NA to Turbo - The Ultimate Guide that Covers Everything + Cost Breakdown
Parts prices are listed throughout the video and the total cost breakdown is at the end of the video
Check out the brands that made the build possible:
www.aemelectronics.com/
www.weldspeed.com.au/
midshipgarage.com/
www.maxpeedingrods.com/
www.mrpltd.co.nz/
gfb.com.au/
Related videos that explain concepts mentioned in this video:
Compression ratio: • COMPRESSION RATIO: HOW...
Knock: • A DETAILED overview of...
Turbo basics: • TURBO 101 - How it WOR...
Engine block in-depth: • HOW TO build an ENGINE...
Boost control: • ALL BOOST CONTROL setu...
Reflashing vs standalone ECU: • Which ECU is Right For...
Fuel pump in-depth: • HOW and WHY to upgrade...
Exhaust manifold in-depth: • EQUAL LENGTH tubular v...
Blow-off valves: • TURBO FLUTTER and BLOW...
Transmission rebuild in-depth: • How to install an LSD ...
Ring gaps: • Piston RING GAP - HOW ...
Bearing clearance: • BEARING CLEARANCE - Ho...
Porting in-depth: • PORTING the F out of i...
Semi- forged pistons: • What are SEMI FORGED P...
This video is the ultimate guide on how to convert a naturally aspirated vehicle into a turbocharged one. It covers engine internals, the cylinder head, transmission, turbo features and turbo plumbing, fuel delivery, intercooling, ECUs, ignition, heat management and much much more. This isn't a video meant to entertain you, instead it's designed to be a comprehensive reference and the only video you need to watch get a practical, realistic and all encompassing overview of everything that needs to be done to properly, safely and reliably turbocharge your vehicle.
Let us start with the heart of the engine. The engine block and its internals. As you will see throughout this video turbocharging an engine will require you to make many choices and these choices are important because we all have a budget and also because they can heavily influence the amount of work you will need to do as well as the ultimate capabilities of your completed engine and of your completed build. These choices are also important because it is impossible to have it all and most of the choices in your build will be compromises. Stuff like power potential vs longevity or power potential vs cost or power potential vs street legality and so on.
When it comes to the engine block level 1 would to be simply take your naturally aspirated engine and turbocharge it without opening up the engine or doing anything to the internals or the cylinder head. This has been done many times, and sometimes the results have been pretty good. Turbocharging an engine without opening it up means that you will have to do the least amount of work and spend the least amount of money but your ultimate power potential and longevity will be limited. Also if you're considering turbocharging a tired engine with many miles I would strongly advice against it. You will do a lot of work and invest a lot of time to turbocharge such an engine and the reward you will get from it will in most cases be minimal as such an engine will likely fail soon.
Now your level 2 engine internals approach is going to require you to open up the engine and take it apart. My personal opinion is that this is a more sensible approach. Because you'll be investing a lot of your time and money into turbocharging your engine so it's a wise decision to be able to see it's actual condition and to correct any issues you may run into. On the other hand opening up and engine also starts you into a rabbit hole known as "since I'm already in here". Stuff like since I'm already in here I might as well put in some forged rods. Since I'm already in here I might as well port the cylinder head. Since I'm already in here I might as well destroy myself financially. There is a very high number of areas you can address inside an engine and unless you have an unlimited budget than you will have to make choices and sacrifices. The first thing that should be done before making any parts purchases is to check the actual condition of your engine. Your cylinder bores as well as your rods and crankshaft journals. You can do this yourself if you have access to the tools or leave it to a machine shop.
A special thank you to my patrons:
Daniel
Pepe
Brian Alvarez
Peter Della Flora
Dave Westwood
Joe C
Zwoa Meda Beda
Toma Marini
Cole Philips
00:00 Choices and prep
03:16 Pistons
05:22 Crank and rods
08:46 Cylinder head
12:45 Transmission
14:31 Clutch
15:23 Lubrication
16:22 Turbo manifold
17:22 Turbo sizing
19:02 Turbo plumbing
21:51 Fuel
24:47 Heat management
25:29 Intercoolers
26:28 Blow-off valves
27:11 Ignition
28:50 ECU and sensors
31:32 Drive axels
#d4a #boostschool
You know that if driving 4 answers uploads a video titled "The Ultimate Guide" it's actually going to be a comprehensive guide
Yep and I’m never going to do anything like this and still watch the video from beginning until the end AND loved it!
Very true
1111111
'Since I'm already in here, I may as well destroy myself financially'..... I laughed so hard at that one....... then went real quiet when I started doing the sums.
😂😂😂
So true 😂
Did that on my last two engine builds. 👍
So true 😂
From simply adapting motorbike carburetors to completely building your own engine with the exact specs you chose wow that's commitment right there mate! Watching your channel grow since it had 4 digit subs to what it is right now is crazy. Keep the good stuff coming
Thank you so much for the ongoing support. I wholeheartedly appreciate it.
@@d4a 😃👍👍👍👍👍
this is one of the best videos ive ever seen even though you said “its not meant to be an entertaining video” i was very entertained. Great to see the car running after following this build for so long and its awesome to see the people who helped you through it. cheers d4a, will see you in the next vid.
Thank you so much for that!
Agreed!
"Since I'm already in here, I might as well destroy myself financially." Really hits home. Lmfao You can ALWAYS justify a few more dollars to yourself. It snowballs so fast. I'm glad you spoke on "appropriate" turbo sizing for your use case. I like street cars, that means I don't need nearly as much top end as I do bottom end. In real life I will almost never go faster than 120mph in most use cases. I went with a smaller turbo, it's much more responsive and makes the car fun to drive. My 0-80mph times mean more to me than overall HP or speed above that. In the end I get a spirited, quick accelerating daily driver that doesn't come with all the headache of chasing truly insane numbers. 300-400hp is as much as I ever care to have.
A year ago I knew nothing about cars. But thanks to channels like yours, I’ve gained so much technical insights about cars that I’ve finally started having dream builds. Your work inspire me man. Hopefully someday I can built something that can go on inspiring others
Another excellent video. Also being an AW11 MR2 tragic, you've motivated me to do better firewall insulation than standard. 3 thing that any first time project builder will learn: It ALWAYS costs more than you think it will. Do your darndest to think of all the things that need to be bought/paid for and what those are likely to cost. Now double that amount and you should be reasonably close............ Do it right the first time! Doing it properly means you should only need to do it once. Which typically costs less than doing it multiple times........ Double check EVERYTHING! Having to redo work because you didn't correctly tighten some really difficult to get to nut/bolt/hose clamp/fitting, is bad enough. Breaking your engine/gearbox because you didn't correctly tighten something, is a lot worse!
For sure!
Nice work! Getting hill climb folks involved is a strong choice, they're usually chasing mad performance goals and using any method available 😆
True! Many of the most creative solutions I have ever seen were on hill climb cars.
The one diesel powered project comes to mind! That machine was an absolute beast!
I recently acquired a potentially fairly quick street drag bike. Already running 12::1 compression, so forced induction isn’t a formula for engine longevity. Still, every time I see something like this, I start fantasizing about the kind of ETs I could post. As if running in the tens needs improvement. Still the siren call of leaving an S1000RR in the dust with a two decade old Triumph triple liter bike appeals to my warped imagination. But 99% of the time I can appreciate that I have a quick bike just running stock plus headers. Thank you for the thorough treatment. -Matt’s dad
35 minute d4a video about turbos - I already know this is going to be the highlight of my Monday workday
I'm sure your boss agrees...
We can see that even being knowledgeable about the best value products, such as the rods and turbo, the final price for doing this properly is pretty high by most people's standards. I can tell you that it wasn't cheaper in the 70s and 80s but I was able to swap parts from other models and have pretty decent power with a rebuilt NA engine for very little. They do run very nicely if you obsess over every detail so I'm really excited about yours. I truly admire the care, research and effort you put into things.
people really underestimate the "running nicely" bit vs peak power to post on insta
I can barely make the most basic stuff on my bike so this kind of videos never cease to amaze me. That is truly impressive work !
Amazing job with friends. Congratulations. We expecting more videos ripping it at twisted roads
The knowledge and understanding of these machines brings ppl together from all over!! God bless us all!!
Glad you mentioned your friends in this guide. Without experienced friends you simply can't do this succesfully on first try. They're worth at least the same as the whole cost of the project, because you'd have to do everything twice.
man i can't explain to you how much i needed this vid, i'm working on my thesis/end of study project on turbocharging an NA engine and you just uploaded this,thank you man thank you
Finally someone installing parts on an engine correctly! 👍
You are one of the first vehicle related KZheadrs I started watching and you explain things in ways that are simple enough to be understood without oversimplifying it. There is a question that I have relating to turbos. What types of turbos exist, and what are there pros and cons? This comes from recently hearing about VGTs.
15k. damnnn, i knew it was expensive, but i didnt want to be slapped with the price that hard :D... well, i'll return to saving up, thanks for an insight :D
With a bit of luck you can build it for less with similar results. Not all of the stuff I got is necessary. Or you can do an engine swap. There's many options. I put the costs into the video because I always get lots of people asking about it. But it doesn't mean my approach is the best or the smartest for your particular goals.
@@d4a Thanks for the video and summing up all the costs. Didn’t AEM want to sponsor this video? If not, I think they should have done so.
@@d4a I think You said something in a video about car being street-legal. The same goal would be for me, so in order to get an engine swapped, there must be a load of papers submitted to the Government here, no thanks :D. Also, "for less" still means a lot, because I won't be able to cut the costs down to let's say 2 or 3k. Maybe spreading the cost out to a longer-term would not be as harsh on my bank account, but then again, when adding it all up, It looks like a decent downpayment for a flat/house :D... That is the biggest problem/debate Do I want power or do I want a house :D:D Unfortunately, I know the answer, and the house ain't as good as it may sound :D But all in all, thanks for the video, this explained a lot and would serve as a guideline for my future endeavors.
I love the bosnian when you guys start the engine. It really screams the balkan personality. Its great. Love the build and I cant wait to see you drive it
Brate gledam tvoje klipove već duže vreme i stvarno ne znam nikoga ko bolje objašnjava ove stvari. Ne mogu ti opisati smešak na mom licu kad sam čuo naš jezik na kraju😁. Nastavi da radiš to što radiš jer mnogo doprinosiš svetu mašinstva sa svojim klipovima. Nadam se da ćemo nekada imati priliku da se upoznamo. Živ bio, pozdrav!
Just what I was searching from the best youtuber ❤️
End of the video with first start discussion was funny, nice one guys from Australia.
Dude, this is really really the best explanation of all of the tuning process, congratulations, this is gold
Amazing! I'm not even considering doing this, but the video is simply amazing!
Gospodin ubacuje turbo u kola kao da sklapa lego kocke, a ja ne mogu da nadjem majstora u Novom Sadu da mi ukloni missfire na Alfi. Svaka cast momci.
Jel twinspark govno? 🤣
@@nemanjastanojlovic01 nije, nego ono JTS djubre
Loved the video. So glad that u know these masters that helped u build ur car!!! Best wishes from Pennsylvania USA!!
Yeeeeeessssss project underdog!!!
The cat is the best supervisor ever ! 😄👍🏻 Can't wait to see the first video of the car hooning around ! 😄
Svaka cast, bravo za citavu ekipu!
This is the video I needed, alot of ppl boost there engine but only talk about internals but I want to know about everything else
It's good to hear / see the MR running! Thanks for the comprehensive guide! You make it feel way simpler that is really is!
Another brilliant video! It’s good to see the actual engine in pieces while discussing the individual components.
So happy to see that your turbo build has turned so great! Job well done. Also you are the best in the business at technical explanations/breakdowns. Thank you!
Congratulations on the finalised build, great work and very well thought out and researched. You can tell that it will be a great drivers car on road and track. It's been an awesome series to follow 👍
It was indeed a long project and I can understand the level of excitement and happiness you had in this. Now enjoy your ride.
these engine, transmission ...all these pieces are beautiful , they are like art.
Why did it feel like I was watching an extremely interesting movie with credits at the end worthy of clapping in a movie theater? Great work, I love your channel.
Your videos have got to be the most comprehensive and complete on KZhead. I have learned so much watching your tutorial videos. I'm glad to see your channel is steadily growing. You definitely deserve it bro!
If you want information, you can trust, about automotive, this is the place! Amin! You are just the best, not just for providing the information but also for argumentation for it, and for explaining things in a way so everybody can understand.
I came across this channel for the first time today and I am amazed. An absolutely on the point video. Thanks
Another great video from you, thank you. I have watched many of your videos and they are all very well done and informative but this particular show was very interesting for me. You made the point of "Well I'm in here I might as well do this at the same time". What follows is what happens when you take this approach to working on your car. I have also done every single item you did to your car (in the video) except for one, I didn't do (but really wanted to) oil squinters for all the reasons you mentioned. The difference is it is over many years for me. I started building my turbo project in 1979 at 24 years old, I am now on my third major revision of the project at 67 years old. Unfortunately I didn't have much help and did 99.9 % of the work myself. I first got interested in turbos during 1976 and then built a blow through carburetor system on my almost stock engine in 1979 (except for forged pistons, ported heads, ungraded camshaft and intake manifold). I built it all out of mild steel and gas welded it all. I drove the car in that configuration from 1980 to 1991 and broke almost every part on it. (2 sets of forged pistons, 9 clutches, 2 -4 speed transmissions, one 10 bolt rear end etc.) I did make many mods over those years like three completely different exhaust systems, 2 different cam profiles , 2 - 4 barrel carbs, 2 handmade exhaust manifolds. Nobody's car was as fast as I was back then because no one was turbocharging yet. I ran 13 PSI boost through a 650 cfm Holley carb and had more power than I needed, I surprised a lot of people because you couldn't see it, but you did hear it. I had to take a break in 1991 to raise a family and the car, a 1975 Pontiac Formula 400 Firebird, that I bought brand new, was stored for 15 years in my garage. In 2005 I decided to start over but this time build it to handle 1000 hp reliably. That required me to do everything on your list plus replace every engine part including replacing the block with a 2000hp capable race block. And on top of all that I also added a complete new rear suspension, (triangulated 4 bar), with a Strange Engineering Ford 9", equipped with 35 spline axles, and a new custom drive shaft. Moving forward in the car a new 5 speed Tremec transmission and a duel disk clutch, then new coil over shocks, new front end control arms, new sway bars front and back, and sub frame connectors and a 6 point roll bar to tie it all together. The interior is completely different as well with a full set of gauges (overkill but fun), etc. etc. etc. Only body is stock. BUT i decided to keep my old truck turbo from 1979 because it was never about making more power, and it had sentimental value. So now version 3, that darn turbo started running out of boost at 5000 RPM it was chocking down to 10 PSI boost and I wanted 15 PSI, so I bought a new modern turbo capable of 1200 HP. Which required a new intercooler (that I ordered today) along with a new rad because it was overheating in summer. The new turbo means I need to redo the exhaust Manifold again and the downpipe. The new bigger intercooler and radiator also require more work up front. It is getting harder and harder to do the work now and crawling under the car was not working so I had to install a 2 post lift in my garage. I did document a lot of my build too but not nearly as well as you have done, (plus I would have had to take 8 mm film when I started). Since 2005 I did take a lot of pictures and wrote about it and then started taking video as it became the thing to do. You can certainly look at a lot of pictures on Facebook, "John's 1975 Formula 400 Firebird" is a open to public page I created a long time ago, I guess I have to start recording this version soon. I look forward to your next video, I am a retired Engineer but I still watch just in case I pick up any new idea or learn a new fact or way to do something. It never ends, the hunt for knowledge.
You're an inspiration for car guys everywhere. A lifetime of wrenching! What a journey
This channel deserves 1 million subscribers
That is one truly Beautiful build. Words cannot explain how beautiful it is!!!
God, I love this kind of videos where them put their heart and soul into it. It really kicks different and feels like I was there the whole time
I'm happy your project is up and running finally. Must feel good.
Its this kind of of vid that makes D4A my favorite. Its educational, well thought out, and regardless of intent entertaining.
Svaka cast momci, samo mi je zao sto nema kontenta na nasem ali kontam da je na engleskom puno bolje i zanimljivije
Awesome video!!! Your content and explanations are second to none.
Bro I’m so happy for you so cool to see the MR2 finally running congratulations 🥳
Really nice work!! And the explanations, as always, are excellent! Keep going!!
Congratulations on getting your car up and running!! It looks like an amazing package and shout-out to your crew and Nunu!
I just now came across your videos and I've built engines and seen a lot of videos. I think your videos is by far one of the top videos. Excellent explanation and has a little bit of humor into it. "Like people borrowing a tool and not returning it". But very impressive video please keep them coming you are very excellent in explain everything and not lagging on the point you need to get to.
Ngl, this is exactly the kind of thing that motivates me in the morning. I’m definitely adapting some of the lessons in this summary to modify my own Proton Saga (basically our VW Beetle) sometime in the future. Looking forward to the dyno session, further tuning, and some good ol’ POV drive like always!
This made my brain tingle and checked all boxes for wholesome entertainment and education. I enjoyed that ending. I was smiling during the credits. You sir have an awesome talent. I like how you told the story 🎥🍿 🚗 🛠️ visual engagement was spot on, Bravo! Thank you.
This is the good stuff! Props on the effort that went into the video an the thought and passion behind the build. Also the "Since I am already in here..." part is beyond accurate. When my civic blew a head gasket I decided to port the head, the intake manifold and put a bigger cam "Since I already pulled off the head", so I know that feeling all too well as do many others here. :D The trick is to be low on cash as the slope can get very slippery. Good luck on the mr2! May it bring you many smiles per gallon and no headaches!
This video is awesome!!! It does help when wanting to pull trigger on a standalone. Very good 👍🏽
Holy smokes that's a great video! I love seeing builds like this come to life. Even moreso when I don't have to do any of the work
This is brilliant. Kudos to you and your team, especially Nunu. BTW I love the raspy snarl of a high performance 4!
Brilliant video man 👌🏼 Good luck with the new build
Love you stuff mate 👍... a lot easier for %95 of people Is to just stump up and pay for a performance vehicle.. almost no one has the gear and ability to overhaul a modern engine let alone make a performance engine out of a off the rack motor.
Cant wait to see the follow video of what needs to be upgraded/ fixed/ what would be done different 👏👏👍
Your channel is only getting better! It's funny to see your videos getting used at my community college.
gledao sam baš popriličan broj vaših snimaka i kontao da niste baš sa engleskog govornog područja - ali sam se baš lepo iznenadio kad sam čuo taj poznati jezik,naglasak i reči! :) svaka čast momci,svaka čast! :)
Isto, i sve nešto me vuklo ka Poljsku/Češku/Litvaniju čak i Finsku, baš sam se nasmejao oko uši što bi se reklo na poznato...
I loved every second of this video! So much love for a Toyota and it's so informative! Cheers from Madrid, my man! Waiting for the choo choo noises your car will be making soon!
Čestitke! Jedva čekam da je vidim na putu!
I am so glad I came across your channel years ago. I've learned so much form your videos. This is one of the most entertaining ones I've seen. And it seems like you're growing out your hair again lol
Con gratulation, glad to see something next up to the teory :-D And be sure i love the teory output by you
svaka cast, ovako kvalitetan video od nas nisam ocekivao. ali drago mi je da nisam u pravu.
that was soo good!!! I love everything about it!! soo much work!!! good job
Bravo majstore, podrška iz SRB! Uvek je lepo pogledati tvoj video uz kaficu. Pozdrav!
Even though I've been a mechanic since 1990 and own a modified turbocharged mg I really do love this guy's videos
Not for entertainment purpose? Joke's on You, I'm Into This ahaha!! It came out Beautifully, Props to y'all, it's going to be an absolute beast!!!! Also, your friend Suad has a very beautiful Deltona :) Huge congrats from Italy 🦊
I thought I was the only Italian around here :D Bentrovato ;)
This was worth the wait. While I won't be turbo-ing any engines anytime soon, this video was still very entertaining to watch.
Great video, thanks for sharing, learned a lot from your build!
I knew that winter season will get you back off bike and to the car :D
It was about time mate, awesome job.
Al ste ga sklempali svaka cast !! Pozdrav za ekipu!
"Since I'm in here, I might as well destroy myself financially", lol, 19 y/o me was that guy, totally worth it. Great job covering your build, a wealth of information covering all the bases. Some vehicles lend themselves to boost easier, but your description covers all the possibilities.
Like every time unique explanation mr master 😁
Svaka čast majstore! ceo video mislim lako je ameru tamo sve može,kad sam čuo vas cuo na kraju pao sam sa stolice.
Amazing video! Waiting to it on the road!
BEAUTIFUL VIDEO !!!👏👏👏👏 CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE MAKER AND HELPERS !!!👋👋❤️❤️
Lookin' Good Houston. Although this is the first video on your 4AF build for a long time! Good stuff!
as someone who is not planning on even turbocharging any NA car, this video was entertaining and helpful
Damn this channel is a gem! You're slowly but surely getting to Chrisfix's level in terms of video quality and information.
You are wrong about 1 thing : This is still entertaining for your truly audience, nice build dude 👍
Perfect video, perfect knowledge !! Thank you one more time !
The subtitles part for first start part are golden! :D
This was still very entertaining . . . even though including all involved info. love it.
Well done bro! I really enjoyed 👌🏻
I'm drive a diesel hilux now, but I miss my old 4afe corolla. I've been following this build since you started.
Brilliant video! Very informative and entertaining. I think most people will agree that 15k for 300hp is not really worth it (compared to engine swap for example), but there's no denying that it was a job very well done.
Thank you. The money isn't only buying horsepower. The engine alone is only 2.6k. But the transmission and the electronics are good for even 500hp if I ever wanted to go there.
Such a good channel, you deserve way more subs!
Congrats on getting your project up and running! Would be great to see some tuning and driving impressions! Inspires me to get mine going. I'm still neck deep in wiring....
A masterful video. Thanks for your efforts🏆
Nunu did a great job overseeing this project!
svaka ti cast na kanalu i videima!
Great video! Liked the final in natural language.. :)) Greetings from Bulgaria! :)
Car sounds insane. I love it
incredible video and cleared a lot of questions I had , thank you so much :)