Donor Vehicle for a turbo setup

Not looking to run a whole lot of boost, and I want to see what if anything can be done with a boosted xj.
I plan on taking an existing setup off another vehicle and make it work. I can weld the flanges and tubing, no problem. So what vehicles woudl be a good matchup for the turbo. It will be non-intercooled

I am thinking an older turbodiesel mercedes or l5 saab or volvo would be a good match for the turbos and wastegate, or possibly a supra(would be a twin turbo then)

opinions?

ps: this is mainly being done to prove that I can... it doesent have to be pretty, it just has to work
 
lots of cars had turbos....

dodge/chrysler chargers and daytonas (some)
dodge/chrysler minivans (some)
Volvos (lots of guys get turbos from them, so slim pickin's)
talons/eclipse
300zx's
some older datsuns
some buick regals (good luck finding)
all grand nationals (good luck finding)
look for wrecked ricer cars.
i think a few celicas had them.
diesel trucks are good chance.. but big for XJ if thats what its for..
some mitusbishi cars
porsche 944's some have them
some older 84ish SVO mustangs had turbo 4 bangers
older 80ish trans ams had turbos on the 304 i think it was..
a few suburu's have em..
audi's are worth looking under the hood too..
mercedes 300td's (turbo 3L diesel)

poor list from a 1:30am tired mind.. I'll post more as I remember to try and give ideas to you.


tons of options list goes on and on.... Thats not including newer cars like SRT4's or new bmw's or newer porches/audis/volvos/suburus/mistubishi's..so newer wrecked cars would be good place but expensive.

When you can buy a new turbo for a few hundred bucks .. just get one. I am canadian, so I of course and raped for every autopart so I ebay everything from the states...even if it means paying insane shipping. Lost of places in the US will ship free... must be nice!

EDIT: Chysler labarons the the guys are grabbing hood vents from.. well under the vent on the engine = turbo ;)
 
Yea, finding one is not the problem. The reason I was asking is that some would obviously have problems. Newer cars have a variable turbine setup to control boost which would not work without the computer and a lot of work. Some will pretty much only fit the car they came off of, and some are going to be entirely too big or small. I am planning on just having to go look around to find one, just didnt know if anyone had any specifics in mind. Thanks for the list though.

"When you can buy a new turbo for a few hundred bucks .. just get one."
I thought about it, but the goal of this project is to prove that it can be done for really cheep.

Eh, hopefully it s too the j/y on friday so maybe I can come up with something there.
 
Get the ford four cylinder turbo, or the buick grand national turbo. both should be big enough to use on a 4.0 and not break the bank
 
the gn turbo would have to be an ebay or craigslist find, but still shouldent be that expensive. the ford turbo IIRC is a super 60, which is small for the 4.0 in a max power application, but should be perfect for quick spool and a fun daily driver.
 
id rather use a 20 year old ford turbo than chineese made ebay garbage. theturboforums.com is the authority on this crap, i trust their judgement.
 
We are running a chinese turbo on one of our shop cars. DEcided to try it out. T3/T04E .60/.63 Spools nice on a 1.6l and holding 11psi for 2 years now. Pulled apart and inspected 1yr ago.

Makes my T3/T04B that cost me 800.00+ for my race car seem really expensive.

I have ran junkyard turbos before with luck, but really make sure you inspect it well first. I got a complete peice of shit Chrysler Turbo from Egay once that was claimed as mint.

Good Resource: http://www.gamesbbs.com/~turbosi/junkyard_turbo_list.html
http://www.homemadeturbo.com/forum/index.php?topic=3921.0
And www.homemadeturbo.com in general if you can read past all the bullshit.
 
A LOT of Buick Park Avenue's had them
 
yea, I have actually been looking at the ford turbos, finding one in the yards around here is gonna be rough. The u pull in is pretty bare most of the time, and the rest of them think that what they have is worth gold. C'mon a dana 44 for 850 bucks, an 8.8 with drum brakes was gonna be 500, with no guarantee that the were even any good. luckily I found my 9" on half price day for $45, and in is 61.5 in wide, perfect.
 
What for turbo are you going for? Probaly the T-Bird/SVO Manual. T3 .60/.63? Good luck. Looked for a while.

FYI Easy to find is a 84-85 Nissan 300zx. It is a T3 .60/.63 May not look like it, but although the housings are smaller the trim of the the compressor wheel is larger. It's just that the exhaust flange is weird. But flanges can still be sourced. I got a rebuilt one once off egay for 150.00. Like brand new.
 
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