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Mail From: "Steven Searle" <(email redacted)>

Just wanted to update people with a new development in my ongoing saga to
turn a sow's ear (Greddy turbo kit) into a silk purse (more power, better
driveability).

Last week, during an autocross, my downpipe cracked. From the looks of it,
it had been a long time coming. The cracks were all around the flange (near
the turbo), and hairline cracks had sprouted vertically for a few inches
down. Biting the bullet, I took it to a local shop that specializes in
header fabrication.

The pipe was unfixable, but he offered to build be a new one welded out of
mandrel bent 14 gauge aluminized steel. While he was at it, I had him build
the downpipe all the way down (eliminating the joint where the stock exhaust
manifold joins up), and continue it all the way to the back with a free flow
exhaust.

Well, the work he did was beautiful - excellent welds, and a nice
free-flowing pipe (2.25 inches - all there was room for) from the turbo to
the point where it exits underneath the car. The rest of the exhaust (2.5
inch) runs straight back, terminating in a Walker Turbo muffler in the stock
location.

Results: The sound is awesome - a low guttural growl that builds nicely
with rpm - completely unlike the strangled sound emanating from the Walker
Dynomax 2" system I used previously. Power is much improved, both low and
high. Boost builds in a much more linear fashion, with 5 psi appearing
about 500 rpm earlier, and peak boost (12 psi) coming in about 500 rpm as
well. Boost bleeds off less at redline as well (I'm using a fish tank valve
to fool the wastegate). Driveability? Well, it feels like a new car - one
with a bigger engine - whereas before acceleration was an "elastic" event,
exhibited by a delay while the turbo spooled up, and then catapulted me
forward.

By my G-Tech, power has definitely improved. 0-60 comes up about a
half-second sooner (about 5.6 - 5.7 sec), and trap speed through the quarter
mile is up about 2-3 mph (101-102 mph). I can now run neck and neck with
Richard Dekker's car, which sports a BEGI Stage III+ (bigger IC, downpipe,
injectors - about 12 psi)., although he still uses a smaller Borla exhaust
that definitely sounds strangled.

Steven Searle
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
'93 Black & Red

P.S. The silk purse wanna-be sports a Greddy/Mitsubishi TD-04 turbo; big
Spearco intercooler and 2" piping; 250 cc/min RC Engineering injectors; aux.
fuel pump; BEGI adjustable fuel pressure regulator; J&S knock sensor. Boost
varies from 8 to 12 psi, depending on rpm.

P.P.S. Don't even think about doing it my way. If you're hankering to buy
a turbo, get a BEGI kit that can be EASILY upgraded, and for a lot less
money.