Stock 7mgte + 550/lex + 60-1 CT26 = ?

[dusthead]

so ::crosses fingers:: i'm runnin on the stock head gasket...126k miles on my 88 MKIII. i picked up the lexus AFM cause it was a good deal...even though it was jumping the gun on that upgrade (according to the 7mgte upgrade steps). that led me to look for some 550s...which in-turn led me to a deal on a 60-1 CT26...i read some more and found it to be a "necessary" upgrade to go MHG if i'm going to bolt the upgraded turbo on.

if i just retorqued the head bolts do you think i'll be alright until it eventually does blow? or should i just wait to put it on until after it blows (or i change it) because it may damage the upgraded turbo?

 

[thevork]

You can put it on no problem.
In return, the car will thank you by blowing the HG in your first or second high boost run.

Better take the engine out, rebuild it (new bearings, resurface the block and head) and put the upgrades on. Better do it right the first time.

 

[radiod]

Preventative measures are always better than knowing you are risking something that can lead to more problems. ARP hardware for the head and a metal headgasket is probably the absolute least you would want to do with those upgrades.

Also have you thought about fuel delivery? You might want to look at a Walbro or equivelant fuel pump and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, especially considering you will be pushing significantly more boost with the 60-1.

Finally how are you going to tune this sucker? Getting something to control the fuel a little bit more precise than just throwing in the Lexus AFM would definitely be something to think about. Whether that be an SAFC or MAFT Pro or whatever, there are a lot of options out there with a lot of info behind each of them.