ShadeTreeNA

Hello everyone...

My name is Lee and I reside in Memphis, TN. Below are photos of the NA that my son and I have built together over the previous year. It was a rolling shell when he bought it. It has been my pure pleasure to spend long hours with my 21 yr. old son on this car. I have already exceeded what I believed my previous limits to be on many occasions. We have pretty much reached a plateau and are just beginning to explore turbocharging it. I am actively reading this site and watching youtube videos to increase my knowledge. The goal is to make a street car with future possibilities of autocross racing. I am a captain of the Airbus 320 for a major airline and do not fear technical study. In fact, I welcome the challenge. My son recently graduated from the basic autotech program at Universal Technical Institute. We both humbly appreciate the advice and criticism of this community.

What the car has so far...
Stock 1.6L long shaft engine from a 110.000 mile salvage donor with all gaskets and seals replaced (head gasket included). Stock 5-speed tranny with open 4.3 diff. Upgraded aluminum radiator with aftermarket 12" electric fans. Raceland coil-overs. 4 new Timken wheel bearings. Slotted discs. 4 rebuilt OEM calipers with stainless steel lines. Track Dog DuraAce roll bar. Aftermarket wheels with 195/45/R16 tires. eBay header. Flowmaster muffler. All new vacuum, water, and fuel lines. New driver fender, front valence, and paint job. Fly lookin', turbo-wanna-be, K+N air intake (ha ha). Exterior LED DRL's. Interior bling.

Initial plans are to MSPNP2 this car as an education in ECM tuning is also a primary goal for my son's chosen career path. That said, my first planned steps are the installation of an AFR gauge and a wideband O2 sensor. I already know the stock diff has to go and am patiently waiting/searching for an upgrade within driving distance. I firmly believe there IS such a thing as a stupid question, so let me get 2 off my chest. 1. Does the oil supplied to the turbo serve to lubricate it, cool it, or both? 1(a). Does an oil cooler ever become necessary? 2. Are there any vehicles that I may find in local "You Pull" salvage yards that may donate the turbo or other very expensive parts?

Thanks again to all! Looking forward to the journey.

ryansmoneypit

iTrader: (6)

Somewhere on here you will find a chart that shows how much hp the various stock components on these cars can handle. Use that as a guide to your power goal. It will help decide just how much money you want to spend .

psyber_0ptix

iTrader: (4)

welcome. cool project. my dad would laugh at me about the prospect of building a car together, now he begs me to change his spark plugs. you done right.


1a. Main job is to lubricate it. Cooling is of secondary consequence, but that's where water cooled turbo's shine.

1b. If you are sustaining high revs and engine loads that keeps the oil ast 240-250° regularly. Might look into a cooler then. As an aside, on a 6 speed and a 4.1 lsd, my oil gets to 240° just cruising on the highway.

2. yes, but you probably want less headache and more plug and play solution. Enjoy the 1.6L as is, and salvage and build a 1.8L. If you want more power, there are an abundance of kits to get you started down a glorious turbo path even on some budget. Not all things are worth doing cheaply....you'll honestly spend much more sorting it out than having gone with a developed solution.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Welcome.
You're off to a good start and it's really nice to see a father/son project like this take place. Get the mspnp2 or a ms3 and an aem wideband, and start there. also look into replacing those riceland coilovers in the future if you plan on doing any real competitive driving.
Also I think the location of your intake is not good. It's basically sucking in hot air from the fans and header. Likely actually losing power over stock. I'd re-locate or even go back to stock box. Or just ditch it all when you go turbo later.

Trent

iTrader: (11)

I have fond memories of the times my dad and I spent working on cars in my teenage years. Good on you for what you're doing and passing down the desire and ability of being mechanically inclined.
As for the car, you have a great base to work from there.

I'd say be realistic in your power goals. If you're not looking for peak power, the 1.6 that you've already invested blood, sweat, and tears into is still a great platform to start from. Would you have been better off starting with a 1.8L? Yes. But the 1.6L is still a stout little powerplant and easily capable of over 200whp boosted.

ShadeTreeNA

Thank you all for your kind words and answers. The intake is surely due for a redesign in the future, But, for now, his friends and chicks dig it, so it is serving its purpose. I was just trying to get it as for as possible from the header. For all we have put into this engine, we will likely stay with the 1.6, but if a good 1.8L comes along,,, ya' never know. As I said, I need a good rear end set from an NB. Maybe I'll find a engine to boot!