Engine swap
 

First I would like to say hi, Im new here. I have a 91 LX and I want to go turbo. I cant decid which way I want to do it though. I have a spare motor that I can rebuild and get all the turbo parts from Corksport or order there Jspec GTX motor what would you all do. Also The car is an auto so will the GTX motor bolt up to the AT trans. I dont want to switch it over. Thanks for your help

Hmmm, if you have an extra motor lying around I say talk to Corksport and add a turbo to that.

People have turboed their auto cars.

Whats a good guess on whp if I go with the turbo set up and do all the bolt on's. and how much boost will these motors hold, if I rebuild.

No rebuild necessary... this blocks have been known to take nearly 400whp ... but first , the transmission is "only" good to about 350ft-lbs of torque, if you are careful. :)

As for how much you're going to get, it really depends on the setup... 200whp at least? *shrug*

If you go the GTX route then IIRC it's about 180 hp 170 torque at the fly wheel. going your own turbo route would vary on what turbo manifold you use, turbo, size of intercooler, size of injectors, also keep in mind that how you run your fuel management is going to affect performance numbers also.

What about past 15psi with the VJ-20? ;) j/k

I havnt found any other turbo manifolds just the one on corksport, I was planing on runing the IHI VJ-20, how much boost will it support with all the proper parts, I am going to spend around 8K on this car so I am doing it right.

if you are really serious about spending that much on this car in my opinion just research turbos and see which one that you like the most and have a custom manifold made for it. The IHI from what i've heard is it's weak and puney and to even get halfway decent boost levels you're gonna have to overspin it.

Is there any 1 here running on a turbo swap or setup, I started the rebuild of my spare motor. the pistons went out this week to be coated, and I started to port and polish the head. I hope to be done with this project by Nov. I will keep you all updated:D

1. The GTX engine can handle alot of abuse. ALOT. That reason alone is making me doubt my own bp turbo project and should be a large factor in your decision to turbo your current bp or opt for a GTX.

2. The n/a bp head flows better than the GTX and is a regular upgrade for those who have bpts. If you run the GTX exhaust manifold and ihi turbo on the bp, you will be creating more horsepower from less boost since the bp has higher compression and is tuned towards n/a however it is not as bulletproof as the GTX when it comes to boost. Under much debate, the bp stock will handle 7-10 psi on the gtx mani and ihi turbo. After that the fuel system must be upgraded as well as other things.
3. The gtx turbo (ihi-vj20) maxes out at 14-15psi. On a stock GTX with a 3 inch exhaust you will be putting down approx. 230hp (chris giles ran a 13.8 at 14psi on a stock GTX motor in his 2nd gen Escort) However, if you build up your spare motor, you will be putting down even more power than that at 14psi on the ihi so you may not even want to look into a larger turbo (im not sure how fast you want to go, but that would move you pretty fast)

Just some things to think about:)

ok are you saying the block it self will hold only 7-10 psi or the fuel system will only support 7-10 psi. I want to do things correctly and have a well built and drivable car, im not looking to make x amount of power I just want to build up this car and see what I and the car can make. im going to do all the bolt ons, run a Haltech E6K, and if I can get some one to make the manifold I would like to run a TD05 super 16G. I dont think I will push the limmits of the engine, just the auto trans and half shafts

all I know is 14psi... 220 hp .. I am damn well and happy..
If I even use 10 psi and get 200 hp (which spools quickly) I will be super happy..
Bruce

I'd guess that he's saying the fuel system will only hold 7-10 psi. The bottom end should have no problems handling just about anything you can throw at it.