come across a stock turbo with the stock manifold.. what size turbo would this be compared to mine on a 93? is this a sought after upgrade ? came across it the other day .. didnt know if it is something i should buy since the price is right for a future upgrade?

 

If the compressor wheel hasn't contacted the housing and it's not a filthy POS in general, it's worth 250-275 and is an excellent upgrade for the $$.

 

is it pretty much a bolt on? he said it had 120k miles on it.. how can you tell if the wheel has contacted the housing? will it be a good mod by itself with no other mods to the motor? can i still use my stock manifold?

 

bolt on--yes, except that your downpipe will have to be moved back about 1.5''. Some struggle with this, while others have found it easy. A lot depends on the level of crust on the underside of your truck. You'll also need to 'tee' into a boost source for the wastegate to be operational, though depending on how much your pump is turned up, it might not matter.

Housing contact--look into the compressor housing where the air enters the turbo. The pinwheel rides very close to the housing. If there are scuff marks in that area, the bushing is worn and the unit could use a rebuild. Not a deal breaker, but would drop the value about 120 bucks in my eyes.

It's a good mod by itself for two reasons--first, it has a larger and more advanced compressor housing that will move more air and reduce surging under low rpm load, respectively. Second, the exhaust housing is smaller than what you've got, meaning the turbo will spool sooner, making the truck feel 'peppier', especially around town. The housing is also wastegated, so very little top end is sacraficed, especially when running stock injectors.

It'll bolt right up to your stock manifold

 

thanks for the info.. will bolting it up be more of a problem when i get the stans or rooks 4" exhaust?

 

No, it'll be easier because you won't have to struggle with rusty old exhaust that doesn't want to move.

Given that you have an automatic, the truck will run pretty good if you swap the turbine housing off your stock turbo onto the HX-35. That way you won't have to mess with the exhaust.