4 cylinder + turbo = anyone here tried it?

**OHCbird** · 07-02-2005

I'm going to turbo our Solstice's Ecotech after a few months. Now we just have to get the car delivered...

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**Chevy454** · 07-03-2005

There is a big QUAD 4 following if you do a search. They support some big HP and are pretty cheap cores.

Brian: I originally thought about building a Quad 4...but then I noticed that that several of the Quad-4 guys were doing Ecotec swaps! So, I figured there was a reason the Eco was a popular build...and you can find Eco take out engines cheap all over the place!

**Swifster** · 07-03-2005

I might be wrong, but I believe original Yenko Vega's had 350's in them. And not to say 4 cylinders are bad, but Chevy put 4's, 6's, and small 8's in that platform. Might I suggest a 3.8L V-6 with the supercharger (like in the Grand Prix)? You can get these engines complete, including ECM for $1000 to $1500 depending on mileage. You would need a RWD block to transfer the internals from the L67 (compression differences), and horsepower can be pushed past 400 HP.

Another idea would be a 4.3L with a centrifical supercharger (Hot Rod got over 500 HP this way. These engines are in trucks and Caprices and can be found dirt cheap.

Again, not knocking the 4 cylinder idea, just offering another alternative to V-8 power.

**Chevy454** · 07-03-2005

I might be wrong, but I believe original Yenko Vega's had 350's in them.

Yep, you'd be wrong! LOL!! Yenko's grand plan was to get Chevrolet to add heavy duty pistons via a COPO to his allotted Vegas so he could put a turbo system on them at Yenko Chevrolet...but the EPA stepped in and told him to do so, he'd have to complete a 50,000 mile emissions test prior to the installation of any kits, and Don Yenko just couldn't handle dumping that kind of money into the package before any were even built. So, he sold the kits over the counter, as well as the Hardy V8 mounts/kits (like everyone else in the country was doing). In fact, the gentleman who had owned our Yenko Vega for the past 30 years had started a V8 swap via a Hardy kit in the early '70s, until the military changed his plans.

And hey Swifster: I see you're into Studes, so you might know my arch nemesis the last couple of years in Pure Stock...he's from down around Muncie, Indiana, and has ran a Stude since the late '50s...does the name "Ted Harbit" ring a bell?

**Swifster** · 07-04-2005

Originally Posted by Chevy454

And hey Swifster: I see you're into Studes, so you might know my arch nemesis the last couple of years in Pure Stock...he's from down around Muncie, Indiana, and has ran a Stude since the late '50s...does the name "Ted Harbit" ring a bell?

I've heard a lot about Ted (all good

) since joining the Studebaker Drivers Club (SDC). I've never met him, but I'm hoping to at the next Pure Stock Drags later this year. When I'm done with the current project, I want to do a '64 Challenger similar to George Krem's Plain Brown Wrapper (more of a restification).

**Chevy454** · 07-04-2005

Ted is a class act all the way...we've had some good battles over the years with him driving George's R3...in fact, I was the one with the yellow Yenko Camaro opposite the Plain Brown Wrapper in the "My Classic Car" shootout...another ironic sidebar, Ted and the "Chickenhawk" were parked next to dad and our Harrell funny car at the Indy Concourse D'Elegance a couple weeks ago...

**Swifster** · 07-04-2005

I'm looking forward to the event. I haven't been there but have penciled in. Meeting Ted and seeing George's Challenger would be a large bonus. I'll look for the Yenko too

.

**1971ssls1** · 07-04-2005

[QUOTE=primate]my buddy has an 2005 srt-4 acr and it runs like a somanabish! :D

that has the 2.4 with an intercooled turbo pushing about 14 lbs of boost. 230 hp/250 lb ft of torque gets that lil pocket rocket boogeying.

for the hell of it, we test drovge one of those and it maxed out at 122 mph. lol

**BRIAN** · 07-06-2005

Is there a 1/2 a SBC (4cly) called a SCAT? or something? I know I heard about it somewhere. They were actually used in some type of race car. Sounded interesting for smaller project I just do not remeber the details.

**Chevy454** · 07-06-2005

Doesn't ring a bell with me, but I believe the Iron Duke 4-cylinder will accept a SBC head...?

**JMarsa** · 07-07-2005

Used in Midgets I think. I looked into them once, not cheap as I recall.

Here's a pic I stole from http://www.kinsler.com/m_manifolds.htm

As you can see it's a V-4 set-up.

--JMarsa

**Kenova** · 07-08-2005

I think this might be more along the line of what Chevy454 was thinking of;
http://www.racingjunk.com/exec/ca/vi...D--BIG-HP.html
I just bought a Vega, so I find this engine rather interesting

Ken

**TurboLark** · 07-27-2005

If you are looking for hipo Ecotec parts look at saturnmotorsports.com . That is Jim Eplers place. He runs an Ecotec in a sandrail that has somewhere around 1200hp.
I just bought Eagle h beams and arp head studs off of ebay for my Eco. Now I need some wiseco pistons and a cometic headgasket.

**Foudie** · 07-27-2005

I have always loved vegas, I just think they have great lines. If done right they make a pretty sweet looking ride. Here is my .02....what about a 3.8 V6 Turbo Grand National motor? I had an '86 with some Kenne Bell upgrades. It was quicker than my super built up 5.0.

Brad

**Chevy454** · 07-27-2005

Hey, I'm as big of a fan of the 3.8 turbos as anyone, but Yenko's original vision was of a turbo'd 4-cylinder...granted, it was the wussy 140ci 4-banger of way back when, so I'm trying to keep the original theme...

BTW: thanks for the link to saturnmotorsports..com

**OHCbird** · 07-28-2005

A turbo'd Eco in the Vega would be the way to go- light, light, light. Oh yeah- the Eco would make plenty of power, all day long. All the other stuff would be cheap (relative, right?). You might actually avoid the excessive oversteer of putting an SBC or V-6 up there.

**Chevy454** · 08-05-2005

That's exactly what I'm thinking, OHC...anyone have a rough guesstimate on what a '71 Ecotech equipped Vega with all the trimmings (turbo, 200-4R) would weigh? I'm a drag racer at heart, but the thought of a *streetable* turbo'd 4-banger putting on a show the drag strip keeps going through my mind...

Would a conservative guesstimate of 400hp and 2800lbs. make for a decent play toy? And maybe even Power Tour??

**Kenova** · 08-07-2005

Oh boy, just when I had my mind made up, this thread comes along.

Years ago, I bought a '77 Astre for a winter car. Four cylinder with auto tranny

Got married, had kids, outgrew the car and sold it. A month ago, I bought a '77 Vega off of a friend. Four cylinder, auto tranny

pristine sheet metal and only 29,000 miles.
Just about any Vega I have seen lately has a first gen. 350 in it. So I figure buy time I'm ready for an engine swap, there should be a few gen III L33s (aluminum block 5.3) in the wreckers.
Now this! I'll be up front, I really don't care for four cylinder engines. But at the same time, the ones I've owned (see above

) haven't been the best, and technology has come a long way since '77. I love the smoothness and torque of an eight cylinder (especially the new ones), but the light weight and high output of a turbo Eco is certainly hard to ignore.
Maybe if I ditched the auto tranny and went with a five speed........
Ken

**TurboLark** · 08-09-2005

Originally Posted by Chevy454

That's exactly what I'm thinking, OHC...anyone have a rough guesstimate on what a '71 Ecotech equipped Vega with all the trimmings (turbo, 200-4R) would weigh? I'm a drag racer at heart, but the thought of a *streetable* turbo'd 4-banger putting on a show the drag strip keeps going through my mind...

Would a conservative guesstimate of 400hp and 2800lbs. make for a decent play toy? And maybe even Power Tour??

Ok, a 2800lb Vega is a pig! Should be no problem being under 2500lbs easy. You can build a stock Eco with a turbo, but you will be limited to low boost and around 300hp.
Either way, it would be alot of fun.

**dhardison** · 08-09-2005

My daily driver is a 4cyl turbo ('04 SRT4). I just picked it up new about a month ago. I've never been much of a FWD 4cyl fan, but this little rocket has opened my eyes. I LOVE the turbo (1st one I've ever owned). It has me thinking of ways to drop the compression on my 454 so I can add some boost to that as well.

http://www.danhardison.com/srt4/

Dan

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