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Project 1.8 Turbo (Turdbo)

76K views 393 replies 28 participants last post by  ST Dog 
#1 ·
Project 1.8 Turbo (Turdbo)

I'm back, after a long time not owning a Cruze. Bought a 2012 1.8 LS with manual trans in 2016. Got an itch for a turbo 4 cylinder project. Thought about going the Honda route, but 'Merica, uniqueness, and with these times, I thought "why not turbo what I have, my daily driver, and make it more fun? This will definitely be a BUDGET minded build. These **** kids are costing me about $1M a piece x 3.

I know what you're thinking... there's very few that have turbo'd a 1.8... which has been a big reason why I haven't moved forward sooner and the lack of aftermarket support. With a little research, and the help of some good friends, this is the plan I have laid out. Check it... and feel free to chime in if you could be of help to make this project come to life.


Stage 1? - Underlined Parts Purchased Aside from UniChip..
Ebay T04E v-band turbo - $117
Ebay oil feed and return lines - $32
Ebay K&N style air filter - $10
Ebay 3" MAF mount before the turbo - $26

Tial knock off BOV 35 psi.
Custom SS exhaust manifold to be fabricated
3/8 SS head flange - $24
1/4 T3/T4 flange - $25
Custom charge pipes / eBay intercooler / eBay fittings.
Aftermarket OBDII catalytic converter (car still needs to pass inspection)
The exhaust I may leave stock, or get something very mellow. I'm not sure I want to listen to a performance exhaust every drive. Maybe an exhaust valve to give me the open turbo exhaust sound when I feel like it?
Larger cc injectors, or an additional injector(s) before the throttle body mounted with an injector(s) bung.
UniChip 4 - $379 and Unichip 2.5 Bar MAP sensor - $65.
Upgrade fuel pump?
Tune.


I know the debate will be, the stock internals are weak. Yup... although I've seen the mass of the crank. I'm thinking it'll hold up to my goals. The stock pistons and rods should be fine to about 250hp... and if not, who cares? I can grab a 1.8l junkyard Ecotec engine for $300 and they're plentiful because they're not desirable. The block is cast iron, so I'm not worried there. Win!!!?

The drivetrain... I think the stock transmission will hold up fine the way I drive. Smooth shifts without dumping the clutch. If the axles break, I'll grade some up from your favorite neighborhood autocrats store with a lifetime warranty and be covered there... aside from time spent replacing axles.

My initial plan is / was to install the turbo, run the car on 5-8 pounds of boost, 93 octane, stock quiet exhaust with around 150whp. Pretty achievable and the car will be going Choo Choo... until I talked to a bored friend of mine with nothing to do this quarantine. That's when things got that much more interesting... He (Wayne) has access to a full automotive machine shop and dyno (a close friend of his). He races pro stock dragsters. We talked and his friend can get unmachined forged castings, and we're kicking around the idea of making A LOT of custom parts. This is the plan we came up with.


Stage 2 - No Parts Purchase Here...
Buy an additional 1.8, valve cover to pan, from the boneyard for $299.
Machine custom forged pistons for the stock 80.5mm bore. CR TBD based on hp goals.
Machine block for ARP studs.
Forged MaXpeeding connecting rods - $209 (more about this below)
Clevite bearings.
Create custom aluminum intake.
Throttle body... TBD
Create custom fuel rail.
Port & polish head.
Valve job.
Springs and Camshaft TBD. (more below)?
2200cc Bosch injectors - $81
Stage 3 Clutch
Walbro 450?


Research, oh the research...
Thus far what I've found out about the Chevy Cruze 1.8 is it's an Opel 2HO. The engine was developed by Opel (a subsidiary of General Motors). The Opel A18XER (manufactured since 2008) is the same 1.8l found in a Cruze, as well as the Opel Z18XER (manufactured since 2005). Well, as far as the internals go. I'm sure there are some slight emissions differences.

After Cruzin' (pun intended) around some of the Opel/Vauxhall forums, and the interwebs, I've found turbo kits across the pond for the Z18XE made by DBilas range from 190hp to 250hp with similar mods above.

Camshaft and springs. I'd have to cross reference whether the Z18XER stuff is a direct drop in for our Opel 2HO. Don't see why they wouldn't be, but again. Keeping things budget minded.

Connecting rods... the 1.6 version of the 1.8 made by Opel has the same size rods, from what research I've done. Luckily, good ol MaXpeeding rods makes a set of H-beam con rods with ARP 2000 bolts, rated 800-1000 hp. Not sure the quality of them, but from comparison videos I've seen side by side next to a set of $1k rods, they're just as good. Not too sure about that brass bushing? Any feed back on their rods is more than welcome. When what I read on the forums is correct about sizing, who knows. Maybe we can machine them to work...

Tuning. I hear good things about UniChip. Finding a tuner around my parts, not easy to come by. Buying their software to tune it myself is around $650. At that point, Haltech might be a better option? Again, trying to keep this budget minded, but I'm sure the biggest expense maybe the management.

That's all I got for now... I may have missed something, but I need to get out from behind the computer. Thoughts welcome.

-Matt
 
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#132 ·
Ton of research going into this... The ARP studs arrived which I'll check if what they sent will work tomorrow and get some work done on the car.

After taking measurements, looks like SuperTech's Beehive SPR-MC56BE valve springs will work. They're about $130 and work with the stock retainers. I'm going to place an order for some and from my measurements, they should work. My only concern is the top ID of the spring seem a little tight. The springs are rated at:

Press.Seat: 65 @33.6mm
Press.Open: 163 @10

This weekend I'll finish up porting and polishing the exhaust ports. The plan is to hand lap the valves. The head deck is FLAT. Just needs a little cleaning and will be good to go. The block will come out as well as any other accessories on the block, then off to the machine shop for crankshaft balancing, a light hone, and decking enough to clean up the surfaces.

I've order a ton of new parts to freshen up the block. New seals, gaskets, thermostat, water pump, belts, etc, etc... full rebuild.

I've been racking my brain about camshaft options and have called many places, including comp cams, with no success in search of custom camshafts, and or a regrind. That or they're just not interested in working with me on this one off project. I have found a few options overseas, but they do not seem to have the camshaft position sensor exciters for both cams which could cause an issue with the ECU and a constant check engine light. There are Z18XE options, but it has to be the Z18XER, A18XER or their 1.6L variants that utilize VVT with the hydraulic sprockets.

Dbilas Sport Camshafts

Piper Camshafts - Couple options

That about it really. And at $800, It's quite the gamble? Uh... go fund me account???? lol
 
#134 ·
Heck, I own a screen printing shop so maybe it'll be more enticing if I created a design and some shirts. I'm thinking for the design, a 3/4 view with the hood off, fat turbo in this style...

287875


Tagline... Moon Tune with some turbos as the "O's"? At $25 a shirt, I would need to sell about 35 to order the cams and you guys could decide which set I should spring for...
 
#135 ·
The new rod bearings came in for the forged MaXpeeding Rods connecting rods. They're Top Line. I'm not familiar with them, but have read some good reviews about them. They look like a great fit thus far, but I'm going to grab some plastigage and make sure everything is within spec before sending the rotating assembly to the machine shop for balancing. There's not many options for these engines as far as Clevitte, etc.. so stock STD size GM OEM bearings will go in place of the main bearings.

287881
287882
 
#137 ·
I ordered the SuperTech SPR-MC56BE springs and they came in today. They fit the stock replacement valve seals, but the stock retainers are a no go, which I kinda knew from my measurements and their specs, but I figured it was worth a shot. So I'm going to have to order their RET-MC56/T1 titanium retainers. They should work fine since the valves are 5mm. Fingers crossed :rolleyes:😂

287908
287909
 
#138 ·
Indiana! I'm just south of fort wayne!
 
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#139 ·
Last but not least, I've found a place called, Web Cams, that does a hardweld and regrind on stock cams. You send your cams in, they weld em up, treat em, and grind them to your specs. Kicker is the price. $963, plus I would have to buy new lifters / cups which is about another $250. I'm thinking about springing for it with their reputation and trying to break some new ground here.

Now I just need to wait for the retainers to come in, then the head and block will go off to the machine shop. I'll see if my guys can flow test the heads at different lifts so I can get an idea of what lift I should go for. While everything was together, the car had a lot of mid range pull, so perhaps something with a little higher LSA would benefit the build and give it a little bit of a lope, which I would be sick!

Any cam grind suggestions (duration º, duration @ .050 and LSA) would be great if you want to play along. The build is for street and weekend warrior drag strip fun. After cylinder head decking, and block decking, the static CR will be closer to 10.75:1. I'm personally thinking something around 270+º, 230+º @.050 and a LSA of 109-111.
 
#141 ·
Nope... been kinda out of the scene for a grip. There was a ton of clubs back in the early 2000's up here, not sure about currently. I'd by a shirt that had a turbo Cruze :)
 
#143 ·
I hear that! I haven't been part of a scene since the release of the first Fast and Furious, then there was a huge police raid. Lucky I wasn't out that night. lol
Sweet! I'll work on a design and the profit will go towards mods (cam, ignition, clutch, dyno time, etc..) See if we can't set some sort of record lol.
 
#142 ·
If Mantapart was still around, I bet they would have all sorts of stuff these motors. Webcams is super reputable, cant go wrong... still could be cheaper if you could find an OEM with desirable specs to drop in.
 
#144 ·
Give it some time. There's only so many 90's and 2000's cars, before you know it the wrecking yards, which they already are, will be filled with 2010 cars. The very undesirable 1.8, because it's NA, will be plentiful. Well, given someone can show some power potential... Cough... ZZP...BNR... wanna sponsor an ignition system...

EDIT: I was kinda expecting the price from Web. I'm sure in the future this build could be done for thousands less than all the custom order stuff I'll have to do, or make.
 
#145 ·
Tons of cobalts and ions in there now...I have no doubt you can crack 300 hp pretty readily given everything your doing. 160hp/l... is very doable these days...
 
#146 ·
I agree x2. Limiting factor will be the intake, throttle body, and my log style manifold. It'll be fun to see what it can do with some cheap DIY parts and some home porting. That cam cost though might break the budget build aspect lol.
 
#147 ·
You made an exhaust manifold... make an intake:p use a drive by wire tb from say... a v6....or bore out another 1.8l tb a few mm and make a new butterfly.
 
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#148 ·
This is true! I’m thinking while the engine is off at the machine shop, about making an equal length manifold and an intake. I’m just wondering if the ECU will freak out without the tps and the open / closed manifold runner 🤔
 
#150 ·
have you considered this:


for an ignition?
 
#153 ·
have you considered this:


for an ignition?
Nice! Thank you for sharing that. I'm going to give this a whirl.
 
#151 ·
Just leave the motor for the tb runner installed but hanging... see what all other vehicles the tps is used in.

Cancel that.... it appears the drive by wire tb have built in tps that does not appear servicable.... I haven't had to deal with them before.

Depending on the number of pins on the tps circuits and the total maximum resistance range of the tps wipers. I would assume that gm would mostly use the same control circuit and motors to keep costs due to variation to a minimum. The tb may not be a big issue the bore for the AC delco replacement is listed @2.321" (58.95mm). That's pretty big given the displacement of the motor. The old twin cam 2.4l had 52mm tb and easily made close 300 on less than 10lbs. I'm guessing it is not really going to be a restriction until you get close to 350hp or better.
 
#154 ·
Just leave the motor for the tb runner installed but hanging... see what all other vehicles the tps is used in.

Cancel that.... it appears the drive by wire tb have built in tps that does not appear servicable.... I haven't had to deal with them before.

Depending on the number of pins on the tps circuits and the total maximum resistance range of the tps wipers. I would assume that gm would mostly use the same control circuit and motors to keep costs due to variation to a minimum. The tb may not be a big issue the bore for the AC delco replacement is listed @2.321" (58.95mm). That's pretty big given the displacement of the motor. The old twin cam 2.4l had 52mm tb and easily made close 300 on less than 10lbs. I'm guessing it is not really going to be a restriction until you get close to 350hp or better.
Thanks, I really appreciate it. Definitely something to consider. I'm going to get this thing back together with the stock intake and throttle body. Get things running well, hit the dyno, then work on upgrading the manifold / throttle body setup.

I wish I had hooked up the PCV up properly, or researched it a little more before taking these next steps so those who want to add a turbo to their car could know what to expect with similar easy to do DIY turbo manifold, and a tune. I'm still not too far off from that, with the exception of the head now being ported, and the upgrades being made to the valve train. lol

So the plan at this point is everything is going to the machine shop for a valve job (3 angle, although stock it looks like that's what it has). I've had pretty decent success with hand lapping the valves, well the intake valves. The exhaust valves could use some turning to clean them due to carbon build up. Soaking them in Chem Dip helped, but while it's apart, I'm going to do it right.

As far as the cam goes, my buddy and I are going to talk to his dude over at Craig Caulk Racing Heads, and see if he knows of anyone that does a reweld, custom grind, and recommendation for the intended use (street car, weekend warrior) weight of the car, etc. Worse case scenery, which isn't a bad thing, send them over to Web Cams for the service. I may hold on that because it'll be easy peasy to upgrade once the car is back together.

Some of the things I need to consider is upgrading the clutch which will run about $600, and upgrading my ignition. Which from that tutorial seems like about a $250 DIY upgrade.

More to come soon.
 
#152 ·
@yt400pmd that's a good link.... will be keeping an eye on it myself. Believe we've tossed that idea around. He just might have to do it since just about all in now. I love build threads :cool:
 
#157 ·
Nice work! I appreciate it! Had I read this before I made a purchase this morning, I would have taken you up on that. I placed an order for 8 cheap Chinese coil and going to give this a try. How's the car run with this setup?
 
#156 ·
Good news! Finally found a reputable cam regrind at a reasonable price, although turnaround time is 3 weeks. Crower Cams and they charge $220 for both cams. Once they receive the cams they'll let me know what profile they can grind into the cams.
 
#158 ·
It runs well. I've only had it for about 7k miles and so far no issues. I'm not running enough boost to really know if it is making a difference. The ease and availability of swapping these out for troubleshooting makes it worth while.
I tried running it without tuning and it will idle and rev to about 3k rpm. After 3k rpm it starts to miss
 
#160 ·
It runs well. I've only had it for about 7k miles and so far no issues. I'm not running enough boost to really know if it is making a difference. The ease and availability of swapping these out for troubleshooting makes it worth while.
I tried running it without tuning and it will idle and rev to about 3k rpm. After 3k rpm it starts to miss
Nice! I went ahead and purchased some LS1 coils, the wiring harness, plug... just need to order the pins, seals, some wire, and make a bracket. That'll come later once I get the car back together.
 
#159 ·
I too was thinking about doing this but just put the MSD on my car because I wanted it back on the road... definitely a worthwhile thing to look at.
 
#163 ·
Sounded like you were traveling through a drive by shooting for a bit there...

Since you have taken off the front fascia at least a dozen times now, any pointers on doing it? I have had mine taken off and replaced by others, but now I need to add some "stuff" that I would prefer to keep to myself.
 
#167 ·
Nothing like flip flops and moddin some cars!
 
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