I made a setup a while back, and you are going to spend $1000 to get a good functional setup, even though the "complete" kits run between $500 and $700. A 2.5 lb bottle won't last as long as you think either. Depending
how trigger happy you are, going through a few bottles a day could be possible (or even a day at the track will easily eat up a few bottles, and at $5-$7 per pound, it adds up pretty quickly)
Some simple math shows you that a turbo will pay for itself pretty easily:
Nitrous Kit $600
Additional gauges, bottles, lines, safety switches, purge solenoid, brackets and other misc. crap $250
So let's say you found a great deal and have everything you need and your nitrous is up and running for $800
Lets say you use a bottle per week - $10 per bottle X 50 weeks to keep it simple = $500 in funny gas you will never get back, and you will be paying that each year!
A turbo setup will cost you $3,000 (and maybe that isn't quite right) but that should include your exhaust, carb, intake, pretty much everything you need to get it up and running. You can sell your stock carbs for $300 to $500 depending on condition, you can sell your exhaust $300 to $500 depending on what you have. Let's say you sell those two items for $750, so now you only have $2250 out of your pocket for the turbo. In less than
5 years, you will have paid for the turbo (since you didn't have to buy gas), you will always have the power available (never have to worry about an empty tank), you will always have the boost, and don't have to worry about a cold tank, and low tank pressure.
I'm not trying to turn you away from nitrous... it is a BLAST, and it is pretty cool to roll up to a stoplight and hit the purge button... get a lotta looks!
But for your only reason to shy away from the turbo is cost, you may want to re-think that. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions, I did document my nitrous build... search for "Morleys Muscle Nitrous" and you should find it.
Jeff
3I9-46I-8969