building up an 87 base model to drift. I'm thinking my goal is gonna be about 300hp. I'm just wondering if its really worth the money to go buy and swap in a turbo ii or just build up a turbo system and all the internals in the n/a motor. I'm pretty sure people have already asked that but i'm just wondering what would be the best path towards getting 300hp... i just dont see a point to getting a turbo ii when i'm gonna need to port and upgrade the turbo system and motor anyways. any help would be greatly appreciated or if you can find the thread that already exists to answer this question that would be great. thank you to all who reply.

 

well aside from different compression, irons and some other small parts(oils pump, water pump and a few others) both motors are eccentially the same internally. So there really isn't building up the internals(well there are ceramic seals and other spendy items you can do) but forr your power goals and what the car will be used for use stock seals. And as for slapping on a turbo setup on ur n/a, ic no problem with it as long as its tuned properly. People will tell you boost and high compression wont mix well and i say they're a bunch of whiney *** school boys. Do your research well and you'll be fine. Now with that aside, being as u have a base model and want to setup it up for drift, , I'd concentrate more on the handling and braking of the vehicle. get coilovers, front sway bar& endlinks, bushings(delrin, **** poly), 5-lug swap(for the better brakes) diff(diff bushings and a real stiff mount does wonders), wheels/tires etc. Work on the foot work of the car first and get some seat time then worry about power.

 

Thanks for the info. Yea I'm thinking about 9psi for boost. Something pretty minor. But as far as a 5 lug swap, what exactly would I need for that? If you don't mind breaking it down for me. And where would recommend getting the 'delrin' bushings...?

 

The easiest way to do a 5 lug swap is to get a doner car like i did. If not then look on ebay, i remember seeing complete 5 lug swaps on there a little while back.

 

It is worth the money unless you want to replace many things on the car before its even equal to a t2... if you want to know specifics, look at the top of the 2nd gen specific section. You should try seaching before making a thread and asking everyone to find a thread for you that answers your question..

There isn't a problem putting a turbo system on an n/a except that you will end up paying as much as you would for a t2 just for the turbo kit and you will still have to get a t2 tranny among other things. The boost and compression issue applies to piston engines, not rotaries. It's nearly impossible to drift with a stock n/a so you would be better getting some more power somewhere.

9 psi? On what turbo? That could be more than you think on some turbos or not enough on others. Do your research to get you the basics then come back and ask questions for the stuff that hasn't already been answered or written somewhere else in the forum

 

if he bought a Tii he'd still have a stock car. He'd still prob have to rebuild the motor and still would have to get a turbo upgrade etc so there really isnt any money difference, its jsut a matter of sourcing parts to upgrade from his 4-lug, and drivetrain to handle to extra power. Not a huge deal. I'd take a 500.00 n/a over the price of a running TII anyday and just source the parts.

And drift87, for the 5-lug swap you'll need front and rear hubs, and brakes(front soft brake line also as the 4-lug wont work). Check the forsale sections for 5-lug parts, conversion or whatever. You can get the parts for 150-250.00

 

True, except that he would already have the upgraded tranny and much more power potential as soon as he got the car... as opposed to getting a peice of **** n/a and having to rebuild the engine get a turbo kit, get a new tranny... not to mention the labor and or costs involved to install those parts. Why do that when you could start with a t2 and have the transmission and substanstially more horsepower when you get the car?

 

Because the cheapest turboII i have seen around here was $3500 and it was not that great, usually closer to $5000.

Where i got a good NA for $500, that leaves me with $3000 - 4000 to spend on parts before i even equel the cost of just a stock TII. then i would have to spend more to mod the TII which gives me even more for the NA. In the end i get a car with more performance for less. Plus my insurance is cheaper vs the TII yet i get more performance for the buck..

So yeah, in my case, this is the much better deal.

Plus the NA makes for a better sleeper car...

 

Whats your time worth ? When you calculate the cost of parts swapping and the time it takes to swap verses time you could be already spending drifting a fun nearly stock T2 the decission is easy. SELL your base model and BUY a T2

 

you can find a great T2 if your patient. I have 2 and my most recent one is amazing. Be patient and do your research

 

Very simple:

If you have experience with fabrication, aren't scared by having to make a few parts, can weld, don't mind spending the time and know what you are doing, then turbo the NA.

If this is your first major project and you really can't handle anything but a bolt on, then a TII swap is the best choice.

Also, as others have mentioned, saying you want to run "9 PSI" means nothing. 9 PSI on the stock turbo is a lot different then 9 PSI on a T70.

 

Well my time sure ain't worth $4000, i know that for a fact. If i was to do the swap without any major problems i could get it done in 2 - 4 weeks. less if everything went well.

That sure ain't worth $4000, i don't even make that much spending money in 6 months!

Plus to actually do the swap if i was to do it would cost $2000 - $3000. The leaves me a grand or 2 for mods before even being the same cost as a Tii. If i was to turbo the NA then i could do that for $2000 - $3000 total and then have $$$ left over for coilovers, tires, ect.

If i had lots of $$$$ then sure i would get a TII, but I don't. so thus getting an NA is better as i can get parts as i can afford them. and in the end have what i want (200 - 300hp).

 

Your entire decision should be based upon the condition of your NA engine, has it been rebuilt? Have you done a compression check?

6 port turbo is easy as far as labor is concerned. If you can't weld then get a local shop to do it for you. Remember that even one count of knock or pre-ignition can cause catastrophic failure in a rotary engine so make sure you have good knowledge of turbo systems before you take on the project. IMO the best way to do this is to buy a book on it. I personally like Mark Warner's book because its geared towards imports and even has some examples on rotary turbo setups:


I can't offer any advice on the suspension, brakes, etc. because I'm clueless towards the work and money involved in a 5 lug swap. I will assume that a well tuned high compression NA-T engine on a stock turbo with an EMS (RTEK) and a wideband will be much more fun than a stock TII engine.

 

Yes, Street Turbocharging is an excellent reference. I definitely know that everyone on this forum will appreciate the newest edition due out in a few months. Especially those wanting to run turbo 6 ports, if you get what I'm saying.

 

I would go with the complete t2 swap. You can run the engine stock in the meantime for 200+hp and slowly build the power. No major ecu or tuning required when its stock. bolt on hybrid turbos and well known ecu's are available without needing a stand alone. And you get the stronger tranny.

After buying all the little parts to make your na turbo, I would shoot for more than 300hp. A turbocharger alone can cost a good deal of money. Stand alone, tuning. DIY will really make a huge difference. All those parts will cost a lot too.

You might want the turbo tranny, I think it has a differnt clutch for turbo version

 

+ 1 Awesome book, I used it to design a turbo system for my friend's miata.


There's a new edition coming? That sounds tempting even though I already have the first one.

 

I'm not sure quite when it will be out, but I suspect a few months.