Hey all,
My name is Cole and this is my first post to this forum...looks like a great place to hang! I have a 2000 z71 ECSB 4x4 that I am looking to turbo. I bought this truck wrecked and I will be doing a cab and front end swap off of an 04 here shortly. I figured while I have the cab and front clip off would be a great time to do a turbo. The truck has 75K miles and is in great shape mechanically. It has 3.73 gears with 9 inches of lift ( 6 suspension and 3 body) and 35x12.50 tires. I am looking to turbo the truck for the following goals:

1. To increase hp/tq for medium duty towing.
I usually haul between 4K -8K several times a year. I have been using a Ford IDI turbo diesel, but would like to get rid of that truck and be able to do everything with the Silverado.

2. To get back lost performance (and gain some) due to the increased tire size.

3. Simply to have MORE POWER... lets be honest, it's always better to have more power.


I am fairly new to turbo systems, I have only owned an 11 second Sentra SER and I bought it already completed (it was a blast), and my current turbo diesel.

Here's what I am looking for... I am looking for a solid game plan/build sheet for a reliable turbo truck that makes somewhere around 350hp and 450tq to the rear wheels. The only stipulation is that I am cheap (or frugal), and I almost never buy anything new. I am looking to piece together a system, I don't mind fabricating, and I have a decent selection of tools/machines at my disposal. So please help me in putting together a solid gameplan for a decent setup that will accomplish my goals. Let's hear from the experts... and although I can't offer much info on turbo systems right now, if anyone needs any paint/body info I have my own shop and can give you the right advice. Thanks in advance, looking forward to getting to "know the crew" in the near future.

Cole

 

How about 365HP and 430TQ ...is that close enough??? We pulled these number with our kit on a 224K engine. We didn't want to use a low mileage engine as a test platform because we wanted "realistic" results.

 

Sure, that's getting in the ballpark for me. What is "your kit", and do you have a dyno sheet so that I can see where the torque was made in the rpm range? As this will be for towing I would like the torque to be as low rpm as possible (in a gas engine that is).

 

I just realized that your company sells a kit... I appreciate the thought, but this is something I am wanting to do as economically as possible by doing all of the fabrication/piecing of parts myself. I am looking for input as to what components will get me to my goal. If anyone had a build list from there truck that would be great. I will have a donor engine on the stand beside my truck (5.3 out of a parts truck) to do mock-up on, hopefully this will make things like manifold fab and such much easier. So how about it experts... feel free to offer a newbie help.

 

Are you dead set on a turbo? Cause blowers show up often for cheap in the classifieds.

 

You could easily make 350/450 with a rear mount 70mm kit at 6-8lbs. A/R of the turbiNe would dictate how early it would spool. Front mounts are nicer, but rear mounts are cheaper and easier to fabricate. If you don't have any prior experience with turbos you need to start reading for a few months

 

If you are worried about towing get some 4.88 gears in it to help move those tires.

 

+1 gears first, transmission second (vette servo, trans cooler, maybe shift kit), turbo third.

 

4.56 or 4.88 gears are first on the list. I will most likely do 4.56 but... we'll see.

jiar577 - I am not dead set on a turbo, but I thought it would be cheaper to piece together a "decent" system to meet my goals than to buy a supercharger/blower setup that I would basically have to buy "turn key".

02'Z71ONDUBZ - I don't really have a preference on front vs. rear mount... what are some of the negatives about rear mount (lag time, underbody filth,...?). Either way I do it I will be building it myself unless a used kit comes up on the CHEAP.

TX Tahoe Z71 - good game plan. The trans upgrades are understandable, how much power will the 4L60e hold up to if treated with respect before they have to undergo a substantial build?


Great starting ideas guys... keep the ideas coming! How about exact models of turbo's and injector setups?

 

I have been extremely lucky with mine, but I also don't really beat on it (no 4-2 downshifts, roll into the throttle to WOT, and generally don't hammer on it a ton). That being said, all I have done is corvette servo ($15), Sonnax billet 4th servo ($90, both servos can be installed in your driveway w/o draining the trans), Transgo hardened separator plate ($30), aluminum accumulator pistons ($5), Transgo HD2 shift kit, no washers used ($110, $150 installation), and TruCool 40,000 GVW trans cooler ($110, easy install). Vette servo and trans cooler are key, the others are at your discretion. All of those can be installed without removing the transmission. On my tune, I have 70% torque management left in, which is, I think, a big reason my trans has lasted so long behind about 500rwtq in a 6000lb SUV.