Thanks guys. I was thinking that maybe the turbo pickup could be slightly bent up or to the side, but if it involves extending it that's too much work.

One of the guys on Starquestclub claims that he has taken both pumps apart and internally they use the same exact gears, so the Starion pump probably doesn't perform any better.

'87 Raider SWB 2.6T/5 spd - Boxy and boosted.
'88 Conquest TSI - MPI and lots of other mods