ok this is my first post so bear wit me i've been looking at forums on this site for quite some time now and i am in auto tech school in tennessee my project car is a 97 eagle talon esi and i have plans on turboing it on a students budget the shop here at school has all the fab shit i need so that will be no problem my goals are 8-10 psi daily school driver and i need some help i have noticed u guys are a bit touchy on neebies and want them to do alot of searching but i go to school all day and work all night so i need some help.ok my first question is do i go with a 16g or t3 turbo type?,i'm rebuilding the engine in school with new factory pistons and rods,second question how much boost can i run on factory pistons and rods and will a thicker head gasket help will more boost?i have plans on a walbro 255 fuel pump,a sfac for fuel control and air/fuel ratio control.also at this school is a welding class will it be ok to buy cheap mani off e-bay and have it welded alot better? ty for all the help i need this asap so plz reply to my post later guys proud member of 2gnt racersedge1821

Originally posted by racersedge1821
ok this is my first post so bear wit me i've been looking at forums on this site for quite some time now and i am in auto tech school in tennessee my project car is a 97 eagle talon esi and i have plans on turboing it on a students budget the shop here at school has all the fab shit i need so that will be no problem my goals are 8-10 psi daily school driver and i need some help i have noticed u guys are a bit touchy on neebies and want them to do alot of searching but i go to school all day and work all night so i need some help.ok my first question is do i go with a 16g or t3 turbo type?,i'm rebuilding the engine in school with new factory pistons and rods,second question how much boost can i run on factory pistons and rods and will a thicker head gasket help will more boost?i have plans on a walbro 255 fuel pump,a sfac for fuel control and air/fuel ratio control.also at this school is a welding class will it be ok to buy cheap mani off e-bay and have it welded alot better? ty for all the help i need this asap so plz reply to my post later guys proud member of 2gnt racersedge1821

OK, I am going to go easy on you since this is your first post, but these are all pretty simple questions that a little searching would give you your answeres.

T3 or 16G?
They can both be pretty comparable depending on the specs. Most turbo manifolds come with a T3 flange already cast or welded on so IMO a T3 is your best choice for a basic setup.

If you are rebuilding your engine and plan on boosting, why don't you rebuild with forged lower compression pistons and forged rods? The stock pieces can not handle as much abuse as forged parts can so I would say just upgrade to some stronger parts since you are going to be digging into the motor.

An SAFC will not be able to tune your fuel setup for a turbo application. Simple as that. Do a search for FMU, SFMU, Portfueler, and Megasquirt (MSnS). A regular narrow-band air/fuel gauge will not be accurate if you wish to tune your car so get a Wideband one.

I bought my turbo manifold from a seller on eBay named "Autosquare". It's a knock-off of the STAR manifold, but has held up quite well so far. It's a cast piece so you won't need to weld it up.

the reason i was asking the max boost on stock internals was because the cheapes rod/piston kits on ebay was damn 750$ i have a 2 year old daughter funds are slim so thats why i asked btw is the fmu 12.1 the one u guys use for 5-10psi

With a 12:1 fmu you won't be able to go past 8 psi unless you want to blow your motor from lack of fuel. If your funds are slim, don't rebuild. Like deej and I said, rebuilding your engine with stock parts is a waste of time if you plan on going for performance.

Originally posted by racersedge1821
i'm rebuilding the engine in school with new factory pistons and rods,

Waste of time.

yeah, i agree. i got a total of 7 cracks on my stock pistons from 10psi. 8 max for stockers. the ebay fmu is trash, youll end up replacing it if you buy one. get an sfmu. if your paying 7 something for elcheapo stuff, check out raceeng.com, thats where i got mine. like 800 for pisons & rods. (forged)