turbo
 

probably a stupid question, but has anyone tried to put a cheap ebay turbo kit on an lt1?

I'm sure it's been done, the problem is packaging it in a C4.

at one time there were some kits for rear mounted turbo(s) but "cheap" and "ebay" definitely weren't in the product description

Do you want it to be good as well as cheap? That probably won't happen. Think of it this way. If you were worth $15 an hour and I offered you $10, would you work for me? As they say, "Cheap, Fast and Reliable. Pick any 2.".

This is my 15 yr old son's car. It needs carpet, seat covers, front bumper, weatherstripping, tires, paint and a few other things. we want to add some performance, but the budget doesn't allow a procharger or a full build.

Maybe it would be a good idea to hold off on the performance stuff till the budget allows. I have done and seen a lot of cheap mods and good mods. Rarely if ever they turn out to be good AND cheap.

Having had one of these when I was 16, I found that in stock form it was fast enough to do stupid shit. In stock form its still capable of 150+ mph. mine was an 85 with less HP than the LT1

yes, it can be done if you know how to weld and keep the boost low. If you want a decent helping of boost, it'll get more and more complex. Yes, packaging is an issue. I'd buy a used supercharger kit since they're off the shelf and once in a blue moon, you can find one at a decent price.

The turbo kit isnt much its making it work that may add up. qwiketz has good advice.
Sometimes these mfrs have used/refurbished units for sale. Love superchargers the tq is awesome at any rpm

Having been a 15 yr old once upon a time and driven a turbo performance car later in life (my dad had a turbo'ed SVO Mustang), I would concentrate on making the car nice, bringing the suspension etc up to par and getting some miles on the 15 yr old.

A turbo car and a kid that hasn't reached the age of best decision making yet is not the best combination.

Worn parts, inexperienced driver and the sudden onset of boost can lead to tragic consequences.

That is my opinion for what it is worth.

Caveat: if this is strictly a track car, then I would partly change my thoughts.

Idk about boosting an LT1 Corvette for a 15- 16 year old driver. I would focus on rehabilitating and maintenance coming from a parent's perspective.
if you look at how the Callaway was done it should not be that hard. LT1 does have higher than recommended compression for forced induction.

Vehicle safety and dependability should be project #1 before anything else. Tires should be a high priority if the tires on the car now are over 6 years old. Next would be brakes. How much pad material left and what condition are the rotors in?? Replace all 4 of the flex lines and do a complete fluid flush. Other good projects are replacing all of the fluids.

Your C4 (when running right) in stock form will provide a whole lot of fun and probably moments of "Oh shit!". Get the car running and then look for some driving schools that will provide some basic skills for performance driving. In time, you can start a list of performance upgrades that will fit in your (and his) budgets. I don't think a turbo will be a good upgrade. Go with the traditional stuff like headers, dual exhaust, cam, head work, and a tune for the computer.

One thing that would be a "must have" is the Factory Service Manuals for the specific year of the car. These manuals were used by technicians at dealerships and have very good step-by-step repair procedures, wiring diagrams and lots of pictures. They turn up in the C4 Parts For Sale section of the Forum and you cn also check eBay.

Pretty much agree. Fix the car first and later on, budget properly in consultation with the tuner as to what would best achieve your goal instead of merely tossing parts at it. The parts have to work as a SYSTEM and not a race winning cam from one car with a great set of heads from another, etc.

All good advice and I appreciate it. We have a lot of horsepower amongst my sons and me. I have a '17 Zl1, one son has a G8 GT and the other has a camaro SS. Both of my older sons have done significant motor work to their cars. My daughter drives a Lexus IS350. My 15 yr old is my Baby and I just don't want him to feel left out lol. Motor work will come last in the equation, but I was trying to plan for the future.

I'd do motor and trans and rear end with the idea of forced induction to be added. That way I can drop the hairdryer in and maybe cam and things won't break as much after tuning. You will need a good tuner so start looking first.

This is a manual w/ stock diff. Those handle hp pretty well don't they?

D44 rear should be fine...unless your the type that breaks anvils. Some people can (and will) break anything.

Should be. Still, get a tuner to advise you and tune it. You will need one. Might as well do it now than later

Instead of a turbo I would start with a LT4 hot cam kit and 4.11 gears.

Sure but that sucks the hell out of gas mileage. Not sure why someone would do a cam first when you either have to do a cam very close to spec or it won't work right without a tune.