Grandma Fresh's 1988 GPSE!!!!!

[CobraCDR]

2.8 Turbo

Well we did it.....finally pulled the engine and installed the turbo...now comes to the task of trouble shooting a few fueling issues and fine tuning the engine. Track times should be comming after the tuning is done! Thanks to Lorenzo, Brian and Adam over on TGP forums for the help and consulting during this install. Here are the pics!
















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[CobraCDR]

More pictures

[CobraCDR]

one more as of yesterday

[gpse3400]

It actually came out to be like the best install ever that I was involoved in!..Also the hardest install........

[AWeb80]

NICE


now pics of the GP w/ those Gold Xlaces on PLEASE!!!

Those are hot

[CobraCDR]

More pictures of the TGP wheels on the gp soon after it stops being crappy outside.

It was a hard install pulling the engine 4 times and installing it 3 times was not my idea of fun but at least we learned how to line up a 5 speed w body now. The secret is to take out the slave cylinder and wire the clutch fork in the proper position so the throwout bearing does not fall out.....

[CobraCDR]

Oh let the people have cross laces! A few more for now! Savor it!

[AWeb80]

what tires are on those Xlaces....they have a cool tread

[CobraCDR]

Cooper Zeon's and mastercraft something or others........I got them for 20 bucks a wheel with the tires from the junk yard.....off the doner TGP.

Size is 245/50/R16. Even on a rough tune with suspected leaking injectors the car and break the tires free at 40 mph at 9-10 psi

[CobraCDR]

More pics. Installed the TGP cluster face on my remanufactured base. I swapped over my voltage gauge motor and recalibrated the needle so the turbo gauge is actually reading battery voltage. 0 is about 12 volts

I also had a chance to clean her up last weekend and take some pics so enjoy guys.

For those who care I used:
Meguires clay bar (entire car)
Poorboys SSR1
Finished with Poorboys Sealant with Carnuba

Used the orange pad for the SSR1 and the blue with the sealant, applied with a Portercable 7424

Tuning is coming along nicely, it is going to be a beast!

























Remember according to some "experts" I am not taking care of this car! I'm trashing it! To the Crusher!

[3100 MPFI]

lol.

To those nay-sayers..... "be damned"

looks good.

[CobraCDR]

Well Junkyard turbos are just as the name implies junk. After 700 hard miles of tuning my stock T25 which I rebuild was begining to have excessive radial play. Obviously something was wrong as no turbo should go bad after a mere 700 miles regardless of use. I sent it to Adam on tgpforums for a comprehensive failure investigation. The findings were as expected:

1) The turbo was out of balance as received from the junk yard (most likely due to a poor rebuild in the past where the wheel alignment was not preserved) which contributed to the oval wear pattern in the journal bearings.
2) The shaft diameter was undersize which allowed excessive radial clearance for the get go on my rebuild. This most likely inhibited EHL and a wear study of steel on bronze commenced from day 1. Bronze 0 Steel 1.
3) My 360 degree racing thrust bearing was completely destroyed.

I pulled it just in time as catostophic failure was imminent. It would not have been long before the turbo started eating oil and fouling plugs. To my dismay I had just done an oil change since the swap where I put in 4 quarts of royal purple and a k&n oil filter which would have to be dumped since there could be bearing material in the oil.

On the upside since everything was junk but the housings it was time to rebuild and upgrade Adam fitted by stock T25 with a 62 trim compressor wheel and an 80 trim turbine wheel essentially transforming this cute little turbo into to revered "disco potato" and then some. At 12 psi we should be making 260-270 whp which according to Adam's 1/8 mile times with this turbo in an otherwise stock tgp with a 4t60 should propel the TGPSE into the low 14's high 13's with ease. Enough with the talk on with the pictures: Turbo should be here before the weekend. Install will happen Saturday and tuning to start shortly after





I love the polished housing! Pretty nice for a free upgrade, thanks Adam!

Ken

[3XTurboAgain]

NICE

[AWeb80]

hot!

[CobraCDR]

New turbo arrived and is installed! Now I just need a new crossover pipe. This one had been rebuilt but apparently not well, my long sought after exhaust leak has been identified now that I deleted the EGR and could get my hand near the rear exhaust manifold ball and socket joint. The crossover was made a touch too long and is leaking at the rear joint right behind where the egr tube was before that I could never quite reach! Oh well one thing at a time right?

Even with the exhaust leak the turbo is amazing. There is so much top end now it is not even funny, it pulls and builds boost all the way to redline. No spikes just pure power. This thing is coming along nicely Track times coming soon after I get the new crossover and car retuned. Stay tuned on with the pictures!




Mitzy loves the new turbo.......



Lots of ceramic insulation this time! Thanks Momma GE!