There are many reasons why this turbo is not a bolt-on turbo for our cars, so after all this work I'm really hoping it's going to be the right turbo for the car - and last awhile too. I'm holding hope out despite the issues we've all experienced, and while I have not run the car yet I'll surely let you all know how I end up once it is in and working, which should be a few weeks when we begin to tune on the MAFTPRO.
1 - I welded the waste-gate sleeve in 3 locations to the casting because it is very difficult to weld to casting. Several tacks should do the trick.
2 - When the turbo was on the car you could not connect up the turbine outlet pipe with the way the waste-gate actuator sat on the turbo. It simply hit the 2.75" piping and was going to cause problems. We had to modify the bracket to off set the actuator so that it would not interfere. After doing this we were able to clock the center section so that the feed and drain were exactly vertical.
3 - I adjusted the waste-gate actuator rod 1 1/2 turns in so that it would crack at 10psi and fully open by 15.
4 - The stock accordion hose will work well in reverse, but I choose to buy the 140$ ebay 3" metal intake for the supra instead. This is a nice piece but we had to relocate the power steering reservoir to fit it for this turbo and 6" K&N Filter. This was done by moving the resevoir out toward the radiator and mounting it with the existing bracket but only one bolt. We had to lengthen the lower hose about three inches. This is necessary to have enough clearance to run your 3" piping to the filter.
5 - The ebay feed/drain line kit that claims to fit the 7MGTE does in fact not have a fitting that will mount up to the block. I had to order another (44mm bolt center-to-center) from the same company and drill out the mounting holes. They were great and refunded me the 17$ though. I also requested a shorter drain line and had to further shorten it because 12" is still too long. You want the drain to be short and direct and the way the one came it would have had a bit curl in it and would have had to go back up hill to drain. Not ideal. I've found proper drain/feed lines and fittings are a big pain in the ass to get something together that will work. Also the feed line banjo bolt that came with this kit is very difficult to get on the motor and the fitting of the 4an line has to hit the block for it to work. A straight fitting would be ideal here.
more to come...
RC 660 CC
MAFTPRO
Speed Density
T61 Turbo
Aeromotive AFPR & Walbro
We modified the actuator mount. It may not be ideal because it is not exactly straight but it was our best option.
You can see the tack welds here.
The actuator now sits away from the turbine outlet, allowing you to mount it up straight - or at all.
And yes I connected the coolant line to complete the circuit, we just blocked it off while we were test fitting to keep the coolant off the floor.