My only experience so far is with the '747 ECM (TBI). I thought only the turbo ones could "understand" the MAP signal above atmospheric pressure thing, or is that all in the software? Curious to know, since I'm beginning to think seriously about this project if I could pull it off using junkyard parts. Haven't been junkyarding in a long time until last week, and hit the new Pull-A-Part yard here in Nashville. Very impressed with the cheap prices, and always did hate the trend of recent years of not letting you yank your own parts. After getting a passenger side door, mirror, body molding and console door for $38 for my daughter's car, I went back and scouted out truck parts. Found door, fender, hood, and rad support for my wrecked '86 for less than $100, an M5OD for $45, and a 300 I6 for $150. Haven't priced a turbo yet, but you can see where this is going, right? BTW, any ECM is $27. I might actually be able to afford some toys this way, and with a brother who is a machinist....Can't be too far out of the question.

 

Hear is a thread about a person that turbo'd their 300 i6
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=250890

 

I'm still plugging away at my 300-6TT project, it's a lot more involved now than when I started out, and a move cross sountry didn't help on the timeline either. I have the block completely torn down, and started prepping it (remove all casting marks, grind, sand, and polish inside and out, paint inside and out), I found a machine shop out here that is willing to install larger valves, and I found the right pistons and a company that will ceramic-coat them for fairly cheap. I am making my own stainless exhaust manifold, and upper intake, I have the truck it will go in, now I just need the time off from work and the space to do this in. With all the mods, 8psi of boost should give me nearly 375hp, and almost 500lbs of torque, but I am building the engine to take 16psi and alcohol on the track for nearly 500hp and 650-ishlbs of torque. I was going to use one of my forged cranks for this, but I think I am going to use a shot-peened cast one. From what I understand, they are strong enough to handle the power, but also ductile enough to absorb some of the harmonic vibrations.
All this with a ZF five speed, in a 69 F-250 that's a little under 4,000lbs should do pretty good.
As to why? Well, you might as well ask me why the sky is blue. It's just this way, I guess I should say I am doing this because I can. And I would definetely put this in a 4x4, do you know how hard it is to turn 38" mudders doing 60+ on the highway?

 

Well, the 1227730 and the 1227749 ECM have the same motherboard, board traces. The only difference is the 749 has an additional mosfet for driving higher current, low impedance peak and hold injectors, at the expense of a quad driver. You can run 730 code in a 749, and 749 code in a 730. I've done it both ways, and it works fine. Just make the wiring harness match the wiring of the ECM you want it to be, and use the matching code mask ($58 for 749).

If you want to run peak and hold injectors, you're forced to use the 749, and there are some around, I spied one the other day in a turbo grandam, but after I yanked it the yard wanted $50 for it, so I dropped it on the ground.

And cool on the cheap junkyard. Here in NJ u-pull-its are scarce, but there are a few. And they aren't cheap either. I have to go to PA more often to get affordable prices. But for one or two items, its not worth the 2 hour ride in my crewcab with the mileage it gets. If I need a lot of stuff, absolutely.

 

I was involved in installing an Ak Miller turobcharger kit on a 300-6 while working at Ford in the late '70's.
This engine was installed in an E-150 with a C4, and once we had it dialed-in, it went like a rocket, but still got excellent fuel economy when off-boost - which wasn't really all that often, since it was such a blast to drive.

That installation used a carburetor of course, the standard single-barrel carb used at that time, and boost was limited by an odd flow-limiting device installed in the pressure side, not the more usual pop-off valve.

Since that turbo came as part of a kit, it was a cinch to install, taking only about 10 hours (of a very skilled mechanic's time) including exhaust modifications - we got by using just a glass-pack "cherry bomb"-type muffler. and of course no cat.

The big change, one that really transformed the truck, was when we got the automatic transmission re-calibrated to shift about 800 rpm lower, to take advantage of the enormous amount of low-end torque the turbo'd engine put out.
- R

 

It's not always about going fast. If you take a stock 300 and add a turbo that spools off idle and is putting out 8 psi (like a T04B) by 2000rpm you'll get about 400 lbs of torque around 2200 RPM and 200 HP around 3500. This is the kind of setup you'd use for offroading/towing. Same idea as running a turbo on a diesel. They aren't made to go fast but do most definitely benefit from teh added air.

Justin

 

The simplest and cheapest option is this unit... A universal kit that would be used to fit the dimensions of your truck. An exhaust shop can weld it in in the same time/cost as a single exhaust setup. The turbo mounts in place of the muffler.

Intercoolers are available as well.

www.ststurbo.com

 

Crash,

There is a shop here in town that has installed two of these systems....both a new Camaro and a new Firebird. I don't know if it's just the inherent design of the systems for the f-body cars, but the turbo lag is crazy-huge with this setup. The more heat that is retained in the exhaust and lost between the inlet of the turbine housing and the turbine outlet, the more efficient the system. By the time the exhaust gets to the turbo on the f-body system (ALL the way behind the rear axle), there's little heat left in the exhaust gas to expand in the turbine housing. Factor in the fact that there is 10-12 feet of intake tubing between the compressor and intake manifold, and you can see just how this would work.

Granted, I know it DOES work, I've seen one of the cars take off......after about 50 yards from the launch. Also, there is absolutely NO ROOM in the engine compartment (or anywhere else on the car) to put a turbocharger so take what you can get, I guess.


I want to put twin turbos on my PSD, right off the manifolds (to get rid of the heat and flow loss of the way-too-small pipes that run up the back of the heads to the turbo........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Cody

 

I agree. The idea is getting a power adder available for applications where nothing is available. A matter of choice. Do I upgrade to a different powertrain or vehicle or make the best of what I have? Then weighing the cost and so on.

It is easy to go fast in an LS-1, and there are options. Some may hit hard on the bottom, and others push them to 200 (I know they will do 180, with nothing but a tune).

So in the case of this 300 I-6, the choices would be to custom fab a system, go with Nitous Oxide, or try a remote setup and work to eliminate the exact issues you mentioned.

The big hitters want to know they can sell 10,000 units a year before considering creation of a new system, and that usually means AT LEAST twice that many petitioning. The STS system can be purchased as a universal kit and adapted as seen fit. It is complex, but is somewhat flexible.