| Upgrade your Z with bigger ball bearing turbos for less than $1500! This is the information on how I upgraded the VG30DETT engine with bigger turbochargers on a low budget. I think other members would benefit from it too sense bigger turbo kits are very expensive. A twinturbo.net member Elizium has done this before but he lacked lots of info and made the installation look like nightmare. He named the turbochargers that he installed a GT25 and they are GT28R a new Garrett ball bearing ballistic design turbocharger that is almost same as HKS 2530 turbochargers. Actually HKS uses Garrett GT28R turbocharger and makes few differences like compressor housing and uses different turbine wheel trims as for it’s different models.
I will include total pricing on all the parts that I had to buy. The prices will be approximate because prices vary from vendor to vendor. Stock turbochargers are small, upgrading them to 500s specification by drilling and paying $2000 for them is completely insane. They might work better but you still have old design turbocharger with more lag for $2000, wow. That is expensive. The turbochargers that am upgrading my engine with are high quality Garrett ball bearing ballistics that Garrett officially rates them at 650 horsepower for both combined. They have almost no lag and spool up quick and flows enough for any Z out there. They are only one step less than new JWT700 which is Garrett GT28RS ballistic made for the race car called “disco potato”. What JWT does make few changes so that GT28RS fits Z32.
This post will explain installation of GT28R turbochargers on a VG30DETT engine and it goes same for GT28RS because the external size of the turbocharger is the same except GT28RS has pipe flanges on compressor instead of bolt flanges like GT28R. Installation will almost be the same so you can use this info.
Parts that you will need to fit the turbochargers:
Garrett GT28R Turbochargers, Garrett part number 466541-7001, Nissan part number (s15) 14411-69F00. .64 A/R Turbine Housing, 62 Trim Turbine, COMPRESSOR SPECS: .60 A/R Housing, 60 Trim Wheel
Dealer price from Garrett $500 each, local Garrett dealer sale price $600 each, performance store vendor price $750 to $900 for each. Sense I buy lots of parts form local Garrett dealer I was able to get the sale price of $1200 for both turbochargers and I got Garrett t-shit for free. If any of the members in Phoenix area want to buy these turbos I will be happy to take them there to get these turbos for the sale price. These turbos are getting cheaper, search in your town talk to people, you should be able to find them for $600 each somewhere. Cheapest store vendor that I found on internet is $770 each. Here is the link. [[ http://www.performancenissanparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1399 ]] HKS stronger wastegate actuators kit for stock turbochargers part number 1430-RN002, you can get them trough COZ for $190, they can be found on the internet for $180. They are the same high quality actuators that HKS uses on their turbochargers. Kit includes bolts for the actuators, brackets which you will not use, inlet gaskets, all crush washers, adjustable ends and a cool sticker. Here:
[[ http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/default.asp?BrandCd=HKS&ModelCd=300Z&SubCategoryCd=ACTU ]] Metal bar, dimensions 51mm with 40 cm length and 4 mm thick. Home depot or local sheet metal store $5. You will need the metal to be 4 mm thick in order to support the tension of the wastegate actuator. This bar will be for making the custom brackets for HKS actuators to fit GT28R turbochargers. Its not hard to make but you will need some tools. Grinder, wire brush wheel. Dremel tool with different diamond bits, torch (green bottle from store can work also), thick metal will have to be placed in vice get heated in order to be able to bend the 90 degree angles with hammer. They are easy to make if you have some skill. I reused all the hardware from stock turbochargers: water lines, oil lines, inlet pipe, outlet pipe, manifold to turbo crush gasket sprayed it with copper spray, Turbo flange bolts keepers, compressor outlet gasket, call me ghetto cheap but the gaskets were still good and they seal good so no need to spend extra money, if you feel like replacing it with new parts be my guest.
In order to get to the point of even changing the stock turbochargers you will have to have good assortment of tools, basically being skilled mechanic. You will get two turbochargers in the box with warranty, one more item that is included is oil drain pipe gasket. They will come with big wastegate actuators that you will not need. I sold both of mine on eBay for $60. You won’t have to do this but I took off the compressor housing and hacksaw the mounts for this useless actuators just to give me more room. Turbochargers will have to be clocked to its proper orientation. This is easy and on some of the photos I pointed out how to do it. Only a 13mm wrench is needed for this.
Most difficult thing is to make actuator mounts. Passenger side turbo actuator mount will have to be made exactly the same as I made mine or else you will have to grind the motor mount bracket to clear the actuator head. These turbos are no joke, they are big. Its good that these turbos barely fit. I did polish some of the compressor housing and engine mount bracket for the actuator to have some extra room. But it’s easy and it can be done in few minutes with dremel tool. 
Stock inlet black pipes will have to be cut at the welds with disc grinder, bolt holes will have to be enlarged slightly using dremel tool, easy to do. If there is good torch available the pipe can be heated at the flange and then clocked the right way. Bolt the cut flange and mark the proper orientation of the pipes. I have a torch welder and I rewelded them my self using the rod that is same color as gold, its for soft metals and it welds good, I don’t know the proper name for it, its coated with white powder. Bolt holes on the oil return lines will have to be enlarged slightly using dremel tool and driver’s side will needed to be bent slightly. I used torch to make a nice bend.
Compressor outlet flanges will be a little offset on another position. I had some Volvo turbo hoses that helped me on that one. You can use the stock pipe boots, the pipes will point more forward but its not a problem if you are using stock throttle body hoses. If you make the actuator brackets same way I did they will hold fine with only one bolt holding them down. Make sure you use locktite on all compressor housing bolts. I did bolt on some extra strips just to be safe the brackets will hold. 
The way I made the brackets is compared them to the stock brackets. Then I cut out the metal bar using hacksaw then marked on the metal were it needs to be bent and where the holes need to be drilled. Using torch and holding the metal in the vice I pounded the metal to make the 90 degree bends and later cut it to fit. Holes for the actuator I drilled using HKS brackets. Just mark the same holes and drill. Once the wastegate actuators are on you will have to calibrate the tension. Stock actuators are fixed to start opening at 7 psi of boost. I sat both new hks wastegates actuators to start open at 10 psi, they are stronger actuators and they will hold well up to 25 psi of boost at least or more. Make sure both turbos are calibrated the same. 
I seriously ported my exhaust manifolds because these turbos need good flow, and leave them loose.
 
I’ve found out that 5 bolt specialtyz downpipes separator was not machined properly and did not allow for the bolt holes to align. Greg suggested that I grind down a separator a bit and it worked that way. The separator does not seal the two flows completely, there is a 4 mm gap between the wastegate door and turbine side. Greg said this is normal.
Summary of total cost:
Turbochargers $1200 both, HKS actuators $190, self built custom brackets $10, clamps and hoses $5 welding material $3, total gas spent to go get parts $5, dremel bits $6, engine degreaser to clean the stock hardware $2. Minus - $60 actuators sold on eBay. Total cost = $1361 for complete bolt on 650 hp rated ballistic ball bearing turbochargers for VG30DETT. Extra: Greg Dupree 5 bolt long split down pipes and 5 bolt gaskets $510. = %100 kit for Z32 a $1871, wow. I still got my stock turbochargers to sell and that will reduce the total cost even less , WOW! Read here Z1 add for the same turbocharger kit:
Link: [[ http://www.z1motorsports.com/Products/Powerplant%20Performance/Turbos/Turbos.asp ]] Elizium’s post, read it, it has some helpful info but photos are gone.
[[ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=technical&msg_id=781370&words=gt%3a%3a25 ]] Some member’s post: [[ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=technical&msg_id=910570 ]] GMS price for GT28R: [[ http://store.yahoo.com/ginnmotorsports/gt28r.html ]] GMS price for the bolt on kit GT28R [[ http://store.yahoo.com/ginnmotorsports/gms600bbturbo.html ]] Z1 picture of the same GT28R kit: [[ http://www.z1motorsports.com/Products/Powerplant%20Performance/Turbos/stage2-kit1-tn.jpg ]] Same turbos sold here: [[ http://www.turbochargers.com/Turbos/TurboUpgrades/300BB.htm ]] The JWT 700(gt28rs) turbos, picture at CZP, take a close look at the picture. You will see JWT moded the compressor housing to be able to bolt on Z32, pay attention to the wastegate actuator made bracket almost looks as mine. Take a close look at the turbocharger it is the same turbine housing except 700(gt28rs) has 9 fin turbine wheel and higher A/R for more flow but that makes it more laggy: [[ http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=436&Car_Type=300&UID=2004102700452263.224.135.47 ]]
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Upgrade your Z with bigger BB turbos for les than $1500 - 
