguppy]

... Everyone suggests that you drop the turbo and tap the manifold to keep shaving out of the turbo, does tapping it while the truck is running eliminate the step of dropping the turbo??....

yes. i start drilling w/ the engine off. then, before i break thru, i start the engine and continue drilling - as soon as you penetrate the manifold, the exhaust will blow all the shavings into your face.

then, i shut the truck off to start the tap - engine vibrations make it difficult to get the tap aligned. then, as soon as it's lined up, i start the engine and tap the hole. when tapping, the shaving are small and will continue to get blown into your face.

while it may only be 98%, the shavings that pass thru the turbo (aided by the exhaust) are so small there isn't any real danger of damaging the turbo. if doing this w/out the engine running, however, i would agree that the accumulation of a "chip pile" in the turbine housing could definitely lead to a bad day.

again, wear safety glasses and gloves (the tap will get hot from the exhaust), be sure you're outside (well ventilated), and take lots of breaks to make sure you don't suck down too much exhaust and keel over.

 

[kaiser2help]

Like mudguppy said, but with this addition, run the engine and drill or tap but also put a 5 gallon bucket on top of the stack. That will give you great back pressure at the drilling site. Good luck. Check out my post on this topic and you can see how my job came out .

 

[vtach]

You can also magetize the drill and tap and that will further reduce the number of metal that reaches the turbo. However, it only takes a small amount of metal to distroy the turbo.

 

[Dodge man]

yes. i start drilling w/ the engine off. then, before i break thru, i start the engine and continue drilling - as soon as you penetrate the manifold, the exhaust will blow all the shavings into your face.

then, i shut the truck off to start the tap - engine vibrations make it difficult to get the tap aligned. then, as soon as it's lined up, i start the engine and tap the hole. when tapping, the shaving are small and will continue to get blown into your face.

while it may only be 98%, the shavings that pass thru the turbo (aided by the exhaust) are so small there isn't any real danger of damaging the turbo. if doing this w/out the engine running, however, i would agree that the accumulation of a "chip pile" in the turbine housing could definitely lead to a bad day..

An old machinist trick is to heavily coat the tap with grease and then it should pick up most of the chips.

I heartily dislike the idea of running ANYTHING solid thru a turbo! But thanks for all the tips and pictures, I'm keeping my fingers crossed to get a Deuce soon and this is the first mod I want to do!