H3 Alpha Supercharger

[whylee]

If you look at the bottom side of the hood, I cut out the triangle shaped piece in the middle, and the 2 smaller rectangular ones just above it. Then took some diamond plate aluminum and cut it the same shape as the recessed portion of the hood. I had it bent to match the bend in the hood. Then I spaced the aluminum up 3/4" in the front and middle, and 1/2" along the rear. I like the look and it removes alot of heat. You can see it here, http://www.355nation.net/forum/forced-induction/127122-supercharged-5-3-a-3.html
I will get some better pics soon, and a side view.

 

[Ghostbuster]

Hmmmm

 

[whylee]

Here are a couple pics

 

[whylee]

I will be painting the hood flat black along with the white nylon spacers under the aluminum. Hve not decided if im going to pait the aluminum or leave it polished.

 

[Ghostbuster]

I will be painting the hood flat black along with the white nylon spacers under the aluminum. Hve not decided if im going to pait the aluminum or leave it polished.

hmmmm I wouldn't do it, but more power to ya.

 

[Airborne]

This is a 4x4 forum, I would not leave anything shiny or polished. I love the sc. If you have even thought about doing the whole hood. A bedliner type look would give everyone here a boner. me included. Looks awesome man. I mean the part you did diamond plate btw. meaning just bed line the part you already diamond plated....

 

[whylee]

I have thought about using bed liner on it. Just got so involved with the supercharger, tranny cooler, and gauges that everything else went on hold until im done.

 

[amrg]

That looks great! Maybe in a years time I'll get there!

 

[4speedfunk]

I'm a major wrench-head and I love power! But, I gotta question....Why would you pump more juice thru a drivetrain that can barely handle a stock 5-cyl? That front axle was on borrowed time, the day it left the lot. Do you have other upgrades planned?

 

[amrg]

( I have a 160 temp thermostat).

How did the truck run with it? Do you have a part number for it too?

 

[derian06]

It seems as though RamRod's drivetrain has been fine with his supercharger and 37's. Also Go with bedliner it looks great. Or atleast it did on my rig

 

[RamRod]

It seems as though RamRod's drivetrain has been fine with his supercharger and 37's. Also Go with bedliner it looks great. Or atleast it did on my rig

Yes and no.... lol

I have been lucky in a few ways when it comes to this set up

1- the supercharger was installed by the dealer and they honored the power train warranty until it expired.

2- the warranty has covered two tranny replacements (once for the previous owner, once for me) I don't know the full details of the first replacement but I think it had something to do with an after market torque converter with a higher stall out limit. For my replacement it was the clutch disc's for the 3rd gear that were worn, it was still functional but I wanted it fixed under warranty while I still had it and it was cheaper to replace the whole thing then take it apart and replace the disc's

3- 75-80% of the wheeling I do is either in snow or sand. This, I'm sure, helps dramatically with saving the front diff since there is that much less traction and is much more forgiving on the drive train

4- I drive like a bit of a grandma and really only use boost to about 1-2 psi when on blacktop, and then 2-5 psi when on a loose surface (7psi is my max output)

With that said I have gotten quotes for both an upgraded 4L60e from PATC or from the shop that did the engine and trans tune a quote for a upgrade to a 4L80e with all the required PATC conversion parts. The two options work out to be about the same however if I go with the 4L80e I haven't included the cost of the new custom rear drive shaft and the 4L80e trans so it will work out to be about $1500 more

That day will come just don't know how far off it is

 

[RamRod]

Great install BTW! A local shop told me that your supercharger is the newer version of mine and causes less heat sink, which would make more power longer, ie a long distance race like baja.

I agree with bed lining the hood, but damn that hood you came up with looks great! If you are not going to pay to get the hood sprayed by a shop like line-x then I would suggest the raptor liner kit that you can pick up on Amazon for $120 including the gun, it find I like the look of it way more then the duplicolor cans and it got enough juice in the kit to do an entire vehicle if that tickled your fancy!


Keep the updates coming!

 

[whylee]

How did the truck run with it? Do you have a part number for it too?

I got the thermostat from Summit Racing, the part number is MRG-6367, they also have a 174 degree and a 180. It ran great with it. I put about 1500 miles on it with the 160 before installing the supercharger,

 

[whylee]

I'm a major wrench-head and I love power! But, I gotta question....Why would you pump more juice thru a drivetrain that can barely handle a stock 5-cyl? That front axle was on borrowed time, the day it left the lot. Do you have other upgrades planned?

I really dont do any hard driving, I have supercharged almost every vehicle I have owned and never had a issue. I live at 5000 feet so I will only see 2 lbs boost anyways. I just like having the supercharger more than anything else. I traded in my 08 Wrangler that I had installed a RIPP supercharger on, and was told it would never hold up. I put 30,000 miles without a single problem and its still going strong.
So many people install a supercharger, then hammer the hell out of it and wonder why it broke. I know the drive line on these are the weak link, and I will beef it up if I have any problems.

 

[jkyzer]

Whylee,
I tried to reach you on another thread but just saw that this one is your thread. So... I'm looking for a little more info on your magnacharger. Where did you get it? I know its for a colorado 5.3. Is it year specific? Do you have a model or part number?

Just looking for some advice and guidance so I can put one on my alpha also.

thanks
jeff

 

[RamRod]

The kit he picked up is from Magnuson

He will have to speak to the exact kit he used, but I am sure its the kit that matches the model year of his 3

 

[whylee]

The kit is from Magnuson for 09-12 chevy colorado's part number 01-19-60-031-BL. I can answer any questions you have. You can PM me your number if you want to talk, which may be easier. I can guide you on the order process, since they were alittle difficult to deal with on that. They are a great company but they refuse to admit that this kit fits the Alpha H3's so if you order it, you need to tell them its for a 09-12 colorado. The only item I had to change was the MAP sensor.
My 08 Alpha MAP sensor used a different plug, so I bought a 09 colorado MAP sensor ( $48.00 ) and it plugged right in. You will also have to have it tuned, but thats easy enough for anyone with a Dyno.
Other than that, the kit bolts right up. I found and downloaded instructions for the old Magnuson H3 kits and had the instructions that came with the colorado kit, they only differ in routing the intercooler lines and connecting the coolant pump wires, I followed the H3 instructions for those and it all works great. If you need the instructions I have them both. Its a easy kit to install. Going on 11,000 miles now with no problems.

 

[Teahead]

only kit now available still:

GM/GMC/Chevy 2007-2014 5.3L Truck / SUV Supercharger Intercooled Complete Kit W140AX 2.3L - WK-1111

07-13 5.3L GM Full Size W140AX (2.3L) SC Kit

whipplesuperchargers.com

 

[Alpha X]

Magnuson still has the Colorado 5.3L System on their site as of March 2024. One difference between the Magnuson & Whipple is the Magnuson air intake is at the front of the supercharger, near the pulley, and the Whipple has the air intake at the rear which puts it close to the firewall.

TVS1900 Radix Colorado/Canyon 5.3L Supercharger System​

Part Number: 01-19-60-031-BL

TVS1900 Radix Colorado/Canyon 5.3L Supercharger System

year-2009,year-2009-make-chevrolet,year-2009-make-chevrolet-model-colorado,year-2010,year-2010-make-chevrolet,year-2010-make-chevrolet-model-colorado,year-2011,year-2011-make-chevrolet,year-2011-make-chevrolet-model-colorado,year-2009-make-gmc,year-2009-make-gmc-model-canyon,year-2010-make-gmc,ye...

magnusonsuperchargers.com

only kit now available still:

GM/GMC/Chevy 2007-2014 5.3L Truck / SUV Supercharger Intercooled Complete Kit W140AX 2.3L - WK-1111

07-13 5.3L GM Full Size W140AX (2.3L) SC Kit

whipplesuperchargers.com

 

[zebra]

Magnuson still has the Colorado 5.3L System on their site as of March 2024. One difference between the Magnuson & Whipple is the Magnuson air intake is at the front of the supercharger, near the pulley, and the Whipple has the air intake at the rear which puts it close to the firewall.

...​

well that & the Magnuson is a roots blower while the Whipple is a twin screw (two different supercharging methods). i ain't seen the measurements of the intake plenum or intercooler brick on the Whipple, but the MP & TVS style Maggies usually sit the intercooler really close to the intake floor & leave only a slight gap for airflow into the heads - which is why folks started sandwiching the manifold halves with phenolic spacers.