The $50 ebay turbo vs the junkyard supercharger gamble

I had my 1995 Miata on jack stands for three months deciding between a cheap eBay turbo kit for $400 or a junkyard supercharger from an old Mercedes I found for $80. I went with the supercharger because I liked the idea of welding my own brackets. Got it mounted after a week of cutting and grinding, but the belt tensioner I rigged up snapped on the third test drive. Has anyone else tried piecing together a homemade forced induction setup and had it actually hold together?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.grace1mo ago

Used an Eaton M90 from a Thunderbird, welded my own brackets too. Held fine for two years.

raymartin1mo ago

Oh man, I just saw a video the other day where a guy ran an M90 on a 5.0 and he said the key was getting the bypass valve sorted out right. Those Thunderbird blowers are cheap and plentiful but people sleep on how much fab work goes into the brackets. I bet yours sounds mean when it spools up, those Eaton's have that distinct whine.