I put a post in the KA-T forum but thought that I may get more "model-specific" advice here. I've been looking at the JGS Turbo kit for the KA-24E and was wondering what it would take to put this on my 94 Hardbody. Here's the sight if you're not familiar with it...

http://www.jgstools.com/turbo/ka24et.html

Thanks in advance

What I can tell you is that a few folks in here have come across a some minor differences between the Car KA24E and the Truck version. IE Oil pick up on opposite ends of the oil pan, dip sticks are in different places. But that stuff shouldn't affect your plans. The heads should be the same so there is a very good chance the 550 CC injectors will fit your engine. Wiring for the MAF sensor may be an issue but that could be a simple matter of doing a wiring trace using a main wiring schematic as a guide. As for the exhaust, that's mostly custom fab stuff. The intercooler options don't have to be limited to Nissan's SR20 unit, but it will give the least amount of headaches trying to get it to fit in the rad support area. You could always try and find an intercooler from a junkyard. Ford built a few cars in the 80's that had a 2.0L Turbo charged engine and I think a few of them had intercoolers Look for Turbo charged Mustangs and Thunderbirds. You can also look into the Turbo Diesel trucks. Some of them also came equipped with intercoolers.

Now the one thing that is often overlooked when hopping up an engine is the brakes. Did you know that 60-70% of the braking power is up front. Braking is just as important as the power that got you up to speed. At the very least you should be considering a high performance brake pad and quite possibly some vented/cross drilled rotors. Brake shoes can also be upgraded to a high performance type. So a Brake Upgrade is an item that should be considered as part your turbo installation.

There is a wide range of brake pads available but I personally use APEX on my Xterra. I drive the snot out that thing and have never had brake fade from overheated brakes. APEX's pad and shoe formulations include: Carbon Fiber, Ceramic, Graphite and Kevlar construction. So I can honestly say they work very well. If you want the website, I will email it to you. Just ask.

Have you tried talking to JGS about your plan? They may have all the details already worked out for you which will save you loads of time and money in the long run.

After reading the KAT post for this item I have some comments for you to consider. If you know your way around an engine then you can probably do most of this installation yourself.

JGS's exhaust manifold looks like it will fit your Hardbody's Head and he goes into a fair amount of detail about why its so small and I am inclined to agree with his explanation of volume vs turbo spool up time which was a very good read BTW. As I said in my first post, exhaust work will probably be a custom job, but I would not take this to just any muffler shop. You should do some research for a shop in your area that has the expertise for this type of work. If it was my truck I would be willing to pay for high end exhaust work because I can't stand crappy looking welds. It's the first thing someone notices when they stick their nose under your hood trying to get a look at your turbo install.

You would probably need to relocate a few items on the wheel well if the Turbo ends up to close to the plastic and rubber bits that are mounted there. Clearance at the hood should be ok but this is going to be an item to watch out for. Either for the heat being too close to the hood, or the body of the turbo touching(unlikely) the hood. Consider a heat sheild and or heat wrap on these parts.

There was guy in South America ( I think that's where was from) that installed a turbo kit (not a JGS) on his 4x4 Hardbody a few years ago. He has since swapped the KA24 with an Isuzu V6 on a Turbo because he obviously wanted more torque for his machine. I need more time to do a search but I kow this fellow likes to help other Hardbody owners with info, so he could be a good resource...once I find him again...

I talked with JGS about the install and they didn't have much to offer me other than the fact that they had a guy with a 96 Hardbody tell them that the kit was a good fit. I deffinitely agree with you on paying a little extra to get a quality job done. I have a neighbor who knows his way around cars and I have noticed a turbo Eclipse on his garage lift a number of times. It certainly pays to have friends in cituations like this. I have some experience with CAD so I shouldn't have any trouble planning the job before I get in too deep. Thanks again for your continued support.

Awesome job Big-Bird, you had some great points an information there!

If you go through with this, document the process for us! I'd love to see a KA-T'd truck!

-Dan

Just wondering if you have made any progress towards this or not. I also recently talked to JGS, and did not get any info that would help.

Really looks like the AC needs to be removed due to the line that comes straight through where the turbo would be, and to make room for an intercooler. Looks like the turbo would have enough clearance from the hood.

The part that concerns me is that the intake setup is much different than the KA24E in 240's.