Recommended tools for installing turbo kit in engine bay?
 

As the title says, are there any tools that you guys recommend I get before attempting to do the turbo kit install with the engine in the engine bay?

Thanks

Don't know the answer but will you create a thread of your progress?!

What kit are you installing? My Boosted Performance turbo kit required basic hand tools.

I don't know if I will make a progress thread or not. So, maybe?

Well, I want the BP kit but Sasha may not make the kits in time for me to do the install in September. September is when I am scheduled to have 20 straight days of vacation. May end up going for the MHI kit.

Read the tt DIY threads otherwise I would say a grinder and and air ratchet swivel wrenches air compressor

Torque wrench(es).

I dd my TT install in the garage on jack stands. I would check out the tools list within the GTM instructions. Although they are relevant to that kit, I would imagine you will need similar tools with the BP kit. In addition, I'd recommend:

-Decent number of extensions of varying sizes
-Universal joints (I remember having to use a couple together at times)
-Air ratchet (as mentioned above)

And the most important tool of all: PATIENCE. I go so frustrated at times, I just had to leave the garage and have a beer. It is a TIGHT fit in our engine bay. Be ready to think outside the box and/or run to your choice of tool store a few times.

Best of luck! Overall, it is a fun experience!

You will find your are to have to hack a few wrenches to get them to fit into very tight places. Meaning, cutting some short or grinding off some of the side walls. Having the right tools will save you A lot of time but then again with gtm's new TT setup you wont have to drill and tap the motor or upper oil pan so consider yourself lucky....

Recommended air compressor & air ratchet that isn't overly expensive?


thanks

Can't speak for an air compressor, but for air ratchet, I have a cheapo model from Harbor Freight. It was DIRT cheap compared to others and has worked great. If I were going to use it daily, I would get a nice one, but you can't beat the price for the Harbor Freight one for the once in a while project. It is basically a disposable tool.

I've got a Craftsman 30 gallon air compressor that's big enough to do everything I need to do. For the quality, the price is good, as well as the warranty. For air tools, I purchased a full set at Harbor Freight. For as much as a shade tree uses them, they work great, and you can't beat the price. I've been using mine for @ 8 years with no issues. If you're not using your tools with the frequency of a professional mechanic, I'm comfortable sticking with HF.

Would a 3 gallon tank be enough? Not sure if I really need a 30 gallon tank. I probably won't be using it every day either.

I would look up the air requirements for the most demanding tool you think you'll be driving (perhaps an impact wrench, grinder, or drill) and use that as a point of reference. An air compressor can last you a LONG time. Once of those things that you don't want to have to buy again if you don't have to. Craftsman compressors are a good investment. We used to have a Craftsman and now have an Ingersoll Rand.

I would have a stoke because I have little patience for this kind of work. Why lose precious time off my life when I can have someone else do it that has done it before. If I can't afford to have someone install my TT I have no business getting one. Now....GTM....send me my TT please. :happydance:

That's why I wanted to get the BP kit. I don't have to dig around in the tight space. Unfortunately Sasha is too busy with life right now to finish the 10 kits he has started. I am not sure if I want to wait till he is able to finish them or not. Right now, it looks like I may buy the MHI kit. So, 18g or 20g turbos?

lol, compressed air tools on most places with No room to work.... Good luck with that....

What would you recommend then?

A 3 gallon might work, but the small tank capacity would force it to run continually if you were using the tool for any length of time. This gets really annoying after a while, since the compressors are usually loud on these things. For the cost, I would look for one at least 15-20 gallons in size. My 30 is actually a medium sized standing model. Doesn't take up much room.

As far as air tools being difficult to use in tight spaces, that may be the case for a standard sized air impact wrench. The kit I bought has two, the smaller of which can easily fit in smaller spaces. Used in conjunction with rachet extentions and swivel connectors, I can get into most places. The smaller air wrenches don't have the torque of the full sized ones, but they make some jobs a lot quicker (like exhaust work).

The air tools came in real handy in the Swift Spec R spring install I did a few weeks ago. Would have been a bitch breaking a few of the bolts without it. A breaker bar can work as well, but air is quicker. Getting ready to add new studs for 15mm wheel spacers, and the impact wrench will again be a great tool to have......you get the idea...:tup:

I've looked around and it's $300+ for anything more than 20gallons. Not sure if I want to spend that much. Unless I can find a great deal on one.

My favorite is the craftsman max axess kit. The pass through sockets help so much in this cramped engine bay.

An air tank is an air tank is an air tank (as long as it's in safe condition). See if you can find someone whose compressor crapped out and will sell you the whole rig for cheap. You can use the tank with a cheap compressor.

A 16g should do 120-123mph, that should keep me happy......I hope :ugh2:

Nothing like pinning the needle past 160!

go with the 18G turbo, it spools faster than the 20G turbo and offers similar power output

plus its a common mod most Evo and DSM guys do and its always recommended over the 20g turbos