Turbo Questions

[Clonebug]

It's really hard to give specific advice since each build is so personal. It all depends on what you want for a finished result......do you want it stock looking??? do you want it out there for everyone to see????? Do you just want it cheap and you don't care what it looks like????

Go through a few of the builds on here.......each one is different and done a certain way for a specific reason. You can pick the ideas you like the best and go from there.
Junk yard parts are getting to be more and more difficult to find. With Ebay , Craigslist and other online sales shop you can just about order from the comfort of your chair.
I prefer swapmeets so I can hold the item in my hand and decide whether I could make a part work or not.

As for turbo's....I prefer the Subaru style turbo...why you ask??????? because they are small, efficient, easy to re-clock and they come with a decent wastegate on them that is easy to control with a MBC or an EBC. Plus they used to be cheap. I paid between $20.00- $65.00 for them. They will support enough hp that it will take a while to get to their max capacity and by then you might know what you want instead.

All sensors are best to just use the GM style sensors.....most ECU's have the settings in them by default and are easy to use.

Throttle Bodies.....pick one that will support the power you hope to make.......be reasonable. A 45mm TB will support over 225 hp....50 mm should be the largest you would ever need.

Intakes....buy the endcasting that works best for you and fab up a centerpiece that will work with your setup. I'm limited by the underside of my buggy body so stock style works for me.......it has it's own challenges but it has worked out so far.

[Spaceman7Spiff]

Thanks for your replies!

terryly, that's a very cool setup!

Clonebug, I'm beginning to see that this whole turbo/efi thing is SUPER subjective and that there really are endless combinations of things that will work. On the one hand, it's frustrating because I really don't want to go out and spend money on the wrong part. On the other hand, it seems like there kind of AREN'T any wrong parts which is pretty liberating. I also appreciate the fact that this project has forced me to seek out actual knowledge and understanding about the different components so that I can understand what I need and why.

So since my last post, I spent MANY hours learning about injectors, making calculations, pouring over an injector database, reading build threads, and coming up with a rough estimate of cost. Here are my conclusions:

Running a carb would cost something like $575 at an absolute minimum (assuming I buy all the right jets the first time and never change anything)
I should be able to assemble an EFI setup for around $800 (not including the SpeedyEFI ECU that I already have)
Online calculators tell me I need 394cc / 38lb injectors to support my very optimistic target of 200hp and Clonebug mentioned aiming for 45lb injectors to allow for headroom. My ECU seems to prefer the high-impedance variety.
The consensus for throttle body size aligns with what Clonebug says (40-50mm)

So with all that in mind, I headed to the local junkyards and came home with the following:
- A simple 4-bolt, cable operated 50mm throttle body with TPS and throttle cable and idle air control valve (just in case) off of a 2001 Hyundai Tiburon for $54. I couldn't really find anything smaller.
- (4) 420cc / 40lb high-impedance injectors off a 2004 Mazda RX-8 for $48

I am planning to build my own center section and have my dad machine me some fuel rails. I'll go ahead and bite the bullet on the end castings. I'm going to cheap out on the fuel pressure regulator and get an adjustable one off of eBay. I watched a youtube review on it and feel comfortable with it. I was also planning on going cheap on the pump with a chinese copy of the Bosch 044.

I haven't shopped around a ton on the fuel lines but my tentative plan is to order everything I need from shitboxsupply.com using mostly 6an fittings and hose. I'm thinking about running the hose through the tunnel to use as a supply line and I think I read somewhere that the stock fuel line can be used as a return, is this correct? Please straighten me out on what I should be doing for fuel lines if any of that sounds wrong.