[Microwire]

So I've thought about it for a while (amongst a millions other things i want to do to my car) and I've decided to put a turbo on my vit (yeah I know costs and better options and blah blah) well I like my engine and it would like a compressort (and no I'm not going supercharger). I'll be rebuilding my engine to take a turbo


So I've got a few questions.
Firstly I was thinking of just putting bigger jets in my carb, webber is out of the question due to hill issues or should I go a different carb?

Second does anyone know of a manifold that would suit the 16A ? or should I just build one/get one built.

Thirdly any suggestions on a decent turbo that's quick to spool, I won't be running massive boost. (yeah I know everyone says that)

[bristlenose2008]

me no expert, actually been asking similar questions to you about a month ago. Ask your self what power gains you want, and if the budget you have would achieve that. On a carby engine I have heard people do setups pf their own for less than $1000. Those guys knew what to do. Do you?

About 2 years ago, I used to own a Cabrio/soft top that had a carby. It was awfully slow and gutless. Tried EFI and loved it. Bought one as a result, but now that power is not enough to me, so getting a gutsier one now.
Putting in a 1.8 , 2 liter engine may be a more economical way to go for you. I am getting a quote hopefully today or Monday for taking out my g16b (EFI) and putting in something larger. Just converting your top end to EFI would get you a good result, and it would be more reliable in my opinion that a turbo. Forget turbo if you want to zook on the road more often than not.

[Gwagensteve]

You need to be very honest with yourself about why you want a turbo on your vitara.

Is it because your vitara lacks power, or is it really because your vitara lacks power but you'd really like all the noise and drama of a turbo? It's fine if the answer is that you want the noise and drama, but the way you would go about answering the question will be different.

If you want more power, then you need to decide how much more power, and if there is an easy, naturally aspirated way to get this power, then do it. For most people, a G16B EFI motor actually has enough power.

If you really, really, want a turbo, find a factory turbo motor that's already tuned and strong enough to last.

Turbocharging a G series motor is pretty fraught. It is possible, but it's never, ever going to happen reliably with a carby, and certainly not with the stock vitara carby. You could spend far more money trying to get a carby setup to work than swapping to EFI. It's just not worth it.

Even with EFI, you are going to burn bulk cash getting it sorted. Price a new small roller bearing turbo. You're not going to get much change from $1.5K. Everyone thinks it's the manifolds that are the problem, but that doesn't even scratch the surface. They're the cheap bit. The real money is in tuning. How are you going to sort the distributor curve? Engine management? Fuel system?

Lots of "cheap" turbo conversions are just new and exciting ways to blow up lots of motors very quickly.

It sounds like you have to do LOTS of research.

Steve.

[Microwire]

Yeah that's true, I've played around with turbo engines before but never actually converted an NA to one. I was going to rebuild the engine and stick a cam and all that in for a bit extra grunt, but I figured why not rebuild it to take a turbo and get more power for the same money. I know an engine conversion is the way to go but I've just got this thing for keeping it as original as I can, I know a turbo isn't factory but I want to keep the original engine.

The main reason for looking into a turbo is for a couple of reasons, 1 is I know that in some cases you can improve fuel economy, looking at either internal work or turbo it looks like I could possibly get better fuel economy with a turbo than I would with a lumpy cam and upgraded carby and hightop pistons or whatnot. The second is when i'm out at stockton and trying to drive the massive dunes towards the top of them once I'm running out of momentum the low down torque just can't keep the wheels spinning, I figured a turbo would help me out more than internal because depending on the turbo and all that you can get them to spool up at quite low rpm.

That's basically the reason for more grunt, I can handle the highway trips at 95kmh and hills at 70kmh but it's embarrasing on the dunes.

Any thoughts on a better way to proceed? I'm looking at budgeting around $5k.

[Teracis]

Christ for 5k you could put a way better donk in it couldn't you?

[jdk81]

Convert your engine to 16v mpfi?

[Fatzook]

Teracis wrote:

Christ for 5k you could put a way better donk in it couldn't you?

Yep. But he wants to keep the original motor.

Microwire....

Can you answer any of G-steves questions? Like what sore of end figure you are searching for? The G16A has 55kw or therabouts. Slapping a MILD turbo setup on will nett you around a 40% gain. thats still less power than a standard G16B EFI motor. If you swapped to EFI, you may see figure more like 80kw - 90kw, but this motor will have a dramaticly reduced life due to the increased stress on components etc. And this would still be less than a standard J20.

You have PLENTY of NA options that will achieve the same or better result than a turbo on your carby G16A, but with factory standard tune and reliability.

Just my 2 cents

[Gwagensteve]

Why on earth would you want to keep the stock motor, but happy to bolt all manner of crap onto it and break it anyway?

By the time you've sorted all the issues out, you're likely to only be left with the block (assuming you don't break that chasing tuning)

It's cool to have a goal, but make sure it's a goal worth pursuing.

I'll say it again - if you want a turbo motor to last, start with a motor already built for boost. It's too expensive and too hard on motors to try and tune an NA motor for boost.

I don't think $5K will cover it if you want a reliable, dependable outcome. It might, but it will be close. I reckon you'll destroy at least one motor in the process.

Steve.

[steve]

Had a few beers so can't all of G bangers post, but the first bit makes sense, .. "why do you want it" etc

and then i saw a flash of "1.6 carby" !! '

and then i saw a flash of "5K to spend"

Sell the car, and add your 5K and get something with a bigger motor!

[Fatzook]

steve wrote:

Had a few beers so can't all of G bangers post, but the first bit makes sense, .. "why do you want it" etc

and then i saw a flash of "1.6 carby" !! '

and then i saw a flash of "5K to spend"

Sell the car, and add your 5K and get something with a bigger motor!

Some good but boozy advice here

[jdk81]

You could put in a big bore kit (1750cc ive heard)
Same engine number and lots more poke.

[Microwire]

Thanks for the input guys, I guess your probably right with the turbo option, I'm chasing between the 80 to 100kw mark. I also want reliability.

I know it seems crazy for me to want to keep the original motor, I just don't feel right parting it from the car. I also think that going for a turbo might have been partially for the novelty factor and to see the look on peoples faces when they hear it spool.

Argh! I'm in 2 different minds about this whole thing Steve/Fatzook, you guys are right I need to think about this some more and get over my issues about keeping the carb and stock motor.

EFI freaks me out, I don't like all the electronics and whatnot at least with a carby if I have issues I can fix it without having a degree in computer engineering. And what about if I drown the car and the little computer gets wet, goodbye.

From your experience have you guys dealt much with rebuilding and upgrading internal components of these engine? Any thoughts on how I can best spend my money either with a new motor *shudders* or to the existing.

Thanks again for the input guys I really appreciate it.

Edit: Haha beer advice is the best type. I love my car and thoght about upgrading but only other thought was a sierra

[steve]

I think there's general widespread issue where people get attached to their cars, like they have debt to the vehicle or something and have to keep the same one and help it? It's some kind of spiritual belief?

If you're not happy with the way it is, work out if could easily fix it, or maybe it'd be better to get rid of it and get something else?

[Microwire]

Yeah I think your probably right, I guess the money I would get from selling mine plus my saving could buy a decent vit or sierra.

[steve]

I don't like to talk people in to or out of anything, i just like to create confusion , but what do you want?

A sierra will be an endless amount of issues if you want speed and power

[Microwire]

Yeah I'm already feeling confused. I'm not that fussed about speed I just want something that doesn't die when it really needs some lowdown torque.

[Gwagensteve]

If the idea of EFI freaks you out you will NEVER sort a turbo conversion.

EFI is easy. Trying to get a vacuum advance distributor and vacuum demand secondaries to work under boost is rocket science compared to nice, logical, straightforward EFI.

A baleno G16B is rated at 70Kw. With extractors and maybe a cam gear and some dyno time maybe over 75Kw.... and you'd have a hope of coming in under budget.

I think you hit the nail o the head when you said "the look on people's faces when it spools"

If you want a turbo moor for the "noise and drama" of a turbo, use a CA18DET, an SR20DET, or even a turbo converted 4AGZE. Any of these would be far cheaper than trying to sort a turbo G16A.

Steve.

[ninjamoses]

Return car to stock. Sell it. Add ~3 grand. Buy a SV420 SWB Vitara. Add all your mods that you took off the old car. Profit

Be happy with a newer car, with EFI & 90 something kilowatt, and spend the remaining 2 grand on something awesome for the new vit?

I'm usually all for doing something original (and spending other peoples money ), but I have to say I reckon the above is a better option.

Or if you are decent on the spanners, buy a h27a and do as much of the engine conversion yourself as possible. Should come in under 5 grand if you do a lot of it yourself, you'll have way more power than your chasing, and you get to keep your car

[atari4x4]

fix your gearing & you wont need much more power, what sized tyres are you running, 30's or 31's? that's 63463% of the problem with the lack of power.

[Microwire]

Steve, the Baleno motor looks like an interesting option, I guess I don't do that many deep water crossings, but what do you guys to about the electronics getting wet issue?

Ninja, Yeah the newer Vit's do look nicer but I have a fatal atraction to mine. That's probably the smartest option for me but as Steve said earlier about getting attached to your car and 'helping it' I've seen quite a few guys on here build very impressive machines, I'd like to join them there and I'm going to keep this one, it's rust free, leak free, paint job is half decent.

Atari, I'm running 30's what gearing would you suggest?

And does anyone know how much or a detrimental affect no Cat would have on a car, as I found someone has 'modified' mine?

[bristlenose2008]

as atari said, fit your gearing. Diff gear ratios (512) is what I think he was talking about, it will fix some of your low end issues.

In Thailand a popular engine conversion is with a Nissan 2.0liter Turbo Diesel. I am pretty sure that there are no engineering requirements in NSW when a diesel conversion is done on commercial car (your vitara is registered commercial).

The adaptor plates are readily available on the market, I just haven't been able to get enough information on this setup, but still trying desparately.

[ninjamoses]

Being an early manual vit, it will already have 5.12 diff gears. So fixing the gearing (for high range anyway) isn't going to be an easy task. Diff ratios higher than that were available on overseas models, but I don't like your chances of finding any for a reasonable price. Could always just put up with it in high range and get transfer gears to fix low range?

That said, I totally understand bonding with your car and not wanting to get rid of it. So I fully support modding the bejesus out of your current one

[skelaaleks]

You would be much better off running efi turbo rather than carby turbo.
But for the price of a aftermarket computer and somebody to hook it all up and make manifolds your better off getting something like a ca or sr and use the standard comp.

I know of a cheap rb20t if you wanna make it fit:)

[Fatzook]

skelaaleks wrote:

You would be much better off running efi turbo rather than carby turbo.
But for the price of a aftermarket computer and somebody to hook it all up and make manifolds your better off getting something like a ca or sr and use the standard comp.

I know of a cheap rb20t if you wanna make it fit:)

Way too long! No way an inline 6 will fit in a VITARA that is road driven!

A V8 would be a better option!

[skyman]

Steve, the Baleno motor looks like an interesting option, I guess I don't do that many deep water crossings, but what do you guys to about the electronics getting wet issue?

Swapping to a better motor is the way to go. I am wiring/schematic/efi/computer idiot when it comes to cars, and i did the conversion from 1.3 carb to 1.6 efi myself. It just took some time, and reading.

If you have a suitable drop in/adapter bolt in engine available to you I would say that is the best bet. Then if you still want to turbo it, you will have the EFI computer which can handle 5-10Lbs of boost without major mods.

I ran the 16 TBI/SPI injection o a 1.3 carbed engine. Just swapping to the EFI alone gave me more useable power, and the EFI was meant for the 1.6

Again if you want to turbo it, after you have a stronger higher out put EFi system in, go for it. The stock computer will handle small amounts of boost.

As for the electronics getting wet, it is a on-issue. especially if you are doing a conversion, because you can mount the ECM high, and water proof it, as well a protect the sensors.

[skelaaleks]

Fatzook wrote:

skelaaleks wrote:

You would be much better off running efi turbo rather than carby turbo.
But for the price of a aftermarket computer and somebody to hook it all up and make manifolds your better off getting something like a ca or sr and use the standard comp.

I know of a cheap rb20t if you wanna make it fit:)

Way too long! No way an inline 6 will fit in a VITARA that is road driven!

A V8 would be a better option!

Now your talking!
Ps fat Zook do you want to go for a wheel in a few weeks once I get my new springs? Just Johnson rd