2G Is this 99 20g GST setup even possible?

[SteelStorm7]

Hey guys, I'm a new member, and looking to get into turbo cars. I've had many American V8's before, but never a turbo car.

Long story short, I'm selling my Trans Am and looking to get a late model 2g. I've found a clean '99 GST that has been modded. From glancing over the forums, I've become a little concerned with the setup the guy has. He's a nice guy and seems honest, but I also don't think he knows much about the car or cars in general. He claims it was tuned somewhere in DC for the current mods, but doesn't have paperwork on hand for it. He claims he drives it every day.

He says the car is running a 20g turbo (he doesn't know the name) on stock internals. Has a pretty looking FMIC. 255 Walbro. Has a SAFC tuning device and a turbo back exhaust.

With the lack of other mods, it looks to me like someone just slapped a big turbo on the car without planning a careful build and I'm worried about it being sustainable. Or maybe its a well built car and he just doesn't know it.

I'm attaching a picture of the engine compartment he's sent me. I haven't gotten a chance to look at it in person because its two hours drive away. It looks clean and squared away to me, but who knows.

What's the opinion of someone who knows a lot more about turbo builds than me? Was this thrown together by someone who didn't know what they were doing, or could this be a legit build? Is this 20g/stock internal setup even feasible?

I'd love to get back into these cars (had a 98 GS for my first car) but I just don't want to put any money into a lemon.

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[91talonts1]

It should definitely have upgraded injectors for a 20g, but as far as stock internals go, they'll take allot more than a 20g can put out. provided it's tuned properly with proper supporting mods. Hard to tell how well a car is put together with just pics, but the BOV is recirculated, that's always a good sign.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Well just a quick look he has some clue as he has the bov hose attached so thats good, he knows thats a bad thing to take off. it looks like he has no adjustable regulator so my guess is he has no upgraded pump or its not done properly,

He could have bkown a turbo and put that on instead but owners do crazy things sometimes without us ever knowing the true story as to why, it looks pretty clean and he has done some upgrades but most ofbthe items look like visual rsther then big power upgrades,

 

[JusMX141]

He says the car is running a 20g turbo (he doesn't know the name) on stock internals. Has a pretty looking FMIC. 255 Walbro. Has a SAFC tuning device and a turbo back exhaust.

There is no "name" of a 20G...the original is made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. If it's "named", it's probably Chinese (Godspeed, CXRacing, or a plethora of additional eBay vendors which all sell the same offshore turbo). Judging by the manifold and o2 housing on the car, there's a very good possibility it's an eBay special.

If it has a 255 pump and an AFC, it probably has larger injectors as there's really no huge benefit to installing an AFC otherwise.

With the lack of other mods, it looks to me like someone just slapped a big turbo on the car without planning a careful build and I'm worried about it being sustainable. Or maybe its a well built car and he just doesn't know it.

A 20G really isn't a "big turbo"....it's just one of the largest 100% stock-fitment units available. If something happened and the stock turbo failed, there's no reason you couldn't buy a 20G and install it with the future plan to upgrade the fuel system and the rest of the bolt-ons assuming you keep the 20G at stock boost (10-12psi).

Other than that....strut towers look pretty clean- get some pics of the front portion of the rear wheel wells, another known-rusty spot, before you decide to pull the trigger. Looks like he was a little lazy and didn't want to drill and re-tap the bumper support bolts there on the front....deciding mechanic's wire was a worthy replacement. No sure if that's indicative of the rest of the build or not.

 

[Vegas Smith]

Meh, you can't really trust anything the owner says. For example, that could be an ebay 16g and you wouldn't know it until you start digging around after it blows. Although, it does have a nice radiator. But no fuel pressure regulator? That's not a good sign for a smart build. Looks pretty clean though. Could you get some more pics?