Relocate battery and raise my grandma from the grave while im at it

[2s4x0]

Man, i just read somewhere that for the Boost Designs Stage 1 kit and i assume any kit for that matter, i needed to either buy a "small gel battery and turn it sideways", or "relocate the battery to the back". I am getting overwhelmed here. Everytime i think i can get the t-kit something new pops up. I am far from being a mechanic and i have little knowledge of these types of things. I have just been so excited about getting this and now things keep popping up that i didnt know before. Now i am afraid to spend the money one one, for fear of there being 15 other things I need to do that I didnt realize........hmph....why must i love cars so much but know so little.....if anyone can help me with this, maybe tell me some things that I will have to change for this kit to fit?? Sorry for being so anti-auto-knowledgable.

[TheOne]

you need to do either new battery or or relocate, for the stage 1 you also need something like a JWT or enthalpy tunes, or use the safc and something to control the timing(or the e-manage, or even standalones), you also need injectors depending on the hp, and a bigger MAF.you could go with the stage 2 and just get some type of ecu tune that goes along it.you also need a 2.5-3"(the bigger the better) exhaust system for better spool.there's some other small things you might need, but thats as far as my knowledge goes.

[nissanfanatic]

Battery relocation kits from http://www.summitracing.com are like $40. You could use a FMU which is what the kit originally came with. They run like $100. I wouldn't boost past 7psi with one though. AT 7psi on the average compressor, you can use the stock MAFS. If you live in a leniant state, you could go open downpipe until you get an exhaust system. I went open for like three weeks.

[2s4x0]

Ok, 40$ isnt bad, but why do they have 20ft of positive and 3 ft. neg cables. ??? I would assume the best place to put battery is in the trunk...? If so, 3ft. isnt going to cut it. I am sure im missing something.

[EstoMax]

THE 3 feet is the ground, u can put that from battery to anywhere on the chassis and shorter is better so u can just ground it in the trunk thats what i did, find a bolt take it off and slip that under, make sure its metal-metal contact : )

max

[hysteria]

yeah $40 is about what you'd expect to pay whether you make your own kit or you buy one.

another thing is that you dont HAVE to buy a gel battery... you can get a plastic battery holder at a marine store or autozone or whatever and just check it every day to make sure you're not getting battery acid everywhere. i wouldn't reccommend this in the long run, but if you were running low on cash this may be the way to go... a good gel battery can run about $120+ depending on the reserve capacity and cranking amps, etc.

if you're buying a pre fab kit (with ic piping) then you'll have to do the relocation or smaller battery or whatever, but if you did all the intercooler stuff yourself you dont HAVE to do it that way, but it looks nicer than the alternative, and it's a ***** to leave the battery where it is.

[vvaffle]

quick question related to this. How much space the battery take up in your trunk, and do you put it right in the middle, or one of the corners?

[goshoryukenx]

quick question related to this. How much space the battery take up in your trunk, and do you put it right in the middle, or one of the corners?

Depends on the size of the battery. I wouldn't place it in the middle, I would put it in some corner and have it secured by some hinges or a tie down to prevent it from moving. If it's a regular acid filled battery I wouldn't want it rolling around in the trunk.

As for the rest of this thread.. I'm going to say that every project has it's hidden or unhidden parts. We can all just do lots of research and hope we dont miss anything.

I personally learned most of my stuff from reading technical articles. The first few times you read them your like wth is so and so, but after a few times.. your like.. ahhhh, I see what that is!

[LEMHEAD16]

I relocated the battery to the hatch on my 89 but I don't like where it is placed. Does anyone have pics of where they moved thier battery to. Sorry to thread jack

[Red-KAT]

I moved mine to the very back right... I lag bolted it to the bottom of the trunk and strapped the battery down super duper.

The rank of how hard it is to move the battery is right in the scale of pumping gas... Any schmuck can do it. Only a few will die from it.

[Structure240sx]

2s4x0- i thinkk you need to take your time to getting the turbo kit. if you are getting overwhelmed as you put it but moving the battery or getting a small one you arent ready for a turbo kit. get some more work under your belt so you have a better knowledge, research

[fiznat]

Yeah man welcome to the world of turboing your car... Dont for one second beleive that this is going to be the last unexpected $40 you will spend, either. Seriously I spent $50 the other day just at the hardware store for random nuts, bolts, bits and blades... I walked out with this little plastic bag of stuff and it doesnt even really get me that much farther along.

You NEED to be able to shell out all kinds of extra cash for little things that pop up like this when you're doing a custom turbo project. Thats why I always roll my eyes when people post up lists of projected expenses for their KA-Ts... cause you just KNOW it is going to be way more from random crap that you dont even think of...

Keep your head up though man... its a lot of money, a lot of effort and a lot of time-- but there is a reason all of us put so much into this-- its worth it on so many levels-- trust me.

[NateDogg]

clutch (if over 220 whp).

[deezlins]

if youre gonna put the battery in the car (trunk or inside anywhere) make sure its a battery that doesnt off-gas

[IveBeenBad]

If the cost of a KA-T overwhelms you, have someone build you a high comp KADE. you will get decent power (near 190whp with a tune and some cams i'd assume), better throttle response (arguably) and it should be a lot cheaper.

[2s4x0]

Hmm, that sounds good. What is really holding me down is the fact that i have no mechanical skills. The hardest thing i did on my car was remove the valve cover and paint it. The most tedious was putting the damn headlight bulb in with that little wire thing, then i read directions and it was easy. But also, this car is my ONLY car, and i work 40hrs. a week. I would have no problem taking off a few days to have someone install a t-kit or whatever. Its the unexpected things that could go wrong with a tuned engine (turbo, built, whatever) that I am not going to be ready for and not having my car is unimaginable. But I am learning, and saving, got $2000 right now, and i will just keep saving and reading and reading until I can make a better educated decision. Thanks guys for all the info!!!!!! It really helps out alot to have a place like this.

[Structure240sx]

there are usually a few bugs to work out at first then u should be good for a while.

it might be better for u to get an s13 to mess with on the side

[Structure240sx]

thinking about it u sound just like me 2-3 years ago. just keep doing small stuff (suspension, brakes) this will give u skills

[rn240sx]

clutch (if over 220 whp).

My oem clutch had 45k miles and it held at 300 rwhp... I only changed it out cause i knew i would have to eventually... But when i pulled it off, it was holding..!!

[keepingthe240]

THe $64,000 question is .. how does the new "2 gauge"cable hook up to the "old top post" cable ?? In other ways, how does the 20ft battery cable connect to the factory postive cable ? Any one have an pics of their setup?

[WDRacing]

I moved mine to the very back right... I lag bolted it to the bottom of the trunk and strapped the battery down super duper.

The rank of how hard it is to move the battery is right in the scale of pumping gas... Any schmuck can do it. Only a few will die from it.

ROTFLMFAO..............................................................

[Red-KAT]

Heheh. You liked that one ehh?

Anyways. Yeah man your guna need some cash income for all the little things...

I just had to order new exhaust studs, nuts, exhaust gaskets, silicon connectors t-bolt clamps, locktyte, a stud remover, anti seize... And other things... I'm up in the $200 range for just crap...

A turbo is fun as hell... But every ounce of my fun cash goes into this car every month so be prepared.

[2s4x0]

Ok, so how does this sound......Stage 1 kitWalbro fuel pumpBoost Designs 12:1 FMUBattery relocation kit.Boost Designs Exhaust (That way I wont have to do any fabricating, bolts up right to downpipe, right???).Manual or electronic boost controller.*EDIT*Also, i know the BD Stage 1 kit comes with oil feed lines, Do i need to buy and oil pan as well for the feed lines or do they just hook up to one thats already in my car?*EDIT*

I would be getting all this installed for me, except the battery relocation kit, So this should be the MAIN things correct?? Do I need apex-i SAFC with the 12:1 FMU??? Thanks again guys for so much help.

[WDRacing]

10/1 FMU instead of 12/1. The safc is only needed if you install bigger injectors. You won't need anything for timing unless you boost more then 8lbs. But if you want to retard your base timing 1-2 degree's you'll be way safe.

A manual BC is just as good as most of the EBC nowadays, plus they're cheaper in most cases.

WD

[ossBASHA]

You can make a decent custom turbo kit for $2,000 instead of the boostdesigns kit using a few used parts like a turbo, intercooler, bov, manifold, etc...

[Structure240sx]

why would you put together used parts for the same price and have to PUT IT TOGETHER?

[ossBASHA]

why would you put together used parts for the same price and have to PUT IT TOGETHER?

How's a custom kit using used parts going to be the same price as a new turbo kit?

[hysteria]

yeah for sure don't even think for a second that this will cost anything less than $300+ more than you expect... i spent damn near $200 on stupid gaskets and misc parts like bolts, silicon, welding materials, and other things. if you overestimate the cost of everything chances are you will not be disappointed, and when you get everything done it will be oh so awesome...

i agree also with the work thing. although putting a turbo on your car is a great learning experience, you should have a good idea of how to diagnose problems (being able to easily differentiate between causes and symptoms and knowing what systems within the car should be considered for specific problems), and what exactly you are doing to your car before performing modifications. this is because then if something goes wrong you will end up being able to fix it yourself rather than taking it to someone else who will charge you an arm and a leg. even if you were going to have someone else work on your car, having some experience will allow you to understand better of what things cost and whether or not you are being ripped off.

[hysteria]

oh don't start that argument here please.... it's just all been said way to many times. if you want to know anything about the arguments on which way to go is best for you (considering desired power, cost, and many other factors) just use the search button. you can find tons of stuff about different kits, their advantages and disadvantages, and whatever else.

oh one more thing you might consider investing in are some GOOD (not autozone quality) silicon vacuum lines. i personally ran a hard copper line to my wastegate just to be as safe as possible, because sometimes lines break, or collapse under vacuum, or whatever.

[2s4x0]

What about that oilpan, do I need to buy one or do the oil feed lines that come with the kit already connect to an oil pan in my engine bay??? Thanks