Turbo Parts needed

[alfredhamstra]

Hi all, i have an original Turbo. Original paint, original stripes, no rust, original roof, wheels and carpets.
It runs, but ofcourse the turbo needs fixing.
Went to a (speciallized) turbo-shop but they dont have the parts for it.
The two turbinewheels need replacing.
I tried to search the website but could not find an answer.
Any thoughts of fixing, changing parts, or even a replacementturbo, besides the answer: convert to normal?

Greetings from the Nethelands
Alfred

[rodo]

Hi Alfred. Very cool that you have a turbo spider. There are no longer any parts for the turbo. Nada. You MAY be able to find, somewhere, the same turbo but a later model and those have some parts. (I did not know this until I was told mine was later; it was replaced in the nineties and even the original owner who had the work done then did not know!) I wish I knew how to tell you which version of turbos have some replaceable parts. Maybe, someday, you will find someone on the forum who is willing to give up their parts, turbo, &c and you can make a deal. I wish you luck. We need more turbo spiders on the road.

[Nut124]

His info on the left says Volumex. That is different from turbo. Finding a replacement turbo should be doable with some fabrication. Volumex is a mechanical supercharger.

[alfredhamstra]

Nut124: i have a Volumex and also a Turbo.
I restored over 20 spiders, I know the difference

Gr
Alfred

[alfredhamstra]

Hello all,
So nobody in this forum knows replacement-turbos or parts to find?
Should be bad that all Turbos will be converted to normal.
Surely there should be a turbocharger existing which can be slightly modified to make it fit?

Hope somebody knows...

alfred

[rodo]

Hi again Alfred,

I've had my turbo for six years. During that time it has been driveable for about two months. (For a million different reasons mostly: 40 year old car.) I learned about my car in part from taking it all apart but, credit where it is due, from Richard Ridge, a former turbo owner and IMO the guru of spider turbos. (His long owned turbo sold on BAT for a princely sum. Best turbo in existence.) I can tell you these things and you can take them to the bank:

There are NO TURBO PARTS. No turbos, no parts. I was weirdly fortunate that Richard asked for my turbo serial number and discovered it was a slightly later model. There are, apparently, parts for those. Maybe look for someone who is un-turboing their car.

There are also pretty much no other parts. There are no hoses, no switches, no manifolds.

I am happy to share my experiences with you. How I made a better intake hose. How I found worked up new turbo pressure switches (that actually fit in the OE switch holder!)

I hope you stick with the project. it is fun to have a car this weird and rare but, whew, as I'm sure you know having worked on many FIATS: patience.

I should add that my car is off the road presently as after I got it all together, and after I figured out that (for no reason I could fathom) the turbo modified distributor was gone and had been for maybe thirty years, and had it reconfigured...then, of course, after the best road drive ever, I found the massive oil leak: head gasket. Awaiting the head from the shop and then get to put it all back together...for the second time.

Rodo

[ORFORD2004]

what is the base of the turbo? t3 t4. If so you can buy a new turbo and fit it. It's a long journey but the end result is a racing gokart.

[alfredhamstra]

Thanks Rodo, for replying again.
Could you tell me the difference in distributor? I looked at all the manuals and technical stuff but cannot find any info about that.
Alfred

[alfredhamstra]

At Orford2004: also thanks for relying.
But I dont understand your answer. T3 T4...
I simply cannot believe that there does not exist a somehow matching turbo.
Just need to know who has gone that route

Besides my beige turbo I have all the parts for making another Turbo, including all the decals, "No boost till warm"-instrument, all hoses and....a broken turbo charger.

[alfredhamstra]

http://www.buro-ro.nl/IMG_4141.JPG
http://www.buro-ro.nl/IMG_4142.JPG

thats basicly the only part that I would need

something like that:
https://shopee.co.id/Catridge-Turbo-Cha ... 6216467895

[TX82FIAT]

Search the archives. 100% have seen some pictures of a Spider with a Volvo 240 turbo adapted.

[rridge]

Sure, you can replace the turbo wheels. All it takes is time, money, expertise, and patience. The turbo is an IHI-Warner-ishi RHB6. You can find a compressor wheel that will work from a later RHB6. I got one from an NOS RHB turbo that I bought and stripped for that particular part. Price some new RHB6's to see how much that might cost.

The exhaust turbine is unique. RHB6 turbos were used on diesels, not gas fueled cars. Turbine entry temps were much higher. IHI sold a different turbo, the RHB5 for cars. No important parts interchange with the RHB6

Yes, an experienced turbo rebuilder can overhaul your turbo by improvising some part swaps and custom fabricating others. When they say they can't do the job, what they mean is that they can't do it for a reasonable price and they don't think you are up for paying an unreasonable one.

The people who have mounted Garrett turbos on their Spiders have used a unique cast iron turbo manifold that PBS once made for the same engine mounted in the 131. The last of those disappeared before 2009, the year Bob died. Again, you could pay someone to fabricate a one-off tubular header. It's certainly been tried.

At the end of the day the real question is why bother. The engine is easily converted to normal aspiration with either FI or carbs. The horsepower and torque figures can be matched in an NA engine with some attention to tuning and some mild modifications. Perhaps you think the investment in turbo renewal will raise the value of the car. Its easy enough to search Bring-a-Trailer and see what a price premium the turbos add.

[TheBender]

Keep an eye on AutoRicambi US site. They are testing out some prototype parts for the turbo. I don’t know the details or if it’s what you need, but it’s something that could help the turbo crowd.

[rridge]

Sure, you can replace the turbo wheels. All it takes is time, money, expertise, and patience. The turbo is an IHI-Warner-ishi RHB6. You can find a compressor wheel that will work from a later RHB6. I got one from an NOS RHB turbo that I bought and stripped for that particular part. Price some new RHB6's to see how much that might cost.

The exhaust turbine is unique. RHB6 turbos were used on diesels, not gas fueled cars. Turbine entry temps were much higher. IHI sold a different turbo, the RHB5 for cars. No important parts interchange with the RHB6

Yes, an experienced turbo rebuilder can overhaul your turbo by improvising some part swaps and custom fabricating others. When they say they can't do the job, what they mean is that they can't do it for a reasonable price and they don't think you are up for paying an unreasonable one.

The people who have mounted Garrett turbos on their Spiders have used a unique cast iron turbo manifold that PBS once made for the same engine mounted in the 131. The last of those disappeared before 2009, the year Bob Swenson of PBS died. Again, you could pay someone to fabricate a one-off tubular header. It's certainly been tried.

At the end of the day the real question is why bother. The engine is easily converted to normal aspiration with either FI or carbs. The horsepower and torque figures can be matched in an NA engine with some attention to tuning and some mild modifications. Perhaps you think the investment in turbo renewal will raise the value of the car. Its easy enough to search Bring-a-Trailer and see what a price premium the turbos add.

[alfredhamstra]

@rridge: i got your point... but its not the money, for me it is the originality