As many of you may have read, Corky Bell, founder of Bell Expirimental Group, Inc. (BEGi) has decided to produce a turbo kit for the naturally aspirted Crossfire! Since we are now into a new phase of getting this kit actually developed, I decided to start a new thread. If you would like to read the history of how this kit came into being, please read this thread:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...on-needed.html

For those who are looking at this for the fist time, Corky Bell is one of the most respected experts on turbocharging, and some of you may have read his book, Maximum Boost. I was introduced to Corky by Brandon who runs Kleemann USA. Kleemann has been the most successful at supercharging n/a Mercedes engines and is consulting with BEGi on MB specifics as it relates to tuning for boost. The Kleemann system's tuning is based on an approach that was pioneered by Corky Bell. To get a kit produced without the first person paying all development costs, we needed ten committments/deposits which we now have. Starting work on the first car is set for January 20th. Deposits are due January 13th, 2012. This is probably the most exciting aftermarket development for the normally aspirated Crossfire. Below is the list as of now and a letter from Corky Bell. If you are not on the list and would like a huge increase in performance, please ask to be added to the list.

V6 Kits:

1. Tighed1 (First Prototype) Paid in Full
2. mrmiata (Second Protype) Paid
3. Bri3D
4. Bill00 Paid
5. bjames Paid
6. CMAC Paid
7. 2005 Ragtop Paid
8. sk8erjosh09 Paid
9. Frankeyser Paid
10. Airscape Paid
11. steven 4190
12. Guelph
13. Crossfire6412
14. XFactorXXL
15. crosseduphwy101 Paid
16. XF newbie
    
17. Erzer (tenative)
18. Xalidin (maybe)
19. dtinker (possible)
20. BoilerUpXfire (if needed)

V8 Kits

1. LantanaTX - Corky will fit me in sometime after kit production begins

EDIT Update December 29, 2011:

The final kit price is $3,600 and deposits are due by January 13th. I have marked "paid" above for those who have sent the deposit. Deposit can be paid by check, Paypal or credit card. Corky will accept a credit card if needed but preferes check or Paypal.

To pay with Paypal: send funds to stepht@bellengineering.net

To pay by check send check to:

Bell Experimental Group, Inc.
203 Kestrel
Spring Bracnh
Texas 78070

To pay by credit card call Stephanie at BEGi
830-438-2890

Remember all depositis are due by January 13th



The following leter is from Corky Bell. He emailed it to me on his letter head but I could not figure out how to post it, so I did a cut and paste. The only thing missing from the letter is his logo:


Bell Experimental Group, Inc.
203 Kestrel, Spring Branch, TX 78070
830-438-2890



Crossfire enthusiasts,


Clearly, I am delighted with the prospect of creating turbocharger hardware for the Crossfire. Thanks to all of you for the kind reception.

Bob Lawrence and John Sheflet took the time and effort to allow Tim Pawkett and me to look the CF over closely. Tim will one day be my replacement as engineering boss. John lives here in San Antonio, and Bob drove down from north Fort Worth. Bob was the gentleman that introduced us to the idea of building a Turbo CrossFire.

While I like small cars for all the speedy, responsive, and economical reasons, turbocharging a 3.2 liter V6 in a 94 inch wheelbase car will require a configuration a bit different than we normally like to build. In our view, the rear mounted turbo is the obvious solution to turbocharging the Crossfire. All of us agreed that a rear mounted turbo offered the best combination of cost, simplicity, and ease of installation. Intercooling will be employed and it appears the classic front mounting has plenty of space available. Power cares not where the turbo lies, but response might. That may require fine tuning the turbo sizes somewhat more extensively than a more standard layout.

We feel it necessary to assemble two prototypes before shipping any assemblies. Any changes, while minor, to the second vehicle will be offered to the first. We will certainly cover all the bases with quality components, but we further intend to give our best efforts to simplicity and low production costs.

An objective price for the system is $3,500. The cost of creating a new system is clearly well in excess of the cost of the system itself. Your very generous contribution of deposits allows us to do the work and organization involved.

Performance, of course, remains somewhat guess work at this point. Experience, however, suggests boost pressures of 6 to 7 psi will offer 40 to 45% increase in rear wheel horsepower. Hopefully, that will offer approximately 100 more rwhp.

Our office and work shop are in the middle of renovation. The earliest opportunity to start on the CF project will be mid-December. We think eight to ten weeks should complete CF One. Hopefully, then, CF Two will only require four weeks to complete.

All of us at Bell are very keen on the Crossfire Turbo project. I would like to express my appreciation to the Crossfire community for offering us this opportunity.

Cordially,

Corky Bell

 

I'll be calling Corky today. Hopefully it's closer to eight weeks than ten weeks...

**edit**

Spoke to Corky for ~40 minutes this morning, all I can say is Bob (Lantana) undersold how nice Corky is to talk to. Very knowledgable, great wit, and stories that you could listen to for hours. We exchanged emails and are going to discuss the brass tacks of the deal.

Looking forward to the development of this kit.

 

40-45% would be amazing, we could possibly hold our own with a stock SRT6.

This kit could open up a whole new level of modding the N/As to try and compete with our beefier brethren.

 

Great news Bob...glad you all closed the deal...He's one of the best, so you already know it will be a quality product. Keep us motorheads up to date. Should be a great thread to follow, just like yours was with the V-8 conversion. I own S/C'd cars, but having a turbo version of the XF is exciting. I was shaking my head the first time I saw Bryan's SRT with a turbo, and this is just as exciting...Good luck to you all....

 

Just wonering.. should I put my K&N filters up for sale before the market gets saturated.. LOL.

 

HAHA I know I have a NW CAI and a few other things that are going to need to go.

 

Unless you have zero space, I'd simply hang on to all of the factory stuff. This kit will allegedly be easily reversible should you ever have to sell...

 

"If" I ever sold, think the turbo would go with it for a "boost" in sales price (yes I crack me up too sometimes..lol).. But on the serious side, I was thinking about airbrush work on my engine cover. Should that idea be tossed out at this point, or do we forsee some whittling on the cover and it's all good?

 

Hold your horses on the cover for the moment -- I'm trying to build a case to Corky to use the E-320 cover. While not his personal preference b/c of the exposed coil packs, I see multiple other positives to be had:

• Inexpensive/easy to find
• Hides the maze of harnesses/fuel piping
• Thin, and open in the center near the manifold, i.e. no heat soak
• Lightweight
• OEM fit & finish
• A delightful branding of the motor's true heritage
• Perfect space for BOV, if he decides to implement one

I have attached a photo of the engine cover in question. He said he would like to install a BOV in a manner that would redirect the release pressure back into the pre-charge intake side, but to me that seems like an expensive solution looking for a problem most of us won't mind. With only ~7 psi boost, the BOV would make a muffled "shhhhh" upon shifting, not the rice-a-riffic "PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH" you hear on the 20psi Lancers. The little cavity on the cover is perfect for a small BOV. Would any of you guys be deterred if you heard the turbo doing the deed?

To wit, how many SRT owners have griped about the Needswings intakes making their supercharger louder?

 

I want the shhhh sound when shifting!

(I have an E-320 painted silver like the stock crossfire cover and love how it looks.)

 

This may be a dumb question but that cover doesnt come with filters or tubes, so how would the set up work ... I was under the impression the charge pipe fed the intake based on stock formation, would we be in need of an intake?

p.s. I would love to hear the BOV

 

Air has to be filtered before the turbo. With the turbo in the back, the filter will be back there too. When you open the hood what you will see will look very much like the NW single intake. The E320 would be an option that you guys can pick up cheap. All we need to do is have the E320 cover on John's car when Corky designs the charge pipe in the engine compartment. John has alread picked up a engine cover and will deliver it with his car. Now if Corky bends that pipe just right it will also work with my V8.

 

LOVED the spooling sound of the turbo in my rear-mount Camaro (92).
Don't recall hearing the BOV too much but wouldn't mind it. It would give folks a kinda heads up as to what's under the "hood".

 

Just a sideline thought since I don't recall anything really being said, but maybe a single or twin (side by side) filter box that just happens to hold "stock" K&N filters? Just thinking cost reductions at the finish line.

 

I think guys who have not heard a rear mount are in for a suprise! When it spools up it sounds a little like a jet engine spooling up. Blow off valves or bypass valves are more critical on manual shift cars. You hear it when you snap the throttle shut when in boost. The location of the MAF sensor also has an effect of how this excess boost can be vented. You do not want to vent off air that has already been metered. Whether it is a blow off valve or a bypass valve that vents into the incoming air stream, I would leave it to Corky to figure out since he has to stand behind the kit.

 

I don't think the noise isn't the problem, it's the ECU. If he's keeping the stock MAF and air metering (which I'm assuming would be smart, given that the idea is to keep costs down and not anger the German code-beast that lives in the ECU), the BOV will need to be recirculated. Otherwise air the ECU sees flowing by the sensor won't be going into the engine, and you'll be running rich all the time. It could be tuned out, of course, but that tuning issue seems more like the expensive solution looking for a problem to me.

It's a classic problem in the community for almost any boosted car with a pre-turbo MAF stock - kids vent their BOVs to the atmosphere to get that sweet ricey d00d sound, and then wonder why their car won't drop back to idle properly or why it dies when they shift.

Of course, it's all up to Corky, and I trust him - I'm sure whatever he comes out with will work.

 

Lantana;

Add me to the list, but as a possible. Depends on a new job to come through soon. Money is tight now, but do keep me in mind.

 

Great, I added you to the list.

Some of you may have heard that John (JHM2K) was in an accident today and totaled his car. He and his wife are OK but a Chrysler Pacifica decided to make an illegal left turn and the Crossfire hit him hard enough for the Pacifica to end up on its roof. Hopefully John will find a new car in the next month that needs a turbo. Otherwise we could be in trouble if we don't have a V6 n/a car that can be at Corky's shop for 2 months. We will still need a second car that can be there for four weeks as the second prototype.

 

Hello! McFly!

 

If we end up in a bind on it.. It would be about a 9-10 hour drive off the top of my head. (No..won't be there in 7..per someones tag line ) Absence makes the heart grow fonder..right? LOL.

We don't need no ABS to go Turbo..right!??