Ok, more good input. A few things. First,
After reading the SHO Shop specs for thier blower kits, and what kind of gas the cars would need to run, a 3.2 sounds like a definate.
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Why would running a 3.2 be better than the 3.0? I can see that if you wanted more power down the road a 3.2 would be the way to go, but both motors run the same cr (right?) and use the same octane rating. So I don't see how you gain much by using a 3.2 with a low boost turbo setup. However with some more research on my part it may be a moot point. I don't have any experience with a 3.2 conversion and I just recently acquired my first (2) 3.2's. I wasn't sure if everything would stay the same as far as exact manifold location for bolting up the y-pipe, clearance issues, unused bolt holes in the block used in the kit, etc, etc.... I'll just work on the 3.0 for now and look into the 3.2 a little more.
Okay, now as far as the y pipe is concerned. I have already made a custom pipe for my 12 psi project car, but I will have to modify it to move the turbo a little closer to the wheel well. Right now it is close enough to the block that I have to move the coil pack. That is too much work for a low psi kit, or even a kit in general. It is what I want for my project but not for the 6 psi kit. I was thinking about how to make the y-pipe so that it could be easily removed if necessary and I think a two piece pipe is going to be the easiest way to do it. There may either be a bolt connection under the oil pan or a compression type fitting that I am looking into. ( I saw it in car craft I think.) That way the y pipe could be unbolted and dropped without having to lift the motor or drop the subframe. There will also be a threaded bung on the downpipe for an a/f meter.
Which brings me to the "plug and play" issue. My first and foremost goal is to design a reliable, KISS simple, bolt on kit, or as much as possible anyway. My second goal is to make the kit easy to upgrade at a later date, once the rest of the car has been brought up to the appropriate levels. The 60-1 HI-FI turbo is going to be easily capable of producing more boost. Getting more boost should be as easy as dialing in more boost on the boost controller and retuning the car to run correctly at that level. BUT, unless you have rebuilt the motor, driveline, and suspension to handle those power levels, things are going to break in a hurry which defeats the purpose of the 6 psi kit in the first place and is the exact reason many have said that it would be a waste of time to build a car for low boost. I will be looking into components here shortly and I might try to find parts that either won't allow adjustment or won't allow more than 1 or 2 psi of adjustment. Then the user would have to buy a new part to be able to turn up the boost. Either way, it will still require self control and responsibility on the users part.
I don't remember for sure why I was thinking about moving the oil filter/cooler. After looking at it some more tonight, I don't think it will be necessary.
Again, on the engine management topic. I think the easiest way for me would be to include a tweecer with a base turbo program already written on it. (It could be either Tweecer Model) That would still give you 3 more slots on the tweecer to make changes if you wanted. However, I don't want to shut any of the other chip makers out just because I don't have any experience with their chip. When the kit is to the point where it is running on a car, I will address this issue further. If any of the chipmakers have any comments or questions, feel free to P.M. or e-mail me.
Ok, I think that's about enough for tonight. I should have a first draft of the parts list in a few days that I would like your opinions on as far as reliability, compatability, etc, from your own experience or dealings. Until then, keep the info coming. Thanks, Chris.
