How cheap can you built a Turbo miata
 

How cheap do you think i could construct a turbo miata for? With all the DIY kits and the Greddys (not to mentioion the pricey FMs), to buy a miata and turbo it, how much would it be?

The HP target range would be aroun 215-230.

There's a saying; fast, cheap, reliable. pick two.

With that said, you could probably theoretically buy a POS miata for $1000 and turbo it with junkyard/chinese ebay parts for another $1000, maybe less, especially if you're a machinist or welder.

what happens if i am an 18 year old who is afraid of disconnecting the battery because of a possible shock

btw SamS, where did you get your license plate for your motorcycle

Then you need to start saving up. I turbo'd mine last year at 18. I currently have about $10k in it, including the car itself.

My motorcycle license plate? From the DMV. Unless you're talking about that pic of the darkening plate holder, that's not my bike, and I forget where i found those pics.

My advice:

1)Buy an old miata with a hardtop (some sell for less than $2K)
2)Sell the hardtop ($600-$800)
3)Do a complete tune up (Replace PCV, fuel filter, all fluids, plugs, belts,etc.) (~300)
4)Buy a used greddy kit (make sure it's complete!) (~800)
5)Join a local miata club
6)Sponsor an unofficial tech day to install your turbo (cost of beer and pizza)
7)Enjoy!

To hit 215/230
8)used E-manage blue (~250-300)
9)Supra injectors (~$80)
10)Devil's own WI or used IC system(or both!) (~$200-300)
11)New clutch (~200-300)
12)New Fuel pump 190 HP (~120)

If you have apprehensions about muddling about with your car, but you're convinced you need a turbo, then a used GReddy is a decent choice. But don't get the impression that once installed it is turn-key.

You must live in California :gay:
Everywhere else a beater with no top can go for $2,000-2,500

Or put another way, I will purchase *every* miata priced at $2k or less that comes with a hardtop. Send em over!

This is like asking "How much is lunch?". You could score a used Miata for as little as $2k for an old NA or as much as $20k for a newish NB. The turbo bolt ons could cost anywhere from $500 if you're doing an all junkyard parts build to $5-7k or more if buying retail.

Like Sam, my $4k miata has a total of $10k or more in it.

I don't think this is the right forum to ask "how cheap"- believe it or not there's too much inegrity here among these members. :gay: Seriously. Wanna see how cheap turbo setups can be built for it, visit homemadeturbo.com- it's cheap, raunchy and chock full of info. I know there's a few here that can vouge for that.

dude i tried to take the cheap route... its soo not WORTH it. Do it once and do it right. So whenever you go WOT you know for sure you arent gonna see a rod and piston fly out.

Well-sorted long-nose 1.6: $3k
Maintenance (fluids, oil change, shift boots, any necesary o-rings or gaskets, all the hoses, etc.): $500
Decent tires on stock wheels: $400
Koni Sports with eBay coilovers: $700
Alignment: $100
Brake pads, rotors, and fluid: $300
Used GReddy: $800

I'd assume a minimum of about $6-7k to do it right. I'm 18 and I've got 10k in my car, and it's still not turboed. I expect to have just under $14k into it once it's done, but it will be a finished, well-sorted machine capable of taking whatever I can dish out.

Search EVERYWHERE you can for used Greddy kits. I got a complete kit, bowser heatsheild, 1.8 injectors, Emanage blue with Autotune for $950.

If you want to hit 215-230 hp you will spend quite a bit. Try out 5psi, you'd be suprised at how quick it is.

My guess for a real world estimate of the absolute cheapest route (the kind where the car will blow up 3 months after you built it..) $3,000 to get it "running"....but I don't think it would be worth it.

EDIT: I mean $3,000 INCLUDING the car, sorry for not being clear.

Magnamx-5 has a decently cheap setup. He's a good one to talk to about getting results without coughing up too much bloody dough.

Myself, I got an insane deal for my car from a friend last January ($1k) and I've done about $500 worth of maintenance (timing belt/water pump/tensioners, t-stat/rad cap, hoses, gaskets, belts, cat, filters, plugs, etc) plus $300 tires (T1-S). I've bought most of my turbo bits, and it looks like it will come in at ~$1300. Tack on $200 for a wideband in the nearish future. So I'm looking at $3300 for a decent turbo Miata. But it's not actually done yet, so who knows how much I'll have to spend getting it all working. I expect more than I've budgeted, but it isn't my DD, so who cares when it gets done!

Hey, to each his own.

buying everything used, you could probably get close to your goals for under $1800.

thanks Ben. :D :ughug:
my turbo sytem for 200-220whp cost about 1600 dollars with no welding or electronics needed. i have given a run down several times but sadly i am now hemoraging cash into my car to hit 300 some odd whp.MS built motor 1.8 diff swap so my status of cheap boost is no longer as valid i am still under the price of a FM2 though. and hope to stay under that cost. So we shall see.
Jahunis also has the same type system i run except he runs a FMIC and EMB i believe.

Noob speak no more blasphemy. :gay:

That's what I was thinking! I was like 3,000! for that kind of DIY you might as well go talk to FM or Corky Bell

My system isn't finished yet, but I'm still well under the 1,000 dollar mark. All I've got left at this point is a good T25 and an intercooler, BOV optional (and can be picked up ebay cheap for like 15 dollars) At this point though I'm pretty sure i'll need some exhaust work so I expect to run it open DP to a shop then pay em like 60 bucks to get it to the cat.

I should be picking up welding soon though ^_^

The intercooler is an expensive part of the puzzle. Well, not so much the intercooler itself (go ebay) but the couplers and piping isn't cheap. I'm in the process of working mine out now. Price out some couplers...yikes

+1.

Couplers? Talk to Wideopen...

Probably the best way to go would be the purchase of an already turbo charged Miata. Let someone else spend all the money up front.

I'm on the cheap route...buying used...but all said and done (including clutch and rear end I had to buy, thats 1000 right there) I'll be about $3000 in the hole.

With some ingenuity, I bet you could boost a miata for ~$500, assuming you own a welder and a chopsaw and some other basic tools.

used walbro $50
used RRFPR $40
used ebay header $40
metal/flanges for turning ebay header into turbo manifold $40
DIY oil lines $40
used ebay BOV (clamp/hose style) $20
used ebay FMIC or DSM/Silvia/Audi SMIC $40
piping materials $100
used t25 w/int wastegate $80
downpipe parts $40
used boost gauge $20
retard your base timing = free
colder plugs $7..used lol j/k
clamps, couplers from lowes
Air filter.....who needs an air filter? :gay:


pic of such a manifold:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...cture024-1.jpg

I don't exactly count a welder as a basic tool lol ;)

its possible if you can fab stuff to do it cheaply. I'm also trying to get the most reliability out of my setup since its my DD and I can't afford to get another DD yet.

Seems about right. Add 200$ if you dont want to make your own DIY manifold.

2k - if you want to use quality parts and you have some skill(mechanical and finding good deals). You do NOT need 4k+ to turbo your car.

ahhh ok! anyone want to buy my cobalt ss lol?

Dude to be honest with you.. it all depends on you. I've taken the cheap but quality parts route and my kit is almost complete. After I'm done I should have a boosted 94 miata with suspension and a spare 1.8 motor all for $3k including the cars price.

Flux-core welder from harbor freight is $99 on sale. Mine has got me through several home-made turbo setups :)

i'm under $1k with my setup on a 1.8, 90% installed. hoping to end up under $1.3k when completed. EVERYTHING IS USED/HOMEMADE. The big problem with building your own stuff is large amounts of time invested, but you save huge amounts of dough. if you got a good nose and patience, you should sniff out good deals on quality used stuff.

Found one recently with a blown motor, clean body, and a cracked plastic rear window for under $2K in houston. One seems to pop up at the price in reasonable condition about once every 3-4 months. If I had closed on my house on the 20th like we were suppose to I would have bought that one.

Not only that but you can stand back and look at your engine bay with more pride saying 'I made that' instead of 'I ordered that' :bigtu:

I'm going to buy a truck and trade my vw for a turbo parts or engine management if possible, or maybe just a trailer and some cash. lol

that's way too much for a blown motor and fucked window. I'd offer $800 max for that car.

:rly:

I'm pretty sure the hardtop alone is worth that much. If I had the cash, and had room to part it, probably offer around 1200.

with a Ht, I'd pony up $1200 too.

I happen to have a motor sitting in storage... and I looked again last night. They are asking $1K and it runs with 200K miles. I was think'n of a different one apparently.

dude snap it up and sell it in peices here 1K for parts can be made quick here and no fee's think about it then you can keep the parts you want for spares.

I meant $3,000 including the car. I suppose it would help to have said that, noob FTW:bigtu:

if i were a nublet at turbos (this would by my first turbo) would you recommend me getting a greddy kit, replacing some of the components, and turning up the psi? would i be able to reach 230?

I know someone on here has reached 240 with a greddy but how reliable would the turbo become at those levels?

getting a greddy with plants of replacing components is not the best route IMO.
The mani's crack and don't flow as good as others. The turbo is small. The DP is restrictive and downright lame.
If you want to just do it down right easy. BEGI mani and downpipe, used turbo, DIY Intercooler setup, whatever fueling you decide upon. Then you wouldn't have any of the sucky greddy components that you'd end up replacing anyway.

The greddy turbo is struggling at 240HP, a different/larger turbo would be better suited while producing less heat.

That's what I did. :bigtu:

Completely agree. I feel that huge manufactures can never come up with an Ideal kit. So I took it upon myself to build my own custom DIY kit. I am currently enrolled in a welding class so I'll be doing the IC pipes + Exhaust piping myself. But as of for the rest... It's pretty cheap dude.

A used greddy kit costs about $600-1000.


HKS manifold = $240 brand new
T25 Turbo = $150
Custom Dp = $150
Greddy EMB = $100
SS lines DIY = $30
Ebay IC = $150


There you go man... It ends up being cheaper and you are able to make more power... plus if you end up coming across some cash for instant Tax return lets say you put $1k towards your kit. You can upgrade that T25 to a T28 or a used precision or Garrett turbo capable of 250+ whp. Upgrade your injectors and your set.


Greddy kits are good to start with if your new to turbos... this will be my first turbo car as well but I've been around turbines both on and off cars for years so I'm just learning about miatas.

Great call! I have seen some really nicely worked cars with body kits and the lot for about $7k. That's what I'd be saving up for!

Um chad i hate to be nit picky but the td04 in the greddy flows 428 cfm this is well enough for 260-280 whp with good tunning at 15 psi. It is a fair sized turbo and will flow enough for most miata people if done correctly. If i where you i would do exactly what i did for my build. I considered getting a Greddy and upgrading but i am so glad i went with a normal 16g and ebay parts the price was cheaper and the install was no more dificult at all. Except i ha dto make up my crossover pipes, and modify my DP etc. As well as buy my own oil lines, and FPR. greddy is simple and will keep you from running around sourceing parts and it will even help you from buying parts that dont fit or work with what you have. Begi manifolds are also on the market now for a good price in the t3 flange. So there are numerous choices.