deciding on an engine to swap. HELP!, currently 7afe, but wut next?? Options

[cjh4l22]

OK so here's the scoop. currently i have a 95st w/5spd and a 7afe engine that is leaking a little oil and has just under 260k on it. so, by x-mas i'd like to swap it w/something b/c i'm afraid the engine won't make it till summer plus i'm asking santa for x-tra power this christmas. lol SO I'm asking for info from the wonderfully knowledgeable ppl here on 6gc.net I need to know which engine would be my best choice based on the following criteria... a) ease of the swap b) power gained b/c like i said, i would like an increase c) ease of turbo later and d) cost effective. b/c i have been considering a 3sgTe but it just seems too expensive for a poor college student. furthermore, i was hoping for something w/an equal if not higher displacement than the 7afe (1.8L) but i have heard good things about the 4age(20v) which is only 1.6L. If anyone would be willing to enlighten me, please do so and i'd be forever greatful. thanks.

Oh, and no i don't plan on racing this car or anything, just building up a car thats got some guts, ya know? something w/some spunk. anywho, thanks for your help.

[netrata]

I would highly recommend not boosting a 20v 4age! I say this because the 20v uses high compression pistons in stock form, and is not suited for boost. You can, though, buy low compression pistons suited for the 20v(very costly) from such sites as toysport, toda-racing, and paradise racing. Also, the best engine to work with for boost is the 20v silvertop because the bottom end has the same components as the ae101 4agze. Don't get the blacktop for boost because the internals aren't as strong due to lighter internals. IMO, if your thinking about boost, then save up a 4agze engine. With displacement, yes the 20v has less torque than the 7afe engine, but it compensates with it's hp at higher rpms. With the 4agze, you get almost equivalent hp to any 20v 4age and you do have more torque due to the factory supercharger. And keep in mind, you can still boost the the 4agze! To answer your last question, I spent roughly $4000 to get the swap running the way I wanted it to. (expenses for fixing my a/c, making new p/s lines, and shipping for parts was a killer to my wallet)

This post has been edited by netrata: Oct 26, 2006 - 11:49 PM