carb to FI/Intercooled swap

[lifeat26psi]

hey guys, im rather new to this stuff, so forgive me for the newbie questions.
I just bought a 1980 regal sportcoupe, and ive come to the conclusion that there is no way to make this car fast with out a F.I. and intercooler conversion.

What would i need for this swap, besides intake mani, turbo, exhaust manifolds, intercooler, computer, injectors?

Either that, or any information to get this thing any faster, my goal is low 14's, and hopefully 13's for it. Tell me what you guys think, or just tell me to shut up and keep it as is, im doing this on a budget.

Also, im getting grey smoke out of my exhaust and when i shut her down, i get a little grey smoke out of the turbo housing itself, im guessing its the seals in the turbo, should i just replace the turbo itself, or should i just open it up and replace the gaskets inside? Any thoughts?
If i need to replace the turbo itself, i called autozone and they told me a stock replacement would be about 500 dollars, is that a good price? Are these turbo's interchangable with later model 3.8's?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks again.

 

[MoeJr]

There are a couple guys running 14's with carbed TR's. Go thru the before black forum and read a bit and you'll find them. I believe one goes by 83TType. gone 14.3 1/4 on 14 psi boost. The other goes by b4black.

 

[b4black]

Converting a Carb/Turbo over to SFI is nearly the same as convering a Non-turbo motor over.

The conclusion with non-turbo conversions is it better and cheaper to just buy the 86/87 in the first place rather than piecing it together.


You can run 13's on a carb/turbo:
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/recipes/carb.html

 

[lifeat26psi]

there is some really good information there...
i think to start i need to tune the carb, cause according to that article, my car is running lean, cause its falling flat on its face when i get on it.

My turbo is also smoking, so should i replace it entirely, or should i take it apart and put a new seal in it? Does it make sense to still use a 27 year old turbo, or is it a smart thing just to replace for 500 bucks, or are there less expensive alternatives?

-Neel

 

[usetaboost]

If I still had my 79 sport coupe I would leave it the way it is. If I had yours i would leave it the way it is and go from there too. If you want to go fast and do it on the cheap u can pick up a hot air car in nice condition for about 4-5k and it should be jump in and go. If you consider selling your 80 sport coupe let me know I'm looking for one for a daily driver. probably won't be for a few months though. I live in Sioux city, ia.

 

[b4black]

My turbo is also smoking, so should i replace it entirely, or should i take it apart and put a new seal in it? Does it make sense to still use a 27 year old turbo, or is it a smart thing just to replace for 500 bucks, or are there less expensive alternatives?

-Neel

You can get seal kits for reasonbale amount of money. (I'm not sure where though).

Or watch ebay, there are 1979/83 turbo's on there all the time.

 

[lifeat26psi]

You can get seal kits for reasonbale amount of money. (I'm not sure where though).

Or watch ebay, there are 1979/83 turbo's on there all the time.

so anything from 79 to 83 will bolt right on? Same turbo, same mounting points, all that good stuff?

 

[b4black]

Yep, the only differances are that 82/83 have a tighter turbine housing and the compressor has only one connection port for the vacuum hoses, but the center sections are the same. The differances are minor and they will all work.

 

[lifeat26psi]

ok, now i have to find either a cheap turbo to replace mine, or some seals and just rebuild mine....