Disaster

iTrader: (1)

Been trying to decide if I build my own, or buy a turbo...as in whole car. I've already got about $4K into my '92, in upkeep, suspension, chassis stiffening, and other mods.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

depends on your skills/knowledge/ability to diagnose stuff.

some "completed projects for sale" are excellent and at insanely good prices.
some are nightmares in disguise.

you won't really know which one you get unless you purchase a well documented build from a known member or person.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Stop post whoring. Twelve one sentence posts an hour doesn't earn you points with the locals. I understand you want to send somebody a PM. Take your time, contribute something useful, or leave.

levnubhin

iTrader: (30)

Welcome to the forum. Keep the BS post count to a minimum.
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Disaster

iTrader: (1)

Nice greeting six! I didn't think posting in the "meet and greet" would be "whoring." All my other posts were on topic. I didn't realize I hadn't been posting here...just mostly reading threads, till I tried to PM.

Reading through some of the threads made me recall why I hadn't posted before. There seems to be a much less tolerant attitude with some of the crowd here.

I'm pretty good with the mechanical stuff. Rebuilt a Fiat 124 Spider years ago and have done all the work on the Miata myself. Having said that, I don't have as much time as I used to, and the wife gets antsy when the car is up on blocks for weeks.

P.S. I should also mention that I'd be happy with a small boost in power...say 130-150hp at the wheels. But I bet a lot of people say that...starting out.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

IMO about 80% of people say that.
about 10% of those people actually stay at that level lol

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

I'm just tired of getting embarrassed at lights by soccer moms in their minivans, with a full load of kids and gear in the back. :-{

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

GT2554 is what you want. It will be perfect.

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

The other issue is I'm still running the open 6" rear. The car had 68K leisurely miles on it when I bought it. It now has about 5K more, not so leisurely miles. A 7" Torsen is going to have to be part of the equation sooner or later...probably should be before boosting.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

hahaha that is the sad truth about our cars stock.
I started buying turbo parts before I even purchased my car

18psi

iTrader: (76)

I'd just buy one and have it laying around til you grenade the stocker. unless you want to swap the stocker back in for whatever reason later.

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

That is probably one reason to keep it. The other is not getting stuck...especially not with my wife in the car with me. It will give her more ammunition, if you know what I mean.

Lately I've been shopping the classifieds here, and a few other places for a built car. Based on what I dumped into mine, with just minor mods, it has got to be a wayyyy cheaper way to go.

I even considered buying a car that was pretty rough on outside (rust) and yanking the entire powertrain and dropping it into mine and then parting it out. That one was going for about $5K, which didn't seem to bad if the entire powertrain was good (engine, trans, diff.)

Or I might buy a better car and move some stuff over, and then sell my car. The shame would be mine has a nearly perfect body....garaged most of it's life...0 rust. It makes working on it so much nicer. No need for Kroil or barely even an impact gun.

Here she is:



List of mods (that I can remember offhand.)

1. Boss Frog Dual Hoop roll bar, frame rails, Frog Arms.
2. Clutch, Flywheel, Pressure plate, Throwout bearing, Pilot bearing, Rear main seal, CAS Oring.
3. Ecode headlights.
4. GV air dam.
5. Monster shift ****.
6. BBS wheels and tires (to replace wires) and 8" 6UL's with RS3's.
7. Radiator switch and rear heater hose.
8. $300 dollars worth of paintless dent repair (to remove the parking lot and garage dings.)
9. $300 bucks on detailing (equipment.)
10. RB sways.
11. GR2 shocks and FCM bumps.
12. Raceland Coilovers (yeah, I know)...not installed yet.
13. Raceland header (useless if do turbo.)
14. Tsudo N1 catback exhaust.
15. High flow cat.

Nagase

iTrader: (6)

You don't need a turbo for that power level.

VVT Engine + Engine management + Header + Exhaust + Intake would get you in that range, and you'd have a stock engine.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Looks like someone is reading Sav's posts and reposting them as gospel

OP has a street car from what it sounds like. Not a race car that's going to get the everliving **** wrung out of it on an hourly basis.

a small turbo 150whp miata is going to be 1000% more fun on the street than one with a stock 01+ nb engine swap.

Even Sav will agree with that.

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

I recall Emilio (949) posting something like that. That he could get 140hp plus on stock engine with just ECU and a few other mods....but those few other mods would run $3K or so...and the extra breathing makes for a very loud, uncivil street machine.

I suspect you are right. It would be better to have a low boost, more civil turbo. Plus, I do like to have my wife for a passenger now and then.

Nagase

iTrader: (6)

Didn't say anything about fun. NA will cause less headaches and be more reliable. Fun is up to who you're talking to.

Not even close. The 2001-2005 engine came with 142 horsepower stock. That's on a stock exhaust where you can barely hear the car

Uncivil? Not sure what you mean by that. Stock cams, normal low idle, no drivablility issues.

Being able to run at Laguna Seca keeps the car from being loud. A Y8S/Brain exhaust would keep it quiet and make a lot of power.

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

So going 1.8L from 1.6L gives a 26hp boost. What is that, about 120hp at the wheels? How much more after mods? How much work to swap out engine vs. tack on turbo? Does the 1.8L weigh much more? I guess you'd have to bring the OB2 stuff with it as well...and the extra O2 sensors and EGR.

Comparing cost and time, which is more bang for your buck, a low boost turbo or supercharger, or an engine swap?

Nagase

iTrader: (6)

The 1.8 will weigh about 20lbs more. It'll be a much newer, likely lower milage engine for the cost, though. And no, you don't bring ODB2 stuff with it.

The swap is straightforward, I'm doing it myself right now, into a 1990.

You'll have more fun getting a used cheap turbo setup though. After you get it together, take some months there, blow up an engine or two, eventually replace all the parts with decent ones, you'll just be repeating a lot of stories here.

Or just go:

Cast manifold
FM/Begi downpipe
Enthuza exhaust
High flow cat
GT2554 turbo
Megasquirt
RX7 injectors
Turbo lines
Boost controller

And you basicly have your own FM Voodoo / BEGI S kit. For your power goals, you want one of those kits, or to basicly copy it.

If you go:
Ebay manifold
AFPR/engine control bandaids

You'll hate life.

Disaster

iTrader: (1)

I'm starting out with a low mile engine that was mostly babied (73K now.)

Exactly the kind of shenanigans I can't afford...in time or money.

Looks like the ECU is a big part of cost....$700, but worth it. I like the idea of a kit. Seems like the Begi is the best value. Will need to read a lot more if I'm going to source my own parts. Programming the Megasquirt gives me a little anxiety. Will have to read up more on that too.

Nagase

iTrader: (6)

So what I'd recommend is this:

Get Brain to build you a Megasquirt.

Tune it, get used to it. Learn a lot. Just play with it in your free time. Use Tunerstudio, the VE Analyze feature.

Install some 460/RX8 injectors, and exhaust/cat. Tune that.

By then you'll have your head around tuning, and you'll be ready to put on the whole turbo kit.

Tune that, and have fun.