Mat's F8B - EFI and Turbo Conversion.

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86BOY
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Today I sat the flange on the motor and held the Turbo for a very long time working out where I wanted it to sit. The plan was to sit it parallel with the motor, but putting the bumper on showed the wastegate actuator hitting where the mesh is and I didn't want it sticking out for the world to see. So I though i'd have it sit on a bit of a twist, not only does it now clear the bumper, it will be way better to do a service as the turbo would have been a bit too close to the oil filter the way I originally planned.

Enough words, pics!
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The turbo flange is a 5mm template to get the right angle, then it'll be replaced with 8mm like the main flange. With the turbo sitting like this, the wastegate actuator is running straight with the front end rather than protruding out.
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Having the turbo sit the opposite side of the manifold will save hacking into the Radiator support and making the dump pipe simple to fab up to join in to the rest of the system.

Oil and water lines are next to sort out, making sure they are all clear with the limited space and then get the manifold Tig welded.
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Last edited by 86BOY on Wed May 31, 2017 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Brayden
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Have you settled on an intercooler? Might be worth thinking about before you finalise the manifold. Although if you keep the standard Alto number plate mount you could fit a factory top mount as a front mount in front of the radiator.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
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86BOY
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Brayden you are absolutely spot on with the Alto Intercooler. I plan on using that and running it in front of the radiator because im set on keeping the number plate mount and the piping runs where I want it. I do like the nice shiny FMIC on yours and did have thoughts on that before even thinking about making a manifold, but while I have a factory cooler with the right size pipe, it will do for me. :thumbup2:
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Brayden
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A bigger intercooler is just extra weight. ;) I would have used a factory cooler if I had one at the time.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
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86BOY
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Still hard to resist a nice front mount though :wink:. With limited space behind the front bar, the top mount will fit nicely back there in front of the radiator. I can run it either way depending how I route the piping but have a good idea so far.
I have rotated the core of the turbo so the oil drain points down and then trimmed up some pipe from the manifold to sit the turbo back and slightly up higher as the oil drain was sitting directly over the top of the K frame. It has given me more room to fit an elbow fitting to drain back into the sump.
2" Dump Pipe is now tacked up with a flex joint at the end and I also plan on using a V-Band Clamp to join it up to the system, plenty of space around the oil filter too.
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With the front panel on I have about 3mm of room between that and the actuator, tight fit but i'll trim a little bit as the actuator will hit when it opens the wastegate.
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Brayden
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In case you hadn't already thought of it, make sure you brace the dump pipe to the block. ;)
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
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86BOY
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Yep now that you mention it, the pipe runs right in front a couple of holes in the block so I shall use one of those.  :thumbup1:
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JB
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Really nice work, looking forward to seeing this finish and running.
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86BOY
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Thanks JB, I will definitely thank myself for getting everything done right and to not cut any corners with tackling a job like this!
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Brayden
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Out of interest, where did you get the turbo?
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
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86BOY
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Bought it online all the way from America Brayden.
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86BOY
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The AN fitting on the oil return has been cut off close to the flange and a bit of tubing from a spare oil pick up was silver soldered in place. The fitting on the original flange wasn't going to work as it needed a 90 degree fitting which would restrict flow to the sump and be too close to the K-frame cross member. Doing it this way meant I had a much better angle and clearance for the oil return.
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Dump pipe is now Tig welded thanks to my brother, just needs an O2 bung. I then welded a support bracket that bolts to the block and went with a V-Band clamp on the end of the dump pipe to join to the rest of the system, which is now tidied up and has an under-axle setup. 
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I have a welder lined up for doing my manifold which he should be back from WinterNats in the next week or so.
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86BOY
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Couple more things done, O2 bung is fully welded and oil drain is sorted. I was going to use the F6A sump but the oil dipstick fouled on the baffle and the dump pipe also touches slightly. Because my setup is custom, the angle of the oil drain on the F6A sump is pointing the other way, so I thought I'd just weld in a piece of pipe in my sump instead of stuffing around with these little issues.
I got it pretty much in the same spot as the one on the F6A sump and should flow back a bit better as I have my pipe welded in a slightly steeper angle than the level of the sump/motor, where as the F6A goes in but the oil has to travel back up to enter the sump. I'm hoping the oil level in the sump doesn't back up into the oil drain. Welding this was fun especially the tight bit at the top! :roll:

Of course I had to pretty it up with some Stone-guard.
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I decided to use a sandwich plate between the oil filter for my oil feed as my original plan was to go on the back of the motor and had it running beside the rocker cover and timing belt cover. I have changed the oil line 3 times deciding where I should route it, hopefully I stick with this one! I also have a couple of blank ports on the plate to use for a sensor or cooler later on.
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I have attached the oil drain to the sump with some hose and I have about 2mm clearance between the hose and subframe. It's enough but I might change it to some steel pipe and use the hose to attach it to both ends.

Its getting so close to starting this again, just need the manifold done, water lines routed, put some oil in and get some oil through the turbo. Cant wait for the sexual spooly noises.
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86BOY
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Back with some exciting updates.
Manifold is welded up, took a bit longer than expected but looks great otherwise. Coolant lines are sorted which was easy as tapping into the bypass hose and back to the thermostat housing.
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Made some gaskets out of 1.2mm aluminium as the price to get Garrett GT12 gaskets are ridiculously expensive. Made one for the manifold while I was at it.
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Changed my oil return to a Mamba bolt on fitting with 'O' rings to seal it as my first attempt leaked ever so slightly at the very top of the fitting as it was hard to weld in a tight space. Being that the sump is angled and not straight, I wasn't really happy with the oil having to travel back up the pipe but I tested it with a clear hose and works great. I also have more space between the return hose and the k-frame so im happy with the result.
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Now this is cool :snigger:
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Got a sweet little Intercooler for my birthday that JUST squeezes behind the front bar with about 10mm of room. The stock one was a little beat up and so I thought I might compliment the front end with a new front mount. I have started the piping for it which is going good so far, just need to trim a little bit of plastic behind the fog light/spotties so the pipe coming out of the intercooler has room to do a U-turn above it and back to the intake.
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Went for a quick drive to hear the spooly spooly noises (with no pipe plumbing obviously) and sounds mint! It comes on boost a little later than an RHB31 which I'm glad because I don't want to sit on just about full boost while cruising.

Also while I was waiting for parts to arrive, I stripped down my 2nd MB to a bare shell with wheel dollies to roll it around the shed easily. A rotisserie will end up being built but will save all that for another build thread.
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Brayden
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Loving the attention to detail in your build mate. Top work.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
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