Got a 914 twin carb setup. Want to turbo it. Have a turbo. Selling turbo after advice. Advice is contested, I get confused, want to cry, need answers!

AAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLl-Righty then!

Here goes!

I want to turbo/supercharge my 914 motor in my Baja. I found some good advice, use a single carb and a pullthrough because blowthrough doesn't work so good. I asked about twin turbo's on pullthrough, don't even GO down that road, I was told! Pulses on exhaust wouldn't be right without a complicated 4 to 1 to two to one setup (turbo would get pulse, pluse, nothing, nothing with cylinders firing unless header was merged, split, then merged again). So, twin superchargers on pullthrough was my next idea. Too big, too heavy, not worth it. I'd agree. But what of blowthrough? I was told that a blowthrough turbo doesn't run very well, is unsteady, carbs don't like it, nightmare to get it to run right, etc etc. Something about venturi effect not happening with blowthrough, too. The advice was, ditch the carbs, use a single sidedraft or better yet use injection. The latter idea, about injection, I would be inclined to also agree with. Old VW Golf injectors would work, so I am told though I am sceptical about that and actually, I'd kinda like to keep carbs for the challenge.
BUT, does it work? I don't know. SO, the arguement is there, and I pass it over to you guys. Pullthru, or blowthru charging?

Yes, the cluless Brit is back asking stupid questions and providing a giggle to those who can be arsed reading me!

Turbo street Type I....

Similar to what I have in my 356 replica....

Click to view attachment

Then I added an intercooler in the wheel well.

Click to view attachment

Same engine but with single turbo mounted up top in a sandrail...

In General - the suckthrough system is easier to make work if you're trying to engineer the system yourself from scratch. you do need a turbo with a positive piston ring type seal to keep manifold vacuum from sucking oil past the turbo seal. virtually all turbochargers available nowadays incorporate this kind of seal.

but since you're trying to distribute fuel mixture instead of just air, there are issues with puddling and uneven distribution with changes of direction, as there must be with a flat engine. (this is why carbureted VW T-I engines have manifold heat riser tubes...)

but the carb only sees the standard atmosphere it was designed for.

When you presurise a carb, you need to make sure that *all* the pressure references are seeing boost pressure. and that all the components are happy being pressurised - things like floats. but the upside is that fuel distribution is not a factor, because you retain a single straight shot through the throttle body. You also need to make sure you have a way of referencing the fuel pressure to the boost pressure.

Step One is to read up on this stuff. once upon a time the High MacInness book "Turbochargers" was a standard reference but it's quite dated now. Have a look at "Maximum Boost" by Corky Bell. CB Performance also has a turbocharging book that's got good reviews but I haven't seen it so I can't comment - but if I were seriously looking at turbo'ing a car, it'd be on my reading short list.

suck thru you can do with carbs...

blow thru is harder... i would use ITB's and FI instead.

Hey Dude good to see you here. By god your going to preasurize that T-4

if it kills it... go for it Dave. By the way

Oh, I'm gonna explode that mofo or die trying! Gotta learn to turbocharge somehow, right?

If you are going to do all the work required to turbo your car, the little extra to Inject it is easy, and gives MUCH better results.

Drawthru is better if you HAVE to be carbed... But is still pretty much only tune-able @ idle and WOT...

I would have to agree with ya there... It's a shame, I like carb'd engines... What injection system is that in the pic up top ^^^ and how hard / easy is it to do..?

Z is running a Mega-Squirt. I think he likes it just for the name.

Those are ITB throttle bodies with a Schaffer turbo from CB Performance. It came with a GM fuel injection brain but it was dumber than BJ.....so I shit canned it for a tuneable MegaSquirt system that was a splice right in. Still sorting out issues but I'm getting there. Have laptop will travel....

Just for that you get to stand behind the car w/ cylinders full of 15yo gas, and i'm turning the key next time....

Hence the dumber than BJ line.....

AS long as it was earned...