Blevinator

Hello,
I have a '68 Camaro I am putting an LS3 in with a T56.
I just bought Longtubes, mufflers, and 3" exhaust kit for the car.

I am sure I am going forced induction, as I am looking at getting into the ten second zone.

I was looking at the STS turbo universal kits at $1995 and $2995. Even with all the upgrades,less injectors and fuel pump (pump I am buying anyway), I am looking at 3000 and 4000 respectively.
Injectors can be had for probably $300. So $3300 (single turbo) and $4300 twin turbo. The kit comes with some piping and silicone elbows\connectors.

My question is this:
The bolt on twin turbo kits are $8500
The only difference I can see between the universal and the bolt on kit is the piping to connect it up.
STS says the universal will cost near the same as the bolt on kits, once piping is finished?
It almost seems like you can buy controlling interest in a muffler shop for the $4200 difference between the universal kit and the bolt on kit.

Can anyone shed some light on actual cost of piping to finish something like this? I cant see Mom and Pop muffler shop in San Antonio Texas charging this much for fabbing up the piping?
Any real cost analysis out there?

I can sell my exhaust for about 1k and just use factory manifolds. Wont need a cold air kit either, so very intrigued here!

Please spare me on the STS kit being trash, I dont believe it. Too much real world proof says its not. I am willing to spend the money to find out
Thanks in advance!!

RFZ

i didn't know they had a kit for 68 camaro....any ways, depending on the application, bending the pipes could take some time to get them right..how much time is the question and how nice of a job do you want. personally , i would put one on my z except i believe it will be louder than i am willing to live with...

and do you really believe a mom and pop exhaust shop is gonna be able to or willing to do it? sounds more custom fab shop job to me

old motorhead

A '68 Camaro weighs little if any more than a C6. Lots of C6's running 10's without F/I. You're starting with an LS3. Just sayin'. Lots of room in the engine bay of a Gen I Camaro. Have you considered a front mount turbo? That takes an oil pump and lots of plumbing out of the equation.

I'm more than a little jealous of your project. The wife's '69 Camaro came real close to getting an LS2 instead of the Gen I 406 (with a phukin' carb I've forgetten how to work on) it has now. She insisted on an auto tranny, but has since declared, "A 6speed sure would be fun in this car". Dammit...

Blevinator

Any decent exhaust shop can follow a pre bent wire to form a pipe.
I would install it myself

Blevinator

Have considered a front mount.
All about price.
Most front mount kits I see are nearly 9 grand.
I also like the fact that I wont have a red hot turbo under the hood.

old motorhead

If you're fabbing it all up anyway, I can't believe a rear mount is any cheaper. They're doing some pretty neat stuff with truck exhaust manifolds turned upside down to mount the turbo. Nelson Performance in San Antonio is a pretty good source for stuff like this. Have you talked to them?

Pack Leader

You need to go see Mike Murillo in San Antonio and be done with it...
www.murillomotorsports.com/

Dragracer_Art

With all the open space under the hood of a 1st gen Camaro... there is no way I'd be hanging turbos at the rear of the car.

Stainless Works makes nice turbo headers that should fit nicely.
I'd start here if I were in your shoes.
Upswept headers:
http://www.stainlessworks.net/produc...o-headers.html

Downswept headers:
http://www.stainlessworks.net/produc...o-headers.html


There's also alot of hybrid/swap turbo info to be found on turbomustangs.com and ls1tech.com.

Blevinator

Car the motor came out of was putting down 454rwhp
Thought I needed like 600rwhp to get solid 10's?
Heres a link to the car
http://www.pro-touring.com/showthrea...ity-Camaro-LS3

Some people saying that to plumb it up, I am looking at the same price as a kit.
Does it really cost 4-5 k for pipe???

Dragracer_Art

Would you rather have it at the rear of the car, next to the gas tank ?

If you are just looking for an occasional 10-sec track visit, why not just throw a nice easy nitrous kit on the car ?

That would almost guarantee a 10-sec timeslip (as long as you can drive) and wouldn't be near the complexity or hassle of a turbo system. You could easily add another 100-200hp for $1500 or less.

Have you considered a supercharger ? They're also much simpler than a turbo.

Keep in mind... a 10-sec timeslip is a bit more than just throwing money and horsepower at a car.
Just look at the guys that are only going 10.80's, but @ 145mph.
MPH is the easy part when you have the power... but the ET only comes with a good launch.
Low profile tires, stiff touring suspension, tall gears, stickshift, etc... all work against you.

The fact that the LS3 is substantially lighter than the 383... you have a major advantage in weight savings over the front axle. That will be a huge help.

Blevinator

Thats one reason I chose the LS platform!!!

Thanks for the input!