EFi to Turbo Conversion

[redmaestro]

Hi All,

I am thinking of buying a Maestro Turbo and converting my Efi to a Turbo. I have never done this before and need some advise. Can my project be done? What will I need to change - I assume the gearbox and engine mounts will, but is there anything else? What about insurance?

Cheers

redm

[Beaker]

I wouldn't buy an orginal Maestro Turbo to raid the bits from, as you will have no end of trouble from people complaining it is rare car and you shouldn't do it.

You can however buy a spare O series turbo engine, although you may have problems finding one. We are planning to do the conversion ourselves in a few years time. (Already have engine and turbo just collecting ancilliaries over time now)

The engine mountings as far as I am aware are exactly the same, except the turbo ones I believe are uprated.

[G51 NAV]

Easiest way is to find a scrapped Monty or Maestro Turbo and raid it, but there aren't many around these days.

Whether you tell your insurance is up to your own concience, but if you don't disclose your mods don't expect them to pay up if you have an accident: even if you're only claiming for a broken headlight they'll still find some way of squirming out of it.

[Beaker]

Easiest way is to find a scrapped Monty or Maestro Turbo and raid it, but there aren't many around these days.

If anyone does know of a scrapped one (although I doubt that anyone would, I reckon I would have more chance of winning the lottery) let me know.

[RickMG]

Ermmmmmm best way is to contact the maestro/montego breakers in selly oak brum-www.montego-and-maestro.co.uk
were they'll supply and FIT a turbo engine for £600,and there work is that good.you can't even tell it's been converted! I know someone who had one of there conersions and he said it was fantastic!

Rick
PS-Don't break any maestro turbo!

[redmaestro]

Easiest way is to find a scrapped Monty or Maestro Turbo and raid it.

Thanks for the quick replies!!!! The turbo I have in mind is about to be scrapped. The bodywork is shot, but everything else is fine. I have just found out that the engine has done 180k miles. I dont know what these engines will do, but my EFi has only done 64k!!!!!! My Maestie has the tickford front and rear spoilers on, has the alloy wheels and even has a turbo badge on the back. All I need now is the actual turbo engine!

Decisions... decisions eh!

[Andy]

Thanks for the quick replies!!!! The turbo I have in mind is about to be scrapped. The bodywork is shot, but everything else is fine. I have just found out that the engine has done 180k miles. I dont know what these engines will do, but my EFi has only done 64k!!!!!! My Maestie has the tickford front and rear spoilers on, has the alloy wheels and even has a turbo badge on the back. All I need now is the actual turbo engine!

Decisions... decisions eh!


If that the one on ebay am sure some one on here has allreddy bought it.

[Fast Guy]

Are you looking at turboing the efi engine? If so, you should be able to keep your own rearbox if you want, but you should top out in 5th at about 130ish. I ran my monty turbo on an efi gearbox for over a year and had no problem apart from running out of revs in 5th. I vaguely remember the std injector are good for around 169bhp (or somewhere in that area) if you're going that route. I think motobuild said you had to modify the exhaust manifold for this conversion. If anyone has an old copy of their tuning brochure, I'm sure it's covered in one of them somewhere.

[G51 NAV]

The green Ebay Maestro Turbo has been bought by Montyboy, and he's going to restore it.

The only problem with the EFi (K6) gearbox is the final drive is different, so although there is the potential for faster 0-60's (providing you can keep the grip) everything's a whir of gearchanges, where a Turbo (K7) 'box will do a 0-70 sprint with only one gearchange at 30mph.

Also, 70mph in fifth gear with a K7 box is delivered at around 2,800rpm, compared to nearly 3,500rpm on the K6, so economy is reduced and engine-noise is increased with a K6 'box.

[MGTurbo]

Are you looking at turboing the efi engine? If so, you should be able to keep your own rearbox if you want, but you should top out in 5th at about 130ish. I ran my monty turbo on an efi gearbox for over a year and had no problem apart from running out of revs in 5th. I vaguely remember the std injector are good for around 169bhp (or somewhere in that area) if you're going that route. I think motobuild said you had to modify the exhaust manifold for this conversion. If anyone has an old copy of their tuning brochure, I'm sure it's covered in one of them somewhere.


As top end of a std Maestro Turbo is 130 ish anyway it shouldnt be an issue. 0-60 will be quicker with the K6 box without a doubt.

Unfortunatly Motobodges incompetance meant the Efi/Turbo hybrid engine was flawed. As the extra fuelling needed by the turbo system would have been controlled by the EFi ECU, it would have been the ECU's job to provide the extra fuelling needed and not be dicated by the injector's sizeing, hence why the engine did not produce as much power at the proper carb engine despite being a higher compression. Boost would have been limited to keep things cool and reduce the risk of lean running and from that, detonation.

To properly do an Efi conversion on the turbo engine you need aftermarket management, and its not cheap, neither is it simple, but the gains are very worthwhile i have been told ;)

[Fast Guy]

I'll disagree with the faster 0-60 as you need to change into 3rd gear before you reach 60 and I don't think the acceleration was that much faster to compensate for the extra gear change. Over the 1/4 mile with both boxes, speeds and times were very similar. :)

[mgdavid]

As usual it's 'horses for courses'. I sprinted and hillclimbed a Monty turbo for around 4 years, developing it a little year on year. The EFi box definitely improved my times at the same venues. :D :D I don't have the speed/ gearing figures to hand but don't think the difference in top is as much as earlier post suggested. IIRC the difference in FD ratio is around 7%? Why just use 0-60 to compare? why not 0-50 or 0-70 or 0-100? :banghead:

[Fast Guy]

As usual it's 'horses for courses'.

Exactly, 0-55 and 0-70 would probably be faster, but 60 just happens to have a gearchange about 3 or 4mph before you get there. But like I say, over the 1/4 there was hardly and difference in times as far as I can remember. (I don't deny on a longer hillclimb, it could have made a difference to your times)
I think I worked it out (years ago) that the MG efi box (wasn't there a couple of different efi boxes?) topped out at about 127mph and took 240bhp for over a year with no problems. :)

[redmaestro]

The turbo I had in mind was the one on ebay and I came very close to bidding for it- but I read the other posts by Montyboy in the general forum (thats why I didnt bid for it :) )

Ah well, my EFi looks the part anyways!!!

Thx for the replies!!!

[MGTurbo]

I'll disagree with the faster 0-60 as you need to change into 3rd gear before you reach 60 and I don't think the acceleration was that much faster to compensate for the extra gear change. Over the 1/4 mile with both boxes, speeds and times were very similar. :)


If you take it into the redline , say 6200rpm, it wont do any harm, and you'll also be able to do 60 in 2nd if thats your sort of thing. I know someone shaved 1/2 a second off their 1/4 mile time by going to an Efi box but i prefer the 3.65 diff on the Turbo box for all condition, just as you cross the line at Pod you change into 4th, or to save time, again, go into the redline slightly.

Gareth

[PegasusTurbo]

Hi Gareth,

Is the efi box as tough as the turbo one though? Also are any of the 220/420/620 boxes any good?

[MGTurbo]

Hi Gareth,

Is the efi box as tough as the turbo one though? Also are any of the 220/420/620 boxes any good?


The only difference is one extra taper bearing on one of the shafts, the weak point being the diff bearings are exactly the same on both boxes.

Gareth

[TurboMG]

The turbo also has a counter shaft that it shares with no other box, perhaps a stronger one??

[victor3]

I believe that even with the limitations of a K6 box on a standard turbo you could be OK but of course, if you increase the power, such as with Gareth's or mine, the K6 does spin away a good bit quicker through the gears but in first gear it's very short legged.
Also, is it was used on the standard EFI with less than 120bhp and equivalent 130-ish lb/ft torque, from what Gareth and Ian say, the K6 boxes seem not to be as strong as the K7 boxes.
Because of this, if you eventually tune your turbo up to over 200bhp with equivalent torque, the K6 boxes don't seem to last too long. However, if you do go for a K6, try and get a K6AR (Honda) box rather than the later K6AO (Rover) box. I have found the Honda ones in both K6 and K7 to last longer.

:cool:

[J51 AEV]

i found that my insureance was cheaper for my tubo than it was for my efi, though a specialist insuruer!