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Noob needs direction for B21f to T swap

rabid73

New member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Location
Monterey Bay
I'm new to posting on the form here and need a little direction. I have an 82 242 DL with a B21f. I just landed a really rough but complete 82 245 GLT with a beat B21ft. Is there a parts list of all the parts I need to get from the GLT to swap over to the 242? Thanks for any guidance.
 
This site has literally everything you ask for and more. Just search for it. Up at the top of the screen under Turbobricks logo click home, and then click articles---modifications. That should give you a start.
 
Thanks. I spent hours using the search engine to pour through pages and pages of information that was great, but not what I need at this time. I only have a short amount of time to get all the parts I need before I have to remove the car from where it currently is located. I was hoping that someone had made a shopping list at some point and anyone could point me to it. I'd also be happy with some refined search keywords, since my efforts have yielded very little. I did come across a shopping list for the B230, but I know its different.
 
The answer is right where I told you:
"The complete geeks guide to turbocharging your b23F"

While it is relatively easy to turbo a car if you are mechanically inclined, and all the parts you need were factory made, most of the factory turbo cars were 740s. Likely the turbo on that b21ft is cooked or on its way. Fortunately you can get a chinabay t3 turbo online for peanuts. Most of the 740 parts fit, but some don't like the downpipe. Finding all the parts you need in a junkyard, and having them all work usually does not happen fast. It is not something you do if you have a time crunch, especially the first time. Most people collect the parts over a little while, and they usually end up with unforeseen problems and delays. Like the oil drain. Can you drill and tap a block or weld a bung on the oil pan?

Best way to do it is to aquire a complete turbo 740 for the fuel system, and the 90+ exhaust manifold cause they flow better. Finding an uncracked one is the hard part.

Your biggest issue is k-jet mechanical fuel injection. The b21ft used a bigger fuel system than the b21f, though both use k-jet which is REALLY hard to tune, and the b21f came with a fuel system that is in adequate for a turbo car, especially since tuning it is almost impossible these days. The fuel system is tuned with shims and changing fuel pressures, not with a laptop. VERY sensitive to correct, leak free vacuum system.
Turboing a car with electronic fuel injection is much better idea. All the parts for this come off of the later 740s as well as non-turbo 240s.

Off of the 240, you need all intercooler piping, intercooler, downpipe, manifold, turbo, guages, etc
 
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Read it sometime ago when I started thinking about this project. Kenny's article is a great read and covers some very good general stuff for all the +T engines, but it is far from a grocery list of ALL the parts I need off a B21FT specifically. I live in California and this will be a street car that must get refereed and pass smog. That being said every part is essential, not just the big pieces. And as stupid as it maybe I want all the stock pieces on this build.

Maybe I'm not asking the right question. What are all the different individual parts that separate a B21 non-T and a B21+T as delivered from the factory and has anyone out there made a detailed list? I'd love to reference that detailed list if it exsists.
 
I'm not in a hurry on the build. I'm pressed to strip the parts car before it's got to go. Not my first +T or Volvo, just my first +T Brick.
 
And I most likely will move to a different more modern setup, I just don't want to leave anything behind on the donor car before it's gone. Made that mistake before.
 
all the sensors, pipes, computers, airbox, kjet manifold, hoses, injectors, fuel pumps (I think they are different for turbo), there are some k-jet components (control pressure reg?..)under the intake manifold as well if i am correct. Get anything with a vacuum hose on it, anything attached to firewall, whole exhaust (Its bigger) Might as well grab the sways, and braces from the glt if they are there. The turbo head will have sodium filled exhaust valves, which are better for the heat. The gauge cluster and dash gauges are a good grab as well.
Basically everything under the hood is what you need. The N/A kjet fuel manfold is a 4cylinder system, the turbo system is a 6cylinder with 2 ports not used.
You probably will need the engine harness. Its gonna be cracked and falling apart. You are going to need to rewire some of it.
The oil filter parts are different as well
Take a BUNCH of pictures of vacuum line routing

If it were me, I would pull the whole engine and trans and ALL of the engine bay, esentially stripping it bare, pictures, pictures....
Its the little stuff that will burn you..

I commend you, It is difficult to get a like new factory turbo k-jet 240 car through todays smog rules, much less a transplanted one.
 
Another referee problem is the oem rubber turbo and intercooler hoses and connectors are likely shot, and factory appearing replacements can be hard to come by. Sure you can use silicone couplers but it won't pass visual.

While I think this is a really cool project, and is possible, the smog referee thing WILL push the budget up. Perhaps a bunch. You are likely to have an immobile vehicle for a while as well.

I'm giving this advice because I resurrected an 82 glt out of a yard. Tires rotted off, and I had seen it in winter with at least 5 feet of snow on the roof, sitting on the bumpstops. I got it through provincial safety inspection as well as smog. ALL of the things i listed happened to me......And more.

Starting with nice cars is way cheaper.
 
I don't know if you can "+T" a B21F K-Jet engine easily.

The B21FT has deep dish pistons, giving 7.5 to 1, or so, compression ratio while the B21F has shallow dish pistons and a 9.5 to 1 compression ratio. The Turbo K-Jet fueling and ignition is tuned for the 7.5 to 1 compression ratio. I don't know how forgiving it will be at 9.5 to 1, or how difficult it is to mechanically re-tune. The old articles from the turbobricks home page may address this.

The later LH2.4 electronic fuel injection systems automatically adapt a bit as the engine changes. I think this helps the "+T" NA to Turbo conversions for a B230F.

Furthermore, just removing the 35+ year old K-Jet parts from one car and re-installing them in another car will result in some broken plastic parts and fuel lines. The repair costs add up, if you can even find good replacements.
 
I don't know if you can "+T" a B21F K-Jet engine easily.

The B21FT has deep dish pistons, giving 7.5 to 1, or so, compression ratio while the B21F has shallow dish pistons and a 9.5 to 1 compression ratio. The Turbo K-Jet fueling and ignition is tuned for the 7.5 to 1 compression ratio. I don't know how forgiving it will be at 9.5 to 1, or how difficult it is to mechanically re-tune. The old articles from the turbobricks home page may address this.

The later LH2.4 electronic fuel injection systems automatically adapt a bit as the engine changes. I think this helps the "+T" NA to Turbo conversions for a B230F.

Furthermore, just removing the 35+ year old K-Jet parts from one car and re-installing them in another car will result in some broken plastic parts and fuel lines. The repair costs add up, if you can even find good replacements.
Exactly. The better idea would be to rebuild the b21ft block. Plus you get the proper turbo oil drain that way. Depending on condition, it may just need a hone, rings and bearings. This is why i said before to pull the whole engine.
 
The reality is, if you were clever, it wouldn't be that hard to have the k-jet system be totally for show, and hide a modern megasquirt system. I bet if you did it right you could get it through referee. k-jet has a lot of extra hoses and things, that if they are not used, can be used to hide wires.....K-jet is wonderfully complex, and most inspectors will not know what it is. They wont care as long as it passes the test.
 
I turbo'd my stock B21F with the factory NA k-jet. It ran decent with a 13C, 90+ manifold and stock wastegate setting of 7 psi or so. Using the factory turbo distributor with the boost retard feature helped with the pinging, as did 93 octane. It was perfectly driveable before I swapped to LH2.2, I just wanted to be able to turn the boost up haha. If memory serves me, Cameron from IPD did the exact same thing I did. He ran the charge tubes right into the bottom of the factory K-jet distributor and it worked fine so I would imagine if you swapped all of the turbo K-jet parts into your car it would run great with the B21F. Even those engines only have 9.3:1 compression from the factory, not really that high for a mild application.
 
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