Hello all! As the title suggests I am going to turbo my lovely AP1. I will be explaining why I chose the products I chose, my goals, and I will most definitely have some questions and would greatly appreciate feed back and ideas.

So for starters I have a MY2000 AP1 with just over 100k miles. The car is stock except for a Tomei catback. The end goal is a reliable 450-500whp on e85 and 325-350 on the awful 91 available in Cali. I don’t want a laggy setup and I’m not shooting for crazy high power, I just want more power and turbo noises. I guess I’m also saying I don’t want a drastically different power band.

As for the products that are going to be used in my build:
AEM v2 (bought)
Sheepey Race turbo manifold (bought)
Gt3076r? (Not too sure what A/R I should get)
ID1000 Injectors
Competition Stage 3 Clutch SKU# 8023-2600
8lb flywheel
Supertech springs and retainers (not too sure what exactly I want here)
Walbro 450
ARP 8740 chrome moly headstuds
Mishimoto M-Line intercooler
Fuel pressure regulator?
Gauges? (not sure if I should just get a read it all in one gauge or multiple specific ones)

There are more parts involved but these are the major components that I feel should be included in this list.

Now as for why I chose what I chose. I decided on aem v2 mainly in part because of the tuner I have in mind. Sheepey manifold because there’s no real review of them on here and the manifold is supposed to be AC compatible and I like the price point of $1000.

For turbos there’s only three true options, Borg, Precision, and Garret. I’ve read many reviews of people buying precision turbos, journal and ball bearing, and the turbos start smoking like crazy or just grenade after a relatively short time. I have read nothing bad about borg turbos but they seem to be mainly journal bearing turbos. So I stumbled upon garret turbos and overall found very high and good reviews from not only our forum but LS, Mustang, 2JZ, and other Honda forums. I’m leaning towards the GT3076r since it’s ball bearing and should give me the spool and power I want.

The Company Stage 3 clutch was chosen because I don’t think I’ll be too close to 350wt but should maybe be close to 300. Since I’ll be changing the clutch might as well go ahead and throw in a lighter flywheel.

ARP Headstuds because better safe then sorry and that’s the same reasoning I’m using with the Supertech springs and retainers.

For my fueling needs I figure a single walbro 450 and ID1000s should be more than sufficient.

Now I do have a few questions right now for those of you that have way more knowledge and experience than me.

First off; I’m leaning towards the GT3076r but am not too sure on the A/R sizing. I understand that smaller A/R grants faster spool but less peak power. My question is what is the most preferred A/R for the F20?

Second; Is a fuel return setup needed?

Third; Sandwich plate or no sandwich plate? I know there are past discussions on this topic not many recent or up to date ones.

Anyhow folks this build will not be quick seeing as how I’m not even in America right now and I’m wanting to do as much of it as possible myself or with some friends. I will be posting regular updates for when I purchase major parts and for when I actually begin assembling. Well thanks for reading and if you dropped some knowledge I greatly appreciate that. Happy Holidays

 

Your car is already a return fuel setup stock. You don't need a aftermarket FPR, stock is fine. Turbine ar size depends on if you got a twinscroll or not. A 3076r is a excellent choice for your power level. I ran a borg 257sxe on a divided .89 housing and it spooled stupid fast. Another guy with the same engine setup as me ran a gtx3076r and our dyno graphs were identical. not sure what turbine housing he was using though.
If nothing else, get an oil pressure gauge. The bearings on your motor have a lot of mileage on them. Bearing wear will show up on the oil pressure before you actually spin one.

 

Finally a new build. Tips id suggest are first of all do a leakdown and compression test. It sounds like you want to replace oem headstuds but definitely dont need to at your desired power level. If you do plan to take the head off for sure upgrade your valves, might aswell.

 

The 0.82 is the way to go on a GT3076R- it seems to hit the sweet spot. The 0.63 is too small. The 1.0 gives more power, but with additional spool.

Tim

 

If I were to upgrade my valves what would be a solid choice without breaking the bank?

 

I highly advise you to upgrade the valve train (if anything ap2 retainers and then the ap2 oil jet bolts downstairs). The stock valves are GREAT but if you want something that will tolerate the heat supertech makes nice oem repalcement stainless steel valves. While you have the head off you can also do a fresh OEM HG and ARP head-studs. If you want to run e85 your 1000cc injectors are going to run out of jam. Just my two cents.

 

Anyone else have any takes on 1000cc injectors not going to be enough? I figured they would be good since my power goals aren’t crazy

 

500whp with corn you're gonna need ID1300x

 

you will be on the upper limit of 1000cc injectors on 93oct depending on how far the tuner is willing to push it. Most people end up around 475ish. If you plan on running E85 you wont have enough injector, but its pretty pointless to run e85 if youre only making 500hp anyway..

 

Why do you say it’s pointless with my lower power goal? I thought e85 was safer than pump and gives more power. Based off that it seems like a logical choice regardless of any power goals. Why use pump gas for my high end goals when it is riskier? Maybe I’m reading too much into it but I don’t see a downside to running e85 with my goals