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[Fifty50Plus]

Neither of my kids (now 24 and 1 became car guys. We took them to the track from the time they were born and they played race rocks (stones covered in duct tape) in the dirt in the paddock. About the time they became teen-agers, they lost interest in cars and now both drive automatic Civics. The older one has done a couple driver's-ed events in a BMW but couldn't care less. The younger one refused a restored BMW 2002 because it didn't look cool. Go figure.
Anyway, I get to keep all my money for my own projects and can still enlist them for a couple minutes to push around a dead chassis.
Chuck
edit: (24 and 18 years old)
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1979 924 NA race car H-Prod SCCA
1982 924 NA race car - Sold
1981 924 Turbo sold
1982 924 Turbo sold
1972 911 E race car - traded for Cayenne Diesel
1975 914 1.8 Building for H-Prod SCCA

[ideola]

I had no success getting my boys (now 21 & 19) into wrenching either. They both LOVE driving their cars, but they only wrench with me when I force them to. Neither have any interest in picking up mechanical skills, which is a darn shame. As others have posted, I think mechanical desire & aptitude are inborn...they either have it or don't regardless of what you do or how young you start 'em.

Regarding the project, Tom, we've already discussed privately, but I'll post my comments publicly, just to chime in.

I like the idea of a staged project, and I love the idea of the highest compression setup you can get in the N/A configuration. With proper thermal and engine management, you can still add modest amounts of boost to the Euro piston setup later on.

Ordinarily, with US-spec pistons, I would lean more toward a positive displacement blower, preferably a twin-screw, due to the boost-from-idle characteristic, and the higher adabiatic efficiency of the twin-screw (vs. a roots). The problem is finding one cheaply, getting it rebuilt (big $$$), and packaging. The Millenia twin-screw I purchased will fit, but will also need some custom manifolds, and I still haven't sorted out how to route the inlet past the brake master cylinder.

If I were in your shoes, where you already have money invested in higher comp pistons, I would lean heavily toward a Vortech centrifugal supercharger. You won't get the boost from idle, BUT from a space, packaging, and expense perspective, it would be the easiest, cheapest path toward forced induction. I would pick up the alternator mounting bracket from a 931, and use that as a basis for mounting a Vortech. With CIS out of the way, you have a direct path for FMIC (either immediately, or as a subsequent stage).

For a low boost setup (say 5-8 psi, which is probably all you'd need to achieve 200BHP) this style of SC will be hard to beat in terms of size, mounting, plumbing and expense. My friend who owns MRT has developed 345 HP packages for the V6 Mustangs using Vortech. They opted for the centrifugal SC because there just wasn't room for the Eaton blowers (which they use for the V8 packages) with the V6 configuration.

The combination of Euro pistons, a hot street cam, EMW big-valve head, and a Vortech would be quite fun, I'd think And you could still mess around with exhaust headers, another nice thing regarding SC vs. turbocharging.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made