Zac Lucarz Tests The Home-Drilled T51R Turbo Mod On His Fourth-Gen Ram. Does It Really Work?

After completing a second-generation manifold and turbocharger swap on his fourth-generation Ram pickup, builder Zac Lucarz wanted a louder compressor whistle from the new setup.

Machine shops charge roughly $400 to mill a recirculation groove into the compressor inlet, which also requires shipping the unit away. To avoid the downtime and expense, Lucarz tested a free DIY T51R Turbo Mod at home.

Drilling For A T51R Turbo Mod

Even though the turbocharger had only been bolted onto the truck for a week and 20 miles of driving, the compressor cover fought removal before finally popping free. A commercial T51R conversion cuts a ported shroud slot into the compressor inlet wall to trigger a high-pitched scream as the wheel compresses air.

To mimic that disruption on the workbench, Lucarz marked 10 evenly spaced points around the inner lip of the housing. “We got our 10 holes marked out,” Lucarz says. “We’re going to use the Milwaukee here with the old 3/8 drill bit and we’re going to drill some dimples inside this turbo.”

Sanding The Inlet And Road Testing

After drilling the 10 shallow dimples to a uniform depth, Lucarz cleaned up the aluminum burrs with fine-grit sandpaper so no rough edges remained in the airstream. Reinstalling the cover and intake piping wrapped up the entire T51R Turbo Mod in about 30 minutes.

Out on the pavement, back-to-back throttle pulls revealed a modest change in acoustics. “One place I did notice a pretty good difference in sound is under heavy load,” Lucarz explains. “If you’re accelerating heavy, you definitely hear the turbo spooling up a lot more, but you still don’t get that whistle or that whoosh on the let-off like I was looking for.”

Surviving A Sideswipe And Swapping Wheels

While driving to pick up truck parts later that afternoon, another motorist pulled out in front of the Ram and clipped the passenger-side rear quarter panel. Because Lucarz swerved into the adjacent lane, the collision left only minor clearcoat scuffs, a beat-up center cap, and a small bedside crease above the wheelwell that paintless dent repair can pull out.

Fifth-Gen Laramie Rollers And Street Rubber

Undeterred by the fender bender and pouring rain, Lucarz picked up a set of 18-inch factory wheels from a 2019 through 2023 Ram 2500 Laramie wrapped in Toyo Proxes street tires.

Mounted with spiked lug nuts in place of his stock 17-inch wheels, the shorter tires leave extra fender gap that he plans to close up with front drop springs and two-inch rear shackles before sending the turbo out for a true machined housing this winter.