What should I be looking for in a Turbo search?

[Haulinhorse]

Okay, here I go again.... Santa did not drop a new Banks turbo system into my truck on Christmas.

So I keep looking for a possible used or rebuilt one. If any of you can tell me the specific thing I need,it'll help me when asking questions.

Just want a little more speed going up hills here in central PA when I haul the horse trailer,not a fdaoly driver truck and it is garage kept. 88 F250 Lariat XLT, 7.3 IDI with 151K original miles. The frame is excellent and the work that was done to it prior to my purchase is great. I want to keep her!!!

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thanks again,
Sally

 

[Laine D]

A factory kit is the way to go. You can get them cheaper than a new banks kit.

 

[miles1400]

@Haulinhorse so if you want a Banks turbo kit you should go for a gen 2 sidewinder kit because they are more common then the gen 1 and it doesnt matter what trans you have and they have Mitsubishi TE06H turbo. i have a gen 2 sidewinder kit on my truck that i bought locally for $800 and i could go look at it in person. the turbo needed to be rebuilt and it need all the nuts and bolts turbo kits do not come up for sale often so if you can go look at one in person you should buy it if you have the money. the banks kit i got was 10 minutes away and i could see it in person so i bought it cause i didnt want to let the opportunity pass. if you are looking to get some more power and whistle a banks kit will do good for you, but if you are looking for a high performance set up a factory/ATS 093 turbo with a factory turbo engine is best for performance and the is some aftermarket support for them aswell

is your truck automatic or manual?

 

[Haulinhorse]

Wow...thank you...good advice...I have no clue what I would be looking at...they could tell me its a turbo and I may end up with a blender...lol . The truck is an automatic. How far away is Macungie from State College?

 

[Haulinhorse]

A factory kit is the way to go. You can get them cheaper than a new banks kit.

Thank you so much!!! Now where do I go to find such a beast?

 

[chillman88]

Thank you so much!!! Now where do I go to find such a beast?

What's your budget? You can PM @typ4 and ask if he has stock kits still. Wes might have some too but he's more oriented towards performance builds.

 

[Laine D]

Thank you so much!!! Now where do I go to find such a beast?

Pretty much exactly what @chillman88 said. If you’re lucky you can find some on eBay or Craigslist. If you’re on Facebook there seems to be quite a few turbo kits being sold on the idi groups. That’s where I found mine.

 

[Haulinhorse]

What's your budget? You can PM @typ4 and ask if he has stock kits still. Wes might have some too but he's more oriented towards performance builds.

I knew you would know something!!!! So far around here, most of the shops are saying 3140 for the kit and at least 18 hours labor.! Not gonna be able to do that. Right now I could be at 2400 if possible...I see all these turbo kits on ebay and I wonder are they complete,are they worth it??? I dunno...so therefore, all my questions and concerns. I did email Wes to see if he had any ideas or estimates.(I used your name as a referral too...) Due to the Covid stuff our office (dental) pretty much went out of business,plus docs were ready to retire. Soooo my summer traveling/camping may be a bit longer . Thanks again Chillman!

 

[Haulinhorse]

Pretty much exactly what @chillman88 said. If you’re lucky you can find some on eBay or Craigslist. If you’re on Facebook there seems to be quite a few turbo kits being sold on the idi groups. That’s where I found mine.

Thank you! Did not know there were IDI groups....will start to check them out. You have been a great help!

 

[chillman88]

Due to the Covid stuff our office (dental) pretty much went out of business,plus docs were ready to retire

Ouch! I hope that doesn't end badly for you!

 

[Laine D]

Thank you! Did not know there were IDI groups....will start to check them out. You have been a great help!

Of course, helping everybody out is kinda our thing here

 

[IDIBRONCO]

A whole set up is the best way to go. The more complete it is, the less you're going to have to try to hunt down missing parts. I may be wrong here, but I think that unless it's a 2nd gen Sidewinder, The latest offering from Hypermax, or a ATS093/Factory Turbo, then it's transmission specific. That's just something to keep in mind.

 

[miles1400]

@Haulinhorse state college is probably 2 1/2-3 hours away from macungie. look up Conestoga Diesel Injection, they are south of Lancaster PA. i dont know if they have any turbo kits for sale right now but they might know of someone who is selling one nearby.

a used gen 2 sidewinder kit is worth about $1200 with everything included, and you could print out instructions from banks and install it yourself, if you are mechanically inclined. i dont recomend taking your truck to a shop cause labor cost is always crazy expensive.

the turbo kit i bought was the only one i have seen for sale locally, i havent found any at the junkyard either but if i do i am sure as hell gonna get it lol.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

i dont recomend taking your truck to a shop cause labor cost is always crazy expensive.

I'll agree. The 18+ hours of labor that she was quoted was exceedingly high though. Were they planning to pull the engine, put it back in, and rebuild the turbo before they put it on?

 

[Haulinhorse]

I thought so too,IDIBRONCO! Thanks for the heads up...heck the 18 hours of labor I could get a barn raised by the Amish! Hmmmm, maybe I should see if they could do a turbo raising???