1g GST non-turbo rebuild

[NiKKUH_BOViCE]

Hello everybody. Im very new to DSM's and cars overall. A month ago i bought my first car, my dream first car and it was a 1G eclipse. Back then I will admit I did not even know how a motor really works. So i was nothing but a noob. The guy I bought the car from had the motor rebuilt a few thousand miles ago, and according to him it was made NA from a turbo. I listened to all his bull$#&+ and actually believed it. He said that it was a bolt on turbo ready all I need was a turbo, intercooler, pipes and a manifold. Being the dumb a hole that I am I started reseaching on how to bolt up a turbo from junkyards for under 500 dollars (what he told it it would cost). But after no success, I started exploring. I was tired of being a car NOOB noob. After countless days of taking things apart and putting them together, parts that havent been taken off in 17 years, I kinda got to know how this car works. And the thing is the car shows no sign of ever being turboed. I mean even the dash doesnt have a boost gauge cutout. I mean with all the NA parts including 9:1 pistons needed to convert it to NA he could have bought another turbo kit. So i am confused whether will I need ALL of the parts like ECU, complete turbo kit, and many other things to convert it back, and will i need to get new cams and valves? Is there a difference between turbo and NA blocks? Can they both handle 20 PSI with the right gear or am I SOL?

 

[bme91gsx]

yes the blocks are different. but you can still build a turbo engine with a non turbo block. if he converted it to n/a did he swap the ecu, harness, and all that to n/a or did he just eliminate all the turbo stuff? why someone would convert a turbo to n/a is beyond me.

 

[buryurfear14]

With your current skill level with cars, I'd recommend either selling the car if your SET on having a turbo'd eclipse and buying one that was turbo'd from the factory. OR just sticking with your recently rebuild n/a engine. I wouldn't recommend trying to make the jump back to a turbo if your not machanically savy. It could be overwhelming if you don't have help. BUT if you really want to get into it, it could be very rewarding once it's all done to know you did it yourself. Your choice but you might have a long road ahead of you.

check out this site for questions first, it can be very helpful and a good reference when asking questions on this forum.
1000 Already Answered Questions - Index page

 

[Fabian]

dude, I'm calling TOTAL bullshit on this guy you bought the car off of. There's no logical reason he would convert a turbo car to N/A. What you need to do is a simple phone call to your insurance company and have them look up the VIN of the car and see if it was a turbo car from the factory. They'll tell you anything you need to know like what kind of power options it came with and shit like that. I'm more that sure you'll find your car was never turbo'd OR maybe even rebuilt...

either way, I totally agree if you dont have a good mechanical background, I wouldnt advise trying to turbo your car. Just sell it and get yourself a turbo 1g. they can be found for pretty cheap nowadays

 

[96eclipzGsT]

Sounds like he put a turbo motor in a n/t car. I would look the VIN up and see. You can even do this on most insurance websites like Geico. No factory boost gauge would be a clue that it is n/a.

 

[NiKKUH_BOViCE]

yes the blocks are different. but you can still build a turbo engine with a non turbo block. if he converted it to n/a did he swap the ecu, harness, and all that to n/a or did he just eliminate all the turbo stuff? why someone would convert a turbo to n/a is beyond me.

according to him everything was turbo except for the lack of turbo itself (and manifolds and other misc parts). i know for a fact now that it was always a GS, because like you said it is beyond any logic or possible reason to convert a turbo car to NA. I agree with you guys that selling my car and just getting a turbo 1g is a smarter and easier choice but i dont want to sell my car because i like it and it is overall in GREAT condition. I mind the FWD layout but its whatever. I have a couple friends who are lifetime mechanics so they could help me with some of the stuff. but there is ALOT to do, minding the fact that I dont even have an engine stand or any room to do this. maybe a few borrowed tools, a tent in the backyard, some of my friends help and lots of TUNING this can be done. I estimate 2000 at the least with junkyard parts. Maybe one day .