[78Macho]

It wasn't long after Joe had the engine running in the car that it was time to take it for a drive. Keep in mind, he started with an engine that had nothing attached or installed and a bunch of boxes with brackets, nuts, bolts etc... nothing labeled! Today, the engine compartment looks like the day it came off the lot in Arizona. Joe called me up on a Sunday afternoon and said, hey Jim, you better come over! He had been out terrorizing his neighborhood with #202! There were tire marks on the street! His description was that it was "wicked fast"! He had temporarily hung the cats under the car so it was louder than with the complete exhaust. While it ran awesome, it was smoking quite a bit. It turned out the original Rayjay had a bad seal and it was leaking oil. We did some research on rebuilding the turbo charger. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of luck in finding parts or a business to do the rebuild. In the mean time, an exact match showed up on e-bay that had been purchased and never installed. Best of all, it was for sale by a local vendor here in Kansas City. I won the auction and picked the new unit up 2 days later! By now the car was back at my house and I swapped out the original unit for the new one. Then I had my son follow me to a local muffler shop to have the exhaust completed. My first time to drive #202! The new system consists of a pair of NOS pancake GM catalytic converters (this is how #202 was originally because I have the original cats) that go into pipes out back, completed by new side splitter tips!

I am working on a list of projects this winter that include refinishing the trunk, getting the lighting system functional, getting the e-brake (rear disc axle) functional, and then finishing the dash wiring, stereo installation. The car was painted in the early 90's but moved from garage to garage and getting bumped and scraped along the way. I have hopes of refinishing the body next summer!

Thanks for interest!

[NASCAR T/A]

I wish i had purchased one of those kits back in the 80's when i was looking at them. It was cheap back then, but expensive to a kid in high school, which i was.

[Craig Hendrickson]

Originally Posted by 78Macho

(snip) Joe called me up on a Sunday afternoon and said, hey Jim, you better come over! He had been out terrorizing his neighborhood with #202! There were tire marks on the street! His description was that it was "wicked fast"! (snip)

The drag strip numbers H-O Racing got on TurboForce equipped Trans Ams back in the day (1978) were:

Stock everything including the original tires and no traction aids: low 13s (13-teenish) at about 104MPH with about 6-7PSI boost through stock exhaust including cats.

Stock engine (W72), but open turbo downpipe, slicks, slide-a-links, stock posi-rear (3.23?), shift kit: high 11s (11.9X) at 115MPH at 15psi boost. No other "high performance" car of the era could touch it. As a matter of fact, most muscle cars from the late 1960s couldn't touch it, even with comparable traction aids and open headers.

Wicked fast for sure.

[dreamn69]

I am posting these pictures for 78Macho. This is his motor prior to being installed. I am sure most of you would agree with me when I say it is a beauty and it definitely will serve as my inspiration as I work towards my TurboForce install.

[Craig Hendrickson]

Really, really nice work!

BTW, there's nothing wrong with the "version-2" (welded) air bonnet pictured, it flows about as good as the "version-3" (fully cast) and a really nice job was done making it look super!

When the owner raises the hood at a car show, jaws will drop.

[Squidward]

I really like those pix. It gives me ideas and inspiration as to how I will plumb my own setup.

That setup looks almost like a bolt on kit, like the Ford/Chevy guys enjoy!

[johnta1]

Awesome!

That's the way Pontiac should have done it in 1977!

Wonder how things would have developed if Pontiac did the turbos on the 400 instead of the 301?

It may have even passed then current emissions/MPG requirements, so no need to abandon the 400?

[Craig Hendrickson]

Originally Posted by Squidward

(snip) That setup looks almost like a bolt on kit, like the Ford/Chevy guys enjoy!

It was a bolt-on kit. It was engineered and sold by H-O Racing Specialties in 1977 and later. See here for details:

http://originalho.com/TFReviveWhat.html

Of course this kit is no longer available, so don't even ask.

[NASCAR T/A]

That looks GREAT!!, IT WOULD EVEN LOOK BETTER IN MY 1981 TURBO TRANS AM. A matter of fact , I have a 428 short block, a '77 W72 400 4 Speed with trans and a Solid roller cammed 455 with #16 heads. Heck I will even throw in my #48 heads all for that engine.
I know, no deal, wishful thinking on my part. I wish that kit was still available.

Originally Posted by dreamn69

I am posting these pictures for 78Macho. This is his motor prior to being installed. I am sure most of you would agree with me when I say it is a beauty and it definitely will serve as my inspiration as I work towards my TurboForce install.

[Squidward]

Originally Posted by Craig Hendrickson

It was a bolt-on kit. It was engineered and sold by H-O Racing Specialties in 1977 and later. See here for details:

http://originalho.com/TFReviveWhat.html

Of course this kit is no longer available, so don't even ask.

Just showing the simplicity of the layout was enjoyable. I also really liked the turbo mount flange. I had been wondering how I was going to make things fit AND have a place for an a/c compressor. And then I saw your setup with an A6, so I know it can be done with a piddly little Sanden!

[Squidward]

BTW, what is the function of the throttle shaft pressurizing plate thingy?

It's cool you guys did it with the q-jet. Everybody seems to do the Holley double pumper mod. How tough was it to get the qjet tuned properly?

[Craig Hendrickson]

Originally Posted by Squidward

BTW, what is the function of the throttle shaft pressurizing plate thingy?

It's cool you guys did it with the q-jet. Everybody seems to do the Holley double pumper mod. How tough was it to get the qjet tuned properly?

Pressurizing the throttle shafts seals a path so the boosted air/fuel will not escape the confines of the carburetor. Same deal with the accelerator pump. You don't want boosted air/fuel blowing all over the engine!

The Holley has fewer escape paths for boosted air & fuel than a QJet, hence it is easier to seal the Holley under boost than a QJet.

Once you get the QJet sealed properly AND are using a pressure bonnet (hat) like the one pictured, the QJet doesn't need additional tuning. But, I always ran them a little rich in order to protect the engine from lean detonation.

[Squidward]

I planned on converting a DP Holley, but I have a 72 Buick 350 Qjet that I could play with. Might be worth some tinkering! This qjet used a divorced choke, so I shouldn't have to mess with sealing off choke stuff as much.

The bonnet just covers the big hole and the bowl vent, correct? I gather you used check valves for the vac ports.

On your kit back in the day (forgive me, I was in 4th or 5th grade when you created this setup) how did you address ignition timing? Specifically, did you limit or eliminate vacuum advance or mechanical advance? I am guessing you set timing somewhat conservative? - I didn't think that there were digital timing retards like MSD makes nowadays to pull out timing proportional to boost.

I apologize for my newb-ness! The linked literature stated stuff that I am hoping for: "You will not know a turbocharger is installed until you put your foot down."

[Craig Hendrickson]

Don't feel bad about being a newbie. We all were once. I will answer your questions in order asked.

Originally Posted by Squidward

I planned on converting a DP Holley, but I have a 72 Buick 350 Qjet that I could play with. Might be worth some tinkering! This qjet used a divorced choke, so I shouldn't have to mess with sealing off choke stuff as much.

Actually, the choke on a QJet can be a problem because there is a shaft that goes though the body and actuates the choke blade. That is a leak point also.

The bonnet just covers the big hole and the bowl vent, correct?

NO!!! The bonnet is the trick to the whole blow through system! I have a M.S. in Astronautical Engineering (Rocket Science) and part of that is knowing aeronautics inside and out. Probably because of this I was able to engineer a bonnet (hat) that could evenly distribute the air flow over the top of the QJet air horn. To my knowledge, there is no current bonnet (except for the H-O T-F, of course) that can do that. A Holley is a different matter and there a few that work with the Holley. Unless you can get a H-O T-F bonnet version 2 or 3, go with a commercial hat and a Holley.

I gather you used check valves for the vac ports.

Those vac ports that go to the intake manifold don't need check valves. Likewise for the line from the back of the carb to the brake booster. It already has a check valve.

On your kit back in the day (forgive me, I was in 4th or 5th grade when you created this setup) how did you address ignition timing? Specifically, did you limit or eliminate vacuum advance or mechanical advance? I am guessing you set timing somewhat conservative? - I didn't think that there were digital timing retards like MSD makes nowadays to pull out timing proportional to boost.

H-O Racing supplied as part of the kit the 1963 Corvair vacuum advance/retard for the turbocharged flat-4 Corvair. We had to modify it for the HEI, but otherwise it was the same. That is what I used on my 1976 Firebird TurboForce Revival project. Unfortunately, you can't get those advance/retard units anymore or if so, they are rare. Today, you can buy an MSD for boosted applications that does the same thing.

I apologize for my newb-ness! The linked literature stated stuff that I am hoping for: "You will not know a turbocharger is installed until you put your foot down."

Yup! You can let your wife/GF drive it to the store for groceries and she'll never know the diff. Unless, of course, she's a hot foot too! In which case, it'll start frying the tires and ripping her head off. Then...

[BruceWilkie]

Craig check with clarks Corvair parts. It looks like they have the retard cannister.
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/cata...OS&page=NOS-12

[Craig Hendrickson]

Bruce: Thanks for the lead, but of the couple of boost-retard units they have, they want $119 plus S&H! When I bought one in 2005, it was $50 and I thought that was outrageous, but paid it anyway. Back in the day, I'm sure H-O paid less than $10 per. Ken Crocie mentioned to me that a certain Cadillac model had a retard feature, but I don't remember the details or even if that is available.

[BruceWilkie]

Wonder what the pre computer turbo buicks used?

[Craig Hendrickson]

BruceWillkie

Wonder what the pre computer turbo buicks used?

Good Q! Maybe a simple computer with a detonation sensor like the 301Turbo Ponchos?

Anybody know?

[Squidward]

Originally Posted by Craig Hendrickson

Yup! You can let your wife/GF drive it to the store for groceries and she'll never know the diff. Unless, of course, she's a hot foot too! In which case, it'll start frying the tires and ripping her head off. Then...

I'm sure she (wife) can appreciate some face-melting acceleration! She has a '14 Mustang, so she does possess a sporty side.

Thanks for the answers. I really enjoy the simple tech.

I guess that the Holley carbs must use a different throttle shaft concept. None of the Holley conversion discussions I've seen have ever touched on any kind of throttle shaft pressurization.

The shaft pressurization is cool. I work in the semiconductor biz on high vacuum machines, and I thought to myself "Hmmm... like a vacuum differential seal, just backwards!"

[skynyrdfan]

Originally Posted by dreamn69

I am posting these pictures for 78Macho. This is his motor prior to being installed. I am sure most of you would agree with me when I say it is a beauty and it definitely will serve as my inspiration as I work towards my TurboForce install.

Amazing!