:::RHMT::: Real Home Made Turbo

General Category => Forced Induction => Topic started by: HiProfile on March 22, 2024, 11:36:55 AM

Title: Turbo 5.3L Sierra aka my utility truck
Post by: HiProfile on March 22, 2024, 11:36:55 AM
What's up, fuckers. I originally bought this turd to swap the drivetrain into my Firebird. Then I fell in love with having truck as a spare beater.

Engine is the original 260k mile 5.3L, but I tossed in a LS1/LQ9 cam and L92 springs. Exhaust springs are shimmed 0.030", increasing them from 75lbs of seat pressure to 94 & 104lbs. Has the original 4l60e which has survived because Tq management is still in full effect, pulls >20deg on shifts lol.

I used a Rev9 72/68 turbo (the only really expensive part), a cheap-o T4 truck log, 3" downpipe made from a 6.0's y-pipe, a big XSPower IC I had bought for a Civic, a universal piping kit my friend had, pair of 38mm mvs-style gates I bought on ebay for $13/ea (scored 5 lol). Some pics show no IC, that's how I run it for winter. It still has the stock muffler, but I'm adding a 3" vac cutout this spring. Filter was a nice K&N but I moved back to the stock filter with a K&N panel ($2 at junkyard) and a $10 elbow made for dust collectors ($10 amazon).

Tuning is HPT with a P59 and a 2bar from a wrecked SC Cobalt. Boost control is a pair of boost solenoids from a Chevy cruze and a high-amp PWM controller. Yeah, it's that fucking simple.

Fuel is of course my IN600's and a Kemso 340lph in a modded bucket from a Tahoe L59/flex to retain the siphon jet. Running E85 with a flexfuel sensor from a 2012+ Impala, usually between 40-60% because I mix in unl88 when it's really cheap.


Total cost to me was about $1000 for everything, inc the parts I had like the IC. How does it run? Like a raped ape. It either spins or wheel hops BAD in 1st with more than 5psi, but I'm making an arduino-powered boost controller to fix that by reading the shift solenoids. I've only had the balls to turn the controller to 25%, which is about 10psi on 4psi springs (6psi cut down lol). You'll also puzzle over the router on the manifold, it was just me resizing the OD of the v-band lip for better alignment. The Yukon Denali front end went on with minor trimming of the fiberglass bumper structure, it was a 'gift' from a friend that was junking the Yukon for the 6.0 swap. I kept my headlights since the Denali were designed to stick out weird.



This is about as RHMT as it gets, bitches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrwBneYaZls



Title: Re: Turbo 5.3L Sierra aka my utility truck
Post by: HiProfile on March 22, 2024, 12:03:32 PM
The increased volume makes a low-piched chu-chu-chu aka dose sound when I let off. I like it better than a BOV sound.

Also here's the price spreadsheet. Anyone with some welding skills could replicate this for a similar price.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10MvphNoxJFGZz82Q3VFioUivSrpZlK0Gl-lAn4AHSto/edit?usp=sharing
Title: Re: Turbo 5.3L Sierra aka my utility truck
Post by: 92CXyD on March 22, 2024, 01:39:55 PM
Hell ya!!

Doing work!!
Title: Re: Turbo 5.3L Sierra aka my utility truck
Post by: random-strike on April 05, 2024, 04:19:04 PM
damn nice!
Title: Re: Turbo 5.3L Sierra aka my utility truck
Post by: MTZ on April 05, 2024, 10:45:33 PM
This is the way  O0