Ok guys i have done alot of searching on previous posts to find answers to my questions and they have been very helpful. But i need to know what will work best for my application so here is what im thinking: I have a 90 ls B18a and it has 178,000 on her, im gonna rebuild it and i would like to get at least about 160-180 out of the engine. i have about $2,000 to work with and i am taking the engine out and putting it back in myself however i am taking the head to someone to have the cylinders bored, put 403’s and springs in, gonna have them do a valve job, and put new bearings in. i am not for sure what pistons to have put in and i don’t know if anything needs to be done to the deckplate. i drive alot a week so i need it to be reliable as i am in college.
i will replace all the gaskets and water pump and stuff like that myself but any way any suggestions to what i have so far would be greatly appreciated. I am open minded to any changes to get what i want. thanks
well i would go with cp or ross pistons cp ratio is up to u but 11.5.1 u can run on pump 93 when tuned.i would not go any higher.bore it out to a 2.0 more tq and power. eagle or crower h beam rods. micro polish the crank. and balance it all to 10,000 rpms. deck the head and port and polish and u will be good to go but 180 whp no i dont see that with a $2000 buget. but it all depends on what bolt ons u have know.i can say in the 160 whp rang. good luck :gotrice:
instead of 403’s, try 404’s…you’ll just have a lumpy ass idle…but you will get more power…
ok so what does micropolishing the crankshaft do?
and what purpose does the deckplate serve? so your saying that with those mods alone i would be around 160hp. CP pistons, who makes them? i also have obx header, high-flow cat, and Thermal r&d cat back, ingine cold air intake. anyway thanks for suggestions guys…keep em comin
those mods plus lots of tuning, and raise your redline, but be sure to get those arp rod bolts…
ARP head bolts too.
You might have to address fuel management as well.
Lots of misinformation in this thread.
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404’s do not have a lumpy idle. They can idle NEAR stock. But, you may get better results with 403’s on something like 10.5:1 CR. 404’s love higher compression, but higher compression GENERALLY comes at the cost of lower engine life (more stress on cylinder walls, etc.)
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DO NOT bore your 1.8 block to 2.0L without resleeving. This, along with your other plans will not fall into your $2,000 budget.
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You don’t need to upgrade your rods for the mild setup you are planning. ARP rod bolts and stock LS rods will suit you fine. Rods will have to be re-sized and your entire rotating ass’y will need to be balanced. I"m not sure where 92mugenintegra got the “balance to 10,000 RPM” thing from.
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ARP headstuds are nice, and I prefer a stud design over Honda’s bolts anyday, but they aren’t cheap. Honda says you can get away with using head bolts twice, although I’m not sure if I would risk it. A new set of head bolts from Honda is about the same cost as a set of ARP studs. Could you get away with re-using your factory bolts? Probably… If you can afford it though, definitely upgrade. If you have to chose between something like the head studs or a new oil pump, based on your budget, go with the oil pump.
One thing I learnt is that things add up a lot more quickly than you think. Don’t cut corners, and remember that machinework, seals, bearings, etc costs add up. I’m sure once you have everything apart you’ll also want to replace or upgrade your clutch, possibly your flywheel, don’t forget the throwout/release bearings, etc.
Building a reliable, powerful motor on a college student’s budget is difficult.
Best of luck,
Adam
I agree with this but I wouldnt get onto a new flywheel on your budget, just have it resurfaced and maybe a new clutch if yours has more than say 50k on it. I would also invest in a new water pump, timing belt and tentioner, much needed for saftey and reliability, and since you weill have everything apart already it will be super easy and cheap. I would also not consider new head bolts/studs an option, but somthing that you need to do. I wouldnt worry about rods unless you plan on raising your redline or compression…Definatly ARP rob bolts and new rod and main bearings though. You could just forget about pistons too, or just get honda ones, there only a few hundred and with your setup you have no need for aftermarket pistons, somthing else you should add to your list of things to look at replacing are valve guides, those can wear down leading to loss of compression and burning oil.
Im getting ready to go to college and would like to rebuild my baby too :(:(…I was looking at 1000-2000 in just parts for a complete wear part rebuild and some extra addons, like dual valvesprings and a little more agressive cams…I wasnt planning on having any machinework done though, besides maybe balancing and cleaning…
Hope that helps at least a little.
Matt
only 178 xxx on her? you can get atleast double that without the rebuild. my car has 374 on her and its still running strong(and thats with going through hell).
i wish i had 178 on my car. id probaly rebuild it too tho. fun stuff. let us know how she runs after.
i was thinking about a rebuild too, because my cuzin is selling me his block with new pistons and is already cleaned and honed, and balanced and all that good stuff or $300. good deal?
well i did some math and i am going to be a little over budget…but it will be done right…i am just gonna go with type-R pistons(saves a few hundred) crower cams and springs and retainers, a computech head gasket, and all the other essentials like bearings and oil and water pump, timing belt and tensioner ect. ect… just going to have her cleaned and bore cylinders to type -R specs and be done with it! should put out about 160, good starting point! Man is hard to find honda machine guys in the domestic state of Michigan! any how ill repost when everything is and let ya know how it runs in about 1 month. thanks again for the replies. :manual: