Register now to get rid of these ads!

Would a Home-Built Turbo setup on a V8 be too far out there?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by todd_a, Jul 26, 2009.

  1. todd_a
    Joined: Apr 18, 2009
    Posts: 397

    todd_a
    Member
    from Tyler, TX

    Would a Home-Built Turbo setup on a V8 be too far out there in a model A coupe? Would that get branded as too far off the meter to be a traditional style hot rod? I mean, blowers seem to be ok, and turbos were available in the '50's, and mine would be home-built just like someone would have done in the '50's if they had the balls to give it a try. And someone probably did at some point.

    Thoughts?

    Also, I was reading on the Day of the Drag Race site and saw turbos mentioned there as a power adder and that it would cause you to move up a class, so mine would end up in Comp Coupe/Sedan instead of Gas Coupe/Sedan class. My brain just got to wondering after reading "turbos" in that classifications page.

    Thanks
    Todd
     
  2. scottybaccus
    Joined: Mar 13, 2006
    Posts: 4,109

    scottybaccus
    Member

    Not too far off...

    It depends on execution. It's real easy to get a 21st century appearance when building a turbo setup. A fairly basic execution would be great. No intercooler or high tech air pipes.

    The reasons they came about was to add artificial air density for aircraft operating at ever higher altitudes in WWII. The application to cars started with those low compression engines with few options to increase cylinder pressures. The advent of the overhead valve V8s kinda made this approach obsolete. The arrival of the earliest examples making 1 hp per cubic inch made it a poor economic choice. That's what left the turbo primarily a thing of heavy trucks and diesel engines until we learned how to harness REALLY high cylinder pressures in racing and sports cars. As far as the consumer market goes, read everything you can find involving Gale Banks. He pretty much defined the science in the last few decades and still does. He developed the system used on the Turbo Buicks, GM trucks, hotrodded the crap outta the Cummins before Bully Dog was even a puppy, you name it. He had 3 turbo powered cars at Bakersfield for Drag Fest when I was there last spring.
     
  3. junk yard kid
    Joined: Nov 11, 2007
    Posts: 2,718

    junk yard kid
    Member

    i did a thread asking the same question a while back, i think it will depend on the gearing so the turbo can spool up, or maybe a high reving motor, otherwise i think youd just have to shift so fast it wouldnt be fun, but i dont know that much about turbos, i do know that a loaded diesel rock truck pulls harder than an empty one. I got the turbo i could go take a photo if you want?
     
  4. build what you want and who gives a rats ass what anybody thinks. serious, the term "traditional" only goes so far, boost on the other hand is hella fun!
     

  5. yup, you obviosly dont know much about turbos....
     
  6. iveroguy
    Joined: Mar 12, 2008
    Posts: 53

    iveroguy
    Member

    I've been thinking about making a kit for a SBC that would be a bolt on system, but those damn chinese make them so cheap I couldn't compete at anywhere near the price. I'm still thinking about putting one on the '55 though...
     
  7. RacerRick
    Joined: May 16, 2005
    Posts: 2,756

    RacerRick
    Member

    I am putting one on the "283" going in my 55'. Its even a vintage draw through kit - 1970's vintage but with a little detailing - close enough for me.
     
  8. So if you like the idea of a strong running turbo engine in a Model A, what's stopping you?


    Hot rodding is not a peer group thing.

    Horsepower and light weight and it doesn't matter how you get it.

    If some know-it-all tells you it's not trad, ask him if he would like to see your taillights.

    Looking at taillights is a time honored tradition for some....
     
  9. D-fens
    Joined: Aug 30, 2007
    Posts: 368

    D-fens
    Member
    from Huntsville

    IIRC the Mallicoat brothers were running twin turbos on their gasser in the '64 - 66 time frame.

    If you can handle the fab work and tuning to make it happen, I say go for it.
     
  10. roddinron
    Joined: May 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,676

    roddinron
    Member

    I love that answer.^
     
  11. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    Pure bullshit....hot rodding is DEFINITELY a peer group thing!

    there are very strict rules about what you can and cannot do. Especially here.

    :)

    (someone had to set the proper level of drama on this thread)

    Anyways, if you can find a 50s turbo and put it on your car with 50s hardware you'd have the bitchenist car in the valley.
     
  12. corsair
    Joined: May 16, 2009
    Posts: 287

    corsair
    Member

    I think the real question is whether or not you want a turbo. No matter what, the traditional police will bitch and whine regardless of how you set it up. It is worth noting though that Pontiac sold a "Jetfire Turbo" back in '61 and '62, but it was a pretty horrible system. 10:1+ compression and a very primitive single barrel carb strapped to a 215 motor. LOTS of problems with detonation. Its hard to find any info on them, since most of them blew up pretty quickly.

    Something to consider is the fact that older turbo setups really didn't work very well. You need to really look at how you are using this car, i.e. is it a street car? Drag racer? The draw-through arrangement is more old-school looking, but blow through is vastly supirior for drivability. Draw through is going to be happy at WOT and very little else.

    Also, intercoolers look distinctly modern, but without one you're pretty much limited to about 4.5 to 5psi. Even with low compression you're pushing it when you go higher. Water injection helps, as does alcohol injection with keeping intake temps down.

    Pay very close attention to turbo selection too. Superchargers and carbs work well together because if you look at cfm vs. rpm you get a nice smooth curve. A smallish turbo does that too, but a big diesel style snail will really ramp up the cfm when it spools. With a carb, you'll be forced to run very rich off-boost to compensate. Do some research on how to read a compressor map and choose carefully. If it was me, I'd look at a small T-4, or a T3/T4 hybrid that spools just off idle. Skip the older turbos, as the design of the wheels was pretty awful. They spool badly and heat the air quite a bit.

    Hope this helps. Screw the nay-sayers, they won't be able to catch you anyway :D
     
  13. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    Good answer corsair...you basically are saying that you can't build a 50s style turbo setup and make it work. If you want a turbo that works, it'll be modern (hence not traditional)
     
  14. onlychevrolets
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 2,307

    onlychevrolets
    Member


    perfect answer!!!!
     
  15. corsair
    Joined: May 16, 2009
    Posts: 287

    corsair
    Member

    Anything is possible I suppose, but I thing a really traditional setup would be more suited to a race car than a street car. Getting it to work right at WOT is fairly straightforward, even with vintage stuff. It's just that pesky stuff like part throttle and light loads that gets tough. Keeping it traditional means no boost-retard on ignition timing, sealed blow-through 4bbl carbs, or any other safety and drivability enhancements.
     
  16. Ford-Man
    Joined: Apr 6, 2009
    Posts: 288

    Ford-Man
    Member

    You obviously want a turbo hot rod, so build it. Will it be "traditional", in some eyes no, in others yes. I say build what ya want, and to hell with everyone else. I hope my truck pisses some people off because its not "traditional". People with common sense will enjoy what you built, appreciate the thought and sweat that you put into it, and never ask to race!
     
  17. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    this whole traditional thing is just too wierd. you want to be traditional but you don't know what it is, so how do you know you want to be traditional?

    I say build the car you like and and hang with like minded people.
     
  18. Of course I am going to say, go for it!

    I could see a pair of T40B's stuck up above the valve covers and just slightly in front of the heads to make the headers easy and the exhausts flow out and down gracefully like a lakester cone header would. The two compressor outlets could merge gracefully into a nice carb hat or fully enclosed carb box similar to a Paxton unit. Snow Performance meth injection and some old Delta gate 38 WG on there, could be slick looking!
     
  19. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    Corsair- It was Olds, not Pontiac that had the turbo 215. I don't remember any turbos in the 50s. Some in the '60s. I ran a twin Corvair turbo 270 GMC in '78 and on. Yeah it ran good at WOT after a while. I don't think it would have worked any good on the street. But I was pretty dumb. There is good chance your smarter than me. Fun to try anyway.
     
  20. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    heh...that about sums it up....
     
  21. I think Ted had a Case tractor turbo on the ChickenHawk.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2009
  22. corsair
    Joined: May 16, 2009
    Posts: 287

    corsair
    Member

    You're right! Guess I should google before dusting off old information in the back corner of my brain :eek:

    I think the whole idea of a turbo is pretty sweet. Ignoring some modern improvements is going to shoot you in the foot for a street car, but with a nice carb, good ignition control, and the right snail(s) you'd end up with a great setup. The hell with traditional, if the old-school police start goosestepping around you just leave them in a cloud of tiresmoke.

    The biggest thing to remember is that turbo sizing and tuning are everything. It makes the difference between a sweet runner and a basketcase. Spend an evening with compressor maps and save your pennies for a TON of dyno time.
     
  23. PatrickG
    Joined: Jun 19, 2007
    Posts: 167

    PatrickG
    Member

  24. loogy
    Joined: Mar 6, 2004
    Posts: 1,236

    loogy
    Member

    While this car obviously has twin superchargers, it could just as easily have a twin turbo set up and look just as cool! Just do your homework and make sure that you build something that is drivable.

    [​IMG]
     
  25. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    was Ak Miller traditional?
     
  26. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    It would look just as cool, but at the time the picture was taken, it is not very likely that someone would have been able to make it actually work as well as the superchargers.
     
  27. PatrickG
    Joined: Jun 19, 2007
    Posts: 167

    PatrickG
    Member

    hey, it worked for this guy. :D

    [​IMG]

    but, i'm not so sure he did much partial throttle/light load driving
     
  28. loogy
    Joined: Mar 6, 2004
    Posts: 1,236

    loogy
    Member

    Agreed, but if a "version" of that car were to be built today, there is enough knowledge to make it work properly. I guess what I meant was that today, a turboed car can still have "the look" (and hopefully some added performance). Without intercoolers and modern electronics, it surely wouldn't be the highest horsepower machine ever built, but I think that it could be made to scoot pretty good, still be very streetable and look good doing it.
     
  29. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    I agree, it would be neat to see a turbo build that has "the look" actually driving around!

    A big enough displacement engine would make the low boost number irrelevant :)
     
  30. metalshapes
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 11,138

    metalshapes
    Member

    Here is mine...

    Zagato 638.jpg

    Zagato 639.jpg

    Zagato 646.jpg
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.