best 1.8 turbo for the money?

JG12gauge · Post by **JG12gauge** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:35 pm

I am looking to get a turbo for my brumby buggy with the 1.8 liter. Does anybody know what the best kind would be within a budget of preferebly under $300? Also what kind of difference is it and is this the best part for the price. Im open to any other cheap mods I just like increasing horsepower LOL

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:07 pm

JG12gauge wrote:I am looking to get a turbo for my brumby buggy with the 1.8 liter. Does anybody know what the best kind would be within a budget of preferebly under $300? Also what kind of difference is it and is this the best part for the price. Im open to any other cheap mods I just like increasing horsepower LOL

I assume its an EA82T or 81T engine you have in your buggy? as if you have standard EA81/82 I don't think turbos can be bolted straight onto them.

If so nothing you do will increase its performance (unless you want to spend huge amounts of money on it.) if you want more power you are better off getting one of the N/A EJ engines from a Liberty/Legacy or even a turbo engine out a WRX.

There is almost no bolt on upgrades for EA engines.

JG12gauge · Post by **JG12gauge** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:26 pm

I have been wanting to eventually upgrade engines. Can you drop say a 2.2 turbo into it without changing the stock tranny?

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:54 pm

Not really, but you could take that as an invitation to a challenge

What ever way you go $300 US or Oz does not go very far. There are adaptor plates for EJ to fit to EA boxes , but that would blow the budget straight away. If there is no budget there is bolt on heads , roller rockers and all sorts of bits from a business in New Zealand getting about 140 HP. Name escapes me.....

If it is a buggy, don't let us stop you. I was most impressed to see a turbo mounted at the outlet of a set of extractors on a Mazda/Ford Econovan of the eighties. No special heavy , chunky crackable exhaust manifold made up just of the shelf extractors feeding a little turbo then up to the carby and WOOFA. Early style dizzy was staked so no internal advance mechanisms and set at about 16 deg advance, Turbo was out of the engine bay getting cooled nicely by passing air. Maybe you need to direct exhaust up and have a turbo at bonnet height.....

JG12gauge · Post by **JG12gauge** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:29 pm

It probably wouldnt cost more then around $1200 if I pulled out the engine and tranny from an impreza or something like that from the junk yard. It would be interesting to have an AWD system in the buggy. I wonder how it would work for mudding.

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:55 am

JG12gauge wrote:It probably wouldnt cost more then around $1200 if I pulled out the engine and tranny from an impreza or something like that from the junk yard. It would be interesting to have an AWD system in the buggy. I wonder how it would work for mudding.

Remember you also have to get the ECU and wiring loom for the EJ engine.

Getting an AWD gearbox is your best option because that will just bolt straight onto the EJ where as you will need to have an adapter plate made to fit an EJ onto an EA gearbox.

Good luck with it though and let us know how it goes.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:42 pm

from what others say, it sounds like for your use as a mud buggy, to retain the older EA style 4WD rather than EJ AWD may be best.