What turbo should I buy? Options

[turnaround89]

I am getting ready to turbo my 1.8L engine. And I already know that you can't turbo a 914. But, what i would like to know is what are good cars to get turbo's off of?

I am looking for a small turbo that will spool quickly. Looking to run about 7 to 10 pounds of boost.

What turbo'd cars will give me a good turbo to use? I have been looking for ones on ebay, but don't really want to buy one there. I don't mind buying a used one, so going to the junkyard and getting one is definitely an option.

Which turbo?

[charliew]

My son mildly ported his 2.5 sti heads with stock size valves and they flowed 260 cfm on the intake at .400 valve lift. A big port jdm ported head flows around 290-300 cfm. Thats better than most v8 sb chebbys. I have some edlebrock 2.02 intake valve heads that advertise 170 cfm for a sbc. You really need to know or find out the cfm requirements of the motor you are boosting. There are at least two well known companies that turbo t1 motors and they are using some 1.6-2.0 motors so that would be a good place to lurk when you have time. As someone already said the farther from the exhaust port the harder it is to spool the turbo but the easier to cool the intake charge. On most turbo applications the shorter the intake path that is kept to ambient or lower temps is the most efficient. 6-10 lbs is a reasonable attempt without really messing with the stock na motor.

You will find a na 2.5 dohc suby will have more torque and be a cheaper and more reliable motor and probably give better gas mileage and no oil leaks and valves to adjust.

Just putting fresh oil to the turbo isn't a big deal. If the oil temps are kept good for the motor they are no problem for the turbo.
Depending on the oil pressure to the turbo you will need a very small orfice to restrict the oil or it will flood the turbo and go into the intake track and cause detonation. You may think high performance autos are simple but you will never learn all the things you need to know about high performance if you aren't interested in studying all you can find on the subject. Just get a education and buy the best car you can afford and build a 100 mile an hour kart it will be simpler.

I took welding and machine shop in college. 40 years ago. I've been welding ever since. I still know people that are better machinist and welders than me. Taking classes are just the beginning and those skills come to the best by really just spending many hours doing it.

Trust me I'm 64 the books are the cheapest way to do the best you can the first time but experience can't be studied, it must be acquired.

My son is a me, He hot rods a suby sti. He also read the max boost after I gave it to him and he thought it was a good general turbo book but the really high per. turb suby, evo, us, australian and european guys are way past that but everyone needs a simpler starting place.