Little ol' 170, with a turbo?

[wayneswirld2]

Hey gang. Our plans to install a late model 5.9/56RH engine and trans have fallen thru. I've been thinking of turbocharging our little 170. I see tons of info on turbocharging the 225, but have yet to see anything on the 170. Any pro's, or con's, to using the 170 instead of a 225? Are the aftermarket intakes the same for both?

I'm just now starting to gather info on whether or not to do it, but I REALLY have my heart set on giving my little '65 Valiant a little more Umph....

 

[BillGrissom]

As far as I know, the heads are the same, so the intakes should be too. People who have tried to add aftermarket exhaust headers have run into problems since the 170 block is ~1" shorter in height. The main difficulty, whether 170 or 225 is plumbing the exhaust to the turbo, since no store-bought solution yet. One guy made a simple J-pipe off the stock exhaust (search). Bill Dedman has detailed posts on his elegant build. His intake plumbing is involved since he put an intercooler in the front.

A turbo is a great fit for a 170. That should give you great mileage, but power when you need it. That is why so many cars in the 1980's used them. They got a bad rap due to oil cokeing problems, but that is fixed today (better cooling) so they are making a comeback. If people tell you that a 170 is a tiny engine, compare your 2.79 L engine with many high-end performance cars today. Of course, most of those use DOHC, but Corvettes still run with push-rods so that is not old technology either.

 

[armyofchuckness]

I know Charrlie_S turbocharged a 170. He'd a good guy to talk to. He's full of lots of good info.

 

[mcnoople]

The 170 is a great choice for turbo. It has the same head airflow as the 225 but smaller displacement. The 170 also has a much much higher rpm potential if you are willing to use it. You should definately contact charlieS he has had a turbo 170 for more than 30 years. If you try the J-pipe style of turbo mount remember that everything in the 170 is 1 inch closer to the k member which might make it a tighter fit.

If it is a manual trans car you should also read up on 5 speed manual trans swaps. That would allow more gear and still give a decent cruise rpm.