Modding tips

Chambers · 08-07-2008, 11:48 AM

Ideally to turbo a NA, you should get another engine. With a spare engine you can learn exactly how the engine works, and then you can better understand what has to be done to turbo it. That and you can rebuild it so you know it will be good under boost.

If you plan on buying a after market turbo to put onto your NA you are looking at starting at approximately $500-$700. Then you would need to get some "headers" to mount it upon, another $200. With that "header" you will need a wastegate, $270. Then you would need a custom downpipe and wastegate dump, which could be real cheap, depends on who you know.

After that you will need to address the oil problem, the NA block doesn't have a oil return hole as the turbo block does. The way around this is to drill a hole in the oil pan and weld a fitting to it. After that you would need to tap into the oil pressure sensor with a "T" fitting to feed the turbo with oil.

Then you will need a blow off valve $100-$300, intercooler $150-$500, and intercooler tubing $150-$300.

At this time, you are looking at well over $1600 and electronics haven't been touched yet. You can do electronics pretty cheaply, Apexi SAFC is only $200-$300, this fuel controller is decent but its a universal unit, so the tuning capability's are limited. I would recommend the Maft Pro, with that you can run a few diffrent set ups and tune each one more so than the Apexi. A install kit from horsepowerfreaks.com will cost about $400-$850.

I'm not telling you not to turbo you car, if you really want to do it go for it, but in the end the cost effective way is to purchase a JDM 7M-GTE. They can run from $1000 up to $1500, depending on where you buy it from and if it comes with a harness, ECU, and tranny.

Good luck.

By the way, can we get some pics of this car?

08-07-2008, 11:48 AM	#8
Chambers walbro fp Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA - Harford County, Maryland Posts: 481	Ideally to turbo a NA, you should get another engine. With a spare engine you can learn exactly how the engine works, and then you can better understand what has to be done to turbo it. That and you can rebuild it so you know it will be good under boost. If you plan on buying a after market turbo to put onto your NA you are looking at starting at approximately $500-$700. Then you would need to get some "headers" to mount it upon, another $200. With that "header" you will need a wastegate, $270. Then you would need a custom downpipe and wastegate dump, which could be real cheap, depends on who you know. After that you will need to address the oil problem, the NA block doesn't have a oil return hole as the turbo block does. The way around this is to drill a hole in the oil pan and weld a fitting to it. After that you would need to tap into the oil pressure sensor with a "T" fitting to feed the turbo with oil. Then you will need a blow off valve $100-$300, intercooler $150-$500, and intercooler tubing $150-$300. At this time, you are looking at well over $1600 and electronics haven't been touched yet. You can do electronics pretty cheaply, Apexi SAFC is only $200-$300, this fuel controller is decent but its a universal unit, so the tuning capability's are limited. I would recommend the Maft Pro, with that you can run a few diffrent set ups and tune each one more so than the Apexi. A install kit from horsepowerfreaks.com will cost about $400-$850. I'm not telling you not to turbo you car, if you really want to do it go for it, but in the end the cost effective way is to purchase a JDM 7M-GTE. They can run from $1000 up to $1500, depending on where you buy it from and if it comes with a harness, ECU, and tranny. Good luck. By the way, can we get some pics of this car? __________________ Whats in the garage, well.... in the yard. 1986.5 Toyota Supra - NA - 5 spd 1986 Ford Ranger Lowrider - 5 spd 1984 Ford Ranger XLT - 7" Lift - 4X4 - Auto "Stuck in the 80's" Last edited by Chambers; 08-07-2008 at 11:53 AM.