Man...I guess I really should have updated this thread a while ago
I successfully installed the used ATS turbo kit, a 4" exhaust, and the gauges back in October. I also turned up the injection pump 2 flats to increase the fuel flow to compensate for the increased airflow. The kit uses a non-wastegated turbo, so it only generates about 8lbs of boost, unless heavily loaded. With the trailer in tow on a big hill, it'll hit 11psi. Definitely not Cummins or Powerstroke boost, but it runs GREAT!
The exhaust I used was a 4" mild steel kit by MBRP intended for a 96 Powerstroke. I figured it would just need some fabbing to adapt to my ATS 3" downpipe, but would otherwise bolt-in, as the 96's were the same bodystyle as my 92. Boy, was I wrong. NONE of the hangers lined up quite right. Turns out, adapting it to my ATS downpipe was the easy part. I used a section of the Powerstroke downpipe (where it flares from 3" to 4") to make an adaptor for my ATS downpipe. I then welded a section of the 4" MBRP exhaust to that, and ran it straight back to the muffler. I was able to tweak the tailpipe and muffler hangers to get it all in, but still didn't have any hangers on the mid-pipe (between the downpipe and the muffler). As luck would have it, the factory hanger bolted into the frame, and the frame was pre-drilled in several locations for exhaust hangers. I was able to relocate the factory midpipe hanger, and fab a mount on the midpipe using a 4" exhaust clamp to hold things up. I finished it off with a nice polished 5" tip, so it at least looks powerful :greengrin:I haven't had any trouble with it so far, and it looks and sounds great!
The Turbo housing was another source of trouble, as the up-pipe and downpipe just didn't seal up properly. ATS designed the system to just slip-fit, with no seals or gaskets. They relied on soot from the exhaust to form a seal
I was really disappointed to fire up the truck for the first time and hear the tick tick tick of a leaky exhaust on the other side of the firewall. I fought that leak with several different kinds of sealant and pipe expanders, but to no avail. I resigned to live with an exhaust leak. Well now, after 6 months and 5000 miles, the soot has sealed things up quite nicely. ATS was right... Still a stupid design, in my opinion, but it does work.
I'll work on getting some pics of the exhaust and the turbo setup this weekend.
I've also installed some Factory 95-97 alloy wheels
, and a set of leveling springs in the front. Again, I need to work on some pictures of that.
Future plans include:
- SAS it with a Dana 60 from a single rear wheel F350 so I can eliminate the stupid TTB Dana 50 that's in there. It just tends to wear my tires funny anyway...
- Expand the sound system to include some new speakers, a Sub, and an Amp. My upgraded Kenwood deck and 30G MP3 player are nice, but could be nicer
-Ditch the bench seat for some nice buckets and a center console. I HATE bench seats, and mine's useless with the manual trans anyway
Stay Tuned!
Ryan
