i posted earlier that i just got a 97 eclipse rs. i posted on some other boards but i consistently get the whole sell your car and get a gst/gsx deal. i'm not going to sell my car, it was given to me as a gift. i believe the 420a motor has a lot of potential.

all i want to do is buy a used hahns kit or treadstoneperf. i don't want to push my motor, just want to boost at 5psi. i reasearched that the 420a can handle this amount without any problems.

what should i do?
i've got about 1grand.

i can go 2 routes:
a. save some more cash and turbo my car. (leaning this direction)(estimated gain 30-40hp)

b. buy aem v2, exhust, short shifter (if i go this route, and turbo later these parts will be useless) maybe the motor may last longer this route. (estimated gain of at most 20hp)

This is a great site. i'm glad that there is a board that is devoted to our n/a cars!

what would you guys do?

Turbo.

Even with all those bolt-ons, your car at 2-3 psi would be faster. If you are looking for a bump in hp you can feel, turbo>bolt-ons

Originally posted by capahimd
estimated gain of at most 20hp)

You wouldn't see even close to that with those bolt-ons.

yeah i kinda figured that. got those numbers from research on what other people have said.


just wish these kits were not so darn exspensive. i hate to say it, buy i'm really a newb at this turbo stuff so i guess if i want to turbo i gotta go with the name brand for assurance of quality.

that aem v2 though sounds really sick. to bad sounds does not translate to power. (haha, flowmaster would be the king)

Just keep reading until your eyes are bleeding. There are tons of resources on this website for understanding what is needed to turbo a car and a kit can be put together for under $1,000 (if you know what you are doing and can fabricate some stuff). All in all, my kit costed $2,000 and it's not a bad kit for how much I spent.

Hi hows it going im Josh by the way. I really recomend the turbo route and beyond that its very very hard to do a 1000 dollar turbo kit and not realistic. However dont worry about how much the big number is going to be. It will vastly be different from one person to another because they find different prices and run different setups. The cheapest setup is a internal wastegate turbo. Because they are internal you dont have a external wastegate to buy, and springs to install and extra hose. A wastegate alon can cost you 300 dollars in the end. First you gotta buy it, then weld up a flange for it and install it. Or just buy a manifold thats casted with a flange already. Just start Putting your money " where it counts" Everyone knows that Boost is the most effective power source. So just start buying your parts. First get a Turbo if you can.. A OEM turbo from another eclipse is a great start and they arent pricey. Dont worry about the turbos potential. There are a Slew of turbos that you can use. Its not important to get a big one either. Your boost will be low and you are just starting. There are only two main types of flanges. The mitsubishi and the Garret T3. These are the most common. The only thing you need to remember when buying the manifold and turbo it to make sure you buy one that fits LOL. If you get a mitsu turbo then get a manifold from Hahn racecraft as they have log style Mitsubishi manifolds for the 420a. Just start buying parts you know you need. Buy one at a time if you need to. If you spend $200 per week buying the parts after about 8 weeks you will have all your major parts. Worry about the little things last. As far as buying parts ahead of time you coulf buy your entire fuel system from Hahn, Fuel Pump, regulator, injectors, fuel line ect for less than 1000. Just buy it in segments. Investing in buying turbo parts is much better than spending 200 on a muffler and 200 on a intake and 200 on a chip. because you could spend 1000 dollars on bolt ons and never break 25 real extra horsepower. Spend it where it counts. HOWEVER upgradeing exhuast AFTER you turbo your car will make a benificial difference that it wouldnt before it was turbo FYI.

List to help you Shop for parts

Stuff you can buy from Hahn_

1. Injectors ( for 200+ hp) $160
2.Adjustable Fuel Management Unit- $302
3. Late model Fuel Kit ( includes Fuel cut defender) $250
Aslo includes stainless steel fuel lines, fuel return kit, ect.
4.Fuel Pump Walbro High pressure 255L $115 shipped

Turbo with internal wastegate from car of choice, you could get a Evo turbo or SRT4 turbo its up to you, whatever you buy you need to get a Manifold to match.

Turbo Manifold - Around $250 wether custom made or premade cast

Blow off valve- around 70 bucks, ig eclipse is very popular for this

Intercooler Piping- 200-300 dollars, this is literally the last thing you buy because you dont know what all you need till you have everything else

Front Mount Intercooler- $300-$600 , there are lots of intercoolers, Hahn makes a custom one that specifically bolts to the frame of the eclipse and is as big as you can get and still fit under the stock bumper and still allows you to use the bumper support ( safety first people!!!) Hahns IC is $600

Even if you dont use all parts from a kit manufacturer take in mind that they have been there and done that and have thing specifically for your vehicle.

You are really looking at around 2000 at the worste, but just space yourself out. 300 for turbo, 300 for FMU, 300 fuel kit, 300 for injectors and fuel pump, 300 for intake tubing, 300 for Manfifold. Its not that bad to buy the kit in peices every couple weeks. Even if you can only spend 300 every two weeks you will have all the parts in 12 weeks to turbo your car.

Originally posted by Noogabox
Front Mount Intercooler- $300-$600 , there are lots of intercoolers, Hahn makes a custom one that specifically bolts to the frame of the eclipse and is as big as you can get and still fit under the stock bumper and still allows you to use the bumper support ( safety first people!!!) Hahns IC is $600

ouch! i got mine for $60
just measure your front opening, jump on ebay, find one that comes close with a 2" to 2.5" inlet/outlet. these might take a littel fabrication to make fit but so do most things for our cars.
at 5 psi you dont need a giant $900 HKS intercooler, you might even be able to get away with a good Side Mount Intercooler (SMIC) that the 4G guys like to sell when they upgrade

This is what you can do with around 2500 dollars. Take in mind I have alot more than you need. You dont need to get the injectors at first and dont need the Apexi SAFC either to begin with.

Walbro 255L HP Fuel Pump--$125
Boost Dependant Regulator --$304
Wastegate Welding-----------$55
Cam Gears, Candy Red------- $76
Valve Cover ------------------ $40
Intake manifold-------------- -$46
Powder coating Items Red ---$320 , Not needed, sure as hell pretty!
Complete Head Gasket set---- $83
Fuel pump wiring kit-----------$26
Intercooler couplers -----------$25
Turbo Heatshield cost----------$26
T3/T04E Turbonetics Turbo
Turbonetics Turbo manifold
Intercooler
Intercooler 2 in" piping
HKS blow off valve
Custom 2.5" Downpipe
Air filter
Everything without a number beside it ( I bought then all together_--------$930


NGK Iriduim $34
Vacuum/ Boost hose- $15
Coolant- $ 12

Total $2117

I took a pretty good tally of the things that I purchased when I started the project in October of 2007.



This was a picture with flash, the color is actually Candy Apple Red Here is a camera phone pic to show the color better



In this newer picture the car is dirty, getting ready for paint and the engine is dirty. Also the air filter has been replaces and looks a little better IMO. Pic was takin March 3 08

also the treadstone T4 intercooler also fits well underneath the front impact brace and wouldnt require cutting of it, but it would require fabrication of mounts...thats what i used on my car. works great.