turbo mod for 3800 series I?

Ok this sounds crazy but is this even possible especially for the 3800 series I. i found it on zz performance it says you can reach 400-700 hp if installed and there is no welding involved! it's expensive but if i can do it to my series I then i am def going to save up for this. but im having doubts that it will work for a series I. also if it did work since im adding big hp would i have to do any other mods possibly upgrading some other parts of the engine?
heres the link.

http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=410&catid=109

I suspect your main issue will be tuning it. Running that turbo kit requires a tune

what do you mean by tuning it? scanning it? but my other question is would u guys reccomend doing this to a series I, without taking in account the price?

See discussion for Series II engines:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-ii-engine-transmission-f4/turbo-d-3800-thoughts-t1864.htm

In addition, you must consider this product is specifically designed for Series II W-body cars. It will most likely not fit yours the same way. It may not even fit a Riviera at all. Then as Turtleman said, you have to think about the PCM programming. Scanning doesn't cut it. Your PCM module is set up to mix fuel with the air from the small M62 blower. When you go turbo, the PCM won't be able to keep up because it wasn't programed to measure that much air. So, the way to get around this is to "teach" the PCM by re-writing its fuel tables.

Even before the PCM issue, The turbo manifolds will not fit on your heads.

series 2 exhaust manifold ..O...O...O
series 1 exhaust manifold ..O.O....O

i see what u guys mean, maybe this way out of reach concerning price to make the turbo fit to the series I. man this is a time i really wish i had a series II.

oldsman105 wrote:

Even before the PCM issue, The turbo manifolds will not fit on your heads.

series 2 exhaust manifold ..O...O...O
series 1 exhaust manifold ..O.O....O

etosino2009 wrote:

i see what u guys mean, maybe this way out of reach concerning price to make the turbo fit to the series I. man this is a time i really wish i had a series II.

dont we all

i have been reading alot over at other boards about turbocharging the 3800 a 96 riv t type , the idea appeals to me


most of these sites are dealing with the gtp

how different are the gtp engine bays and the rivs as far as turbo fabrication 95+

could i use a gtp kit effectivly?

what would be the best spot for mounting the ic?

what about grand national headers

Do a gn have the same serie 1 block and head?do the internal are the same?

they look the same

So wit gn headers we can run two full exaust wit crossover pipes
it's begin to be interesing......

they look similar they would work if u wanted to twin charge

palermocorey90 wrote:

they look similar they would work if u wanted to twin charge

those do looks sweet.........

MMMM projects projects(and money flying everywere!)another far away project idea...

where did you find those?

anyone ever convert their s/c s1 to turbo? i know they have the kit for s2 and i have seen serveral videos of it in action. Sweets... but what about a s1. s/c is sweet for the lauch but not so good once you get going. would it be beneficial at all?

I dropped a turbo int o my riviera.... it wasnt to hard.. but yes... the pipes will fit but the internals are way different. I think i spent close to 2k on my internals...

Hi new member here but not new to the site.
I only joined cuz i dont see many turbo projects in the series 1 here.

Okay I work at a turbo shop named bullseye power and I have a 95 series 1(I know I got the short end of the stick).
Heres my plans, any input appreciated:
First Im goint to plug off the back manifold and drill a hole in the cross over pipe to weld a pipe and a t3 flange on it for the turbo to bold on.
Im planning on a Bullseye S256 or a S362.
Then plumbing the oil feed and drain lines,
Then intercooler front mount setup
Bigger injectors

My question is I know about tuning the 95 is hard or impossible so im going with a stand alone pcm with mine as a piggyback for the guages and stuff.
How much power can the s1 handle in stock form. I know the s2 people have seen really high numbers on the stock internals.
So if you look up zzp's turbo kit for the gtp im pretty much getting all my ideas from that and doing everything myself

Any thoughts or anything?

i dont know much about the series I but maybe you could get some turbo P-logs to fit with a little modification. im not sure "plugging" the rear manifold and drilling the crossover for the turbo would be such a good idea. here are some reasons why i think this.
1. there would be a lot of turbulence in the rear manifold as it is not designed to flow exhaust "backwards" into the crossover.
2. if exhaust did actually flow "backwards" from the rear manifold there would be huge conflict at the turbo mounting point on the crossover because the exhaust from the front and rear manifolds would be pushing against each other, probably not good.
since youre talking about welding, im sure you might be able to fabricate a few things. here is what i think you might be able to do to make it work.
1. fabricate AT LEAST the rear manifold to flow towards the crossover (think backwards p-log), if not make a new front manifold too.
2. you would need to fabricate a new crossover that comes from each manifold and then Y's into the turbo to prevent exhaust from going past the turbo into the opposite manifold.
with this done the rear manifold wont be in the way and you will have more room for your turbo back exhaust.

Well that was my other idea was to redo the rear manifold and make both of them junction into the turbo flange with bends. That would make the exhaust flow much more smothly thus making more power and making the efficency better also. As far as tuning There are some options out there like pmt6 and megasquirt and stuff. Ive been looking into both of them also. As far as fabricating up a new rear manifold that shouldnt be a problem

And If you go to zzp's website and look at their turbo kit, look at where the turbo would bolt onto the flange. They dont do anything more than just drill the crossover and weld on a pipe and t3 flange. I dont disagree with you 97 park ave though a nice smooth bend to the flange from both ends is better

zzp's crossover looks like that because they expect you to use their rear turbo power log that shoots the exhaust directly to the crossover. with "plugging" the rear manifold the front bank would overpower the rear bank because of the way the rear manifold is designed. if you made a power log style rear manifold and THEN drilled the crossover i dont see any issues but i still think that making a Y to the turbo would be even more efficient than zzp's crossover (considering you can do the work yourself.) even zzp's turbo crossover screams back pressure to me. IMO a Y would help reduce back pressure, exhaust/engine temps, and tremendously cut down on turbo lag with a direct shot to the turbo.

for tuning series one, see my new post in this thread:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-i-scans-tuning-f14/info-for-flashing-upgrading-computer-t2884.htm