All started with a bone stock Carina GTi (with the 3S-GE gen2 engine) which I bought for about 1000 USD as a winter-bitch. Some time later my Carina got boring and to be honest the 3S-GE is really weak under 5000 rpm. So it literally begged to get turbo'd

. Because the car already had seen lots of kilometers and isn't a beauty anymore, it had to be a budget build.
I bought a broken CT26 with an OEM manifold and a 3" Downpipe of ebay and rebuilt it. I think it's of an ST185 Carlos Sainz, because it wasn't a normal CT26 Compressor Wheel. It was larger and with unusually strange long fins. Well the wheel was slightly damaged and had to be replaced. But of course I couldn't source this unusual wheel but I found out that it has the same dimension like the wheel from the Mk3 CT26. The Mk3 comp. wheel is much more common and I found a new one also on ebay. Now I have a hybrid CT26

but I don't know yet where it's limit is, but I'm sure It can handle more power that the stock Celi CT26 can because of the larger Compressor.
The damaged CT26 (Carlos Sainz ?) comp. wheel


And here is the Mk3 comp. wheel with much thinner fins, somehow scary, but I newer planed to go crazy on boost, so it should be ok.


For the work in the engine bay I have to say it was a real PITA because like with the ST202 there isn't much room left
I bought a fmic and lots of stainless tubes and bends. I tig welded all the intercooler piping and managed to keep the air-con in, even though it's a winter car, you never know what the future will bring
Turbo oil return went in where the stupid oil level sensor sits... it hasn't ever worked properly anyway

I had to move the fusebox to the right to make room for the piping

Oil filter also had to be moved due to the 3" downpipe would have been to close

middle sized fmic... just perfect for my hp goals

New connecting pipe with flex tube in between the downpipe and the stock exhaust system. Maybe in the future I will address the cat back, but all has to remain stealthy

CT26 with new bearings

freshly balanced core

All the intercooler pipes - now it all sits nice in place, but the fabrication took me some time. That there isn't much room in the engine bay isn't helping there

Damnit I was swearing like sailor in my garage some times









EGT probe should come handy for the tune

greddy emanage ultimate loom gets wired in


I have installed an Innovate MTX-L wideband but I don't have pics of that.
The emanage took some time to config right, but after a couple of hours it ran very satisfying.
For the power I don't have figures yet, but with the 7 PSI boost and a conservative timing retard at boost I would say it has about 220 hp at this time. I don't want to blow it up, so max. boost will be 8 or 9 PSI with the stock 10:1 pistons. In summer I plan on swapping in 3S-GTE pistons. then I plan on running with 15 PSI, that should give me maybe 270-300 hp. I don't plan on more, because I believe above the 300 hp mark I would run into troubles with the gearbox, axles ect.
Btw: I already have clutch slip of course and my stock injectors (315cc) get maxed out

that all will get addressed in summer too.
I now have a 1JZ-GTE map sensor installed. The OEM 3S-GE sensor outputted 5V at 7 PSI

. The 1JZ sensor now is good for up to 18 PSI.
I spent about 2000 USD in parts so far. Lot of it was second hand though.
Interesting fact: The most expensive part was... not the turbo... not the emanage... but the tubing for the intercooler with its silicone bends and claps. Damn that **** can get expensive

But with 2000 USD I'm still pretty cheap for what I have now. And the turbo flutter is so amazing

even on this low boost application. Boy I could hear it all day long