mod money gone...again

[legacy92ej22t]

wouldn't you know it I was just getting ready to come home and bid on a sweet little saab 900 i/c on ebay after work yesterday,the euro upgrade model,and I lost the alternator! got the new one this morning already put it in.well at least there is something new and shiney on the front of my engine

[entirelyturbo]

So you're not the only one who has an alternator poop out at an inconvenient time???

Actually, mine didn't give out but was hangin on by a thread...

[legacy92ej22t]

got home from work today and my car was smoking real bad from the front.I looked in and guess what great news i discovered,blown crank/cam seal!!!!I am super pissed right now.I was planning on picking up a boost gauge and controller this weekend but looks like I'll be in seal,timing belt,water pump hell instead.screw it anyone want a 92 5 speed legacy ss

[Brat4by4]

Hey now, looks like you're trying to put to many buns in the oven (or however that saying goes). This will only frustrate you. Get a list and the order down on what you are going to do (and cost). Don't worry about buying a boost controller until you have the intercooler Installed, for example. When you see the list in order, when stuff like the cam seals come up, you see what exactly you are put back. Plus, I put plenty of slop in my estimates in case something like an alternator comes up so the $100 doesn't hurt so bad.

I'm in the same boat, though. Looks like I will only have the air-water intercooler on for this year. Oh, and some brand new tires , I know they will help a whole lot but they don't increase horsepower. I wish I had more tread on my RE-92's, and I wish I would quite eating up the tread that's left on the edges of the tires (something about taking near 90 degree corners at 52+...)

[eastbaysubaru]

Brat, you could always get some cheap RE-92s to replace your worn out ones. They'd be cheap and they're readily available. Just a thought.

-Brian(who also has a ton of work to do on his old car

[legacy92ej22t]

brat4by4 you're probably right,the reason I was going for the boost controller and gauge is because I was planning on doing the saab 900 i/c setup,controller and gauge all at the same time.since the altenator ate the i/c money I thought i would go ahead and do the cont./gauge and at least get a couple psi,then do the i/c later before i went for some real boost.but I'm new to this whole mod thing so you are saying I would benefit more from doing the i/c first?right now the i/c,controller and gauge top my list.then a bigger nicer turbo and exhaust. finally some 17" wheels and new tires and probably a new paint job.If I can just get something done without major mechanical problems popping up.hopefully i'll have the front rebuilt this weekend unfortunatly its eating the controller/gauge money so all mods are pushed back a while.

[vrg3]

In general, it's usually better to improve intercooling or turbo efficiency before turning up the boost. If you don't improve the turbo system first, then you're essentially pushing your car beyond the original parameters. If you improve the original parameters, then increasing boost is justifiable.

You need to have a reason to make it okay to increase boost, basically.

Also, an intercooler will improve performance, efficiency, and longevity even without changing boost control.