20b n/a or 13bt ???
 

ok my vert is gonna need a new engine soon and i am still undecided of which engine I want to throw in? Would like some opions on them because i am looking for reliability (put flame suit on) but also power and I do not wanna throw a V8 in it. I have a chevy nova for piston fun.

If you can afford it, go 20B. It'll cost around $20k to buy the motor, have it properly inspected, clearanced and rebuilt, and get it installed in the car.

The 13BT will be obviously a bit cheaper, and can be plenty reliable if you don't go crazy with it. To make the same power as an N/A 20B wouldn't take much. A small turbo around 12-13 PSI should get you there. When in doubt, get auxiliary injection as a safety net.

lol rly 20k hmm how much more for a street port in that bad boy lol. Well if i go N/a 20b ill be making around 240ish out the crate or somewhere around there. Also wouldn't i need to change somethings on my under carriage like lsd, rear end, rear axles, and tranny? As for the 13bt it would be around 5k total for the whole thing right? im just throwing numbers out there b/c as of 20k the quick fix seems to be the 13bt =)

I'm doing the 13bt swap in my '88 vert, $5k should get you entire drivetrain and still be able to get it rebuilt with street port. I think I'll have somewhere around $3600 in my drivetrain, but I'm going overboard with bigger injectors, turbo, ems, fmic, and some suspension upgrades, so I've blasted over the 5k mark. I planted some money trees, but they haven't bloomed yet, but it's been dry lately...:lol: Yeah, a 20b would be sweeeeet....but if you're like me, I'm not completely independently wealthy yet!! HAHA. Have fun, I can't wait to get mine finished!!

Im trying to keep my n/a running right until I have the funds to invest in a 20b. I had thought of turboing the n/a or just swapping it out with a 13bt but even though you can reach the same horsepower the 20b has with a 13bt, I don't think you'll see the same torque numbers. The 20b is an engine and a half which means 50% more torque. My 2 cents