OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 2 points for you!

Mig it is. I have access to everything pretty much, sans dyno. Personally, i dont think i'm going to need it at this point.

Nevermind that turbo. Going to running a t25 for a while. When it goes, i'll port the housing and stuff a t28 cartrige in there. dont have to pay a penny for it because i have a very generous friend. Now i'm going to have to bust out the notebook, lay everything out infront of my car and figure out how i'm going to get stuff to work and fit. It's going to be fun. By "fun", i mean a big pain in the ass. :) I hope the search turns something up!

I searched and.....well, i'm probably going to buy flanges and weld up a custom mani wether i like it or not. The short runner doesn't do it for me. Alot of guys with small turbos (on different cars, not necessarily ours) have better luck with longer runners. I'm not good on that subject. I'm just speaking vicariously through what others have told me. just seems to be the case. My honda head friends running 14b's, 16g's and volvo turbos used long runners over a short runner setup. I listed the smic and piping for sale as i dont plan on using them. It'd just be easier to get an fmic outright, do the plumbing and be done with it. How noticable do you think running a t25 at 6-8 psi will be over stock? How will my powerband be? Like, will it hold boost all the way to redline reliably with a 2.5" full catless (my friend made his own test pipe) exhaust with a free-flowing fart can on it.

Things are moving smooth with the project thus far. That could change depending on what a compression test reveals. I have my fingers crossed. Still waiting on my mls head gasket, timing belt, plug wires, head bolts, piston rings and spark plugs from parts dinosaur.

I'm so happy right now i'd hug the entire forum.