Anyone know of a modest turbo for the v6 camaro? Here are some of my questions:

1. Is it hard to install?
2. Any under 500 dollars that are good?
3. Do I just attach it to the air intake?
4. Could this be bad for the engine? I dont plan on racing it, just want more hp.

Thanks!

 

1) yes
2) There are no tubo kits for a V6 camaro
3) No, well yes but also to the exhaust.
4) yes, engine must be built to handle a turbo.

Unless you have 5-8K in your pocket start researching other mods.

 

Like gorn said, there is a lot more to a turbo kit than you think. It would be best to save your money and research research research!!! Then when you think you know enough, research more. Its not as easy as you think

 

1. Depends on the setup, can be a challenge
2. NO, again, NO
3. Do more research, sounds like you have some learning to do
4. Depends on the power, quality of parts, and tune. Fast, Cheap, Reliable, pick 2.

2. There actually are kits out there, Force Fed Fabrications made my hotside, and they still will build/sell a complete kit. Cartuning I think makes the best setup, it's $5000 though (FFF will bee about the same price, little cheaper).

4. Not true Watch for upcomming results from me, swapping a box stock L26 (later version of the L36) into the Camaro, 15lbs of boost and a 75 shot. My trans came from a guy that made 450whp on a stock engine, and the guy that helps me with my tuning has a stock 98 v6 that runs 12.2 with 18lbs of boost and a 50 shot. Here's the trick magic word though, TUNE. It has to be dead on.

 

So even tho we get bone stock 3800 with blown head gaskets and streched rods in here all the time you still think that any factory original motor can handle boost? I never understood that concept. How can an engine that can not handle NA handle boost? Telling people their engine can handle any boost is irresponsible. I'll bet money we can find enignes that where babied and did not make it out of warranty without a major failure and we can find motors that where raced their whole life abd are now pushing 200K. So how can you tell someone their motor can handle boost? GM's rods and main bolts are crap. Their strength vary from bolt to bolt because they are made from a lower grade steel the process has a lot of variation.


I use to build race engine and this whole "the tune has to be right" thing is getting old. It is just a way to try and control the cylinder pressure so it does not destory the motor. Then when one of these stock motors fails everyone says it was the tune. How about you put a turbo on car that could not handle boost and timing. Heck I can put 18 PSI boost in my tractor if I tune the timing back far enough. I have dyno tuned race cars and there is not magic tune that is perfect boost or not. It is a judgement call on what the engine can handle. You can increase the power on any engine but at 14:1 compression you risk pistons and headgaskets as you lean the fuel and advance the timing. A well built motor is predictable and stock one, even new, is not. That is why most race teams keep the same motor design all season. They know what it can and can't handle.

 

Guess i wont be getting a turbo LOL!

 

There's a difference between handling horsepower, and engine failures as a result of possible (since you never know with the interweb folks) lacking maintenance. I've seen my share of 3800's problems, USUALLY spun rods resulting from LIM gasket failures. The stock gaskets are plastic and do not last long. Usually around 100k or so they begin to weep coolant, cause vacuum leaks, etc. The STRENGTH of the 3800 is stupid impressive for a v6, very few engines in 100% out of the box bone stock form can handle at least 2hp per cubic inch, most 4 bolt 350's can't handle 700hp out of the box, 500hp from a 3800 isn't much power in general, but it's a lot when you take into consideration the size of the engine.

I never said they could handle any boost, every engine on planet earth that has ever been built can only take so much. There's inherit problems from pushing more and more boost, you should know this and the factors related.

Indeed, but so far as I've seen from experience, every manufacturer out there has their problems, working in the Cadillac dealership I've seen cts-v's with sludge, I've seen northstars with their ever popular headgasket problems and half case issues, I've seen severely stretched timing chains and sets of crunched valves. It's just a factor of the game. The LS series of engines are known for their outstanding strength, I've seen those engines pushed to limits that are mind boggling for a stock engine, friend of mine built a 4.8 for a magazine that soared into the 1000 hp range on a stock bottom end. At the same time I've seen 4.8's with blown head gaskets, collapsed lifters, spun bearings, the rockers come apart all the time, snapped valve springs, it's not my point. Those engines didn't die because they made too much horsepower.

That's not just GM, that's every manufacturer. One of the best things you can do for a 3800 is a set of arp rod bolts and main studs, or any motor for that matter. My engine handled it's power just fine with stock main bolts and a set or arp rod bolts, never had a problem related to them.

And FWI, Tim King went high 8's with a 3800 powered twin turbo firebird, and guess what, STOCK CRANKSHAFT. That engine never broke the crank, nobody yet has broken a stock crank or had a failure related to it due to simply over powering it. The reason I get on about the tune is purely related to the shortcoming of our pistons, they are extremely prone to chipping, it's the reason you see all the M90 guys running around screaming "KR! KR!" detonation kills most 3800's. Now, this is more seen in gen3 m90 cars because that supercharger is inefficient in stock form, and heats the air way too much. The air charge from an intercooled turbo is nothing in comparison to that of an intercooled m90, I see usually around 90* IAT's, unheard of from anything with a stock gen3 m90, or gen5 for that matter. So long story short you can make more power with a turbo on a 3800 because the air charge is cooler, letting you run more compression, and more timing. My GS sees KR with only 10-11*'s of advance, I run about 14-15 in the Camaro with a very raw tune and haven't yet seen KR full boost.

I get flustered with this forum, 98% of the people here don't have a damned clue about engines in general, let alone 3800's. So far as I know, nobody here has pushed one as far as I have, invested what I have, or researched what I have, and my car is BASIC compared to what others have done. As far as I can see it doesn't matter as talking about it to you or anyone else here, it appears to be a lost cause as there's no respect for doing things different and trying to show how cool these engines really are. Fine by me, I could care less. However, don't call me "irresponsible" for talking about a plain simple fact that you CAN make power with these engines in stock form, you don't need to tear these engines to pieces and and build them ***** to the walls, in the 400-425whp range your looking at some rods bolts, little machine work for them, head studs, and some simple cheap oil mods, that's all they need to handle it. My headers came off a car that made over 650whp with a stock crank, stock rods, forged pistons, stock (though ported) heads, stock intake, there's no reason to spend a lot of money on them until your really starting to lean on them. Mute point to type all this I guess though as I'm posting on a forum where everyone here is spinning rod bearings and blames it on making too much horsepower... yeah, ok.

 

What I have been seeing with 3800's is spun rod bearing. Not starved for oil and not signs of a rod itself failing. To me that say rod bolt but is tuff to say for sure. I simply do not trust anything put together from the factory. I have seen to many screw ups. Also I know most of the manufacturing process are not very good. You want to know why the powder metal rods are so strong? Its because of variation in the process. To make a rod so that 99.9999% them will not fail they have to make them bigger then needed because of the process. The defects could be found using ultrasonic testing but that cost too much per pc. In many cased the defects could be seen but it is easier to just make them bigger. So most of the powder metal rods are stronger but some are as strong as they need to be and some are not. Anytime you add HP to an engine you are testing your parts. Most of the people that come here only have one car.

If you pull the engine apart inspect everything install new bolts and make sure everything is in good working order, then yes these motor car handle a lot "stock". But someone comes in here with 13 year old 110K daily driver they have owned for 3 weeks and want to boost it we should not say yes it can handle it.

If you handed any race team a new, bone stock 2011 Camaro V6 and told them there was a race in 3 weeks but the car had to be bone stock then go back the next day and see what they did. You would see the motor completely torn down. If you forced them to use factory bolts they would buy dozens and test them to be sure they got good ones. Same with all the other parts.

I have found missed sized pistons, tight piston pins, bad ring gaps, Rings that never came back out of the ring groove after installed, Wrong cleanances in oil pumps ect many of these finds where when I was fixing other issues.

 

if you wanna go turbo i suggest you start with the headers for the turbo lol once you figure that out let me know!...headers must allow me to keep ac this houston 100degree weather sucks

 

To keep the ac you need to run your down pipe under the k frame. Or get a tubular k frame.