newbie needs engine help
 

so i bought a 86 gxl and its having oil pressure problems and its burning coolant because its billowing white smoke. the question that i have is what is the best option for a motor ( best bang for the buck but reliable). i dont mind staying n/a. but i dont know if i should just try and rebuild or buy another n/a motor or go all out and turbo swap it. I'm thinking n/a would be cheapest. help me out. Thanks

You cheapest bet is to find a used S4 engine and swap it in, this will be very very cheap. However, you never know how long the engine will last or if the engine is in good condition this way.

The next cheapest will be to do a full rebuild on your motor because any n/a parts that you would need to replace are cheap if you get used parts. Its cheaper to do it yourself if you can otherwise check out http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/

A turbo swap is a more tricky subject, but will be more expensive then n/a. Of course, if you plan on doing it anyway and can afford it it will be cheaper to do the turbo swap now as opposed to sinking money into your n/a motor and then going turbo.

so where am i getting this other motor from? a junkyard? or someone from a forum? and how much is that compared to a rebuild? Thanks

You should be able to find one in the classifieds section of this forum. If one is not listed put up a want to buy ad. If you can pick it up it should be no more then $200. A rebuild that you do yourself will set you back maybe $1000 from Atkins Rotary. To have it done by Rotary Resurrection is on his website + the cost of shipping it both ways.

so around 200 for a good running n/a? or 200 for a blown motor that needs to be rebuilt? i really would like to just drop it in so i can have the car running and driving good.

$200 for an n/a in unknown condition, you should consider all used engines to be unknown.

ok, i just have no oil pressure. when i rev it it goes up then it just drops. then i am definatly burning coolant. what is causing the oil pressure problems? and should i just try and rebuild?