Are you judging the performance of this turbo by what its doing when you free-rev it?

The actuator won't even begin to move until it see's at least 6 or 7 psi (depending on what actuator it is), meaning that you'll never see it move except on a dyno. The turbo also won't register much above zero whilst free-revving.

That said, DIY turbo rebuilds always fascinate me. Why on earth would you gamble with something so fundamental to your engine? If the turbo shits itself, chances are your engine will be toast, so why chance an unbalanced DIY rebuild?