ok so my question is would it be cheaper and maybe better to buy part by part and build a turbo kit. (intercooler, piping, emage, turbo, injectors ect.). I know im never gonna be able to save and hold on to 4 grand so i figure why cant i do it piece by piece and hold onto the parts until im ready to install.
Do you think tgis is a good idea???

 

I was able to do it for $1350 using meth inject instead of an intercooler. This included my fic, and im using factory injectors right now. But im helping build the motor for a guys tc so hes going to give me his 440's as payment for helping him since hes going to 550's. So total ill still really only have under $1400 in it And this is with a turbonetics t3/t4 that i rebuilt myself, and all parts. Granted you better be willing to do PLENTY of fab work as i bought nothing premade, i fabbed every pipe in my setup except the mani.

**EDIT** So yea it is do-able. But it does require quite a bit of fabrication experience and skill, quite a bit of mechanical skill and a lot of time. vs a kit which requires next to 0 fab skill, shade tree level mechanical skill, and only 5-6 hrs of your saturday if all goes well lol

 

sounds like a good time to mention... "don't boost on a budget"

if you can't hold on to your money long enough to buy a kit, then you won't be able to hold on to your money just to have in case of emergency if something breaks.

 

I'm starting to think about going that route too.
Just make sure you get it tuned afterward.

 

I have a custom kit and I would say that unless you can do alot of custom fabrication you're self you are better off with a kit. If my friends didn't have the shop they do I would have never been able to make mine., but even still it has turned out to be a big head ache.

 

Custom can be a lot cheaper if you can fabricate and weld yourself, but problems almost always ensue. Like koontz said, don't boost on a budget.

 

Ive had very little problems with mine (knock on wood) compared to others who have built there own kit, but to me it was fun, if you dont see it as fun and a challenge than just buy a kit. Still i think I did pretty good getting the whole setup done on one sat (10am-8pm) and part of sunday (11am-4pm). At that point had it running without management, monday night after that i installed the fic on it and began tuning, now ive put many hours into the tuen to really dial it in but that can be expected - its been runnign great for about a month now. Until the other day i noticed an oil leak which looked like it was coming from the oil pan - turns out a damn rock hit my oil filter and put a crack deep enough in it that it only leaked during pressur but man under pressure it oozed right out Well replaced oil filter and now im good again

 

the only problems ive had is from my own error, like i would clock the turbo wrong cuz a pipe fit that way and then it blew through the radiator and i found that the pipe fits another way cuz the turbo also clocks another way and stuff like that.

 

If you want i can sell you all of my charge piping its Dezod made came with my S1 kit.
I want different pipes so testing water if anyone wants to get them

 

What manifolds are you all using on your custom setups?

 

i dont know about cheaper.... probably not especially if you do it RIGHT.

also if youve never installed or run boost or anything like this before, its best to do alot of research, get yourself a kit (dezod, turbotoyotas) and then do the install.

however, after do an install of the s1 and a whole bunch of other things, if i ever do another kit, i want to and feel confident enough to do a custom set up. plus itll be much more fun to do!

 

i dunno.....im doing it pretty damn right and i still have yet to spend as much as my other turbo buddies.

there's always a possibility that it will cost more but if you do it all correctly it won't cost as much.

also...if you wantt o do it on a budget...make sure you're ready to get a lot of dirt under your nails and you know how to use that brain of yours to make stuff.

i make alot of things for my car; like a gauge holder, boost controller and other random things

 

yeah...but your getting there...I guess it helps that we give you our old parts too!

 

yea it does haha thanks phil. the only reason im getting there is because i put a clutch in!

 

I'm almost mainly because I went with atp parts.

 

i mean most expencive parts of the turbo build for me were

manifold -300
downpipe - 400
turbo - 700

and everything else was cake. i either built it myself, grabbed it from mr meaty or olahalo or went to a non specialized shop to have it made

hell i welded and tapped my oil pan for 40 bucks cuz i went to a hose shop.

 

I think you're also forgetting:

AEM FIC or Greddy eManage : $400
Harness : $300 (or free if you wire it yourself)
Injectors : $300
Intercooler: $300 (varies from which brand/size you get)

 

Don't forget the wideband for $250.

 

thats right, i did forget the

f/ic - 400
harness - 300
injectors - 400
intercooler - 60
BOV - >200
wastegate - 200

3100 not including IC piping which was 160 from ebay, tack on another 200.

in total just parts i spent giveortake 3500

installation, fabrication was just me. or a friend, or a very cheap shop.

oh im not including the clutch installtion or anything cuz i got that way after i got the turbo.

 

oh damnit, wideband for 250 + boost gauge and oil pressure for 30 each.

so in teh end i think i honestly spent about 3850 if i remmember correctly.

a little under 4k for everything including management and injectors, not sure if hte other kits include that stuff though...but if they do, go with them.