Okay, sounds like a nice car to work with!
The first thing you need is your scantool. I prefer the combination of the Scanmaster and the Powerlogger so I can keep an eye on O2s and Timing Retard at all times. The PowerLogger is excellent in that it allows data logging for good analysis plus allows you to post the data so that others can help you see what it is going on. We often read comments that go something like, "Oh, I don't have any detonation because I don't hear it."...Under boost, cylinder pressures are two-three times that of a regular engine and detonation occurs so quickly that its sound is often covered up by the engine blowing. That is why the ability to monitor timing retard is so crucial.
Now, you should not need a two step to build boost with a small turbo IF the converter matches the turbo and there are NO leaks in the exhaust before the turbo. Leaks around the exhaust ports, cracks in the headers (such as the common crack behind the juncture of cyls 3/5, the crossover connections, or under the turbo, will kill the spool.
If the car has a stock diameter converter restalled to 3000 rpm, then those where pretty sorry converters as they were very inefficient due to the excessive bending of the blades required to get the stall. They slipped up in rpm but they did not transfer much torque. The common name they were sold under was Orange Stripe. To efficiently get more than about 2800 rpm stall, one needs to go to a smaller diameter converter that is more like ten inches in diameter.
Now, given that the car has an Art Carr tranny in it, it was once popular to go to an Art Carr nine inch converter that was a non lock up unit. Those commonly stalled around 3000-3200 rpm.
The power band, stock, was from the lower 2000 rpm range to the mid 4000 rpm range. A bit larger turbo will raise that band but the the factory cam is pretty much dead around 5200 altho we may run it out the back door a bit higher with good valve springs.
The moral is that we want to match the turbo with the converter so that we don't give up any more of the rpm band than is necessary to launch the car because we have a relatively small rpm band to work with.
The TA 49 had a 58mm compressor that will easily spool with a 2800 rpm converter and many have used the stock converter which would usually show 2100 or so against the foot brake. This was capable of producing mid to upper 11's if the car was sound and had traction.
Not knowing if you have one of the old school turbos, or one of the more modern versions, it is hard to know what would be expected, but, it sounds to me as if you have some problem that is not related to a need for a two step.
You can put your foot firmly on the brake and bring the rpm up to the point where the rear wheels begin to turn and tell us the rpm and boost at this point.
As far as ram air goes, it if is truly one of the old KB cannister ram air set ups, remove the cannister as it was restrictive as the boost came up. A 9" open element K&N conical filter will do much better even when laying on top of the charcoal canister under the hood.
My best advice to you is to keep the car off the track and away from much boost until you can monitor O2s and timing retard plus fuel pressure to be sure you are not on the verge of hurting something. You will need a good fuel pump and a hot wire to it to insure you don't run out of fuel.
These cars are a lot more fun when they don't blow up
the good news is that upper 11's is not very difficult if the engine and drivetrain are solid and the various components are all working properly. Traction should be a point of emphasis. I don't like slicks but the modern drag radials work very well.
