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:

 

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'

 

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.

 

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

 

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.