ATS turbo questions

[Dvldog8793]

Howdy
My son just bought a 1986 2wd chevy 1 ton dually reg cab. It has a ATS turbo kit in. Really nice truck with only 80k miles. So he has some questions:

What is normal boost on these units? The truck had no boost gauge, we will be putting one in.

Is the ATS any better worse or just different than the Banks?

Any tips for working on the ATS system?

How does he get the passenger side Glow plugs come out?

Thanks for the help!!!
Conley

[Subzilla]

Put the ATS on my 83 about 4 years ago. Really woke up the beast - it can climb hills and actually accelerate like a normal vehicle!

Cruising down the highway at 70, normal boost is 1 - 3.
Climbing a hill without a load or hard accelerating with the rpm's up, it will see 5 to 8ish.
Pulling a trailer, climbing a hill, hard accelerating, I've spiked it at 11- 12.

ATS vs. Banks?? Matter of opinion. Never had a Banks. Some of the other experts could chime in.

Passenger side glow plugs and injectors....haven't changed mine since the turbo install. I'm wondering about that, too. Figured I could finagle the tools in there to get them....somehow...with patience and perseverance. Don't want to remove the turbo exhaust manifold for a GP install. I had to jack that side of the engine up just to install it. Plus access to the manifold bolts is limited due to the close proximity of the frame.

[Dvldog8793]

Great info! Thanks!
Youth and a little determination(with some guidance ) won out over the glow plugs. The key is taking out the AC cover to get access and then also working though the fender well. He is removing the AC system so for us it was no big deal. Truck seems to be in very good shape, normal wear and tear, more from lack of use than over use. We think it has 4:10 gears in the back...so with the 4spd and the ATS it should be a fun truck for a 14yr old!

Thanks again!
Conley