1988 omni tbi where do i go from here.

[akaskipp]

Last week i bought the 88 omni auto glh clone that was for sale here on TDforums. I know if i wanted a turbo i should have bought a turbo. But this car is cherry 36k miles, Florida car no rust, 10/10 interior. Couldn't pass it up. Wife says i'm a little old for this but i have always wanted a turbo fwd. 200 mile search on craigslist came up with a 1989 lebaron turbo, and a 1990 daytona es turbo. Would either be good for a swap. The lebaron has no intercooler so im assuming its t1, the daytona is a 2.5 but i have not seen it yet to find out what turbo it has. Or would i be better off just to add a turbo to what i have. Or look further for a better swap vehicle. My final goal is a weekend driver that will dust a few of the kids in the neighorhood. Have some money to spend. Any thoughts would be a big help.

[Gringo Bandido]

Your stock N/A internals are weaker than their turbo counterparts.

I would suggest find a donor car with motor/harness and swap everything.

I have an 85 t1 engine but shipping would be absurd from WA to FL I'm sure.

[akaskipp]

what do you think about the two donor cars i found on craigslist the 89 lebaron and the 90 datona any chance they would be a good swap?

[Gringo Bandido]

If the Lebaron is an 89 t1 I'm guessing it's a 2.5 with the Mitsu turbo.
If the 90 Daytona with the 2.5 is turbo than I'm guessing its the same engine/same turbo.

The difference would come in at the wiring harness/engine comp. The 89 would be an SMEC and the 90 Daytona would be an SBEC.

That said, I would say the lebaron since in 88 and 89 they both came as SMEC cars. I would assume it'd be easier but someone else would have to chime in on that..

[akaskipp]

Thanks for your thoughts, I noticed on craigslist there is a 1989 Maserati Tc with a turbo. Does anyone have any info for this as a good swap for my 88 omni. Thanks

[Vigo]

Well, the maserati will have a 2.2L with the larger Garrett turbo and the stock intercooler setup.

I dont think the stock intercooler setup is that great and i dont know if the version in the maserati will go into the omni easily or not.

The 2.2/2.5 thing is purely preference based on whether you want tire shredding torque or a slightly longer, more linear powerband.

For automatic trans i would prefer a 2.5 because it spools the turbo faster and makes the car FEEL faster because of its major torque advantage.

If it were me, id go the 2.5 route if you plan to keep the auto trans.

But also if it were me id buy the Masi and drive it (assuming it's cheap enough that you were willing to part it out.. just how cheap is it?) and buy something else as a sacrificial donor.

[akaskipp]

The maserati has 110k miles, I can get the car for $1700. Or for $500 more i can get a custom built 2.5 turbo1 short block with 300hp. Then i still need all the extras. I think my best bet will be to wait for a 2.5 t2 smec donor. Thanks for your input. Anyone know what donor car would have a 2.5 t2 smec. Thanks

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

none
a 2.5 TII smec only exists if you buy a custom tune as no cars actually came TII 2.5

TII's are all 2.2's

that 2.2 masi motor will also have a super heavy crankshaft in it that's gonna resist reving quickly

my numbers may be a bit off but I think the TII forged crank is 8 pounds heavier than a cast 2.2 crank - the masi one is I think about 20 pounds heavier so ya prob won't be wanting that so much

... unless it's a 4 valve head instead of a 2 valve

[akaskipp]

Thanks for the information. The choices for donor cars are slim in florida been checking craiglist in all counties and found only a few, a 89 lebaron, a 90 daytona, the maserati, and a 87 lebaron. Two are close the others i have to get the trailer and drive 6 hours. Went to 5 junkyards last week found two no engines. Guess i'll sit back and wait. I dont mind a 2.2 just dont want the mitsu turbo, and if im gonna buy a donor might as well get one with a garret. I have only had this car a week and its on my mind all the time. I need speed.

[DonF.]

hey, stay out of south florida, not enough parts for both of us down here. LOL!
Where di you pick that up from? Sharp looking clone.

[akaskipp]

Bought it from a TD forum member in Daytona. He gave me the GLH ground skirts, fog lights and decals also, i'll put them on this week. Have the poly mounts and bushings, also the upgraded GLH suspention parts. Struts, Shocks, Sway bar and so on. Just waiting for the right donor car. Not many in this state.

[DonF.]

okay, he bought those swiss cheese wheels from me. Sounds like you have a good start.

[Vigo]

Great looking car!

If you are looking for a car with a garrett, the Masi will get you there. If you plan to part it out, you'll also be able to sell more stuff off of that car to recoup cost than if you bought a more mundane donor.

As for the crankshaft, i was under the impression that only the 16v Maserati-head 2.2 actually had that super heavy crankshaft. I could be wrong. I will say that my very brief experience driving a Masi 16v 2.2 was the smoothest 2.2 ive driven, in the sense that that extra weight was very apparent when you were letting the clutch out (smoother). That particular benefit will be of no use if you use an auto trans.

As far as the mitsubishi motor, why are you ruling it out? The Mitsu will make enough power (with good intercooling and tuning) to get a full-weight omni into the low 13s on slicks. How fast do you plan to go?

I say this because i personally have never liked a 2.2 / auto / garrett combo. The mitsu spools faster, and a 2.2/auto is a complete dog out of boost and needs it as fast as possible. :)

[Gringo Bandido]

I think Vigo has a point on the mitsu.

You should check out Una's rampage. He converted it to a 2.2 t1 equivalent with the mitsu turbo. (The rampage and omni are both L-bodies.)

[detobias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaskipp 200 mile search on craigslist came up with a 1989 lebaron turbo, and a 1990 daytona es turbo. Would either be good for a swap. The lebaron has no intercooler so im assuming its t1, the daytona is a 2.5 but i have not seen it yet to find out what turbo it has.

also what transmission do these have ?

if you want to stay auto,
then you should get a 'turbo' auto, they have upgraded components
(but they don't have the lockup torque converter and the economy FDR, unfort.)

if you want a 5-spd , then pick the car with the 5-spd ;)