[Obike]

The project for my tC has officially begun. I have finally exited the planning stages for turboing the tC and am now entering fabrication and parts ordering. Everything being done is almost 100% custom, no "kit" is being used. However, I may offer portions of the system I used as a kit to those interested.

I'd like to keep this a YSTC exclusive, so if you don't mind please keep it away from the other forums

Firsts first... where am I at specifically now? At this very moment I am awaiting for the e-Manage to arrive. The e-Manage will be used as a temporary stop-gap engine management system. It is by no means permanent, and remains only as long as a more efficient system is developed. I also bought a brand new exhaust gasket from my local Toyota parts dealer to start the fabrication of the turbo manifold. Measurements have been taken for a FMIC and the decision on the turbo has been made (GT2860RS).

As lo bux has brought up, the fuel system is by no means capable of handling any decent amount of additional power. Especially as far as forced induction. For that, we are converting the returnless fuel system to a return fuel system. We will custom-fabricate a fuel rail and use SS-braided lines. The key part is that we are making our fuel system completely modular so that we can upgrade in the future without any major headaches. The fuel system is one section that we will probably be providing as a "kit" to those interested.

The FMIC is a 20x7x3 Garrett intercooler bar-plate core that APR uses on all of their turbo kits. The intercooler has been pressure tested and checked for air-flow efficiency. This product is well-proven, and the fact that I get it at discounted rates is a plus.

The turbo that was decided upon is the GT2860RS, also known as the "disco donut". It was originally designed back in 2000 and was used on several project cars, and is the key reason that Garrett has become a key player in the aftermarket turbo industry.

As far as gauges and gauge pods go... we have decided to go with boost, EGT, oil pressure, and AFR. The gauge pod will be custom fabricated at APR and may also be something that is sold seperately (depending on demand). It will be mounted above the stock gauge cluster (behind the steering wheel) and will fade back to blend in with our dash. It will also be painted and wet-sanded to assure that it is aesthetically pleasing as well. The key here is to go with something that the driver can easily see (without taking their eyes off the road), matches the interior, and doesn't make it immediately obvious that the car has work done to it.

A custom down-pipe will also be fabricated (and mandrel bent). These are just the key components, things such as the 38mm wastegate, boost controller (EBC or MBC), blow-off valve, silicone couplers, and t-bolts are being left out.

Throught the process I will be providing pictures and why we chose a certain path.

Now as to who the "we" is. This system is being developed by myself and a close friend. I am currently receiving my degree in Computer Engineering and Physics and my friend has already received his degree in Aerospace Engineering and is currently attending Auburn for his Mechanical Engineering degree. All other "help" received is by use of facilities (courtesy of APR and Auburn) and consulting on parts only. The role of myself is specifically the electronics/engine-management and pressure testing (removing boost leaks). I will also be fabricating the gauge pod and doing all necessary wiring. My colleague will perform all metal work, running of lines, and fabricating/bending of metal (which is one of the most key portions). He is the brains behind the mechanical portion of the project

Keep in mind, this is only stage one of the process. Stage two will commence once this stage has been completed and determined to be stable.

 

[EddNog]

Oh I'm so subscribed to this thread!

-Ed

 

[lo bux racer]

Do yourself a huge favor. Splurge on the Dezod or ZPI OEM harness extension. It will save you many points of grief and give you full access to the ECM wiring without damaging the OEM harness.

 

[Obike]

Originally posted by lo bux racer@Sep 18 2005, 03:44 PM
Do yourself a huge favor. Splurge on the Dezod or ZPI OEM harness extension. It will save you many points of grief and give you full access to the ECM wiring without damaging the OEM harness.

There is no need for that. I've already created one myself using parts from Radio Shack and the Auburn store. So no damaging of the stock ECU harness will be necessary, and it was much cheaper than buying any other companies harness.

 

[Plissken]

Good luck, have fun and show us what you can do!

 

[tearCatcher]

cant wait to see what you got in store.

 

[bluesciontc]

I would SOOOOOOO buy your manifold is it going to be T3 Flange?

 

[Obike]

Progress Update:
e-Manage has arrived, preliminary testing of the custom harness will start this weekend in addition to wiring up the e-Manage.
Initial fabrication of the gauge pod is planned to start next week.
Fuel system parts are scheduled to arrive in three weeks (they were on backorder).
Waiting on the T304 stainless steel (3/8" x 4" x 14") plate to arrive before CNC'ing the exhaust flange. All other parts to fabricate the manifold have already arrived.

 

[bluesciontc]

How much would you sell a Manifold for? and the harness for say the emanage or an APEXI SAFC 2? Also for some of the fuel system that you are makeing i would love to have you guys test it and see if you want to make some money by selling duplicates of it.

 

[Obike]

The e-manage harness I'd sell in the ball park of $200 (possibly even $150 as a YSTC exclusive), we're running a complete management system so we aren't going to gimp out on a SAFC (you could just clip that onto the stock ECU harness anyways).

The manifold is also an iffy, I don't know if we'd sell it or not. Since the facilities are being lent to us we can't commandeer it for a large amount of orders, so it would require a decent amount of demand to have some produced for anyone interested.

As far as the fuel system itself, we do plan on selling that as a kit if there is demand for it. None of this is just being bought without solid engineering going into every single portion, so you can be sure that a lot of thought has gone into the entire process. Since this is being done on my own car, you can be sure I'm not going to let anything bad happen to my baby.

 

[bluesciontc]

Yea i hear you on that one. Thats why i would trust you with your thoughts of what you are putting on your car.

 

[Raptor22]

This looks like it's going to be a fun thread. =)

 

[Obike]

Update today:
The prototype harness I made didn't work, so no e-Manage was installed today. I'm going to start using some of my engineering contacts and university resources to see if I can make it more reliable (the problem was the female connector). So no progress, really.

One thing we determined is that we are going to return the e-Manage blue and upgrade to the e-Manage ultimate. This will also take some time. The parts I have ordered have yet to arrive, so it looks like the game is waiting for now.

Building the harness takes time and money, and money is something I don't want to run short on (and get in financial trouble with). So this will be a several-month long process, hopefully I'll be done before christmas. As always, I'll keep you updated.

 

[lo bux racer]

I hate to be a prick, but those harness extensions are trickier than they appear. That's why I suggested buying one instead of fabbing one. I've built hundreds of wiring harnesses for everything from seismic systems to aircraft, and even I wouldn't want to do this without the right machinery. It's just too hard to get it right for a few hundred connections.

Take it from someone who spent two years troubleshooting a wiring issue with a Supra, a single pin failure can completely upset your car, not to mention make you so angry you're ready to torch the thing. AMHIK!

 

[Obike]

Originally posted by lo bux racer@Sep 25 2005, 07:15 PM
I hate to be a prick, but those harness extensions are trickier than they appear. That's why I suggested buying one instead of fabbing one. I've built hundreds of wiring harnesses for everything from seismic systems to aircraft, and even I wouldn't want to do this without the right machinery. It's just too hard to get it right for a few hundred connections.

Take it from someone who spent two years troubleshooting a wiring issue with a Supra, a single pin failure can completely upset your car, not to mention make you so angry you're ready to torch the thing. AMHIK!

No offense taken... although I like challenges. I'm going to do my best to get this wiring harness done, the biggest problem being the female connector. Once I get it all working nicely with each other, I'll let you know.

I don't trust Dezod. When I was milking them for information, the guy who makes them kept saying: "I don't have much electrical experience, I just make them and hope they work. Good thing we have this project car I can test them out on." Not a phrase that inspires confidence, is it?

 

[lo bux racer]

No, that's not what I want to hear either. Joe at Dezod told me they have a manufacturer lined up. I have a good friend in this business, he's been making Supra harness extensions for some time now, and he does other cars too.

Click here. If you decide to call him, his name is Richard Welch, and tell him I sent you. I bet he can come up with a product for a great price that is extremely reliable. He is an aircraft electrician, so he knows how to do it right.

 

[Raptor22]

Originally posted by Obike@Sep 26 2005, 09:25 AM
I don't trust Dezod. When I was milking them for information, the guy who makes them kept saying: "I don't have much electrical experience, I just make them and hope they work.

! That's disgusting.

How in the world did a clown like that land that job to begin with?

Sounds like someone who should work at a quick-e-lube place. So he can totally over-tighten my oil filter, put in a half quart too much oil, and dick with my tires.

Oh, Sir, your tires were low, so I filled them up to the value on the side of the tire... (max inflation pressure!!!)

"I specifically told you, DO NOT ADJUST MY AIR PRESSURE." Not only are my tires about to explode, but they aren't even anyway!. You know, I had to punch a 1.5 foot screwdriver thru the filter to twist it off...

Least it was only an old Ford Escort.

I went out and bought a jack and stands that week.

Quick-e-lube:

 

[raamaudio]

I have had my share of wiring nightmares in my 20 years as a tech in the Navy and years before and after doing my own thing with car audio, etc.... I was a union electrician at one time, maintenance electrician at a GE plant, etc........

I had a large three bay equiment rack, each one weighing 800 lbs, one of the most intense pieces of military electronics ever produced, It had an intermitant problem that only showed up in rough weather and not all the time, the symptoms would change randomly and there was no way to find it, everytime I pulled the cabinet open in calm weather there was no problem.

I knew it was harness related but where, could not even access the suspected area. It got worse over time, critically so as we needed it to fulfill our mission, having the CO looking over your shoulder while troubleshooting during hostile times in the gulf is not a fun thing to have happen. When the ships mission is the air warfare command center and all tactical data for the whole battle group is dependent on your gear and you are the only tech on board for it, things can get a bit touchy to say the least. I knew I could fix it if I had the chance but just impossible out there.

Finally we had a port call, I opened up the suspect rack and poked a broom stick around until I made a fault happen, lol,. it was all I had that was safe to do so with We then brought in riggers and pulled the rack out far enough to get to the area, really ticked me off was some yardbird(shipyard electrical guy) had assembled the harness with the gaurd on the wrong side of the cable. It would get pinched at one of several different spots and cause the random issues but never totally shorted or opened the wires, really an odd one there.

Another one was a degraded patch panel for our varios radios and crypto gear, same system, 1000 terminals, the kind you do not screw on, do not solder on, some of you may know the type Anyway it was the worst install job I have seen in my life for something that is supposed to be mil spec. Since they did not know how to use the proper tools they just wraped and tried to solder but on some there were 4 wires with only the first two soldered, the others corroded over time, not a good thing.

It took me 6 weeks, 12 hours a day, to get that repaired to design specs and in the next two years it worked flawlessly.

Those are the worst issues but there are many many more, mostly the installs were good, just old complicated gear that was past it's prime.

If I told some of you what it consisted of you would be amazed it even worked but it did for decades, gotta love well designed analog equipment, you can troubleshoot it and replace parts instead of modules, not always easy but rewarding, having to use three oscope channels just to see the waveform and tune it with 5 interacting pots was rather fun

(I used to TS radars, weather stations, copiers, cash machines, mainframes, mini computers, weapons systems electronics, etc, etc. for shops that were having a hard time with repairing things, my offical title was data systems tech though

I made it a point to forget much of what I used to know, life is a bit simpler now

Rick

 

[Obike]

Just giving you guys an update...

Still waiting on parts to arrive and for the shops CNC machine to become available. For now I'm just saving up the money and buying parts as I am able to afford them (safely). I also sent back the e-Manage blue and decided to upgrade to the e-Manage ultimate. Should be here, and installed, by the end of the week. SK VR4 and I decided to not use a PnP harness; however, we may still decide to fabricate one (working w/ some of the Auburn Materials Engineers and Electrical Engineers to come up w/ a design and fabrication process).

The intercooler will most likely be purchased by the end of next week, with a large down payment on the turbo. After that it's time to play the waiting game. Hopefully the necessary parts will be CNC machined by the end of this week.

 

[Forged]

The Garrett GT28 is a T3 flanged turbine housing. I made the decision to use a garrett turbo over other for the reason of choice. We can bolt on anything from a GT21 to a GT40, many turbonetics, precision, and AR turbos (among others) with very little modification. Also, the low-boost requirement lead us to the GT28 for it's high-efficiency, low-boost operation and good match to the engine and driving characteristics of this car. Maybe one day he'll get a 28R or RS.

When we get it I'll take a pic next to my GT42, heh.