I need some opinions. I am new to honda hybrids, but have a good background in engine building. I have a 93 LS and I am looking into putting some stab back into it. This is what I am thinking for a bottom end. My plain old b18 block with stock crank and rods. I will have the crank knifed and the rods shotpd. Then I was planning on hanging some JDM ITR pistons from my LS rods. I heard the rods need to be trimmed for this??
Ok, thats my bottom end - Opinions are welcome but thats not really my problem. I need a little direction for my top end. I just heard that B20 heads are direct fit to my b18. Do these have better flow than say a G3 LS head or the same? Any advantages of using this over the G3 LS head? Now for cams. I want to have something with strong lobes, but I want it to be still streetable. I guess my main question is the head. Is there any reason to use an G3 LS head over a New B20 head. It seems everyone has a B20 head for sale with the rush of the crvtec trend. Please, comments and suggestions are welcome… TIA
You should just get the crank ballanced with the rods. Knife edging reduces the stregenth and is not worth the risk unless building something along the lines of a race engine
the plan for the bottom end sounds pretty good. I’m not sure about knife edging though. Most people i’ve talked to have told me its not worth doing, and that there really isn’t any benefit for our honda engines.
the itr pistons will fit if the rods are shaved (approx 1mm on each side). This is a very easy mod, and any machine shop will be able to do it.
the b20 head is exactly the same as the b18b head. So, both will flow slightly better than your stock 92-93 head (but not anything really significant).
Also, don’t ignore drivetrain. It would be a perfect time to upgrade the tranny to a vtec one. Also, it would be good to upgrade the clutch and put in a lightened flywheel.
My big word of advice would be to handle ALL bottom end stuff first. Don’t bother spending money on cams and what not yet. Put all the money for your initial buildup into the bottom end and tranny. These mods are easy with the engine out. If you neglect to do one of the bottom end things, and decide to do it later it will be MUCH harder to do once the engine is in the car. But things like cams, intake manifold… are all very easy with the engine in the car. So, if you’re working on a limited budget, i’d do it in two stages:
bottom end, drivetrain, rebuild
top end mods and bolt ons
thats basically how i’m planning on building my b17a. By not worrying about the top end stuff and bolt ons yet, it’s allowing me more money right now to dump into the bottom end and rebuild. Plus, i’ll have the engine in sooner this way (eventhough it’ll be without big cams, i/h/e… but at least it’ll be in!).
Ok, enough ranting, well, maybe one more thing. I suggest calculating how much your plan will cost. Then consider a vtec swap instead. You’d be surprised how comparable prices are in some cases. It might just be worth your while to do a vtec swap instead.
damn colin u should get the most helpful award for answer in the most engine build up and swap questions! maybe even ur own forum “colins engine buildup and swap q/a forum! hehe”
lol… Thanks for the replies, and thats what I planned to do. Either all at once or bottom first. Must have a solid foundation before you build up top :D.
Originally posted by GEN2GSR damn colin u should get the most helpful award for answer in the most engine build up and swap questions! maybe even ur own forum “colins engine buildup and swap q/a forum! hehe”
hehe, thanks. but i really don’t think i’m deserving of much praise for that kind of stuff. I really just don’t feel like i know enough to back it up. I’ve learned a lot here on g2ic, and try to help everyone out… unfortunately as of now i pretty much only know the general stuff like i posted. I’ve yet to really learn the technical stuff and details. I’m hoping i’ll learn a LOT from my engine build up this summer. If anyone here deserves praise for their technical knowledge, we all know its Dan (all bow down to the master!!!).
I’m familiar with boring, honing, and balancing. I’m just not sure what decking is exactly. I’ve heard of it though. Please explain a little for me Colin.
Yeah, Colin and I both seem to know a lot of general information about G2’s and b-series engines and trannies but neither of us have really gotten our hands too dirty just yet. We’ll both be pros by the end of the summer though right Colin? I’ll be taking a summer class but that’s not going to keep me from having three part time jobs this summer. I need to make enough to dump at least $2000 into my engine and drivetrain this summer for me to be satisfied with my car’s performance(for this year anyway). My suspension has gotten all the attention so far. After the yellows go on I’ll be blowing mucho dinero on the straight line performance. I can’t wait. I think I’m going to have to talk my parents into getting me better insurance though. I’ve only got liability right now. I’m afraid to think of what might happen if I got into an accident. All the more reasons why not to street race.
decking isn’t any big job like boring/honing/balancing. Basically its just making sure the deck of the block (the very top part that mates with the head) is true. Basically like milling the head to make sure its perfectly flat and free from defects. Depending on the condition of your block you probably won’t really even need it to be decked. But sometimes it a good idea to just take of a VERY minimal amount of material just to be sure.
this summer should be fun! i’ll hopefully be getting my hands very dirty:D . I’m lookin at spending about the same as you. I figure if i can save up $2000 i should be able to afford to build the b17 and get it swapped in. I’ve taken apart engines before (just basics in an auto class i took), but i’m far from realy knowing what i’m doing. So this is going to be a HUGE jump for me. I’ll be taking the engine apart, having it sent to the machine shop, then i’ll assemble it, i’m going to be hybridizing my tranny and replacing some of its parts, as well as dealing with the seemingly extremely complicated non obd to obd1 wiring ordeal. So, thats gonna be one hell of a learning experience for me!!! Engine, tranny, and obd wiring all pretty much at the same time! I’m crossing my fingers, hopefuly i can actually pulll it off!
Also, with the influx of ls/cr-vtec, there should be lots of b16a bottom end parts floating around, like pr3 pistons. Should be cheaper than brand new itr pistons (unless you want brand new)and you wont have to shave the rods. I think the result is a 10.8:1 cr with the ls head, somone confirm?
I’m afraid to think of what might happen if I got into an accident. All the more reasons why not to street race.