That's the big question.
Does the OP have the mechanical and fabrication skills to do the swap.
Turbos (on any car) require a lot of fabrication to keep costs down. Even then, raw materials can add up quick.
Is it worth going turbo if my goals are only 600rwhp??
- Thread starter Esimmons81
- Start date
That's the big question.
Does the OP have the mechanical and fabrication skills to do the swap.
Turbos (on any car) require a lot of fabrication to keep costs down. Even then, raw materials can add up quick.
V-Bands and AN fittings alone lmao
Triple or quadruple that.
Motor - $10,000
Built 8.8 or 9" - $4,000
Boost Controller - $1000
Turbo - $2,000
IC/BOV/WG - $1000
Suspension - $1000
Trans - Best case $2000
Fuel - $1500
Manifold - $500
Boost-a-spark - $300
Tune - $700
Material/V-Bands/Line/AN fittings - $1500
This is the reality of building a nice turbo car. It isn't a $3,000 job. I think if you go in thinking that then you need to step back. My buddy probably has $50,000 in his TT/Built motor/T400/9" car and for 600rwhp a PD blower will be easy, cheaper, faster then a 600hp turbo car on the street.
No kidding!
My buddy made a few forward facing manifolds for some local Honda and DSM guys (4-cylinder turbos). Materials alone was $500 for a manifold.
I also did flex fuel with top feeds on my 240sx last year. That was $300 in AN fittings and braided fuel lines.
Prior to that I did no oil lines on my turbo and that was $100.
Stuff adds up quick. People only think of the big part costs, "manifold, $600, turbo, $700". They forget all the little BS like gaskets, fittings, lines, etc.
Some of that is nonsense.
You can build an engine for under $5k.
Boost Controller, $8 for a manual one or $30 to have ECU controlled Boost when using a MS2/3 unit. Turbos, you can get Borg Warners for $600 each ($1,200), I've seen guys piece together SRA 8.8s for a lot less then $4k.
So that's almost $10k out of that budget. But you are right. It adds up FAST!!
He's also very low on trans and if you want to go fast you don't use a manual boost controller. My convertor alone was nearly 2k.
True lol.
Transmission is gonna kill you regardless of turbo or supercharged however.
AND, that same buddy spent thousands of dollars trying to get a turbo set up dialed in on another car and it ended up being a total nightmare, to the point where he parted that car out and funded the Whipple Cobra purchase/build. Take it from me, he's been much happier. :-D
No I agree, I used his "done the right way" math. Absolutely can go manually boost controller and things of that nature to cut back but the right way(IMO) is a nice boost controller ect
But none the less OP it'll be more then you think
To be fair I was grabbing prices quick. The car in question has a pro-formance T400 with a PTC speced by Dusty Bradford lol I think his converter was $2,300 alone lol
That is not entirely true. Depends on the kit. Some kits need zero fabrication. My Hellion kit needed no fabrication and was a direct bolt in. No cutting either. I did eventually upgrade on a few flaws with the kit later down the road. But it was 100% bolt in
Now dont get me wrong. To do it CORRECTLY it is very very expensive. Trust me. I am well over $50k in mods in my Auto/Turbo/SRA car on top of the price of the car new when I bought it in 2003.
However, your prices are a reach. BUT it also depends on exactly what the person wants. I do agree, a turbo job is not a $3000 job. However you can go with a turn key kit like a Hellion single (I know it is not the most optimal) but it works and need no fab. You can get a very good turbo for $1000-$1500.
Maybe the best boost controller is $1000 but you do not need to spend that much. He can get a manual, not the best idea, but it works. I ran a Manual Hallman Pro with a cockpit controller which costs like $150 and ran mid 9s on pump gas with that. Not the most optimal controller, but it did the job. It has since been upgraded. Heck a boost leash controller is what, $500?
You do not need a boost a spark
Who says he needs an engine? Yes he should budget an engine build just in case, but not necessary. A proper engine build can very well eclipse $10,000
Depending on the tuner you use. You may pay anywhere from $300-$1000+
You do not need a built 8.8" I am a HUGE advocate for using an SRA, but for what this guy is doing. A few IRS mods and suspension tweaks with a good tire will do just fine in his case.
Trans- That is debateable. Keeping the T56 and doing a 26pline, TOB sleeve and a twin disk is about $2000 or so. Going Auto, well you are talking $5000-$7000 to do it correctly.
I am one of those people that likes to do it right. But you can still start small and do mods slowly overtime after getting the main needed parts.
I will disagree with you on the a 600rwhp turbo car will lose to a 600rwhp PD car on the street. My car with the Th400 on my 590rwhp tune(18psi) would walk 700-750rwhp Whipple/KB cars that I personally built. Even when I had a T56, I had no problem talking down TS cars that made similar power or more then me.
Anyhow, going the turbo route is indeed costly to do it right. For the OP, he can start off with the supporting mods like fuel, maf, tires, and suspension for now. He does not need an engine or a 9" for what he is doing at the moment. Down the road he can decide what route he wants to go for rear end upgrades etc and do things slowly. It took meabout 4-5 years to get my car where I wanted it. Started out slow with my SRA build. It still is currently not at the level I want it at. Same with my engine, turbo setup etc.
I just wouldnt go out and buy a shitty On3 kit for 20 bucks, slap a BAP and tune and call it a day. No way in hell.
At the end of the day. There are so many variables cost can range immensely.
The car has diamond pistons with stock rods and crank. All upgraded Arp bolts and head studs. I just want a fun street car with that has better top end power with the stock irs. Yea thinking about a ceramic ball bearing 67mm turbo being spooled with a FF headers sounds awesome but the price i need to pay may not be worth it for me at the moment. I'm either going to buy a 2.3 or save my money and put it towards a brand new turbo gt500 if it ever happens.
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I'm in the middle of a turbo build right now, and if 600-700 is the goal, my god stick with a blower. The cost is insane to not cut corners.
Chris
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Yea I'm keeping a eye open for used 2.3 whipple.
There is something very luring about a turbo car, which is what caused me to take on the project, however It was so much more involved than i first anticipated. I think lots of people realize this after they are already balls deep in the project. This is a big money project, which is why mine isnt finished yet.
A 600-650 blower car is straight up nasty. Look for a 2.9 whipple. The bigger blower will make your goal without having to put a metco lower setup on, yet give you a good amount of headroom. because your lying to yourself if you say you won't want more.
Chris
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You are probably right ab that lol we always want more but we have to draw the line at some point depending on how much $ I'm willing to invest. And if I didn't talk to you guys I would have been in the same situation and balls deep into a turbo build and un happy with the amount of $ I really needed to finish it or how crappy the cheap parts really are. I really do owe you guys a big thanks. I'm just gonna wait a few months and see what all good deals pop up since I do have cash. The car runs great at the moment so it's not like it's a turd but it's enjoying to plan out the future mods and make it how I want it plus do it correctly to save money and time. I was figuring using my lower pulley and maybe a lager upper and hit around 18-19psi and run a conservative timing and be safe on 93 octane and try to see how close I can get to 600rwhp. My initial goal was over 500rwhp with the stock eaton but I don't feel like dealing with the major heat soak, race fuel and crazy high timing.
It is very smart to draw the line somewhere. Be patient, and you will find a good deal. I can look back and say that I wish i would have drawn the line where your at. My car was at about 700/600 with the 2.9 and it was the best combo ive had. Didn't have all kinds of issues. Still hooked up good. Good luck with your car.
Chris
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Thank you, and thats the plan to keep it more simple and eliminate the problems. That's why i may be leaning towards getting a vmp 2.3 and get it on the black Friday special. Hopefully they have the 10% off again. Then I kno what I have and the vmp seems to be more efficient and makes almost the power the 2.9 can. My parents have a 2015 Stage 1 Richard petty with the 2.3 and my bro recently got a 2016 Roush warrior edition also with the 2.3 and I would like to bring the cobra up to the power level as as high as them with the ol 2003 Terminator. That's why i had the 600rwhp # in mind. I was looking at a used 2015 gt with a 2.3 b4 buying the cobra but chose the cobra since I feel I could eventually get to that power level with half the price. I thought I could convince myself I would be happy at getting to 500rwhp with a few tweaks but after falling short it was time to look at bigger and better solutions. From nitrous to turbo and now pretty much dead set on a blower swap. Cool thing Is I have a buddy who has already swaped his blower not long ago so if I have any questions hopefully he can help me out. Sounds like a not too hard job tho.
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