Big Bird 2 Updates : 2020 and 2021 : Turbo fitting

Doing a test fit. Dropping RB26 in the bay

Anyone else notice that there is a pandemic going on right now? Something about COVID. You may have heard about it in the news, or read about it online.  Even though our plans for BB2 in 2020 got thrown off track a bit, we are trying to get at least some things accomplished. 

In this case its test fitting the JGTC Inconel exhaust manifolds we have. Since these were used in a race car - the GT500 car, it was likely that they may not fit in a street car.  So we had to figure out how to give it a shot. 

We have had this Harbor Freight, Central Pneumatic folding engine hoist for a while. I can't remember if I ever used it on a GT-R. Most all the engine work we do now, we just send out.   However ran into a couple of short comings with the thing.  The first being that the arm isn't long enough to really get the engine into place.  The next being the legs are a little too tall to clear the underside of the car. So you have to lift the car over the hoist, to get the engine in further.  Cheap tools. If the bumper was on, this would have been even more difficult.  Can't decide if I want to get another hoist, which I don't use much, or just modify this one to work better. 

Either way, I took this engine that had seen some fire, and decided to do a test fit.  Even in December in Southern California, its possible to work outside. 

Touching on the front bumper

Needs just a couple of more inches of length. There might be some humor there. 

Legs don't clear the underside of the car easily. 

About 7 inches high

Touching the subframe

RB26 sitting in the engine compartment, mostly

I just used a set of Nismo turbos I had laying around to do this test fit. 

Front turbo clearance is easy, rear, not so much

Front turbo clearance is good, rear is pinched by the frame rail

Front turbo clearance is good, rear is pinched by the frame rail

Front turbo clearance is good, rear is pinched by the frame rail

Front turbo clearance is good, rear is pinched by the frame rail

This is a GT-R outlet to 3 inch Vband cast piece. It has a slight bit of interference with these exhaust manifolds

Now BB2 is getting an RB30. The RB30 is taller than the RB26, but we are also going to lower the RB30 a little to get it down in the engine bay a bit.  Either way I talked to Wakita about it, we both looked at it, and decided it is doable. It will clear with mods to the turbo, or mods to the frame rail if we have to.  

Either way, Happy 2021! Its gonna suck, before it gets better. 


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