RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

[WyoSyclone]

Well, got started on the RPM Stage1 install tonight... I actually started doing a bunch of prelim work over the weekend... haven't taken any pics cuz I've been too dirty and my wife won't let me touch the new camera!

Gotta say that even though this is a "bolt-on" replacement, it's not for the faint of heart (of course I did have to go with the water-cooled center section which makes it much more difficult).

If I didn't have a bunch of wrenching experience I'd have to say this would be one SOB of an install for a newbie... I'm pretty well equipped with regard to tools but I'm still gonna have to go out and buy some specialty stuff to make sure things are tight (oil drain hose at oil pan, coolant return, etc.)

Will pretty much have to go with a heater core feed out of the water pump to make room for the Cobra, turbo spaces the downpipe further rearward (1/2") making for some possible clearance issues, I'm going with the RPM turbo filter kit although I still have the stock airbox (will have to fab a bracket for the filter housing).

If anyone is planning on doing this one, give me a shout and I can provide some input for making the whole process go a lot faster and easier (just be prepared to take quite a few parts off the Sy!).

I'll post some pics in the next few days...

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Well, trying to get ready for Nats and have just about got this install complete - that is until I start it up and it starts throwing oil and water everywhere

Anyway, for those of you planning on doing an RPM Stage1 install, here are some pics... I'll take some of the underside showing how the braided lines go back into the bottom side of the motor (not fun)....

Still waiting to get the wastegate actuator on...have to re-engineer the bracket due to re-clocking the turbo to the original location (would have run into the positive battery post otherwise).

This is a view of the coolant and oil lines...I do have one of RPM's turbo oil filter kits but won't be able to get it on before Nats due to the need to fab a bracket (I'm still using the stock air box). You can't see the 1" oil drain line in this pic... it snakes back down to the oil pan... RPM did a nice job of getting this line exactly the right length, but it has to go together in EXACTLY the right sequence...

This just shows the braided coolant feed to the turbo and my heater hose re-located to the water pump... could not have gotten the Cobra elbow on if I hadn't done this mod...

I'll hopefully have it buttoned up on Wednesday night, and try to get the rear sway bar on that night as well.....

 

[Sy777]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

I'm going to be doing the same install when the new turbo gets here. Were did you get the braided coolant feed hose? I have the old turbo out (that sucked) and ready for the new turbo.

 

[Foot Performance]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Very nice. You still have the stock trans. I am looking to bump up the power on the ol sy and am afraid of killen the tranny

 

[Flyin Ryan]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Nice little write up you have going on here Rob, i've had the rpm stage1 for awhile now and I like it allot over stock in all areas so get her done and start enjoying it

 

[Tooky]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Wow, nice photos. I'm also really interested in your driver's side turbo coolant line. How'd you fit the 90* on the straight adapter without hitting the A/C bracket? Did you have to attach it before mounting the turbo? I just posted a thread in the last 2 weeks in Engine Tech about this precise issue. Did you source the adapter and 90* hose end yourself?

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

I'm going to be doing the same install when the new turbo gets here. Were did you get the braided coolant feed hose? I have the old turbo out (that sucked) and ready for the new turbo.

Hey Triple 7,
NAPA is now my best friend regarding hoses.... these are the "E" series hoses. They're 3/8" but very small outer diameter.... NAPA makes them to order so you can have any custom hose you need built on-site! They were out of a few fittings I needed so had to wait a few days for those to get in.

...Rob

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Wow, nice photos. I'm also really interested in your driver's side turbo coolant line. How'd you fit the 90* on the straight adapter without hitting the A/C bracket? Did you have to attach it before mounting the turbo? I just posted a thread in the last 2 weeks in Engine Tech about this precise issue. Did you source the adapter and 90* hose end yourself?

Hey Josh,
Luckily the "E" series fittings from NAPA have a very short bend radius on the 90 degree elbow.. only adds .85" inch to the overall height. BUT, you do have to tighten the 'pipe-to-compression-fitting' brass adaptor down tight in the turbo housing - I think only 4 or 5 threads left showing. Then the 90 degree fitting will just barely fit between the A/C bracket and the brass fitting - you have to hold the fitting perfectly straight and level while you tighten it up. Hope this helps!

As I told 777, NAPA is my new best friend when it comes to braided hoses They beat all the on-line prices (Summit, Jegs, etc.) as well!
...Rob

 

[Tooky]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Now that's some killer info! I've been searching for one of these mythical "hydraulic hose shops" that can make cheap AN lines for years... Never found one. But I do have a Napa. What specifically did you ask for, to get the AN fittings? The guys at my local Napa are pretty useless, so I am 99% sure if I said I need a custom hydraulic E series hose with "90* -6 AN fittings" they would give me a blank stare and say they dont have anything like that.

Do they call it JIC or something else?

Also, for your "pipe to compression fitting", did you use the correct metric 14mm x 1.5 (I think.. it's in the other thread I mentioned), or did you jam in a 3/8 NPT? I did the NPT more or less by mistake, and it galled the threads.

 

[turbodig]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Hey Josh,
Luckily the "E" series fittings from NAPA have a very short bend radius on the 90 degree elbow.. only adds .85" inch to the overall height. BUT, you do have to tighten the 'pipe-to-compression-fitting' brass adaptor down tight in the turbo housing - I think only 4 or 5 threads left showing. Then the 90 degree fitting will just barely fit between the A/C bracket and the brass fitting - you have to hold the fitting perfectly straight and level while you tighten it up. Hope this helps!

As I told 777, NAPA is my new best friend when it comes to braided hoses They beat all the on-line prices (Summit, Jegs, etc.) as well!
...Rob

Got numbers for the fittings? I've got a hose crimper like that.

One thing I'd suggest is turning the center section so the drain is straight down, if you can.
Any backup in the housing will cause oil to puke past the rings.

later,

Dig

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

What specifically did you ask for, to get the AN fittings?

Also, for your "pipe to compression fitting", did you use the correct metric 14mm x 1.5 (I think.. it's in the other thread I mentioned), or did you jam in a 3/8 NPT? I did the NPT more or less by mistake, and it galled the threads.

The hose program is made by Eaton... apparently they purchased Aeroquip a while back. The hoses I used are a teflon tube assembly with a sheathing, then the braid.... they're listed as the "E" series in the Eaton books.

I always use the correct fittings - I never jam something in, especially on a new turbo! These hoses are listed in SAE sized (these are 3/8's).

Hope this helps!

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Got numbers for the fittings? I've got a hose crimper like that.

One thing I'd suggest is turning the center section so the drain is straight down, if you can.
Any backup in the housing will cause oil to puke past the rings.

later,

Dig

Hey Dig, I'm planning on putting together a full parts list on this since it worked out well for the water-cooled center section... I'll send it to Mike and maybe he can make it available for others wanting to do water-cooled. I'll post all the numbers here as well. The crimper at NAPA is a large hydraulic unit, about two feet square, with a bunch of mandrels for making sure the teflon isn't crushed.

Thanks for the tip on center section.... unfortunately I don't think there is any way to clock the center section on this one... I'll take a look tonight when I get home.

Later,
Rob

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Got numbers for the fittings?

Hey Guys,
Got the numbers for the fittings....

This is all for the "E" series Eaton teflon tubing and corresponding fittings (3/8" size).
#06E-606 - straight fitting - list price $8.56, got them for $5.00 each (2 required)
#06E-666 - 90 degree elbow fitting (.85" offset) - list price $15.36, bought for $8.99 (2 required)
#H24306 - Hose - list price $11.48 per foot, got it for $5.91

Assembly of fittings to hose.... priceless :rotf: (meaning free)

I'll get the lengths for you when I get it buttoned up and can crawl underneath to take pics of the lower fittings/routing.

Hope this helps!

 

[SY2932]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

EXCELLENT technical content ! I vote for the vault!

 

[Tooky]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

KILLER!!! I rated this thread 5 stars. WyoSyclone, excellent work!! I also vote for Vault. This will save me a lot of time, money, and finger cuts from making those damn braided AN lines!! In fact I may never have to buy another AN line again! :tup:

 

[turbodig]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Hey Dig, I'm planning on putting together a full parts list on this since it worked out well for the water-cooled center section... I'll send it to Mike and maybe he can make it available for others wanting to do water-cooled. I'll post all the numbers here as well. The crimper at NAPA is a large hydraulic unit, about two feet square, with a bunch of mandrels for making sure the teflon isn't crushed.

Thanks for the tip on center section.... unfortunately I don't think there is any way to clock the center section on this one... I'll take a look tonight when I get home.

Later,
Rob

Only reason you couldn't clock would be the compressor side (some have hold/lock pins, Mike would be able to tell you for sure) . The turbine side should be just a matter of loosening the bolts and turning it.


Later,

 

[turbodig]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Hey Dig, I'm planning on putting together a full parts list on this since it worked out well for the water-cooled center section... I'll send it to Mike and maybe he can make it available for others wanting to do water-cooled. I'll post all the numbers here as well. The crimper at NAPA is a large hydraulic unit, about two feet square, with a bunch of mandrels for making sure the teflon isn't crushed.

Later,
Rob

That's exactly what I have. We used to do hydraulic hose for farm applications at the shop, so we've still got the stuff. I made myself some custom trans cooler lines that way.

Come to think of it, that'd be a slick replacement for the tranny lines in general... I'll bet Eaton has the inverted flare fittings for the trans end and the radiator end.


What did you do at the pan for the drain? Just clamps?

It'd be nice to get a fitting that fit in the pan, fix that leaky crap once and for all.

Great find.

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

Come to think of it, that'd be a slick replacement for the tranny lines in general... I'll bet Eaton has the inverted flare fittings for the trans end and the radiator end.


What did you do at the pan for the drain? Just clamps?

It'd be nice to get a fitting that fit in the pan, fix that leaky crap once and for all.

Great find.

Hey Dig, Yes Eaton does have the inverted flares that would fit the tranny. In looking at the clearances I'm pretty sure two of the 90 degree fittings would fit just fine.. one of my next projects when I get ready to do a tranny cooler

Mike's 1" drain hose bolts right up to the stock drain pan fitting - I had to add a pipe-to-compression fitting for the coolant drain back into the block - I'll take pics of those once I get the truck started up, maybe tonight. I'm hoping that this new setup up fixes that constant dripping that I had from those stock fittings!

 

[ghettosled]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install...

you want to have the turbo oil inlet pointing straight up at the hood.. right now it looks like it is at a 45 deg angle.

 

[WyoSyclone]

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install (New Pics!)...

Re: RPM Stage1 Turbo Install (New Pics!)...

Well, got the Stage1 install completed. Thanks to ALL of you guys for the tips....especially about re-clocking the cartridge so the oil feed line was straight up.. got that done no prob... :tup:

Here are the pics...

The finished project.... stock intake pipe (still working on a design for a fresh air feed), and had to use the stock turbo to IC pipe until I can come up with a cool replacement.

Reclocking the center section opened up a bunch of room between the A/C bracket and the coolant return line....

I rerouted the heater feed from the radiator to the water pump (the only way the Cobra would fit). One tip... when you buy the radiator bypass cap package from the autostore there will be about 7 or 8 caps in the package. One of those caps will just barely fit inside of the plastic nipple coming out of the radiator - put just a LITTLE bit of silicone around the closed end of the plug then stick it, open end first into the radiator nipple. THEN, put the 5/8" cap over the radiator nipple and tighten it down.... this gives you an additional layer of protection from the coolant affecting the 5/8" cap. I let it sit for two days before filling back up with antifreeze so the silicone could dry.

I know you guys will have a fit seeing this braided line beneath the torque tube... But, it is the only way I could get a braided line into the block and not risk kinking the teflon inside the tube. I did have to loosen the starter to gain enough clearance to tighten the coolant return line..... major PITA :rant:
NAPA sells some metal wire ties... I'm going to get those, put electrical heat shrink over them, shrink it, then use those metal ties to secure all the braided lines.

A better view of the fittings...

I still need to add one photo of how I had to modify the wastegate actuating arm to work correctly.


Gotta tell ya.... this turbo made a huge difference in the sound of my Sy... now much quieter, smoother (the wife even said it made a big difference). I did put a new set of NGK's in at the same time so that may be part of it.

I did one datalog session with TunerProRT and immediately saw my wastegate operating as it should.... now I can get on with my Code59 tuning (already did one new BIN tonight). Some of the guys from Oklahoma are coming to the house on Saturday so I'll be able to show them the progress, and how Code59 operates... anyone is welcome if you want to drop by!

Special thanks to Mike at RPM for getting things to me, and trying to get me a part so I could drive the Sy to Nats (couldn't get it put together in time). Thanks to Mike Renz for sending me home from Nats with his wastegate re-clocking part (really cool piece) just in case I needed it.

Now, it's on to the brakes