7K 2 drop....where 2 start....

[Tony42086]

First off , ty for reading. So I'm a 2003 protege owner looking 2 beef my baby up. It's my first car i bought from the dealer so its dear 2 me and I'm not interested in a new car (even though i have 100k miles and a big enough down payment 2 do so). I'm a noob 2 performance tuning (wicked green behind the ears as they say). I know i want to do the turbo thing, and maybe a new engine and tranny if that's the recommended move. I know this kinda work isn't recommended for noobs but....neither is pc repair/networking, laying tile, installing counter tops, cabinetry, installing new support beams for your home (big time structural carpentry), plumbing, electrical, hvac, etc, etc, all things I've done and mastered without any form of schooling. If u get the drift, I'm a big time do it yourself kinda a guy, with the smarts to learn anything new. I also have the benefit of having a mechanic for an uncle who has all the tools i need at my disposal. I have $7, 000 to make by car have some more ponys.....what is the best route to go? Please don't scale it down because i'm a noob, I will have help from a pro and all the tools i need. I might even be able to squeeze an extra 3K in my budget but I'd rather use that for some interior work. Any pointers are appreciated.

 

[Spiced MSP]

I would think...complete motor rebuild with forged internals+ turbo setup that you can probably find in the sale forums and some type of EMS and probably a new LSD. I would also add in an intake/exhaust and motor mounts too.This is based off of the fact that you are planning on boosting your car. I don't know what all of that adds up to but since you seem to be a confident "do it yourselfer", you would save on labor costs. There are so many ways to go about getting power out of this car. I recommend the motor rebuild because you are planning on boosting your car with the amount of miles on the car and I gaurantee you will get the itch to turn up the boost once you get it installed. The connecting rods in our motors are not that great and people have sent rods through the block at around 10 psi. Some have blown on less than that, some have held up pretty good on more than that. It all depends on the tune. So, after the rebuild and turbo install, I suggest intake/exhaust and EMS to tune your new setup. You can search on using the MSP ECU+piggyback. I am not too familiar with tuning with regular protege ECU. Once you are tuned and are breathing better, upgrade your motor mounts with better mounts like the AWR mounts because the stock mounts are crappy and allow way too much engine movement. Then, you can look into getting an LSD like the Quaife or Mfactory..or you could settle for a welded MSP diff. Oh yeah, don't forget about an EBC, boost gauge, AEM UEGO to monitor everything. You will definitely notice a difference in the car after you are done with it. Like I said earlier, I don't know what all of this will add up to but your car will feel like a totally different car...in a good way. I probably left out some things like shifter bushings, suspension mods and other things to improve on the car but this will probably be more than enough for you right now. Suspension would be next though. Also, you posted this thread twice???

 

[Tony42086]

Thanks for the input. This will serve me with a good idea of where to start. So far I've only tackled the basics with cars like tune ups, oil changes, starters, shocks, fuel pumps, alternator, fan belts....the easy stuff. I'm ready to get some more under the belt. I got a spare car to drive and plenty of time on the weekends so this should be a fun little project. I guess all that's next is to do a little research before i start dropping cash. On the multiple posts....I'm throwing the ??? in the air to. Guess I clicked submit one to many times (ill blame that one on the brewskies lol). Thanks again for the pointers man.

 

[Spiced MSP]

no prob, let me know how things work for you