Non-turbo to turbo engine swap

[iluvtheavs]

Hey everyone, thanks for reading my message.
I have been looking for the past few weeks trying to find regal sport coupes or cheaper t types around where i live but haven't been able to find anything within my price range, so I have come up with a new idea to swap a turbo engine into a non-turbo regal.
Turbo Regals are few and far between here, but there are plenty of v6 regals around, and for quite cheap, so i thought it may be cheaper to put a turbo in one of them rather than scouring for a long time finding an original turbo car. I will probably use a non-sfi turbo, because the electronics may be ahrd to hook up.

A few questions i had about the swap were:
i. How easily will the v6 turbo fir in the engine compartment with the special bulged hood on it?
ii. What are the difference between decals, paint, ect. on a non-turbo to a turbo regal.
iii. What are the differences between the interiors of the car, specifically guages (can you put a stock turbo guage in a non-turbo car) and seats (can you buckets in a non-bucket car without too much trouble)
iv. What is the difference between the rear-end, brakes, and suspension on sport-coupe turbo regals vs. non regal cars.
v. How hard is it too hook up the ESC to a non-turbo car, is it just a wiring harness change?

Thanks again for reading my post!
Any help is greatly appreciated, and if i haven't been thorough please tell me and i will give you more info. Thanks!

 

[ES1]

IMO, just keep saving and get a 86-87 TR.
If not get a wrecked 86-87 and swap it into a non-TR.
The 86-87s are where the easy power is obtained.

 

[iluvtheavs]

I am not looking for large amounts of power, this is my first car, and i am on quite a budget. I am looking for a car with good fuel mileage that still can make some amount of power, so i thought if i can't find an original turbo car that it would be easy to swap a turbo engine into a non-turbo car.

Any help again is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[SilverSleeper]

If this is your first car, dont even attempt it. This is coming from someone who did just what you are thinking of.
It will cost you more than you would imagine.
Get a cheap reliable beater for your first car, and wait and get a factory turbo car when you can afford it later on.
Just trust me.

If you still want a Regal with decent power, find an 86-87 with the 307 Olds V8. Thats what I had before I swapped mine out. It has decent power, and can be modded a bit as you get funds to do so. I swapped a few things on mine, exhaust, ignition parts, intake, air filter, and it was a decent motor. Mileage with the 200C three speed sucked, but find one with the 200R4 and it will be better.

 

[gn85]

OK.. I'm not going to tell you what everyone else has so far, although I have to agree totally.

But to answer your question and give you an idea of what you're up against, let's look at how much you've got to spend. I don't like dipping into other peoples business, but what's your budget here?

The drivetrain ALONE is going to run you a pretty penny. You're talking from water pump to rear brake drums. The whole thing will need to be changed out. Tranny, driveshaft, rear, everything. Assuming you get all that together, you've got the wiring to contend with. You'll need a good wiring harness and need to do some clever re-wiring to make it work with the Regal.

Interior... ANOTHER story. As these parts get more and more rare, the price is gonna keep climbing. Especially with GNs where the material is exclusive to that car.

So, that's a taste... let's hear what you're budget is and maybe some people here will chime in with estimate prices.

 

[iluvtheavs]

Since i though all i would really have to do at first was the engine tranny, and rearend, my budget is probably way too low to complete this project. I didn't think i would have to replace brakes, ect. I was thinking in about the 2000-3000 CDN range, which is quite low, but i don't need a sfi car, i just wanted a sport-coupe or something similar that was cheap, but they are way too hard to find. Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[gn85]

Originally posted by iluvtheavs
Since i though all i would really have to do at first was the engine tranny, and rearend, my budget is probably way too low to complete this project. I didn't think i would have to replace brakes, ect. I was thinking in about the 2000-3000 CDN range, which is quite low, but i don't need a sfi car, i just wanted a sport-coupe or something similar that was cheap, but they are way too hard to find. Thanks again for all the advice.

OK. That comes out to $1500 - $2200 American. That could possibly get you a drivetrain if you came across some luck. Then you'll want to make sure everything is ready for duty. Good fuel pump, clean injectors, adequate cooling, adequate peripherals (hoses, belt, vacuum lines, etc). Don't forget the turbo (kinda important). Hopefully your tranny is healthy, otherwise you're looking at a possible rebuild or build-up which will set you well over your budget. Rear ends rarely have problems but of course should be ready for duty. Then you need to do all the install. Now, that's just the drivetrain alone... then you were talking about interior, paint, and countless hours of labor (and frustration).

ALL of this without a Regal body. Once you've bought a donor body, then you'll need to get that straight. Any and all rust... re-inforcements to keep all that power from twisting the body. Make sure the suspension bushings are healthy, shocks, etc, etc,...

I hope that gives you a glimpse of what you're looking at. I've summarized, and I'm sure many other members can give you a more elaborate look at what you're trying to do with $1500-$2200.

Keep saving and get a care that's from the factory and just needs some TLC.

Good luck.

 

[b4black]

Originally posted by iluvtheavs
I am not looking for large amounts of power, this is my first car, and i am on quite a budget.

A Carb/Turbo setup would be a perfect choice for what you want. It would bolt right on to an existing 3.8 NA and be easily be worth 3-4 second off ¼ mile ET's. If the rest of the drivetrain as sound, it will hold up just fine. Look for a complete 79/80 Turbo V6 set up. Should cost a $200-500 USD at most.

http://home.flash.net/~rjgeorge/conversion.htm

What you learn tuning wise will help if you ever get a 86/87 Turbo Regal.

 

[F8L WS6]

Believe me everyone here is trying to give you sound advice. b4black has a very good idea also if you are on that specific budget and you want to get something going right away. I've seen those setups for sale before and his price range is pretty dead on.

I actually was going to go about swapping a GN sfi motor into my Trans Am, which probably would come out to be just as costly. The motor alone was going to run me around 2500 - 3000 US with wiring harness and transmission. I couldn't even find a blown motor or no turbo with the motor and still ended up around 2k. Around here i've seen the unknowing selling their GN's for as low as 3800 (I just missed out on it). One in the autoshopper now for 2800 though it is a hot air car. And an 87 GN for 6800 OBO. Just wait for the right deal if you can. Be patient. They always come along.