I have run across many references to bushing turbo con-rods to fit NA pistons, but all in the third person/theoretical. Has anyone done this? Any recommendations on what bushings to use? Hopefully I’m only a couple weeks away from getting this done.
Excellent question. My reason for wanting to do this is I bought a prepped block with matching new NA pistons.Why would want to do this? If I remember right the turbo pin is roughly around a .100 larger which would make for a very thick bushing, easy to pound out more. The turbo piston is a lot stronger and better design. Personally I would not do it.
Yes. I'm sure that was what he meant.“easy to pound out more.” By this do you mean deform out of shape?
Doing all of that , which I suspected to be done right sounds like going to add up to some coin. New turbo pistons might not be so expensive after all.So it sounds like a harder steel bushing would need to be made and be pressed into the rod, and a regular NA bushing would need to be pressed into that? We’re getting complicated, aren’t we. Despite all the talk of doing this it seems no one actually has? Anyone know otherwise?
Instead of bushing the rods, have you looked into boring the pistons out to the turbo wrist pin size? I'd be surprised if the piston manufacturer used different slugs for the idi and idit pistons. So if you have new pistons, they might be able to have the bores machined larger for the idit pin.
Old oem pistons might not have used the same slug, so it's worth checking between the two.
That is something I would not recommend doing. You are talk about a pin that is held in place with snap rings and roughly .100 larger.
IDIT annd PSD are 33 mm and IDI are 30 mm , 3 mm is .118 thousands .You still have to machine for the snap ring. IMO it is not worth the hassle.The pin is closer to .200" larger. If the boss for the pin bore is thick enough or is the same as an idit piston, I don't see a problem cutting that material out.
I'd do that before I'd start messing with installing brass bushings into steel bushings into the connecting rod pin bore.