quite a few C20LET Qs?

[L33 LEG]

i know this will be covered all over search but tbh i hate the thing Lol, just want a few questions answered really.

basically i have a 1.4 sr shell and am thinking/really wanting to put a turbo in, was going to go down the valver route but is it really that much more money and hassle fitting the LET?

what will i need?

Engine and g/box obviously
full fitting kit (do these come with the hubs and cvs?)(and are the fitting kits different depending on which gearbox i use?)
2.0ltr/v6 brakes
uprated suspension
custom exhaust (do i use the standard manifold from the engine?)
il have an intercooler hopefully next week, what other bits and bobs are needed? what extra piping will i need?
fuel tank/pump (which one?)
what size rad will i be wanting?

do i use the standard loom and basically re-wire it the standard nova one? il be asking many questions about that once i have the thing, but what i need to know for now is there any extra cost to it?

what do i need to do with the shell? obviously itl need seam welding,my mate told me id have to cut out part of the inner arch so the thing will actually fit , and then re-weld it over. is this right? hopefully he will be doing all the welding for me

am i missing anything here? and do you think its worth paying that extra bit and getting a LET rather than an XE? not looking to modify the engine to begin with but its always good to know that when im ready for it i can pretty much spend all the money in the world tuning it.

any help/advice appreciated and before some of you try and talk me out of it, its just a spare nova shell i have so time isnt an issue and il actually find it fun doing it and reliability isnt an issue as itl hardly be driven tbh.

[Stoo]

This sort of thing is exactly what the search function is for

[L33 LEG]

yes i know that but it would bring up results of individual questions/problems and more than likely not answer the main question, ie. is this everything that il need?

[Jack]

was going to go down the valver route but is it really that much more money and hassle fitting the LET?

Money, yes. Consider that XE's sell for ~?200, and LETs seem to go for >?1000. Even the donor cars with the turbo engines are going up in price.

If you can grab a cheap LET (it happens) then yeah go for it.

[craig green]

Depends on your car/loom tbh.

XE & LET both need about 7 wires connecting to make them run/installed.

Both need the alternator clearance modification to chassis leg.

LET has its own downpipe from the turbo's wastegate housing which you need to mate an exhaust system to.

Depending on the intercooler you purchase, the necessary pipework or hoses will vary.

LET will be a good deal faster & torquier than the N/A XE but as always tend to be problematic with sensors etc due to being more complex. Likewise the actual turbocharger is one more thing to keep an eye on or look out for its condition etc.

[L33 LEG]

Depends on your car/loom tbh.

XE & LET both need about 7 wires connecting to make them run/installed.

Both need the alternator clearance modification to chassis leg.

LET has its own downpipe from the turbo's wastegate housing which you need to mate an exhaust system to.

Depending on the intercooler you purchase, the necessary pipework or hoses will vary.

LET will be a good deal faster & torquier than the N/A XE but as always tend to be problematic with sensors etc due to being more complex. Likewise the actual turbocharger is one more thing to keep an eye on or look out for its condition etc.

thanks for the reply, ye it was the chassis leg my mate was telling me about, is there any other 'bits' that need modifying? iv seen the size of the downpipes, does it all fit?

and im aware that the engine will cost around 1k to buy, that doesnt bother me too much, its just all the extras that il need.

[craig green]

Try reading the projects forum for LET cars being built. I've spoon fed you enough tbh.

It gets boring typing the same answers on a weekly basis.

You need to decide what gearbox you will use..

You also need to uprate the fr suspension to cope with the extra weight of the heavy twincam engine.

Nothing just 'fits' it was never intended to be there from Vauxhall. You will need dedicated shafts, mounts & hubs etc for a bigblock conversion.

Click the advert link for Chris Astley motorsport at the top of the page.

[btw] this is a mechanical topic, not general.

[dan16v]

i would not bother with the let down pipe, depending on the power you intend to run just get a complete stainless system made in either 2.5 or 3 inch diameter pipe work.
use the bigger rads from gsi's etc and i would not bother using any vaux brake set ups ie 16v, v6 etc as they are all rubbish and not suitable for a let'd nova imo, get a proper 4pot set up.
what ever you pay for a let engine, add on the cost of new gaskets/ cam belt,water pump, clutch, thrust bearing etc as you will not be wanting to take it apart once it is in the car!

[Jim]

Grr, Mechanical forum is there for a reason.