ECU
The ECU for your turbo conversion is another big breaking point, if you decide for aftermarket then good on you, its worth the money
and you can obtain amazing results. For those that wish to stay on standard management, there are a few things you need to check
before trying to fire up your car. Firstly make sure you have the correct ECU for your engine setup (4 gap or 2 gap flywheel, see
above.) For ease it?s sometimes better to send the ECU away for decoding. This means it no longer requires a signal from the 5AS
unit and therefore doesn?t require security authorisation, this obviously means you lose your immobiliser. The same company will
also remove the boost cut and run diagnostic checks to ensure the ECU is in good health. Other than that it can just be plugged in and
run! With the ECU decoded you can use any 5AS unit, namely the one that controls your standard central locking.
Drive shafts
I had 2 pairs of drive shafts, one from a 420 GSI and one from a ZS 180? and to be perfectly honest I found no major differences
what so ever. The only slight difference was in the reluctor rings; which deal with the ABS side of things and are easily swapped over.
Double check on that but I?m confident that?s correct.
Gearbox
The gearbox that comes on the T16 is of course the famous PG1 that most MG/Rovers are equipped with. Some turbo PG1 boxes
have Torsen LSD?s which comes in very handy when traction is a problem. A recommendation would be to have the gearbox rebuilt
complete with steel caged bearings. They can be particularly fragile.
Power Steering
Believe it or not power steering gave me more agro than anything else, simply because I could not find the correct pipes, I ended up
having to get some specially made (not cheap!) so grab all of the power steering pipes from a 420 GSI also to save yourself the pain I
had.
Again these can be a bit of a pain to find, however there are companies that can sell a complete set of stainless and silicon water pipes
at a reasonable price. Some pipes are different to that in the 420, hence it?s easier to just buy the turbo specific set of water pipes. If
that fails you will definitely need the front coolant pipe and rail from a turbo rover to feed the turbo charger, don?t forget the turbo
charger requires cooling water too.
Radiator
The radiator you chose will depend upon a few key points, such as intercooler piping. My intercooler pipe work runs straight over the
top of the radiator, hence why I have the 220 radiator in my car to give me the space to do this. However if this is not a problem then a
standard ZS/45 radiator will do the trick no problem.
Exhaust
For the most simple conversion a 620ti down pipe will suit the application fine, also a standard ZS cat back system will do the job,
however the cat or decat (whichever you chose) will need extending by a few inches to pair up. Again if your handy with a welder its
an easy job. Of course after market performance down pipes are available as well as performance cat back systems to whichever your
heart desires. For something further (and more expensive) than that, you can give your car to a specialist exhaust fabricator who will
build your exhaust system to whatever spec you like. Again, worth the money if you have it. The same goes for the exhaust manifold.
Brakes
With more power comes the need for greater stopping power, whether it?s a complete brake upgrade to AP racing 330mm 4 pots or a
simple pad a disk upgrade, you should decide what is suitable for your expected BHP output.
Suspension
Standard ZS suspension doesn?t have a problem with the weight of the T16. But consider a coil over upgrade to get the ultimate
handling to compliment the T16 power potential. Plenty of companies can supply them however SPAX I know for sure are weighted
perfectly for the T16 engine on the front of a ZS.
Contacts
Here are a few different contacts that you might find useful for various stages in your project:
Grant Baker
Can sell you absolutely anything upgrade (and standard wise) for the T16 as well as piles of other equipment and toys! He is a top
bloke and cant help you enough if you get stuck at any point, highly recommended.
www.gb-ent.co.uk
Alan Baker
Deals with the Omex ECU?s. He dealt with my Rover Omex conversion throughout and really knows his stuff.
http://www.omextechnology.co.uk
Drew
Again sells T16 parts as well as the engine management, top fella and really helpful.
http://www.roverdose.co.uk/
Best of British
Will decode and diagnose your standard ECU
http://www.slashformayor.webspace.virginmedia.com/
Rovertech
The most helpful forum for Rover turbo?s on the net, no end of helpful and brilliant people. Sign up and get involved!
www.rovertech.net
The MG ZS.co.uk
Again its full of very knowledgeable people who have no problem with helping very friendly bunch.
www.themgzs.co.uk
Elite
Will build you custom driveshafts to suit your high application turbo cars
http://www.eliteracingtransmissions.com
Me (Dan Baker)
Can help with most things; don?t hesitate to drop me a e-mail and I will not hesitate to help where possible!
carmadbaker@hotmail.com
Finale!
Well there?s a quick guide for you to fish through and take the info you want and need. Any mistakes or false information please let
me know and I?ll rectify it straight away enjoy!