Are E bay bidders Nuts?

[Nelsoncat]

I will probably get blasted for posting this thread but here goes. This week I was outbid on 2 Banks turbo kits. The used one sold for $799 and the turbo looked like it had sucked gravel. I figured it was worth $500 max.The new old stock one sold for over $1500. Thats about $100 more than I figured it was worth when compared to normal quoted new prices. By the time you add shipping it would be darn near $1600 dollars. You can buy them new on e bay stores for $1983 including shipping and it would include a warranty. Maybe I'm just bitter because I didn't get a deal but since this kit was for a Van application, I would think by the time you tweak what ever is different you would have been better off buying a new one. Mine is going into a Ford Pickup so I know I need to do some tweaking anyways. Oh Well!!
Craig

[bigeasy]

Yes i believe they are :o
You also see old CCUV"s bringing better than 5 thousand.
I think things are tilted abit also.

[DennisG01]

I have many times see things sold for more than what they would sell for new. Some people must think "if it's on ebay, it must be a deal". I think they caught in the bidding frenzy and "want to win" no matter what. Oh well, buyer beware!

[john8662]

Saw the Van kit sell. Actually it's quite fair.

The kit in the day when it was offered sold for $3,000 seriously.

You can't buy the kit from Banks for the 6.2L Van any more, as a matter of fact, hasn't been offered for at least 8 years or more now.

So, it was a rarety.

But, I do agree with you that things are selling higher than their worth.

Ebay is the essence of "Free Trade" where it's whatever a person is willing to pay. In reality, our governent is leaning really really far this way too as of late, cheap fuel prices?

Sure wish our economy was based on a "Fair Trade" system again...

Back on the turbo, should be an interesting install...

J

[Mark Rinker]

Sometimes when things sell over market price, I wait a few days, contact the seller and ask if the transaction completed.

Many times it didn't - usually they claim non-payment or other issues. (Really its because the seller, or his brother-in-law were the high bidders, trying to drive the price up.)

Offer then what you are willing to pay. It works, when they are 'exposed' gently, without having to admit it...

[trbankii]

Before even reading your story, my answer was "Yes they are!"

Not regularly, but often I will see things go for more than new list price if you search around a bit for deals. I agree on the "getting caught up" bit and I think Mark's view is likely the case certain times as well...

[Nelsoncat]

O.K. I would agree if it was really going into a van then it was a good deal. Not sure what is different. What are the odds of someone actually putting it on an old van though? Wouldn't be on my list of cool things to do but whatever. I now have a new dilema; what would work better in a 6.2 powered 79f150, the old body style banks kit or the new body style kit. From what I can tell the turbo is farther back on the new style manifold and the drivers side exhaust is routed differently. Ford likes to mount the motors more to the passenger side so clearance is an issue. It looks like I might have more room with a front mounted turbo. Any thoughts?????

Thanks

Craig

[john8662]

What are the odds of someone actually putting it on an old van though?

You'd be surprised ;)

The later and earlier setups, hmm. Most likely the answer will rely upon would the factory 6.5T setup work? If it fits easily, then the later Banks setup is the answer, otherwise, the early setup is a go.

J

[RoverIIa]

Don't forget that E-Bay is a national, and in some cases world-wide market. I tried unsuccessfully for months to find a salvage yard hydraulic clutch setup in California, being told that there were waiting lists, and that prices were in the $600+ range. Some calls to friends in the midwest netted complete setups for less than $200, I had to pay for shipping and beer. I guess that part is hidden in the California price. As far as CUCV's go, Diesels are non-smog in some states, which drives the prices up because there are more options as to engine swaps and so forth. As someone already said, the auction sites bring the prices that buyers are actually willing to pay.

By and large though... Yes. E-bay buyers are warped.

As far as the Ford goes... you will likely have so many problems with the complete Banks kit that you are just as well off to go out and buy a turbo from a shop for cash and custom fab the rest. I just finished installing a Banks kit out of a junkyard "deal" into my truck. I think I only saved a few dollars over buying new, and I had to modify a lot of parts because I was not satisified with the way Banks designed them.

I think my latest decision was that I would have been better off to mount the turbo downstream in the exhaust somewhere under the truck where there is a lot of room, instead of fighting to get everything wedged in under the hood with the AC and everything else in the way. Thermodynamic efficiency might suffer, but It would still be pretty good.

[Nelsoncat]

I would love to see some pictures of both factory setups, mainly how the crossover pipe is routed. I may have some issues with my front driveshaft. I should really mount the motor first but having a new turbo kit to install on the motor while on the engine stand would really give me incentive to finish the project. Is the new body style banks similar to the factory 6.5 setup?

Thanks

Craig

[john8662]

. I just finished installing a Banks kit out of a junkyard "deal" into my truck. I think I only saved a few dollars over buying new, and I had to modify a lot of parts because I was not satisified with the way Banks designed them.

Good points here.

I scavenged up two incomplete Banks setups for the early style 6.2.

I ended up with two turbos that needed a complete overhaul (~300 bucks to rebuild) and still had to fab up the rest.

On my '86 pickup I had my own exhaust componets made.

Used the downpipe and had a shop fab up a mandrel 3.5" system. I also purchased mandrel 2.25" components to fab up my own crossover pipe.

I didn't like the crossover pipe routing from Banks because it allowed exhaust to pass directly beside the oil pan, and interfered with the factory auto transmission cooler lines. Solution, I went under the suspension. I only lost a little clearance over all, but it's easier to service :)

I probably had at the very least (I don't do well with recall of what i've spent, for a reason) $1,200. But my time is free. In reality I probably blew 1500 or so, so yeah, Having a turbo isn't cheap.



As for what system, the later setup is similar to 6.5T setup because it centers the turbo on the manifold and has the crossover pipe on the back of the engine, verses the front.

I prefer the earlier setup over all anyways, because it's a more efficient routing of exhaust INTO the turbo, one of the reasons it made more power than the factory 6.5 in '92/93 when they were compared.

J

[RoverIIa]

Some of my specific pet peeves were:

1) The crossover pipe touched the lower radiator hose. The factory kit includes some heat shield to wrap it with. I just spent thousands on an engine rebuild, and I don't think this is appropriate at all. For one thing, heat shield is for RADIANT heat. I ended up welding up a few pipe fittings to replace the hose in the area where it touches the crossover. Now it only comes within about a quarter inch, but I feel better about steel pipe than hose. At least the water through it will keep it cool.

2) The downpipe barely fits in place, and runs extremely close to the fuel lines and AC box. Lots of heat shield was used here. Ripping a motor mount will definately trash your pipe on the frame-rail.

3) I used an early-body style setup with later style accessories and brackets. The turbo drain line was a no-fit item. I ended up having a custom tube shop make me a line to drain the oil back into the fuel pump plate. (I have electric pumps).

4) The turbo sits where my AC lines and heater hoses want to be. A home - made bracket and some cable ties fixed that up.

5) The early-style air box is a pain to mount, and the filter from K&N is almost 100 bucks. If I were to to it again, I would put in an intercooler, and use some heavy-truck intake hoses to move the cold-air intake to the drivers side of the truck under the grill with a clamp-on type filter.

6) Wiring to the starter and glow plugs was annoying to say the least due to tight clearances. I can see the turbo side manifold coming off a lot in the future for basic maintenance tasks.

I recently saw a show on HP TV where the replaced corvette mufflers with turbos out back, and ran charging pipes up to the intake. This seems to make sense to me with all of the space under a truck bed. Were I to do this again, I would run a single exhaust with a turbo under the bed somewhere. It would take a lot less welding, and reduce underhood temps significantly.

Last, but certainly not least, As I purchased these parts used, a lot of stuff had to come from Banks directly. Their customer service was terrible. One of the guys I talked to actually bad-mouthed the company to me on the phone. He also had no idea what he was talking about, couldn't look up part numbers, and shipped me a bunch of the wrong parts!

If anyone needs a new-body-style oil drain line, drop me a note.

If you want some pics, let me know. I will look through what I have and e-mail or post them up.

[More Power]

The Banks Sidewinder kit I installed fit and installed according to the instructions. I needed to fuss with the crossover pipe to get adequate clearance between it and the lower rad hose and fuel lines. Pushing the lower rad hose further onto the water pump allowed plenty of clearance. I was able to get enough clearance between the crossover and the fuel lines, but I'd install an electric pump on the frame rail (under the truck) if doing it again.

I wonder how the turbos installed under the vehicle do when hit with water (like driving through a big puddle)? Also, there are a few efficiency disadvantages when using long runs (i.e. longer spoolup and more exhaust heat loss).

Jim

[Nelsoncat]

If anyone had some closeup pictures of the crossover routing and turbo locations with early and late designs it would sure be appreciated. Maybe I should start another thread with pro's and con's
Thanks
Craig

[arveetek]

If anyone had some closeup pictures of the crossover routing and turbo locations with early and late designs it would sure be appreciated. Maybe I should start another thread with pro's and con's
Thanks
Craig

This thread (http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/tdpforum/showthread.php?t=25854&highlight=banks) will be of some help. I have a link to some pictures of my turbo in that post. It's all about the early body style systems, though.

Casey