A20 Carb Supercharger

[mdauriemma]

Since posting on other supercharger threads here, I have been advised to start my own with pictures. I am planning, and will start posting photos tomorrow.

Here is just my current engine setup:
A20a1 carbed block, rebuilt head with stock valves
bisi double valve springs on intake & exhaust
Webcam regrind
Busi adjustable cam gear @ +2 advance
New $250 distributor ($150 model would die when I cornered) & coil from the Zone @ full advance (produced highest manifold HG)
stock metal airbox bored out for 38mm WEBER
All environment equipment in place for smog (passed & will have to be removed with intake manifold for this build)
Pace setter headers with stock oxygen & wideband oxygen for cabin guage (OBX leaked too much & pissed off my gf)
Hi-flow cat, 2.5 exhaust, and obnoxious racing muffler...not at all ricer, I sound like a camaro & will probably swap in an adjustable valved muffler


Bought an Sc14 supercharger from Japan, in good shape, electronic clutch & dipstick (contrary to online sources)
Ordered a used stock intake manifold- same price as pick & pull (waiting on this, then the pictures will be uploaded)


The plan (pics coming soon):

I will start by fabbing up a pulley with the same pattern as the supercharger's to fit on the water pump pulley, either welded on, or bolted on to the water pump pulley. This will clear the edge of the engine bay without interference.

This way, the supercharger can be mounted standing up in its original position (i conclude by the dipstick placement) with the pulley aligned to the pulley on the water pump. I will then seek out a proper belt & tensioner.

Using the environmental equipment boltholes on the new & stripped intake manifold, I will fabricate a bracket to hold the supercharger in place atop the manifold. I will also cap the spot where the egr valve was with an aluminum plate.

I tested, and found that the supercharger flows from the front of the car to back in the above mentioned position. This is done by covering the i/o ports with a lint-free paper towel & spinning the pulley in the intended position, noting the movement of the paper towel. A good supercharger will make this test obvious.

The supercharger came with one of its pipes with a flange that will fit either in/ out ports. This is too heavy.

I have lots of fiberglassing equipment, and will be recreating the piping straight from the back of the supercharger, straight down to the intake manifold.
ANYONE KNOW IF IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO CUT OUT THE DIVIDER IN THE CARB MANIFOLD?

For The intake/ front side of the supercharger, I will make a flange/ pipe from fiberglass that routes to the carb which will sit on the passenger side of the intake manifold.

This is a draw through setup... Carb sits on fiberglass flange, routing to input on supercharger> output on supercharger goes straight down to intake manifold.

Electronic Clutch? Is there an advantage to running the supercharger all the time... may require extra tuning?
I was thinking of having it set to engage when carb opens the second barrel. This would be a simple power switch on 2barrel, only would have to re-jet the second barrel, & can open the second barrel with my foot because the 38mm WEBER opens the 2nd mechanically?

Input/ comments/ insults/ all welcome!

[2oodoor]

Definite advantage to cutting out the divider plenum in the intake especially for a 38, makes a huge difference in low end torque and certainly on the high rpm end as well. Be very careful to wash it out good before reinstalling though.
Both barrels on a 38 open all the time, those are NOT progressive carbs.
Im thinking a MSD box with a nitrous controller would work out well to activate a clutch coil for the supercharger.

[mdauriemma]

Thx for that juicy info, i thought the 38 was supposed to make a bigger difference than it actually did. I will look into that...How would you set up the nitrous controller, and specifically which product from MSD's website?

[mdauriemma]

Is there a disadvantage to having the SC clutch always engaged, or replacing the clutch with a standard ribbed pulley? Would this make the car more difficult to tune?

[mdauriemma]

Got the SC14 & one piece of piping/ flange to create a mold for my fiberglass piping...




Got my fiberglass supplies too.
Just waiting on my intake manifold to come in... will post pics when I remove the divider.

[mdauriemma]

Manifold came in.
Went to the wrecking yard for another water pump pulley, came back with one (only $7!) and some goodies.

Here is a recap of the plan. I tested clearance, and will post pics asap:

1)remove facade emissions crap to clear up space on intake manifold for the SC14 to be bolted in right direction, dipstick & drain plug acurate. Pulley will line up with my custom double water pump pulley.

2)condition new manifold by removing divider in intake & clean inside & out thoroughly.

3)Replace single water pump pulley with double pump pulley...advice here? Do I have to take it to a machine shop to balance the new pulley after I create a new pulley with 2 back to back? Weld or bolt? I will show you what I mean with pics later. I think i might go to the wrecking yard to pull another one since they are so cheap & I don't want to ruin my good pulley. Perhaps someone has an extra that they can ship me & I will re-imburse them for + shipping.
-the engine will still be fully functional at this point, so I can make sure the pulley is reliable before I follow through with the supercharger setup.

4)using the stripped manifold still functional on the car, I can create a bracket/ mount that bolts on the factory emission mounts on the manifold to hold the supercharger in place. Weld, paint etc. Carefully lining up with new water pump pulley

5) Install supercharger + new bracket on new manifold outside of the car. Fabricate piping from fiberglass to connect supercharger to carb on valve cover side, and connector pipe from supercharger to manifold on rear of engine. Paint.

6)install new manifold & create thicker supports underneath to hold the weight of the supercharger. Reassemble supercharger, piping, and mount the carb.
-Test, then cut hole in the hood to make it fit.

2 problems:
-in the middle of stripping my car's paint to have it redone. I airbrushed it the wrong color 2 years ago & didn't put on enough gloss coats. Its going back to factory pomegranate burgundy.
-angle grinder needed to be bumped to make it work, lots of sparks, now it barely works... I suspect the brushes...its a mikita, so I will open it up & assess the damage- this will make both projects take longer The good news is I can work on this project while the painting goes on.

[2oodoor]

Sounds like a good start! Welding the pulleys together could throw off the balance and risk one being slightly off center but if you can get it TIG welded so there is not as much extra material it may be better, it may not even be an issue though im just speculating. I dont know if the water pump could be run off the back side of the belt in a different serpentine configuration....

[mdauriemma]

I originally hoped to run one giant serpentine, but found it impossible to drive the water pump & SC simultaneously-- while clearing the shock tower.

I only have mig; no plans for Tig Tig would require a trip to a machinist or mechanic.

I used to balance my Remote control car wheels-- I am wondering if I couldn't just balance the pulley in the same manner, grinding off material in places to create balance rather than adding weight.

Thanks for your input on the balancing. This was a problem posted in a crankshaft pulley weight reduction thread that stopped me from shaving off the AC portion-- so this is a concern. This is also a reason to pickup another pulley.

[mdauriemma]

My mikita grinder brushes were worn way past the suggested replacement lines. I ordered replacements for $5, and purchased a milwalki grinder to serve in the meantime. Tomorrow I plan to finish my grinding & primer on the front end of the car, then head inside & remove the manifold divider within.

I speculate that my new water pump pulley will not allow me to put the bolts in that hold the pulley on, due to limited room against the frame. I will have to remove the FL wheel now to install & remove that pulley, but a small sacrifice for the extra power... and who really needs easy access to that pulley anyways?

When I go to the wrecking yard for another water pump pulley to build my custom double pulley, I will also get a Mercedes kick down pedal switch to engage the electric supercharger clutch like the one on my 82 300SD. Instead of kicking the trans down 1 gear, I will have it turn on the Supercharger. *genius*

[mdauriemma]

I have not abandoned this project; been doing body work & dropped the beast off at Maaco. They are doing a single stage in the original color, faded into the door insides. It should be ready for pickup next Tuesday.

The front brake rotor, at least one of them is warped, picked up new front brake set. No more china ebay drilled/ slotted junk.

Updates on the supercharger project:
Picked up non-hardening model plastalina clay to mold fiberglass piping.
Picked up additional waterpump pulleys to construct my supercharger driver pulley. Found that there is ample clearance for mounting the welded double pulley. Will build it this weekend.
Started grinding out the divider in the intake manifold.
Found a pedal switch to engage the supercharger.
Am now purchasing a metal plate to build a mount for the supercharger to the intake manifold.

[MessyHonda]

sweet. make sure to take pics.

[Tdurr]

i need moar pics!!!! I like that you are doing this. Luke had one of these he was planning on doing this with, but gave up on it for someodd reason.

[mdauriemma]

Some sweet paint pics.


More urgent work to be done, before focussing on the supercharger.
My starter died 3 months ago, but I didn't know. I would drive to work, work 8 hours, drive home.
But then I discovered If i try to start it when hot it will not. If I bang on the starter/solenoid with a hammer & cool the body with icecubes, it starts right up. I thought it was the clutch switch at first, great write-ups on 3geez for bypassing with a wire, but it turns out its the starter. Gonna tackle the starter & front brakes tonight.

[mdauriemma]

Even more things came in today that I wasn't expecting for a while:
-Front & rear Tokico shocks for my sprint lowering springs. I will do a thread on suspension when I install them, especially focussing on fake ebay sprint shocks... black crappy shocks with an askewly placed sprint logo stickers.
-New adjustable solenoid muffler-- quiet to straight pipe & in-between settings. I got this mainly because the aftermarket muffler on the car right now with custom 2.5" exhaust ran right through my adco rear sway bar space. Im gonna install that rear swaybar at the same time
-SS braided brake lines, gona do these tonight

[mdauriemma]

Installed front Front TOkicos, brakes, & brake lines... MASIVE improvement. Rears soon to be installed.

Ordered Carbon Fiber fabric & resins to make the supercharger piping. I will do a test by recreating the upper radiator frame plate.

Going to the wrecking yard for yet another waterpump pulley tomorrow morning. Once I fab & ballance the new pulley, I can start building the supercharger mounts & bracket.

[87roach]

It sounds like you're making great progress man, glad to hear it.

The car is looking good but the pictures are upside-down!

[Tdurr]

I like to hear that you are doing this! keep up the progress and try and flip the pics next time you post some :P

[mdauriemma]

Lol. So the Odd thing is the pics are normal on my macbook Air, but taken sideways on my phone. I am not sure why 3geez flipped them the wrong way.

Got my final water pump pulley. Got some steel to make the bracket to mount the SC.

BTW. I read somewhere that TOkiko blues worked great with 2.25" sprint lowering springs... The control is beautiful, but the ride is shit. I also read that I should re tighten the suspension with the car up on ramps, not jacked up. I also read that my adco rear sway bar should fix the ride a good bit when I install it. I will attempt these things tonight.

I plan to get a lot done on the supercharger this week. I am just waiting on my carbon fibre & resin for the piping.

[87roach]

Good luck man, you're making plenty of progress in the short time thus far!

[mdauriemma]

Adco rear bar, tokico shocks, and sprint 2.25" drop springs.






3 more welds on my vortex Muffler custom piping to achieve my desired angle. Had to make the tail pipe clear the .76" Adco rear bar.

[mdauriemma]

Thanks for the support guys. I hope to post pics of my SC/water pump pulley & finished exhaust before Saturday.

[mdauriemma]

More upside down pics. Jk lol they turn right side up when converted from jpg to ping:



This is the "spec D" version of the Varex Muffler. The Varex costs $100 more or so, and I thought I would give the Spec D a shot.
Remote Control 3" Inlet 4" Outlet Tip Exhaust Muffler w Electric Valve Silencer | eBay

First issue-- the manufacturer was too embarrassed of their product to put their company name/ logo on it... I mean anywhere. IDC, but usually a bad sign.

Second, the unlock button on the remote closes the valve for a stock quiet sounding ride. I would have made the lock button do the closing. The remote controller is obviously a borrowed design from a remote locks kit, but quality metal design over your traditional plastic. The valve motor is a borrowed window regulator design, so replacing the window motor will be super easy if it breaks later on. Looks like quality stainless design though-- definately not just painted.

Third, the Varex boasts an adjustable valve. The ebay ad for this one does too with an "option" button. It was late & I was tired when messing with it, but did not see this button while testing. I do plan on replacing the whole remote system with a toggle or slider switch. I will hook a volt meter up in leau of the muffler motor & see what can be done to delete the remote system.

Oh, and the varex also has a computer that can be set to read RPMs & open the valve based on RPM.

I installed a backup cam instead of the rear license plate frame. As you will see with future photos, I have deleted the side mirrors, removed my fender mirrors, and will be using carbon fiber triangles to cap off the side mirrors instead of the black duct tape there now.

Carbon fiber kit came in for piping & practice parts yesterday... fabbing the SC pulley tomorrow.

[MessyHonda]

nice looking car and nice upgrades. I bet it handles alot better than the stock suspension set up.

[mdauriemma]

Thanks! It handles much better.
I am still hacking away at the divider within the intake manifold.
I am painting my Supercharger now-- incognito black.
Welded my custom pulley & just balancing it now.
Fabricating the SC bracket.

I know someone on these forums got over 300 hp with a turbo on stock internals. Others have claimed 10 psi safely. I will run 6-8 psi for now with my 38 weber.

The secret to any fantastic sleeper is plopping the largest engine into the smallest chassis. I will do the next best thing once my Super charger is on. will go get another a20 a1 block, find the largest pistons that will fit & capable of a reliable 15-20 psI. If I find this part of the project is too difficult, I will have a pro shop take care of it. I am hoping the larger internals with the boost will require a larger carb, like my quadra Jet 4BBL off of my family's old 350 rocket engine. The car was rusted out and junked, but my dad saved a few treasures

[Vanilla Sky]

I'm glad to see someone else playing with the Previa supercharger. One would fit in the AC compressor space really well.