homemade turbo
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 910
Likes: 8
From: West-Central New York
There was a write up in a tuner magazine on electric turbo type installations and although it had been done with some success, the juice needed to run the very large, high speed motor for the turbo was just not worth it.
The general idea seems sound but as you speed up, air is forced into the engine just by the general forward motion anyway. Basically works out to be a 65 mph wind running into your engine. I have no idea but I am pretty sure a bilge pump or other fan would never make it up to 30, let alone the speed that a normal turbo produces.
As I sit here and think about it, a gas leaf blower rated at 140 mph may have some possibilities. Just the sheer entertainment of seeing landscapers everywhere look around wildly...
The general idea seems sound but as you speed up, air is forced into the engine just by the general forward motion anyway. Basically works out to be a 65 mph wind running into your engine. I have no idea but I am pretty sure a bilge pump or other fan would never make it up to 30, let alone the speed that a normal turbo produces.
As I sit here and think about it, a gas leaf blower rated at 140 mph may have some possibilities. Just the sheer entertainment of seeing landscapers everywhere look around wildly...
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
Anytime you convert energy from one form to another, you're losing efficiency.
Converting crank rotation to electrical (alternator) has a fair amount of loss to it, then to convert electrical to rotation (blower) has even more loss to it.
So, why not run a true supercharger, and take the power from the crank directly, to spin the blower?
Converting crank rotation to electrical (alternator) has a fair amount of loss to it, then to convert electrical to rotation (blower) has even more loss to it.
So, why not run a true supercharger, and take the power from the crank directly, to spin the blower?
New User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
I got a 1983 honda civic with a "Filter Queen" vaccum cleaner hooked up to it. I managed to mount the vaccum cleaner hose to the air filter intake, and i bought a AC power converter so the vaccum can run of the cars battery power. And then all i did was rought the vaccum cleaner hose from the air filter intake-through the fire wall and the vaccum cleaner just sits on the passenger seat. Being as my vaccum cleaner does have a blower on it it gives the car quite a bit of boost, and i'v had it hooked up like that for about 2 months and havent noticed any problems yet. I drive it to work everyday.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
There ya go, three conversions of power, and three significant losses.
rotational to electrical, electrical to an inverter that is 80% efficient tops, and inverted electricity to rotational (blower in vaccum).
yeah, sure.
rotational to electrical, electrical to an inverter that is 80% efficient tops, and inverted electricity to rotational (blower in vaccum).
yeah, sure.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
If you say so.
I find it difficult to believe, only because I made a homemade flow bench for comparing heads before and after my porting efforts, and I found my old "super sucker" kirby didn't have enough flow to give useful results. I ended up using a gas powered blower instead. Then I could measure the delta in flow before and after porting.
Granted, this was for big block ford heads.
If you can fit your fist into the port, it's big enough
I find it difficult to believe, only because I made a homemade flow bench for comparing heads before and after my porting efforts, and I found my old "super sucker" kirby didn't have enough flow to give useful results. I ended up using a gas powered blower instead. Then I could measure the delta in flow before and after porting.
Granted, this was for big block ford heads.
If you can fit your fist into the port, it's big enough
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
From: Louisville
I have often thought about doing such things (I like goofy off the wall stuff) I love the vacume cleaner idea! I have doubts about how much it could help due to the low volume of air moved. If you had a friend rev up the motor and feel the suction at the air intake I bet it would be as much as the vacume. The leaf blower on the other hand would be great... Would it work on a carb. or would you have to use a fuel injected car? Cause I have a leaf blower and a digital camera...
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 18,787
Likes: 30
From: Melbourne, Aus
If you want my honest opinion, it wouldn't work at all...
Leaf blowers and vaccum cleaners and the like shift large volumes of air, but they don't cause an increase in pressure like a turbo or supercharger.
Leaf blowers and vaccum cleaners and the like shift large volumes of air, but they don't cause an increase in pressure like a turbo or supercharger.
