This is going to be a long post so bear with me!

Now i've had ideas floating round in my small brain this last month as to what im doing with the A15 I have in the wags. Ive come to the conclusion that im going to sell the wagon but keep the A15 and do a 'budget' turbo A12 setup in the wagon.
I can already hear the moans saying 'USE THE FU*KIN SEARCH BUTTON!!!' about the A12 turbo setup, well i have and ive come up with some great info!! (see people it does have its uses ) So here are my plans:

Rebuild an A12 i aquired (cheers troy), run std internals but a de-comp plate, Garrett GT25 turbo, std exhaust manifold with a 'J' Pipe, SU carb and fabricate some sort of flared object on the top of the std. intake manifold.
I have decided on a drawthru setup as it will most likley be cheapest of the options and seems to be the most succesful without major misshaps from people on this site.

Now that ive put the boundaries down as to what i need/like to aquire I have some quick questions and queries about the setup.

I read in the tech section that the stock fuel pump will be ample for a draw thru setup, sweet. I've seen from previous posts that the max boost pressure the pistons/rings/gaskets in an A series can hold (in std form) is around 10 - 12. So i will be running 6 - 8 and 10 if all works well.

Im new to the turbo scene so some q's on the GT25. These are off CA18DET's yeah? They ARE internally gated yeah? They come on boost at about 2800RPM?
It seems like a good choice for a turbo if you ask me and others have said its a good choice so correct me if im wrong!
Should there be an article or book that i can purchase/read about basic maintenance on a turbo or to know if the thing is shagged? Are they cheap as chips and used as door stops? i.e, can i get one for sh*t all $$ ??!! Or perhaps even a 1000CC turbo off a charade?

Are SU carbs that easy to aquire? I can get a 45mm sidedraught Dollorto for under $200 (with cortina manifold), would this be a better option?

With the J pipe, are these easily made or purchased from any exhaust shop? Im guessing they need to inspect your setup before fabricating anything so ill need to get it all mocked up first.

With the inlet,due to it being alloy what can be welded to this?TIG is the only real way and i dont have access to this so will need to get it done.

Ill ask about oil feed inlet/outlet lines later once i see if its all worth it!

I've got to start somewhere with turbo setups so I thought why not now when my car is running, i have transport and a spare engine to tinker with!

Any comments, ideas or interest in my idea welcome!

Dave

P.S One final q's, i know it lacks in torque the A12,but will it still be able to move my Sunny wagon easily enough?

How come your chosing an a12 over the a15. The a15 will come on boost sooner and have heaps more torque which is really what your seeking. The boost will increase torque more than it will horsepower on a setup like this. All i can say is go for torque. Especially in a slightly heavier sunny wags. It will make a world of difference to driveabilty let alone performance. And if you dont want to risk breaking an a15 go for an a14. Cheap as chips.

Oh. And go an SU for self tuning abilty. Nothing but a needle to change. Plus you could get an 1 3/4" for less then $20.

when u say turbo of the ca18det u mean the standard turbo which is the T25 not the garret GT series turbo's which is a GT25 they are about 1000$ more than the good old T25 anyway my advice if u want it 2 last is 2 buy a t25 turbo that needs new seals and put carbon seals in so that fuel doesnt eat the seals out which leads 2 lots of oil loss through the turbo and run your poor little a12 will die, also with the SU try getn one that come of the 200bSSS it worked well for me, good luck

Reason for choosing the A12 is that im selling the Sunny wags and wish to keep the A15 for the next project i have in mind. Really i want it to appeal to the public as in the classifieds a car with a std 1200cc motor is boring but with a turbo sudenly you might get more interest.
I know this sounds like complete wank factor but the state my cars in (body wise) i need all the helping hands i can in trying to find some extra credit.

And A15/14's are bloody scarse round these parts dude, a std one will go for about $500 - $600 and im aiming to get this setup done for under $300 - $400!

Thanks for the comments Freak, looks like the SU is on the cards!

Cheers
Dave

edit: oh #### sorry DLVDAT! T25 not GT25, i dont have that kind of money or engine for one of those!

at least with the a12's shorther stroke, with the right piston choice and de comp plate it will be suited to a higher boost application...
long stroke and boost are good, but short stroke and high boost makes for an exciting ride... old school opush in the back kind of thing.

okay.

if you choose draw thru you will need to rebuild the turbo with a carbon front seal in the core to stop the engine sucking the oil out of the core when the throttle snaps shut.

blow thru is a cheaper option, you can just box a weber and be done with it after jetting. you could intercool it then, or just run water injection.

i would recommend you head on over to GTRYDAZ or the MRT forums and search for a TF035HM (or just TF035) off a subaru forester GT. cheap as chips, water cooled and internally gated with 8psi stock. i had a pair delivered to my door (canberra to perth) for $300 total. just make sure you get one with ALL the water banjo lines and oil return pipe fitted - subaru charge over $260 for these two bits alone - EX JAPAN.

leave the engine stock for this kind of boost.

if you MUST use a J pipe, there is nothing available off the shelf so to speak - all you are doing is using 2 or 3 exhaust bends to go fro the underside of the exhaust manifold up the the base plate of the turbo.

you'll need to drill and tap the top of your sump for the oil return and drill and tap on top of your oil filter block to provide oil to the turbo under pressure. for the water lines you can just tee off your heater hoses.

Hey Dave - I'm not trying to rain on your parade but want to make sure you're planning what I think you are.
Here it goes:
Your reasoning is that by taking out the A15 and replacing it with a yet to be re-built A12 turbo that you will end up with more money in your pocket for your Sunny wagon with a rusty body?
Building the turbo engine will be a great experience but it's not going to be a money generator. I think the opposite is true and you will actually be reducing the market for your car.
If you are not worried about re-sale and over capitalising then I say go for it.

I appreciate the comment but the thing is i know that im not going to get big $$ for the car, its jsut a fact of life with old cars. You spend X amount of dollars and normally you come out without a profit, i would leave the A15 in it IF it was nice to drive! the thing is, it isnt - its not great on fuel, the cam's ugly and wayyy to lumpy and by embarking on this project i think ill gain experience and maybe even a better understanding for how embark on a project in the first place!

And plus ive practically got 2 A12's to play with (one in the other car i mite be buying)

Thanks for the infor Pro240c, ive posted a thread on GTrydaz forum in the wanted section for 1 of those turbos. You wouldnt want to part with one of your 2 would you ?

How much would carbon seals for one of these turbos cost anyway?

Cheers
Dave

i have one spare, but it doesn't have any banjo fittings. if you want to spend a few hours at ENZED or PIRTEK rummaging thru the bolts to find something suitable to fit (and you will find something) then yeah - i'd be happy to sell it to you.

it has 40thou on it. no play fore or aft in the shaft, but like all subi turbos it has a bit of play sideways because they're bush bearing not ball bearing and rely on oil pressure to keep them aligned. thereis absolutey nothing wrong with it and you can have it for $100 plus freight (under $20).

carbon seals aren;t much but rebulding the core can run up to $400.

stuff the banjo fittings theyre crap, its easier to just buy brass barbed fittings that way u can just put fuel line straight on it with a hose clamp, then run to the back of the head heater hose, and into the front water pump pipe for return.