i have a '90 GTU. The body is in excellent condition, it has just been painted and it looks great. the n/a 13b has about 116k miles on it. I do not want to turbo the n/a. So as far as performance and price go which swap would be better turbo swap or 20b swap? Which is more expensive? Which is harder to do? etc. I'm sure this may have been covered before and if so just post a link to the thread. I'm very open minded and would really like some honest feedback. Also I am 17, have a dad that will help me do all the work and a budget just under 4k. any info would be awesome.

 

There is a search button on top right corner, it is very usefull.

 

www.20bvert.com

 

There is no way you can do the 20B for 4k, that usually takes about $10K to do. The turbo swap could be done in that range. But in all honesty just use the search you will have more than enough information in less that 5 minutes.

 

IMO...

Best idea: Rebuild your NA engine. If you and your dad do all the work, you can rebuild it for about $1K. You can have somebody street port the engine for about $200 if you want a little more power. Save the rest of the money for gas, insurance, basic maintenance, and college.

Next best: Sell your car if it still runs, and buy a TII car instead. This way you get the 13BT engine, stronger transmission, stronger driveshaft, stronger differential, stronger halfshafts, TII hood, and all the other TII goodies. Check with your insurance agent, as the TII is almost always the same rate as the NA coupe.

Next choice: Install an 89-92 13BT engine. Keep in mind that your car does not have the stronger TII drivetrain, so you may want to consider upgrading if you plan on running the 13BT above the stock power levels.

Bad choice: The 20B swap is a nightmare, and will exceed your budget.

 

save up another $30 000 and maybe you can put in a 20b......


$4k might get you a 13bt and the hundred or so parts you need to swap with it as well.....

 

take out a loan, and do the 20b...

 

ok, new idea, what if i bought a banged up TII and parked it in the back yard garage, and rebuilt the engine and turbo etc, and switched the parts i need?

 

The best option is to sell what you currently have and get a TII. Find a nice one if you don't want to do work, or one with a blown engine if you don't mind a bit of work. Personally I would get one cheap as hell with a blown engine and send it off to Rotary Ressurection.

-Joe

 

in my opinion look for a tII for acouple weeks if no luck go for the tII swap this is exactly what im doing im in the middle of finding and buying all the parts to do it with