Been researching Turbos and superchargers and was wondering if something like this:

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or this:

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would be overkill for a 8v tracker engine?  If it wouldn't be too much, what else would I need to add to be sure it worked correctly?

Keep in mind that my Tracker is a daily driver (sometimes) and I really just want a little more power to be able to pass with confidence at highway speeds.  I've already got a Thorley header and 2.25" exhaust system and high-flow cat / muffler.

Edit:  I'm still researching superchargers in general.  Don't really want to mess with a Turbo for various reasons, mainly the complexity.  Might be able to get my hands on a McCulloch VS57 supercharger that is supposed to produce around 5lbs boost and looks to be pretty much universal.  Reading up on this thing it's old, but the design is brilliant. 

So what else would I need to do to my engine?  Boost fuel pressure?  Larger injectors?  Change the MAP Sensor?

Also, how does a supercharger affect those parts of the system that need Vacuum???  Vacuum is drawn from the intake manifold, so if you're now putting a positive pressure on those parts, do you have to re-route vacuum before the supercharger?

You would need a supercharger that is suitable for a smaller engine. The Track/Kick motor flows a lot less air than a 5ltr Mustang engine.

I guess an MP45 would be ideal.  Was looking at those mustang chargers because they look like they would be easier to adapt to the track/kick intake.

1.6L vs 4.8 (or 5.0)L

Difference of: 3.2L

So.... you're trying to fit an extra 3.2L of boost into 1.6L of space?

Subaru turbos seem to be the most popular. I lost track of all the turbo builds a couple years ago. I'd be interested in seeing some builds if anyone has links.....

I don't really want to mess with a turbo.  All the exhaust piping & intercooler stuff just seems like more trouble than it's worth...

Had another brainstorm though....  What about a Supercharger off of a SeaDoo?  Seadoo engine displacement is  1494 cc's  That's roughly 1.5 L (actually 1.494L) and they're also high-RPM engines.....

A 2 stroke, or 4 stroke seado? A 2 stroke fires 2x as often as a 4 stroke. So, a 1.5L 2 stroke is going through as much air as a 3.0L 4 stroke. It's why they get so much power for a small engine.

Really, this has been done before - trust me on the Subaru turbo, or look for a small toyota supercharger (there are a rare few other aftermarket superchargers for <2.0L out there) if you're still hell-bent on a supercharger.

Also, it doesn't sound like you fully understand the function of an intercooler....

When you compress air (turbo & supercharger do this - it's how they get more air forced into your engine), it heats it. Hot intake air is BAD for your engine. It causes premature wear. It's the #1 reason many forced-induction engines have a very short lifespan. To combat the heat issue, people use intercoolers (really a MUST have for boost over 5 lbs) to cool the air back down before entering the engine. HUGE intercoolers is why Volvo engines last so long.

You can technically tun turbo or supercharged without an intercooler. But - 5lbs of boost from either is going to have just as much engine-killing heat (presuming they're equally efficient, but that's a whole-other issue).

Also, it doesn't sound like you fully understand the function of an intercooler....

When you compress air (turbo & supercharger do this - it's how they get more air forced into your engine), it heats it. Hot intake air is BAD for your engine. It causes premature wear. It's the #1 reason many forced-induction engines have a very short lifespan. To combat the heat issue, people use intercoolers (really a MUST have for boost over 5 lbs) to cool the air back down before entering the engine. HUGE intercoolers is why Volvo engines last so long.

You can technically tun turbo or supercharged without an intercooler. But - 5lbs of boost from either is going to have just as much engine-killing heat (presuming they're equally efficient, but that's a whole-other issue).

You're right.  I didn't understand the intecooler.  I was thinking it was needed to cool the exhaust gas going into the turbocharger to keep it from overheating for some reason.  I found an excellent website on the McCulloch VS57 that has clarified a lot of stuff for me.  At this point my main objection to an actual turbo is the complexity of the custom exhaust manifold.  I like simplicity.  That's one reason I like my Tracker so much is that the engine is relatively simple.  Superchargers are just more elegant in their simplicity.  Plus I want to do something different.  Turbos have been done to death on here, but I've never seen a Supercharger build.  But you are right, I probably don't know as much about this as I should, but I will definitely ask every question I can possibly think of before I even begin the project.  I still have an Aztek to finish re-assembling.

A turbo manifold or a custom intake manifold or a custom mount to mount a supercharger makes no difference. with a supercharger you also have to figure out a blower drive pulley off the crank which can be fun and can also put alot of extra load on the crank. the main problem with both is fueling. the basic FI system in a 8 valve tracker does not allow for tweeking to get the A/F ratio proper. Very easy to run lean and burn a piston.

A turbo system is actually easier to mount than a supercharger most of the time.

From what I can see, the VS57 wouldn't require a custom intake manifold on the tracker. given the diameter of our intakes, mating the VS57 to the tracker intake would be a matter of basic plumbing.  Not sure about the mounting bracket...

I totally understand that most people think Turbos are the best way to go, but at this point I've read about a bunch of Turbo builds and have seen several of them and at this point am really more interested in the underlying concepts. 

Given 5lbs of boost, whether it comes from a Turbo or a standard blower, what would I need as far as fuel pressure, timing, etc?

My tracker already has A/C and power steering and even though the A/C clutch is starting to go out, I don't think I want to sacrifice the A/C for the supercharger, even though with the VS57 it looks like I could mount it to the A/C bracket with minimal modification.

As for the belt drive I could always have a local machine shop mill me a custom crankshaft pulley with under-drive for the A/C and Alt but with whatever drive was necessary for the blower.

A turbo manifold or a custom intake manifold or a custom mount to mount a supercharger makes no difference. with a supercharger you also have to figure out a blower drive pulley off the crank which can be fun and can also put alot of extra load on the crank. the main problem with both is fueling. the basic FI system in a 8 valve tracker does not allow for tweeking to get the A/F ratio proper. Very easy to run lean and burn a piston.

A turbo system is actually easier to mount than a supercharger most of the time.

A custom pulley is probably a must for you if you're going to keep your A/C. Toyota built a supercharger for a (I think 1.8L?) that runs on an electronically actuated clutch (i.e. - you can turn the supercharger on / off with the flick of a switch  ).

Intercoolers aren't hard to pipe. You're going to run either one of two setups:
Supercharger -> piping -> intake manifold
or
Supercharger -> piping -> intercooler -> piping -> intake manifold

If you don't want to run one, the less boost you run, the less you'll need an intercooler. Anything over 4lbs (in my opinion) really should have an intercooler. Even 3-4lbs of boost will help your engine run longer. You probably shouldn't do much more than 5lbs of boost without upgrading the engine internals (pistons, rings, rods....).

And, as stated - you're going to require higher-flow fuel pump & fuel injectors.

And, don't forget you'll ALWAYS have to run premium gas. The higher octane is needed to combat detonation (which will eat your engine alive).

There's lots of turbo forums out there. If you're going to make your own custom setup, I highly suggest you seek them out, and do a TUN of research first. There's also people who've done turbos here, and a lot of the issues they ran into (engine cooling, oil cooling, timing, injector & fuel pump sizes etc) are going to be the same issues you'll need to address.

I was going to run a supercharger at first, but it's a lot more complicated than it looks, especially getting the correct pully sizes for the amount of boost you want to run. It's also a pretty complicated belt system, if you include the needed tensioners. Space is another concern. No matter what you choose, turbo or super, it's a ton of work. However, if you get it right, it is surely worth it. It took me 6 months of chasing down issues and fixing them before mine ( turbo) ran right. Then the turbo oil seals blew. Now I'm rebuilding the manifold and fitting a NEW turbo, no more used crap. Good Luck, and happy building!

Keep your boost to a max of 3 PSI and you can get away with stock pistons and
injectors on an 8v engine. remember even if your boost is only 1 PSI, ya I know it
sounds weak, you will gain a big jump in power, about 10%.

An engine will normaly pull 2-3" vacuume at WOT now you are talking about
presureized intake of 1 PSI, thats quite a jump if you look at it this way.

Good Luck
Wild

PS, I would of done a supercharger if I could of found one.

Other than an inter cooler you can put louvers in your hood to keep temps down, it won't be as direct by lowering air charge but it will help. I cut a plate to direct more air from the lower air damn into the bottom of the radiator.  There are dual diaphragm timing advancers that will reduce advance under boost to reduce detonation. I haven't found any that fit yet but I will. There are after market high flow injectors, but I haven't looked much into them much yet, a few steps at a time right?

Turbos are a project and take some serious work and headaches. Superchargers are no less a headache. But there are some pretty cool rewards to all this.

See, the thing I like about the VS57 is that it has a maximum boost setting.  You can set it anywhere between 3-5 pounds and the internal mechanics of the supercharger automatically adjust it for the desired boost.  As I understand it, the VS57 has an outer pulley that adjusts itself in and out based on the output of the supercharger to change the effective size of the pulley and keep it spinning at the speed necessary to either produce the maximum boost possible for the current RPM or drop the speed down to prevent more than the set maximum.  The way it's designed, you can push it up to a little over 6 pounds of boost, but it's not recommended, and the engine would have to be running over 5100RPM's with a 7" crankshaft pulley to drive the VS57 over 6 pounds.

When the VS57 was made back in the 50's and 60's it sold for less than $200 as billed as a "universal supercharger" that would fit any engine from 50 to 300HP. 

If I go this route I'll probably put in an intercooler.  Would give the hood scoop and holes I cut in my hood some purpose.  Then again, I might try to form up some sort of air box and use the scoop for the intake and put the intercooler elsewhere.

(This is purely speculation/dreaming at this point.  Like I said before I've got to get my Aztek's engine back together and running before I can start monkeying around with the Tracker.)

I was going to run a supercharger at first, but it's a lot more complicated than it looks, especially getting the correct pully sizes for the amount of boost you want to run. It's also a pretty complicated belt system, if you include the needed tensioners. Space is another concern. No matter what you choose, turbo or super, it's a ton of work. However, if you get it right, it is surely worth it. It took me 6 months of chasing down issues and fixing them before mine ( turbo) ran right. Then the turbo oil seals blew. Now I'm rebuilding the manifold and fitting a NEW turbo, no more used crap. Good Luck, and happy building!

to answer your other question about boost where there should be vacuum the answer is yes you need to change the PCV system. Your system will put full boost into the crankcase causing you to pour oil out of every seal in your motor. Seals will purge at 2-3 lbs. The answer I found to this is to simply plug off the PCV port and run an inch of heater hose with another plug on the intake plenum. From the valve cover tube run a breather hose long enough to keep dirt from coming in. Took me about a week to figure it out. After that every thing else is fine. Your brake booster has a check valve and will move back to full vacuum (18" mercury) at idle or anytime not under boost.