LIMITATIONS ON HOME-BUILT TURBO PROJECTS, PART III

“Genius has limitations, stupidity is boundless” – Anonymous
By 460-BBF-Turbo-In-CC (from the legendary Car Craft turbo thread**)
LIMITATIONS (Part 3)

7. “The Man” – Car Crafters in many states have to watch out for the long-arm of the law. In fact, CC’s failure to do a big-cube turbo project is probably in part because CARB hates retrofit turbocharging. And even in the states where there’s still a little liberty left, Car Crafters face restrictions on noise, how much engine can be hanging out, and other legal limits.

8. Sanctioning body rules – If you’re going to run in any organized competition, then sanctioning body rules are going to be a limitation. For turbo Car Crafters, it may mean limiting the number of “power adders” and adding extra safety equipment. It probably will require adherence to specifications on fuel, fuel additives, cooling strategies, wiring, and plumbing.

9. Reliability and maintenance – This one is the fusion of time, money, parts quality, and practicality. At least until recently, Austin Coil could rebuild John Force’s AA/FC after every quarter mile pass. But most turbo Car Crafters expect their creations to last for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of miles. And while some elevated maintenance may be tolerable, constant fussing and repairs get old fast. So the PLAN for a realistic street/strip turbo car has to take into account reliability and reasonable service intervals.

If you don’t know your limitations going in – or ignore them – then the outcomes of your turbo build will be waste and frustration, if not expensive disaster.

**Reposted with permission of the author.