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HybridZ

Back on the road after 6 years


jgkurz

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It's been a long time since I've posted anything of significance at HybridZ. I took my Z apart for a turbo upgrade in 2012 then in the middle of the project my wife and I  decided to move. After getting settled into the new house, I got distracted with other projects and just never found the time to finish the turbo upgrade.  About a year ago found a local tuner/fabricator that was interested in helping me get my Z back on the road. He was mostly a Toyota expert, but he was a superb fabricator and did quality work so I hired him for the project. The turbo I chose was a GTX3576R with a .63 turbine. I heard from a few friends that they thought this turbo was too small, but so far it seems perfect. My old turbo was a T4/T3 hybrid that made 455 rwhp. At that power it was well out of the compressor efficiency map. I wanted a more modern turbo that would improve power under curve and a maybe bit more peak power. All with less boost. Reducing turbo lag was may main goal. I could write a book on the project so I will try to keep it short. 

 

Here's a bit about the car as it was in 2012. http://fstrnu.net/z/

 

The new turbo external size was a bit larger than the T4/T3. I need to find a way to fit it on the original L28ET manifold in addition to adding an external wastegate. The answer was an adapter that used v-band fittings for both the turbine and the wastegate. The below picture was a test fit so you can see the design aspects. The adapter was designed in Solidworks then CnC'd from a brick of steel.  

 

6ojEKkwTLn7N6gnPuCzsku3py06JVJTvHO0Vpox7

 

 

Here's a picture before the downpipe was installed. I ceramic coated the adapter, manifold and downpipe. 

 

ce5FY0uW3XjUMX-1rwOCUoNsjDXFwbCNMU8wLHlK

 

Here's a picture with everything installed.

Yh1Kng9ndEDSagd7zjEC3cQlYld7Pyd1dp_YkVlG

 

This is the engine as it is today. I added a coolant bypass on cyl 4,5,6 and I added an IAC for idle control. I also removed the AC since I never really needed it and the compressor got in the way of my air cleaner. Oh and the wiring has been tidy'd up since this photo.

Tl8j_G-zdd4IQp0jscpjM0QL9KdMmAjbTCH0vrts

 

 

Overall I could not be happier with the project. The new turbo and the various components have made a big difference in the turbo lag and bottom/mid range power. The car was fast before (11.30 @ 124mph), but it is even better now. I can't wait to get it back to the track for some fun. It's good to be back. 

 

-John 

 

 

 

Edited by jgkurz
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Welcome back!  The new turbo and turbo setup looks pretty slick.  I like the way you integrated the adapter with the wastegate port - all of the angles look like they will flow well.  I have a GT3576R (pre X model) with a .63 A/R turbine and seems to work well with my engine.  I'm sure the X version would perform even better.

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7 hours ago, jgkurz said:

It's been a long time since I've posted anything of significance. I took my Z apart for a turbo upgrade in 2012 then in the middle of the project we decided to move. After getting settled into the new house I got distracted with other projects and just never found the time to finish the turbo upgrade.  About a year ago found a local tuner/fabricator that was interested in helping me get my Z back on the road. He was mostly a Toyota expert but he was a superb fabricator and did quality work so I hired him for the project. The turbo I chose was a GTX3576R with a .63 turbine. I heard from a few friends that they thought this turbo was too small, but so far it seems perfect. My old turbo was a T4/T3 hybrid that made 455 rwhp. At that power it was well out of the efficiency map. I wanted a more modern turbo that would improve power under curve and a bit more peak power with less boost. Reducing turbo lag was may main goal. I could write a book on the project so I will try to keep it short. 

 

Here's a bit about the car as it was in 2012. http://fstrnu.net/z/

 

The new turbo was a bit larger than the T4/T3. I need to find a way to fit it on the original L28ET manifold in addition to adding an external wastegate. The answer was an adapter that used v-band fittings for both the turbine and the wastegate. The below picture was a test fit so you can see the design aspects. The adapter was designed in Solidworks then CnC'd from a brick of steel.  

 

6ojEKkwTLn7N6gnPuCzsku3py06JVJTvHO0Vpox7

 

 

Here's a picture before the downpipe was installed. I ceramic coated the adapter, manifold and downpipe. 

 

ce5FY0uW3XjUMX-1rwOCUoNsjDXFwbCNMU8wLHlK

 

Here's a picture with everything installed.

Yh1Kng9ndEDSagd7zjEC3cQlYld7Pyd1dp_YkVlG

 

This is the engine as it is today. I added a coolant bypass on cyl 4,5,6 and I added an IAC for idle control. I also removed the AC since I never really needed it and the compressor got in the way of my air cleaner. Oh and the wiring has been tidy'd up since this photo.

Tl8j_G-zdd4IQp0jscpjM0QL9KdMmAjbTCH0vrts

 

 

Overall I could not be happier with the project. The new turbo and the various components have made a big difference in the turbo lag and bottom/mid range power. The car was fast before (11.30 @ 124mph), but it is even better now. I can't wait to get it back to the track for some fun. It's good to be back. 

 

-John 

 

 

 

Nice! Could you tell us more about the car?

What head and pistons? What intercooler?

 

Do you track it? Any heat issues?

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3 hours ago, rossman said:

Welcome back!  The new turbo and turbo setup looks pretty slick.  I like the way you integrated the adapter with the wastegate port - all of the angles look like they will flow well.  I have a GT3576R (pre X model) with a .63 A/R turbine and seems to work well with my engine.  I'm sure the X version would perform even better.

 Thank you rossman. Garrett now has a GTX Gen II out so maybe it's even better than my Gen I. My Gen I is working well enough that I don't know what I would upgrade to even if I wanted to. Any more power and I'd have to re-do the whole fuel system. 

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59 minutes ago, turbogrill said:

Nice! Could you tell us more about the car?

What head and pistons? What intercooler?

 

Do you track it? Any heat issues?

 

Thank you turbogrill. Most everything you want to know is in the link I provided in the original post.  http://fstrnu.net/z/ 

 

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Edited by jgkurz
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1 hour ago, SleeperZ said:

Welcome back, that setup looks beastly, very well done.

 

I'm not sure about beastly, but it does scare me when the boost comes on (in a good way). In the time I have been gone, it seems the L6 has become even more obsolete. I have no regrets about my old school engine, but my power levels are kids play compared to what can be had with a RB, 2JZ, or LS. In some ways I'm a little nervous about putting my L6 on FULL TILT with parts becoming more difficult to find. Blowing up an RB might actually be cheaper to rebuild than an L6 these days. An RB needs very little customization to reliably make my power where my L6 needs massive work. 

Edited by jgkurz
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20 minutes ago, seattlejester said:

Welcome back!

 

Very nice adapter, looks much better than the pedestal with the flange directly off of it style. I'll be referring people to this for people looking for an external wastegate on the stock manifold.

 

I agree. The pedestal adapter you mentioned was never may favorite. If anyone wants to buy my adapter they should talk to Kris @ KO Racing. http://www.koracing.net/. Mine was the prototype, but he could make more if the desire was there. 

 

Anyone looking at a project like this should know it's not cheap. Each build is different so I won't be providing my costs. I say this only to set the proper expectations. For me, the price was worth the results. If you want big power for a low price, best to look elsewhere. 

Edited by jgkurz
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32 minutes ago, turbogrill said:

The link doesnt work for me.

 

The site seems to be working for me and other people I have asked to test. There is some security that might block access from outside the USA. From your signature it looks like you are in TX. PM me if you want to troubleshoot.  

Edited by jgkurz
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