I had a T3 turbo manifold for a project I'm working on but couldn't find a decent T3 that I wanted to buy. I came across a good deal on a TD04 turbo off a WRX and decided to make an adapter to mount it to my manifold.
I looked around on the Internet and couldn't find any examples of what I had in mind. I'm a long-time subscriber to GRM so decided you guys might be interested
I started taking pictures late in the process, but here's the flange I made out of half-inch steel plate. The studs were inserted about half way through the plate and welded on the back side. I smoothed out the welds with a grinder and file.
To make a more-or-less permanent gasket and adapt for any imperfections in the plate, I put on a layer of Thermosteel (good to 2400 degrees) and clamped the flange to the manifold.
I trimmed off the bolts going into the T3 holes one at a time. I cut a slot in the end of the trimmed bolt so I could screw it down an 1/8th of an inch below the surface. Then I welded them in place and ground the welds smooth.
After a bit of finishing with a grinder and file, here is the turbo mounted without a gasket. Seems like a tight fit with no light showing.
This was by no means a professional job and I used what I had on hand -- basically my drill press, angle grinder with cutoff wheel, bench grinder, flat file and MIG welder.
