1969 Dart GT 340 EFI E85 Turbo Build

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I had planned on a Peak Dash, and was disappointed when I saw they were closing up shop. I called them anyway and was able to pick up a cancelled special order dash, some assembly required. Gauges should show up tomorrow.

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Nice work. Glad to see one running...... It is a **** TON of work. If someone has not tried they don't even begin to understand how much work it actually is to put a Turbo car together!

What are you using for Fuel Pump or Pumps?
 
It's got an A1000. Only 3/8 line that I might need to upgrade to 1/2. I've also considered a surge tank setup.
 
i love the fact that you have been driving all summer.

i'm scared about you upping the boost too much. i know when people get around 15 they usually are ok but when they hit 20 psi boom rods start giving out etc the bottom end blows up lol.

what do you think is the practical limit, how much can you have to still make it last 100k miles
 
moparlover said:
i love the fact that you have been driving all summer.

i'm scared about you upping the boost too much. i know when people get around 15 they usually are ok but when they hit 20 psi boom rods start giving out etc the bottom end blows up lol.

what do you think is the practical limit, how much can you have to still make it last 100k miles
Click to expand...

I can't see going above 15, I am thinking 12-14 for the occasional max but 6-8 is more than enough for cruising. Once it is tuned I will install an electronic boost controller to select boost levels in the Fast. With the cam and high compression, the low end power is great and makes the car very drive-able. Getting into the boost on the streets regularly is not practical, so 100k should be doable.
 
Awesome Job man....:prayer:......:evil3:

You should do a build, dyno, street cruising, burnout, flyby video.....for us all to Oool and Droool over !!!
 
Sweet build! Question though, did you go through the turbo when you recieved it? It would scare me to run a no-name china turbo on a fresh engine.
 
Ok, finally have a dyno video. Car is running great, made 449 RWHP at 7 psi boost. 7 was all we could get out of the turbo. Drives really good and has traction problems during the 1-2 shift. The horsepower curve was flat on top, it made over 440 between 6000 and 7200 rpm.
Here is a quick Dyno vid:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNf42UdHubg&feature=youtu.be"]Dodge Dart GT 340 Turbo - YouTube[/ame]
 
Prine said:
Awesome Job man....:prayer:......:evil3:

You should do a build, dyno, street cruising, burnout, flyby video.....for us all to Oool and Droool over !!!
Click to expand...

I'll work on some more videos, I have always wanted to make some sort of edited video.
 
Is your combo a 360? Eddy Heads that are stockfish?

I think you would be worlds ahead with a cam swap, I believe there is way more in that set up. As far as only getting 7 psi, there is a guy with a 5.3 LS that is pushing over 20 PSI with 1 GT45. Cam timing events play a big roll in boost lag and how much PSI you will get.

You should call Bullet Cams and get a custom grind for your exact set up. I see 750+ HP to the wheels in your future if you do & over 20 PSI!

What transmission and converter are in it?
 
Mad Dart said:
Is your combo a 360? Eddy Heads that are stockfish?

I think you would be worlds ahead with a cam swap, I believe there is way more in that set up. As far as only getting 7 psi, there is a guy with a 5.3 LS that is pushing over 20 PSI with 1 GT45. Cam timing events play a big roll in boost lag and how much PSI you will get.

You should call Bullet Cams and get a custom grind for your exact set up. I see 750+ HP to the wheels in your future if you do & over 20 PSI!

What transmission and converter are in it?
Click to expand...

It is a 340 forged crank, forged H beams and 10.2/1 forged pistons. Custom roller cam from Hughes 228/228 116 LSA 550 lift. Eddy heads are ported, Transmission is a 46RH with a 2500 stall, lock up converter. Rear end is an 8 3/4 489 with 4.10's.

I smoked the intake system and found a boost leak on the throttle body shafts. Not sure it makes a dramatic difference, but it is a leak. I am sure there are some little bugs to work out with what I have.

750 would be wild, i'll need some rear end work to make that hook up. I am pretty happy with the car for now, but in the future I will probably get a genuine Garrett with a smaller hot side. The turbo guys here in Denver have found with the air density you can run a much smaller A/R and get a really fast spool without the turbo dropping off.

Here is a driving video, I shifted just under 6000.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm4S9DL-1s4&list=UUfQxydpbluUY86Bngtd_fFA"]Turbo Dart test drive - YouTube[/ame]

I'll take it to a track day in a couple weeks.
 
That engine is pretty stout. I bet it makes at least 450HP on its own. Add 7psi and you add another 225HP approximately. That is 675 at the crank. Sounds like you need more tuning for sure. As far as the custom Hughes cam..... Well if it was me I would call Bullet, give them your combination and let them spec a cam for it.... THEN compare the Hughes numbers to what they tell you..... WITHOUT telling Bullet what Hughes did for you. If the numbers are close then you should be ok..... IF NOT dump the cam and order whatever Bullet says to put in it. If Hughes spec'd that cam for a turbo with 410 Gears.... They did not do you any justice I can tell you that for sure.

How much timing is in it? How much is it ramping down and how do you control it? EBC or Manual boost controller. Something else to check is make sure the waste gate is not opening early and that the blow off valve is closed until you let off the throttle. When mine was on the dyno, as soon as the throttle was cracked I noticed BOTH of my blow off valves bleeding off the air created by the turbo's.

Also you have 410 Gears........ Those need to go away. You need to be in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on gears depending on tire size. This would allow the engine more time to create boost than being revved out earlier with the 410's. Turbo's need a load put on them to create Boost and the lower numerical gear will get it there.

That GT45 is good for over 45PSI on a Diesel application. You will get 20+ PSI out of your set up but you got some adjusting and tweaking and parts swapping to do.

Gear swap & Cam checking out with Bullet and check the Waste Gate and Blow off valve operation. Those would be the first items on the list for me!

What Trans and Converter are in it now?

I watched the video and you definitely need a gear swap. The boost comes on and you shift out pretty quick. Would be a whole different car with different gears in it. Shoot I would even try some 2.76 or 2.94's without a doubt. I have a set of either 2.76 or 2.94's for a 489 Case. Pay shipping and you can have them.
 
Mad Dart said:
That engine is pretty stout. I bet it makes at least 450HP on its own. Add 7psi and you add another 225HP approximately. That is 675 at the crank. Sounds like you need more tuning for sure. As far as the custom Hughes cam..... Well if it was me I would call Bullet, give them your combination and let them spec a cam for it.... THEN compare the Hughes numbers to what they tell you..... WITHOUT telling Bullet what Hughes did for you. If the numbers are close then you should be ok..... IF NOT dump the cam and order whatever Bullet says to put in it. If Hughes spec'd that cam for a turbo with 410 Gears.... They did not do you any justice I can tell you that for sure.

How much timing is in it? How much is it ramping down and how do you control it? EBC or Manual boost controller. Something else to check is make sure the waste gate is not opening early and that the blow off valve is closed until you let off the throttle. When mine was on the dyno, as soon as the throttle was cracked I noticed BOTH of my blow off valves bleeding off the air created by the turbo's.

Also you have 410 Gears........ Those need to go away. You need to be in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on gears depending on tire size. This would allow the engine more time to create boost than being revved out earlier with the 410's. Turbo's need a load put on them to create Boost and the lower numerical gear will get it there.

That GT45 is good for over 45PSI on a Diesel application. You will get 20+ PSI out of your set up but you got some adjusting and tweaking and parts swapping to do.

Gear swap & Cam checking out with Bullet and check the Waste Gate and Blow off valve operation. Those would be the first items on the list for me!

What Trans and Converter are in it now?

I watched the video and you definitely need a gear swap. The boost comes on and you shift out pretty quick. Would be a whole different car with different gears in it. Shoot I would even try some 2.76 or 2.94's without a doubt. I have a set of either 2.76 or 2.94's for a 489 Case. Pay shipping and you can have them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the input! This is my first turbo build and I appreciate you offering your experience.

I have had gears on my list for awhile. I have a 741 center with 3.55's i'll try out, but I might take you up on your offer. The car pulls hard under boost, it would be nice to stretch that out.

Transmission is an a518/46RH with a lock up 2500 stall converter.

I am happy with the drivability of the cam, but I will call bullet to compare specs.

Boost leak at the blow off is possible, haven't looked at it close yet. Wastegate has a light spring with a manual controller. I ended up putting the boost line on top of the gate to increase pressure, but a heavier spring might help too.
 
MrMoparMan said:
Thanks for all the input! This is my first turbo build and I appreciate you offering your experience.

I have had gears on my list for awhile. I have a 741 center with 3.55's i'll try out, but I might take you up on your offer. The car pulls hard under boost, it would be nice to stretch that out.

Transmission is an a518/46RH with a lock up 2500 stall converter.

I am happy with the drivability of the cam, but I will call bullet to compare specs.

Boost leak at the blow off is possible, haven't looked at it close yet. Wastegate has a light spring with a manual controller. I ended up putting the boost line on top of the gate to increase pressure, but a heavier spring might help too.
Click to expand...

Exactly, stretching that out will allow the turbo to create more boost as well before the shift! It will pull like a freight train!

When I bench tested my waste gates they would hold 40PSI with the light spring and Manual Boost Controller. I did not go any further because I did not want to POP the Diaphram! Lol
Of course this is on a bench and not real world... No heat into the equation.

No problem on the gears. If you want them just let me know!
 
Bullet spec'd my cam... be ready to spend a pretty penny for it.. mine was 845 shipped for just the cam.. billet core solid roller..
 
Non Billet price is about $385.00 however you will need to run a bronze geared oil pump/Dist drive. That is what I did with mine. I got thousands of miles on it with no issues at all.
 
Time for some updates:

Found some play in the turbo shaft causing the compressor blades to wear on the housing. Decided to look around for a turbo that would fit my needs as a street car a little better. I don't need the big top end power, but do want a quick spool and low end torque. Based on local recommendations with high altitude in mind I decided on the little BorgWarner S366.

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Power comes in quicker but I need to re-tune and get the boost up. I changed out the gears from 410 to 355 and found much better driveability.

My dyno is coming up on the 11th of December but I ran in to some over heating problems. Found water in the oil so I tore it down. Headgasket let go, I was running the Felpro 1008. I think this was a pre existing problem that was aggravated by the boost. Milled .007 of the heads to get them square and changed to Cometic MLS gaskets.

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While everything was apart I noticed the wastegate had some problems. Pressure was bleeding off the bottom of the diaphragm, and the valve is off center preventing sealing on the fire ring. Upgraded to a Tial, and an electronic boost controller.

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Finally I needed to make a catch can to catch the oil residue venting on to the valve covers.

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I still have my dyno to go to for a final tune, but at 6 psi on the new turbo and wastegate the boost is instantaneous. Big power down low, lost some up top but it makes for a great street fighter. I enjoyed revving to 7500, but keeping it under 6000 is ok and might add longevity. I'll post the dyno results next week.
 
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