PM-Performance

Better /cheaper to piece together of get a full kit?
im lokoing around and dont know if i want a full kit or just get parts here and there. what are the pros and cons?
do places just sell piping seperate?
do i worry about bov's and wg's not fitting certain manifolds or flanges on the piping?

Etylorcen

If you want all the high performance parts its goign to cost you more if you piece it together. You can get away with saving money by using cheaper parts from junk yards tho. Kits basically just save you a lot of time and effort to find all the little things you need. You can get the drag piping from ben @ importparts. Just do some research on what manifold you want and you can see what kind of wg u need. If you go with the drag piping you have to get the right flange for the certain bov.

ion_four

I haven't compared prices too much, but I can't believe that. The kit is a service; it was put together and is being sold for more than the parts cost. Basic business principles. You don't have to buy cheap or even used pieces to save money, just not necessarily the big name ones from the kit makers. look around.

DigitalFusion

i have been making my shopping list of parts to buy for my DIY kit. The low end is 1025 for everything.. the other high end is 3000 for everything and thats top of the line hondata and whatnot

5 Liter Eater

Can you post the low end list?

GTM

It is almost never cheaper to buy a turbo kit in parts unless you want to deal with a hell of a lot of hassle in terms of parts that were never meant to go together. Companies that sell kits are selling at those prices because the kits are mass produced. Remember making items in quantity is always cheaper, even factoring the R&D costs.

Unless you are a magician with custom fab and have a TIG welder and chop saw, our suggestion is to simply buy a kit.

Agamemnon

I wouldnt call it mass produced. Drag doesnt make delta, hks, greddy, spearco, or any other parts that are in their kits. They put them together for you in one box for you to buy, and like everyone else, they want to make a little money by doing it.

B16C-RXed

I'm sorry but kits are made for the mechanically uninclined. First of all, I have no experience and have helped a friend piece together his turbo kit for the ultimate sleeper. ( Toyota Celica 93 w/rebuilt motor) It was relatively easy and if you go to the right place **** is cheap...If you are lazy and don't enjoy the work then buy the kit and wast your money...T3, BOV, FMU, piping, manifold w/deltagate and etc...only cost him $795, so why buy a kit? **** he's throwing down 245hp on the dyno!

dustin

I agree.

b18bvudoo

true, but i doubt drag pays what you and i would pay for those parts.

Agamemnon

The wonders of buying in bulk
Im still wondering if I could put a kit together from a rebuilt turbo, and various max rev and drag parts for less than the price of complete kit.

simike

Do a custom kit! You get much more for your money, and you get to pick what you want. I pieced together about 95% of my turbo setup so far and it turned out that it cost me a few hundred less than it would have if i had bought a kit. Plus everything (downpipe, intercooler piping, wastegate, ect..) fits perfect. Well only if you have a good shop to do the work and for a good price which i do. You also learn alot more about every part of a turbo setup by buying things seperatly and on your own. It's not really that hard to do.

DigitalFusion

Management - SAFC Hack -325.00
Injectors - 1G/2G DSM Injectors DSMTRADER.com? - 50.00
Garret T3 - 85 Ford Thunderbird - 150.00
Manifold - HKS internal wastegate - 200.00
FMIC - Custom from Ford SD - 150.00
IC Piping - JC Whitney Sport Compact - 120.00
Bosch BOV Junkyard - 30.00
Oil Lines - 50.00
Clamps, etc - 50.00

Total = 1025.00


It changes everyday tho... go here for some more: http://midwestautofun.org/turbo/FAQ or http://homemadeturbos.com


(EDIT: bad link)



[Modified by CustomCockpits, 11:08 PM 6/12/2002]

AzN_Flava

is this all that is needed to start a turbo kit?
are those garret t3 from those 85 thunderbirds the same as teh new ones?

DigitalFusion

thats the bare minimum for a kit.. there are a few more things that could be knocked off, but for safety/tuning/piece-of-mind I refuse to go below that.

I am still trying to find out the specs on the newer T-Bird turbos, if i do I will post it here and on the FAQ in my sig.. if u find out pls let me know too!

EH2DX

$795?? hard to believe...used or new? was this the all-trac celica or regular N/A celica?

Ben Huynh

iTrader: (6)

I've been dealing with turbo parts and kits for over 5 years. From my experience, if you have the time (and time is money) and extra cash, go ahead and put together your own turbo setup. If your time is precious, as most people's is, buy a pre-fab turbo kit. Most turbo kits are designed to offer the end user a very fast street car. If your plans are to build a race car, piece together your setup. If your plan is to drive a super fast Honda/Acura on a daily basis, buy a kit.

It's true that you can go the cheap route by buying used parts and such. But by doing this, you put the health of your car's engine at risk. So the choice is yours, but whichever way you decide to go make sure you stick with new parts. If you need help putting together a kit or buying a kit, let me know. I'm always here to help.

AzN_Flava

thank you so mcuh ben....

when i have money.. i'll msg you or when the canadian dollar equals us dollar

Turbo Laser

I was talking to a mechanic friend who built a $125 turbo kit for an Integra LS. They pulled a old turbo from his GSX (replaced with a 20G ), cut and welded the **** out of a stock header, used stock exhaust pieces for IC piping, and used a junkyard Starion intercooler. He said it ran high 13s at 6 psi, but I think that was on slicks. I think the guy also already had a S-AFC.