before everyone bashes for not searching, I DID. The reason for this post is because of questions I have, jus to make sure before I go along with this project. I’m keeping the block stock for now
After researching, I found out that I wouldnt need to change out the oil pump from the B20 because, B20 oil pump = GSR oil pump = ITR oil pump. Also, the B20 water pump is also the same one found in the ITR. The stock bottom block would be ok for this application as long as I dont over-rev the motor. People have said that the sleeves would be suitable for it.
With that in mind, All I would need to purchase would be:
Keep block the same?
Well, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the bottom-end as is. The rod bolts are a must, if not shot peening the rods, inspecting and polishing the crank, honing the walls, replacing main and rod bearings and thrust washers, new rings, decking, and an overall balance. And you heard wrong, the b20 sleeves are the weakest of the b series. Putting them under higher loads that they certainly werent designed for makes them a hazard.
Oil/Water Pump?
It depends on the number of miles the motor has on it and how it was driven previously. I would definitely say replace the water pump, tensioner, t-belt (all belts really), and all seals. The oil pump may be the same part number, but you are now asking it to pump more oil than it was before, what happens if it fails? Bad things.
Other Purchases?
All new gaskets (ESPECIALLY a headgasket), obviously a vtec head (pr3, p61, p72), and you can’t forget the vtec soleniod.
I know you said you just want a simple setup, but simple is what gives the lsvtec and crvtec a bad name. If you go simple (aka cheap and/or lazy) it will not last! Of course, it will cost a good amount of money to do it the right way, but why not do it right the first time? Wait to find the other block and save for the necessary parts to rebuild an engine. Don’t expect to slap something together and have it work well.
I want to do a simple B20/Vtec, but I never said I was gonna go cheap or half assed. Also, have you had personal experience with it? It seems to me like you have but i want to be sure. Usually, people with no experience reply this and that. I’m learning here, so I want to be cautious about it.
As far as parts? I know I’m gonna need new gaskets. I already have a GSR Head so thats out of the question.
My current block is fairly new. Has close to 40k miles on it along with new timing belot, water pump, and oil pump is fairly new as well. So thats no problem for me. If it needs to be replaced, it will.
The reason why I was debating whether or not to touch the bottome end was solely because, people with experience says that their block has held fine.
So that leads me to believe that the bottom end will handle power fine.
And heres another quote from a member that won my decision over.
I’m actually in the middle of a lsvtec build right now so I have personal experience building and buying stuff. I did ALOT of research and found that some people have been okay with leaving it and some have not. My basic mindset is to replace all vital parts. The two main points that I would stress are the rod bolts and the thin sleeves.
The rod bolts just arent strong enough to handle high revs (which is where you’ll be getting most of your power) because they weren’t mean to have to. Thats not to say that some people can’t get lucky. I just chose to take whatever precautions I could, because I don’t want to get done with my build and throw a rod because a rod bolt snapped.
The sleeves I would worry less about than the rod bolts but should still be in the back of your head. If you don’t go crazy and beat the shit out of your motor, they might be okay. To make the extra .2 liters, Honda just bored the cylinders out, making them thinner and more susceptable to wear/warp/cracks etc. when adding the extra load vtec gives.
I wish you the best of luck, let me know if I can help!
got a friend who owns b20/vtec and the only prob he got in one year is the head got loose because of head bolts. Stick with ARP and beat a 5 grand typR for sure, thats what he did.
Thanks for the response. Like you, I’ve been doing ALOT of research as well. What my final decision is that, I will be using my current B20 block. I will be picking up a B18 block and turning that to a Built 2.0 Turbo Ls/Vtec. With that motor, it will be a long build because I wont rush things with it. So here are my plans again.
B20b Stock Block:
-GSR Head
-Golden Eagle or AEBS head studs
-Golden Eagle Dowel Pins
-Golden Eagle Girdle
-Block Guard
-Rod Bolts
-Vtec Distributor
-Vtec ECU
-LS/Vtec Conversion Oil Lines
B18A block:
It will be a built 2.0 ready for LS/Vtec turbo. It will be built starting in 2006
Cool, all that looks good except one thing stuck out to me: block guard. I can see why you would want to use that, and I don’t have any first hand experience with it, but I have read that it restricts coolant to one of the most important parts of the cylinder: the top. I honestly don’t know any more than that, but going crvtec i would say using it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Just make sure your cooling system is working. Good luck!
Cooling system is working ok. I have the fan wired up manually so when i see the temp rising, i just activate it.
But right now,
It seems like i’m gonna have the B20 block out soon and re-do everything slowly…unless I’m tempted to just slap on the head and have it run, but the compression will be low. So now i’m thinking B20z pistons or high compression cp pistons.