I'm sure a lot of guys on this forum will appreciate the absolute cheapest + lowest risk turbo setup for our c4 (1985) corvettes.

I have at most 1.8k to spend to do this conversion and from what ive seen the engine that came stock in the c4 '85 corvette variant is turbo friendly regarding having to do the usual prep in installing reinforced parts.

Let's comprise a list of parts from ebay/amazon/etc that will result in a successful turbo build for less than 2k.

This guy did it but has stopped uploading videos as of a year ago(who knows maybe his cheap budget build killed him..)
https://youtu.be/UJ_51X2A9aw?si=mVQjLvSNxWFYi9KJ

I highly doubt that a turbo install done right has to set us back more than what we paid for the car to begin with.. a lot of these turbo kits are made by companies who obviously don't want to make much money... I mean 12k, come on..

 

Can it be done. Absolutely. Can it be done without a lot of work and talent...nope. So Before I could even begin to offer any limited advice I would ask can you weld? How are your computer skills? Do you understand how to build a basic voltage divide circuit? These are all skills that would make this way cheaper if you could do yourself. Also the transmission is an issue. The 700r4 will never hold the power of a turbo 350. But if you just want to make a little boost and make turbo noises then that should be fine.

Take a look at the Sloppy Mechanics YouTube channel. He built a budget 1000hp Colorado pickup because he was board. He also build a Mustang that went a 8.9 in the quarter for under $8000 including the cost of the car. So yes it can be done. But you need some serious skills to pull it off.

One way that might work is to engine swap and sell the old parts as you go. This is what I did. I didn't turbo my car but I built a junkyard LS with a lot of nitrous. Overall I made money on swapping the car. By pulling two engines with transmissions at the same time and selling everything I didn't need including the factory motor, gauges and trans I had more than enough money to build whatever I wanted.

 

in case you don't know, the rings need to be gapped more for boost so the pistons don't break. thats all I know about it.

 

This topic seems to come up every once in a while.

Here's the truth: there is no off the shelf turbo system for the C4.
I built both of mine for my 85, by hand, myself. The manifolds are of my own design to fit the tight confines of a C4. The next best option would be to use a universal remote mount kit but those aren't without their pitfalls. (Boost lag, remote oil system.)
Your other option for boost is a centrifugal supercharger. I believe Procharger still makes a kit for the early C4 but it costs a great deal more than $1.8K.
There's more to adding boost safely than just bolting a supercharger or turbocharger on. As mentioned: you may have to increase your ring gap which will require pulling the engine, pulling the heads and piston+rods, and filing the rings. Luckily, the 85 still has forged pistons so it can handle a decent amount of boost safely. You'll also need bigger injectors, a larger fuel pump, and a proper tune. The EFI system that is in the 85 isn't the most boost friendly and isn't real quick to tune as you have to burn new PROMs. That's why I went with an aftermarket EFI system when I turbocharged my 85.
Short version is: this will cost more than you have budgeted. A lot more.
My advice is to save up for a Procharger with supporting fuel supply parts plus tuning if you're serious about putting boost to that engine.

 

I wish someone made a nice comprehensive twin turbo kit using the Callaway architecture.

 

As somebody who has built a Twin Turbo Corvette I can say that CHEAP and TURBO should never be used in the same sentence.