So I have some connections and should be able to get an internship next summer which will supply me with the necessary funds to make my SC300 a pretty solid sleeper.

Anyway, I've seen a lot of different turbos online and don't really get the gist of the differences between them.

For example, Driftmotion has the following turbocharger kits for sale:

2JZ-GE "NA-T" 60-1

2JZ-GTE 60-1 Turbo Kit

2JZ-GTE DM67 Turbo Kit

Here's the link: http://store.driftmotion.com/static/index.php

Then I've found a kit that includes an intercooler, but it's 4500 dollars, unlike the ones on Driftmotion which are about 1500 each.

Link: http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/perf...bos/Turbo_Kits

Questions I have on these:

1) Is there a large difference of power delivered between these?

2) Are intercoolers worth the 2000 or so dollars?

3) What do you think the labor cost would be for the installation of one of these systems? I think I might be able to do it myself but I'm not sure.

I'm not looking to upping my SC300 so that I have to drop even more money on the suspension, brakes, etc. I'm basically looking to have a reliable daily driver with a fair amount of kick to it.

 

well for 4500 you could swap a 2jzgte.. intercooler kits are like 200 dollars, off ebay. you could do it yourself if you know what you are doing. for na-t you have to take the head off the motor and do a thicker headgasket. if your gonna do a metal headgasket then you have to get the block and head machined. sometimes they machine it wile its put together sometimes just to get it machined you gotta give them a bare block and head.

or do a 1jzgte from a soarer pretty much plug and play after wiring extension. all depends on your skills and funds.

the three choices are
na-t
1jzgte
2jzgte

pick your poison lololol

 

wow....

you got lots of reading to do.

I suggest you take some time and do the research before you throw some money into a project like this.

Here, ill get you started.

2JZ-GE = The factory non turbo 6 cylinder engine that came in sc300's, GS300's, and non turbo supras.
2JZ-GTE = Came in turbo supras and Aristos (Japanese version of GS300). The "T" stands for the turbo, hence 2JZ-GE vs 2JZ-GTE.

Driftmotions kit is a NA-T, which is throwing a turbo onto your current engine if you have a SC300.

The 2JZ-GTE kits do not apply to you unless you changed your motor from an aristo or supra.


Honestly, there are many different alternatives to how you can go about turboing your car. It all comes down to your technical ability, budget, and power goals. First figure those three out, and we may help steer you to a more focused solution.

 

What does NA-T stand for?

I definitely won't have the money to swap out the engine, nor do I have any desire to do so. Since my car has the 2JZ-GE, isn't some drilling involved in order to mount the turbos on the GE or something?

Sorry if these are stupid questions. I've been researching all this stuff like crazy but I learn zounds of new information each day, or so it seems.

 

NA-T is turbo-ing a naturally aspirated engine such as the 2JZ-GE.

I suggest reading up on supraforums or clubna-t as they have TONS of information.

 

Technical ability: None. No mechanical education, just a bit of hands on experience with a '77 280z and I was able to remove the air intake assembly for the BFI. In other words, most of this will be happening at a shop somewhere, so more money out of my pocket.

Budget: For the W58 swap, upgraded exhaust, and some turbo action and maybe an intercooler if they really are cheap on ebay, I'd say about 5-7k (if that's even feasible).

Power goals: I don't want to substantially upgrade the suspension and brakes, if that makes any sense. But I'd like to see my 0-60 times not be a leisurely 8 seconds. I'd like to beat 6 cylinder mustangs, Tibbys, tCs, etc. in drag races. Stock HP is apparently 225. I don't know, maybe 100 extra HP? I'll take whatever the turbo plus an upgraded exhaust system will get me.

 

Back to the intercooler, so something like this thing on ebay for 125 dollars is legit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TURBO...Q5fAccessories

I'm just weary of performance parts on ebay and the rest of the internet without gratuitous amounts of research. I was pretty close to getting the "electric supercharger" at one point, lawlz.

 

with the main points highlighted in red, plus the questions you are posting, buy a Mustang GT and call it quits...

 

Yeah +1 Do it right or dont do it at all!

 

I'm not going to make THAT much money.

If I were to just get a new car I think I'd get a used RX-8 or Altima Coupe.

Or put the money into restoring my Datsun, but that thing's a total death trap.

 

I'd recommend getting a used RX-8 or Altima Coupe.

 

dude i told you a great deal of info if you are not gonna put time into it then dont do it at all if your gonna turbo the car dont do a w58 transmission you need to do a r154 transmission. that alone you better have at least 2k just for r154 swap with all the parts that are needed. and for NA-t you gotta take the head off the block like i said and you need to drill for oil feed and drill for oil drain. if you are gonna half *** a turbo kit and end up blowing your engine and your w8 i will personally slap you. because you are not listening. if you are gonna do it and you want it to have more kick and be faster then sell your car and get a sc400 and swap in a manual. that would be the cheapest route. if you wanna stay with the sc300 do the r154 tranny swap first. that alone will give it alot more kick. dont forget a diff unless you wanna rev to forever, and get ****ty gas mileage. i did my 2jzgte and r154 for about 5500 bucks. not to mention i had hook ups on anything possible. i got full 3" exhaust made for 80 bucks. i had a hks hi power i bought before i even bought the car. had to get some parts cnc'd. um... hmm lots of bolt and nut shopping. ahhh.... umm... if your gonna do a 2jzgte and its from an aristo you need to get a 1jz oil pan and all that goes along with the oil pan. dont forget for the 5spd you need alot of pedals and all that equipment. if you can weld then cool cause you gotta extend the shifter, w58 or r154 depending on which tranny you pick up.

get your mind set on a specific setup and then just search. there is no need for making any threads that dont need to be made. read about turbo compressors and learn to read compressor maps. some ebay products are good like the inter coolers are decent but the piping is perfectly fine i mean how can someone make a ****ty pipe... not to mention you gotta update your fuel pump as well. when you do na-t you need to remember electronics and upgrade injectors. cooling system needs some help so be prepared to drop about 300-800 dollars on a good radiator not some random crap. DO NOT TAKE ANY SHORTCUTS OR IT WILL COST YOU BIG MONEY. and you gotta check your timing belt make sure its good, replace it if its worn. the crank pulley, if its worn out you gotta replace it because the added power will take its toll on the crank pulley and it will come apart.

if you wanna have a reliable car then be prepared to dump at least 6k maybe more if you pay other people for labor for 1jzgte, or a 2jzgte swap. and about 4k for na-t done right.

 

I would suggest either selling your current SC300 and purchasing a factory manual car, or better yet, a car that already has a 1jz swap and manual conversion or is already turbocharged. Learning to work on the Datsun also isn't a bad idea to get your mechanical ability up so you would be more comfortable doing the work yourself if you do decide to proceed with your planned build on the SC. Regardless of your choice, I recommend doing a lot more research into what each of the possibilities regarding building a boosted SC, and evaluate your long term goals with the project.

 

I dont mean a 2009 or 2010 GT, I mean an SN95 GT..and if you cant afford an SN95 GT, you dont need to worry about boosting your SC and having it as a reliable daily...thats the point Im making.

Boosting an SC can be done for fairly little cash, but reliability and performance are cut short, not to mention like I said, the questions your asking are BASIC na-t knowledge, and if not educated on it atleast a little, your in over your head.

Dont get me wrong, not trying to be an a**, just that I know first hand being an intern pays decent, but if you try boosting your Lexus on that kind of pay, your going to cut yourself short.

If its a turbo you want, find a decent SR powered S13/S14.

 

Sorry, I think I posted before reading what you said.

Thank you so much for all the info. However, why is the R154 mandatory over the W58? I assumed that since those were put in the turbo charged Supras they'd be damn near indestructible.

And with the intercoolers, I've read that there's a lot of cheap crap from China that leaks, but that there are also some good ones and it's just kind of a crap shoot.