How much roughly to convert stock r32gtr to single high mount turbo + ecu and tune

[thejacksta88]

Hi guys,

I've bought my first gtr and wanting to convert to a single turbo high mounted.

 

can people share what they have paid for their gtrs to be converted 

in Perth looking for recommended workshops also 

 

thanks ! 

[r32-25t]

Just the turbo side will be 10–15 grand 

[Duncan]

Yeah I agree, 10k give or take. 

It'll go good after though.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Don't forgot to factor in the boring stuff too, like fuel system, electronics pack, clutch, etc.

[MBS206]

1 hour ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Don't forgot to factor in the boring stuff too, like fuel system, electronics pack, clutch, etc.

That's only needed if you want to make sure it's all good, and safe, and reliable, and runs etc.

 

I reckon I could do it for farrrrrr less than these guys are saying.

Fab up a dodgy pipe to go from the twin exhaust outlets to one, a turbo from Bunnings for $400, then fab up a new outlet pipe.

 

I reckon I could do a high mount turbo for under $2k... Now whether the motor grenades when it comes onto boost the first time... That's a different question. And I'd hope, being a Skyline, especially a GTR, there is more put into it than a dodgy Bunnings turbo...

[GTSBoy]

It will blow out fast.

$3k for turbo, could easily be a bit more.

$2k for manifold, at the lower end, and therefore likely to be more.

$1k for dump, could easily be more.

$1k for coating these things, really should be done.

$1k for desirable extras, like EGT ports, EMP ports, heat shielding. Hell, probably more like $2k.

You get close to $10k just for the main parts, without pipework fab, gaskets, fasteners, labour.

$15k is rock bottom. If you need intercooler, fuel system, clutch, ECU, you're pushing $30k. It is just too easy to spend money.

[Murray_Calavera]

What is already done to the car? 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Call it $60k, to factor in a basic rebuild too.

Oil pump will go bang, and/or head will shit a shim and many sads.

Just build the motor at the same time as upgrading the turbo. Nitto oil pump, big ass sump, head to sump vent/drain, fix up all the flaws.

 

[UWISSH!]

12 hours ago, thejacksta88 said:

Hi guys,

I've bought my first gtr and wanting to convert to a single turbo high mounted.

 

can people share what they have paid for their gtrs to be converted 

in Perth looking for recommended workshops also 

 

thanks ! 

Very open ended question.

the main things would be, what is already done to it, what is your mechanical knowledge/ are you paying for someone to do all the work? and what sort of power/ use for the car are you aiming for?

you could eBay all the parts and have it cheap and nasty or you can do it properly. (the first option usually requires you to do the second option later on to fix the mistakes)

realistically paying someone and buying all the parts without cheaping out is not going to leave you much change from $15-$20k depending on turbo, ecu and clutch choice.

[r32-25t]

Basically by the time you buy the manifold, turbo and waste gate then get all the fab work plus an lines for water and oil and add Labour it’ll come to 10-15

[thejacksta88]

11 hours ago, Murray_Calavera said:

What is already done to the car? 

Hey mate completely stock apart from front mount.

 

I think I might stick with twin turbo set up and go upgraded turbos.

 

Exhaust - tune 

I'm not after major power just something nice and responsive 

[thejacksta88]

15 hours ago, Duncan said:

Yeah I agree, 10k give or take. 

It'll go good after though.

Would you suggest staying with a twin setup but upgraded turbos  ?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Duncan would say yes,  nearly everyone else here would say no.

[Duncan]

Yeah, I probably would, because not everyone has that sort of coin to drop on a car. Depends if you want the last 1/10th of potential out of the platform

Plus, these days the cars are more like classics than a leading edge race car, so why do all that work when a nice pair of twins can still bring a smile

[thejacksta88]

So guys I'm thinking I'll go 

6boost manifold

gt35-900 

50mm waste gate 

full exhaust 

Haltech platinum pro 

Walbro 255

do I need to upgrade coil packs and would anyone suggest drop in cams  ?

[GTSBoy]

1 hour ago, thejacksta88 said:

gt35-900

First up, I presume you mean a G35?

And...

1 hour ago, thejacksta88 said:

Walbro 255

This is not a 900HP fuel pump.

and

1 hour ago, thejacksta88 said:

Haltech platinum pro

Why would you do this to yourself?

and

1 hour ago, thejacksta88 said:

do I need to upgrade coil packs

Almost certainly. Time for some pencil coils.

1 hour ago, thejacksta88 said:

would anyone suggest drop in cams

It's money well spent, so long as you don't stay stuck in the 90s and consider something other than the usual Jap suspects.

[UWISSH!]

6 hours ago, thejacksta88 said:

So guys I'm thinking I'll go 

6boost manifold

gt35-900 

50mm waste gate 

full exhaust 

Haltech platinum pro 

Walbro 255

do I need to upgrade coil packs and would anyone suggest drop in cams  ?

You will also need bigger injectors.

your factory clutch will be living on borrowed time.

welcome to the rabbit hole that it skyline ownership

[Murray_Calavera]

Based on this - 

On 12/23/2024 at 2:28 AM, thejacksta88 said:

I've bought my first gtr

and this - 

6 hours ago, thejacksta88 said:

So guys I'm thinking I'll go 

6boost manifold

gt35-900 

50mm waste gate 

full exhaust 

Haltech platinum pro 

Walbro 255

do I need to upgrade coil packs and would anyone suggest drop in cams  ?

My advise is to find a local workshop that is trustworthy and has experience building GTRs to the level you want to achieve.  

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

3 hours ago, UWISSH! said:

welcome to the rabbit hole that it skyline ownership

Nek minnit the $60K I said earlier doesn't seem too far off the mark.

[The Bogan]

As an ex-skyline owner

Going off how these things are now "modern classics", I would keep the twins and just "refresh" bits that are required for reliable power and have a car you can take out for a cruise whenever you get the itch

As a idiot who cannot leave things alone

Going deep into the "rabbit hole" is a easy thing to do, as previously mentioned, once you start it becomes a slippery slope, wirh lots of supporting mods, and possibly rebuilds, and unless you have a bottomless pit of funds, the car can spend most of its life sitting in the garage,  broken, waiting for parts, or building more funds

For a classic like a R32 GTR

Basically, a reliable OEM+ refresh, that isn't a broken garage queen, is alot better than a car that you build, then break, then fix, then break again

And it isn't just the engine you need to worry about, these beasties are getting on in age, and all parts are getting, and have got, expensive, the days of picking up cheap replacement engines and other driveline parts are well and truly over

The funds not spent on going a single with quality parts, and with all the other other bits required to make it happen, could be spent on refreshing alot of other parts

A wise man once said "If you cannot afford 2 GTR's, you cannot afford 1", I also believe he said this about 20 years ago when you could pick up a clean R32 GTR up for around $20k

My advice for a R32 GTR (the one and only true Godzilla in my mind) is to think holistically about the whole car, the body, the power train, the suspension, the brakes, and the driveline

SAU is a wealth of knowledge with decades of Skyline experience,  from stock, to OEM+, to modified to varying degrees, to full on or weekend or dedicated racecars, as well as full on money pits that rarely leave their garage

Treat the old girl nice and give her what she deserves, you are a lucky man to own such a classic car