Guys

I have a 1996 but I am getting kinda lukewarm on the whole idea of turbo prepping it. i have about 1500 to spend and as I read through these post it seems that I will shell out 500-700 on the turbo alone.

Can someone give me ball partk idea of what i am getting into from a stock 1996 to a reliable turbo setup.

ie: pistons, rods, head work etc

 

STFU. Search.

 

pistons, rods, head work etc is not needed for a simple set up......

search NOOB....oh and OBDII=fail unless its an NB

 

You can spend $100 on a T25 from a SR20

You still shouldn't expect to be turboed for much under 2k. Don't half *** it... the difference between bandaids and a good setup is HUGE and the cost isn't all that much

Do:
injectors
clutch
FMIC
Exhaust
Megasquirt
Wideband
bov
Dont forget the little **** costs $$. . . coolant lines, oil lines, etc
Also dont plan on turboing a car and leaving $0 left in your budget. **** will break.

Look in the useful saved threads area... SEARCH

BTW OBD2 isnt the end of the world. Just go full standalone megasquirt and when emissions time comes swap back in the stock ecu and stock injectors, throw the MAF back on and limp to emissions. Thats what I do

 

OP, to get off that phaggy time...search. Otherwise you'll be stuck on that permanent phaggy time.

 

reliable turbo setup at that price range? I think you might look into 3G range. Of course, price will go up if you want to build the whole engine to handle more than 250 RWHP. Search is going to be your best friend. Do some homework.

 

How the **** have you survived here long enough to make this post?

 

The key to it being reliable is that it not hit block. Observe:


China Turb - $150
Good mani & DP - $750
Engine Management - $400ish
RX7 Injectors - $80
Clutch - $300
Intercooler kit - $200
BOV - $100ish
Oil/Water lines/attachements - $60
Exhaust - $400
Wideband O2 - $200

About $2640, plus whatever shipping you pay. This is also assuming you do all the work yourself.

 

Turbo not hit block! That must be the most epic line ever.

BUT, if you are REALLY on a tight budget, learn to search for cheap parts. My parts list:

FM Log Mani - 250 brand new
BEGI DP - 80 used
China turbo - 200
Lines (oil, water hackjobbed) - 50
460cc injectors - 120 (I way overpaid for these, too)
Brain-built MS - 400
LC1 - 180?
IC setup - 120 (good deal on IC and lots of piping)
BOV - 40
Clutch - 250
Tools (Drill rental, tap, bits, that sort of ****) - 200

Total - 1890 for a working setup. That being said, I wish every damn day that I had just saved and done it right the first time. One thing I learned - pretty much every single part I cheaped out on fucked me in some way (Had to rebuild chinacharger after 2k miles, DP was CONSTANTLY giving me problems, oil lines leak, cheap rad leaks). Keep in mind that I built this kit over the process of about 6 months, waiting for deals then springing on them - it was NOT an instant thing.

Cheaping out caused me to be stranded in parking lots countless times (couplers blowing, cheap oil line setup coming undone and pissing everywhere, BOV actually shot off it's bung across the engine bay). Only had to get towed once due to my own laziness. Most if it was caused by me being lazy (being 16 at the time it was first put together) and not doing things right.

Installed, tuned, calibrated by me to save money. It CAN be done cheap, but pretty much everyone who cheaps out regrets it.

 

Prices on successfully putting together a powerful yet reliable turbo setup vary drastically based on how much of a noob you are and how badly you fail at searching.

So for OP I'd guess around 20k

 

The cheaper you go the more likely you are to spend even more money down the road. I would suggest saving more and doing research in to most of the **** you will need. Don't buy cheap hoses, they will likely fall apart causing you headaches.
Things that cant really get fucked up to bad are intercoolers, very few people have trouble with the chinese cores. China turbos seem to be hit or miss, there are tons of threads here if you look.

 

If you spend no time at all searching on the site and just want to cut a check to a vendor for a turbo kit, ECU, fuel system, clutch, and exhaust? Around $6000 give or take a few hundred bucks.

If you spend the time searching, bargain hunting, and learn enough to know where to not skimp and where to find good deals? No doubt you could assemble a fairly nice setup for $2500 including a clutch.

My first turbo setup cost me just under $5k, including a radiator, clutch, and full exhaust. I bought a lot of new parts, but did all of the labor myself. Ended up making ~200whp and I drove the car essentially as-is for 30k before making major upgrades again. The more you spend up front, the less you'll spend down the road.

 

Cheap 'turbo' kit for NooBs... and yer clutch 'might' be able to handle the power increase too.

 

for all the folks that helped thank you much..so I am guessing 2-2500 on the cheap side and 3-5k on the high side.
The reason for my asking is i have a local guy selling a miata with a 3sGTE with a R154 5speed tranny from a supra. Haltek ecu, dual bosch 044 pumps, and a garret GT42.
He is tight for cash so swap..really nice. He wants 5k for it fully running.. So if I were to shell out 2500 for a turbo kit and all the fabrication headaches and the 2500 that my 96 is worth I am better off buying the done miata.

there is also a 92 miata with a skyline engine in it (yonkers ny) he told me he would part with it but i dont know what he did with the tranny or the oil pan which are the hardest part of skyline swaps. He alluded to 3500 if i took it as is, but he said it was running.

Now you guys see where I am going with this..
the smart remark guys you sure make this forum welcoming...when people disapear from here you will know why

 

why didnt you mention this in the beginning?

Pics or GTFO!

 

Rider thanks for the 2nd post. I've been slowly piecing together my kit and now i feel I've been paying a good price for used items.

Mack i've been a troll here forever and all across the miata world this forum is known for not being friendly to people who ask questions that are already found in the FAQ. If people go it's no problem they'll be back when they need technical issues resolved or an MSQ file. At the least they'll troll for answers and not ask simple questions.

Mack i say boost your miata and then you'll know the build quality and shouldn't have any question as to the condition of the parts on your car.

 

We totally know why people disappear and it's one of the reasons the board has stayed awesome.

 

I've had a couple of chances to buy "boosted" but the fact that I don't know how the car was treated especially during the critical phase of initial tuning scared me away.

Money was an issue for me to boost. Despite the fact that I bought decent used stuff and skipped the heavier duty clutch and rear by keeping the boost low at the start it does end up costing more than anticipated.

If you put a price on additional items, hardware time etc - a decent kit is really the way to go if you have the patience and discipline to gather the funds...

 

Will this turbo hit block ? Yes ? No ?

 

I have gone through 3 iterations on my turbo setup. Do not use cheap parts, it is fun until things start breaking and falling apart. Also my other problem is that I kept wanting more and more power, and that gets more and more expensive.