Alpha turbo install completed!

12827 Views 76 Replies 16 Participants Last post by Blitzkrieg, Jul 14, 2016

Stinkyfeet

Discussion Starter · May 13, 2016

2

well it was a long week. Alpha turbo directions are a little weak. Seems like it was installed two or three times by the time it was done due both to, omissions in the directions and some poorly fitting parts.
Powder coating is beautiful.
One muffler pipe was welded only about 60% around the Circumference but seems to not leak.
It is now complete and runs perfectly!!!!
It is quiter than the stock muffler but that whoosh sound between shifts is priceless.
Oh, and def much quicker.

.

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Stinkyfeet

Discussion Starter · #21 · May 15, 2016

WingShot said:
I was directing the reboost comment to Wolf, He was boosted, then crashed and totaled his ss, now has a new ss, if he puts a turbo on this new ss he will then be reboosted.

The 2bar tune is a better tune regardless if you raise the boost level up, to raise the boost you will have to put in different springs in your wastegate.

Ugh. Hate crash stories. Sorry wolf. Was traction control on? I do suspect that even with traction control on, a boosted SS can get away if you are not careful.

TravAZ

· #22 · May 15, 2016

You should always save future hassle and take off the hood off if you are going to spend hours working in the engine bay.

You should also run 2bar on any turbo kit. It is safer and will run better. If you are on the fence, do yourself a favor a switch over.

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Wolf

· #23 · May 15, 2016

Stinkyfeet said:
Ugh. Hate crash stories. Sorry wolf. Was traction control on? I do suspect that even with traction control on, a boosted SS can get away if you are not careful.

I was caught in a blizzard 3/4 to 1" of water/slush on the freeway, no turbo at the time of accident. Thank you for the comments.

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Stinkyfeet

Discussion Starter · #24 · May 16, 2016

Wolf said:
I was caught in a blizzard 3/4 to 1" of water/slush on the freeway, no turbo at the time of accident. Thank you for the comments.

Damn. Hopefully you walked away without issue. I am sure it's been talked to death on here previously so.....just glad you are back in the drivers seat. Thanks for sharing. I have only been caught in one heavy downpour on the thruway and it was much more "white knuckle" than I would have suspected as well.
It funny how valuable this forum is, but try explaining it to a "non owner" and their eyes glaze over. Be well everyone and thanks for the input

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Wolf

· #25 · May 16, 2016

Stinkyfeet said:
Damn. Hopefully you walked away without issue. I am sure it's been talked to death on here previously so.....just glad you are back in the drivers seat. Thanks for sharing. I have only been caught in one heavy downpour on the thruway and it was much more "white knuckle" than I would have suspected as well.
It funny how valuable this forum is, but try explaining it to a "non owner" and their eyes glaze over. Be well everyone and thanks for the input

Here's the link to when I broke the news.

WOLF EDITION SS

Bigfoot21075

· #26 · May 16, 2016

Blitzkrieg said:
Thanks for starting this thread. I just ordered my turbo kit from Alpha (among other things).

So a few questions:

1) Stinkyfeet: I see you removed the hood to install. When I spoke to Alpha was pretty much told not necessary. Your opinion? Did it make the install easier enough to make doing so worth the effort?
2) Wingshot: Can you clarify what you mean by reboost? Are you talking upping the boost pressure?

If so, one of the reasons I went with the Alpha kit is it does not go postal with the boost pressure and should prove reliable and not tear the motor up. Would like your thoughts. 256 HP at the rear wheel sounds just fine to me. I've seen the Tanner Foust video with an overboosted 400+ SS but I would be very hesitant to do that without internal engine mods and lowering the compression ratio.

Thoughts welcome and appreciated.

HOLY HECK That boy can drive! :walkingdead:

Watch: Tanner Foust blows the tire off a Polaris Slingshot

Note to self - NEVER let Tanner Foust borrow your car. EVER

BKL

· #27 · May 16, 2016

Body panel removal video - youtube body panels, Post # 3. Hood removal around 8:12.

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Blitzkrieg

· #28 · May 16, 2016

BKL said:
Body panel removal video - youtube body panels, Post # 3. Hood removal around 8:12.

Thanks man, exactly what I was looking for and lots of other great mod videos too. Appreciate it.

I had the right ones picked too. Had a good suspicion the hex bolts were the ones, though I do need to align my hood better after I get it remounted. I think the setup person at the dealer was smoking weed the day he did his checkpoint inspection.

Blitzkrieg

· #29 · May 17, 2016

TravAZ said:
You should always save future hassle and take off the hood off if you are going to spend hours working in the engine bay.

You should also run 2bar on any turbo kit. It is safer and will run better. If you are on the fence, do yourself a favor a switch over.

Man, I love this site. I've only owned the SS for exactly 6 days but I am learning SOOOOOOOO much here.

Ordering one from DDMWorks tonight.

Here is an interesting link I found when I googled "What is a 2bar sensor".

I'm not a GM guy and have not owned a turbo vehicle in about 10 years, and that one came from the factory with it.

I am looking forward to doing it myself, but soaking up all the info I can before I just start slapping things on.

Blitzkrieg

· #30 · May 17, 2016

Wolf said:
I was caught in a blizzard 3/4 to 1" of water/slush on the freeway, no turbo at the time of accident. Thank you for the comments.

I've had that (freak blizzard) happen twice on a motorcycle and it is absolutely no fun and scary as hell. You just know you are on the precipice of something bad if the slightest thing goes wrong.

Glad you are okay. Machinery can be fixed, humans not so much.

Reactions: 1

Wolf

· #31 · May 17, 2016

Blitzkrieg said:
Man, I love this site. I've only owned the SS for exactly 6 days but I am learning SOOOOOOOO much here.

Ordering one from DDMWorks tonight.

Here is an interesting link I found when I googled "What is a 2bar sensor". I'm not a GM guy and have not owned a turbo vehicle in about 10 years, and that one came from the factory with it.

I am looking forward to doing it myself, but soaking up all the info I can before I just start slapping things on.

Alpha Powersport will save you $25.

Products

Reactions: 2

TravAZ

· #32 · May 17, 2016

Blitzkrieg said:
Man, I love this site. I've only owned the SS for exactly 6 days but I am learning SOOOOOOOO much here.

Ordering one from DDMWorks tonight.

Here is an interesting link I found when I googled "What is a 2bar sensor". I'm not a GM guy and have not owned a turbo vehicle in about 10 years, and that one came from the factory with it.

I am looking forward to doing it myself, but soaking up all the info I can before I just start slapping things on.

Make sure to get the 2bar tune done to your ECM and change your wastegate springs to the desired boost level.

Alpha will help you through this process.

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Blitzkrieg

· #33 · May 18, 2016

Actually didn't catch it early on, but the Alpha kit comes with a 2Bar MAP sensor included.

Note to self: Read the details twice when you order.

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Stinkyfeet

Discussion Starter · #34 · May 18, 2016

I did not know that!!!! I had just convinced myself that i was going to call Alpha regarding the 2Bar upgrade. haha, Thank you Alpha for doing my homework for me.

Reactions: 1

Wolf

· #35 · May 18, 2016

Stinkyfeet said:
I did not know that!!!! I had just convinced myself that i was going to call Alpha regarding the 2Bar upgrade. haha, Thank you Alpha for doing my homework for me.

@Turbosling you have once again been thanked. @Stinkyfeet I was just tagging Henry for you.

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Blitzkrieg

· #36 · May 18, 2016

Just ordered the black/black/red rivet vented hood vent and reinforced hood brackets.

Must. Stop. Spending. Money. NOW LOL

Reactions: 1

Blitzkrieg

· #37 · Jun 4, 2016 (Edited)

I was going to start a new thread on things I encounter during the turbo install, but Stinky if you don't mind I think this thread is a good place to add on?

Thus far I have taken my time, and have two comments:

1) The Alpha kit is very nice and complete.
2) The Alpha install instructions are a bit sparse for somebody who has not done this install. I suppose if I did this install 2 or 3 times I'd blow right through it, but the first time around there is some detail lacking in the instructions. My notes so far (which I will summarize at the end with pics) are:

1) Zip tie a rag around your under-tranny frame bar and on the frame under the muffler. It is nearly impossible to remove either w/o scratching the paint on the frame if you don't do this.

2) You will have to remove the hood support bar that is in front of the headlight mount in order to mount the intercooler. I tried to finagle the bolts in and ended up scratching it.

3) I was going to pull the engine/tranny to do the oil pan swap. I did not. You have to be very careful when reinstalling the new oil pan after you apply the RTV as it's easy to disrupt it with the motor in the car. An oil leak and having to pull the pan back off is the LAST thing I want to do. That being said, if you follow the directions for removing the motor mount/tranny bolts and jack carefully, it's easily doable.

The hardest thing is getting the pan in there and setting a few bolts to support it w/o disturbing the RTV (upside down is never fun). What you will notice is the block and oil pan are machined to very close tolerances so the RTV is really just a fail-safe. Run a 1/16th" bead of RTV and that is sufficient. I will note that the dip stick mount bolt is tough to find/get to, so leave it alone and when you reinstall the new oil pan make sure you have that baby lined up into it's receiver hole in the oil pan before you start to snug up the oil pan mount bolts.

4) 6-7 hours install time the first time you do this is a pipe dream. I'm very experienced at this type of stuff and there is no way you will complete this install in 6-7 hours. I spent 2 hours just deciphering the install instructions and another 2 hours just getting the hood off (easy) and mud guard/side panel off (not so easy -lots of fasteners and blurry instructions). That's 4 hours alone just getting to the point where I could start removing the oil pan and exhaust.

5) My hood cables and headlight harness are too tight either under or over the intercooler pipes as installed. I am most concerned about the hot pipe on the intercooler and am certain if I don't figure out Plan B either the wires/loom will melt or the install will not look correct according to my standards. More to follow on this.

6) I installed the Alpha heavy duty hood brackets and glad I did. My hood has never shut right since new, and the stock brackets are lame compared to the Alpha units. Also the Alpha units allow adjustment in all directions and are a huge improvement over the stock POS brackets. Polaris - take note: For $27K I expect better on things like these brackets.

And lastly - damage I have incurred (which I take full blame for):

I decided to back the SS up on ramps under all the wheels to do this. The ramps were sliding so I put wet towels under them to avoid that. That worked great on the front wheels, but the SS does not weigh enough to hold the ramp down when running up them (specifically the back wheel) and after several tries I thought I had it and ended up shooting the rear ramp under the car where it slammed into the rear brake line mounted to the frame and cracked it. $200 mistake and now waiting for my new brake line and another hour of work to replace and bleed. Heed my mistake and stupidity my friends. That back wheel will spin a ramp like a rat trap if not anchored to the garage floor - faster than you might think.

Thats all for now. more to follow.

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Reidx882

· #38 · Jun 8, 2016

I just purchased my SS a few days ago thanks to you all. Over all I enjoy it but all the zip ties they use for a $26k price tag is very cheap I must say. I spent hours here reading before I came took the plunge. I have one question if I were to install a turbo, which I know will void the warranty. If I was to blow the engine, is it practical to remove the turbo, return it back to stock and then bring it to the dealer to keep the warranty? Will they be able to tell a turbo was on their? Thanks in advance.

Blitzkrieg

· #39 · Jun 8, 2016

Reidx882 said:
I just purchased my SS a few days ago thanks to you all. Over all I enjoy it but all the zip ties they use for a $26k price tag is very cheap I must say. I spent hours here reading before I came took the plunge. I have one question if I were to install a turbo, which I know will void the warranty. If I was to blow the engine, is it practical to remove the turbo, return it back to stock and then bring it to the dealer to keep the warranty? Will they be able to tell a turbo was on their? Thanks in advance.

Interesting question.

Theoretically you could "undo" the turbo. It would take some work as it's not a 3 hour installation. I think the trickiest part would be getting the ECM flashed back (sounds stupid I know - but people that can do that are few and far between. I also know that on, as an example, Ford ECM's can track mapping changes. Big Brother is watching and manufacturers are not stupid) . Buying a stock ECM from a wrecked SS would solve that.

All that being said, I've got quite a bit of experience with motors and know who and what to read and believe about things like this.

The #1 reason I went with the Alpha Stage 1 is that at 6 lbs boost you are well within the safety level of the stock block. In fact, Alpha specifically designed it that way because that's what their market research said the majority of us wanted. There is a good article I found out there (that I think Henry wrote) that specifically addresses the fact that during conceptual design they started out with a BTW kit - 400 HP range - and shifted gears because we said "Nope. I want a reasonable HP increase but reliability is #1". GM has offered this very block in different flavors with way more than 173 HP.

I can tell you this. My 2016.5 Pearl White LE has exactly 152 miles on it and its in my garage torn apart as I type this, finishing up the turbo install. I have zero reservations that the 2.4 stock can handle the 80-90 +/- HP gain the Alpha Stage 1 will introduce. But here is the really cool part - these motors are a dime a dozen at the junkyards. If mine were to blow, I'll pick up a clean block, bore/sleeve it, throw in some Carrillo rods and forged pistons and then really step things up.

Even with all of that, I'd still be well below the price point of a new musclecar that this thing will show its taillights to all day long.

If you watch the Alpha tests of the Stage 1, It pulled a 11.4 second 1/4 at 131 MPH. 0-60 @ 1.9 seconds. I double dog dare you to find a vehicle at twice the cost that can to that.

Here's the link for convenience:

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CptJeep

· #40 · Jun 8, 2016

Reidx882 said:
I just purchased my SS a few days ago thanks to you all. Over all I enjoy it but all the zip ties they use for a $26k price tag is very cheap I must say. I spent hours here reading before I came took the plunge. I have one question if I were to install a turbo, which I know will void the warranty. If I was to blow the engine, is it practical to remove the turbo, return it back to stock and then bring it to the dealer to keep the warranty? Will they be able to tell a turbo was on their? Thanks in advance.

It would be dishonest, wrong, and most likely criminal to do what you have suggested to do.

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