how can I get the most bang for buck?

piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

Hi guys,
I'm looking for the best value for money setup for my TG gemini, that is roadworthy and fast.
Thanks.

MR_GEMI

instant power, big bang, unroadworthy: hook up a NOS kit to the standard engine.
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piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

I want to put a 2.0ltr engine in and turbo, but I'm unsure as to what exactly needs to be done and how much it would cost.

MR_GEMI

right, as far as price for that kinda thing is concerned, you will have to ring around, price generally varies due to the fact that people get discounts, new or second hand parts, and build it themselves ie. no labour costs involved.

you could try doing a search on the topic and try to get a comparison of the different prices people have paid...
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Gene FJ20DET

i know of a suck threw turbo 1600 that runs mid 13's and only spent $2000 on the engine
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piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

what sort of work involved?

Gene FJ20DET

piazza exhaust manifold set up with a suck threw system,
he had some after market pistons (look in the r&d he posted what pistons he used)
dunno what tirbo he used.. lookd pritty good. just need to hunt for good prices. it CAN be done cheap and it CAN be done expencive lol, i spend WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY (so much it made baby jesus cry Wink

)to much and it will only be 1.5-2 seconds quicer. if i could go back in time i personally would do a blow threw carbi turbo on a 1800
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piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

Why not a 2000?

Gene FJ20DET

1800 has better rev range or some shit
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piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

I can pick up a 2000 for $1000, anyone know where I can find a turbo to suit?

TGNVD247 · tinkerer Joined: 04 Nov 2002 Posts: 470

u can get 1 cheaper than that!
unless its worked off its arse..
u can get em for $100 if u look hard enuff

WAY2LOWatwork · tinkerer Joined: 02 Apr 2002 Posts: 188

it all depends on how much work u can do yourself,
get a rodeo 2ltr engine (make sure its a good 1), pull it down and put in some new pistons and conrods if your budget can afford it. personally id use forged pistons, but these are generally quite expensive, there are cheaper subsitutes out there but they arent as reliable at higher boost pressures. you would also want something around the 7.0-7.5 compression ratio. you could probably do the whole bottom end for around $500-600 if using normal cast pistons (with lower comp ratio, and also u will need a decent set of rings).
next u will want to do sum work to the top end, mainly to make it more reliable, but it will make a difference in power. get the head all checked out, vacume tested, crack tested etc, you may wanna get the ports enlarged a bit at this stage, but its up to u, wont make huge power gains. get a turbo grind cam, something that makes power a little higher up the rev range. then you will need a new set of springs (cant remember which 1's, just something a little stronger, a head shop would guide u in the rite direction here). bolt it all back together with a copper head gasket and a double row timming chain and u will have a pretty strong engine combo, thats still reliable aswell. the head work all up should cost u less than $1000, which may seem high, but if u want the car to start every time without problems you will have to bite the bullet and spent the money. another thing that you would want to look at is the oil pump, i think that g200's have higher flowing oil pumps than 1600's, but if not just go buy an after market pump. another good idea is to invest in an oil cooler aswell.
while the engine is out of the car get a oil return welded into the sump, on the exhaust side.
now for the fun part!!!
depending on how much u wanna spend on a turbo, theres lots of different options, but personally if u want to get a good cheap turbo id use a s4 or s5 rx7 turbo. these in stock form have no trouble flowing 300hp and are roughly the equivelent to a t03 turbo. these can be had for as little as $150 from jap wreckers and if u break 1 they are cheap and easy 2 replace not to mention in hiflow form they can flow up 2 500 hp.
now u will need a exhaust manifold made up for the turbo, any good exhaust shop can do this and will cost anywhere between $500-$1000, again it seems expensive but theres pleanty of power to be made in a well constructed exhaust manifold. i would reconmend a 4 in to 1 design. for the inlet manifold u can use the factory inlet and remove the carby, but if u have ported the head get the inlet manifold match ported.
for fuel u will need a BIG side fraft carby, ideally a 48-55mm side draft webber would be good. get an adaptor made up to bolt the carby infront of the turbo (ie draw thru setup).
a few other bits u would need are the following,
malpassi fuel regulator $200
holley blue fuel pump $200 s/h
long accelerator cable
boost gauge
electronic distributor or lock the stock 1
boost controller

bolt it all back together and get it tuned. the whole combo should be good for 250-300hp at around 15psi. which in a gemi would have u running 12's. if u budget for around $4000 u will get this whole setup done, it may seem expensive, but consider that your car would be running 12's and be relaible at the same time. apart from that get a good clutch and lock your diff.

good luck

Gene FJ20DET

dont buy the $1000 2L cos its in good nick, buy a fucked one, co su need to build it to suit a turbo, not a n/a aplication
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piranha · newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

Thankyou so much for your time and information. I didn't expect anything like this, and I appreciate it. Will take the advice onboard.

hypaTG · backyard mechanic Joined: 15 Oct 2002 Posts: 524

a t28 turbo should be sufficient for what u want and shouldn't have too much lag at all. put a 34adm weber or something similar on it and blow through the carby with an intercooler (vr4 or gtir coolers are good) between the turbo and carby or some kind of sidedraught weber (or 2) before the turbo for a suck trough set up. instead of getting low comp pistons you could be a tight arse and buy a decompression plate.