scottmeister86

Hey guys.

Right first off I will point out i don't know a great deal at all about engines, only what I have learnt along the way. I know how to repair bodywork, spray and airbrush but I'm afraid my engine knowledge is a rather lacking. Right! heres the plan:

I am currently building up a project engine that I have spare for my civic, just sitting in my shed and forgive me for sounding rude but I do not wish to hear comments like "nah go for these cams, they're better" or whatever because I have spent nearly 10k on engines now and tbh bhp is not as important for me as reliability as this will be my fourth engine to go in my civic. (NOT MY FAULT ABOUT THE OTHER 3!Jjust a very bad case of getting screwed over by mechanics!) Basically i just want something thats more thrilling than my b16 but still practical for everyday use.

The setup I currently have is:

Bolt-Ons:
Apexi Induction Kit, 4-2-1 Manifold and de-cat exhaust system, ITR fuel pump, Fuel Rail, Injectors & FPR, Skunk2 Inlet Manifold,

b18c4 head:
Ported and polished, valves re-seated, ITR Camshafts & Valvetrain (DVS),

b18c4 block with ek9 gearbox (better ratios so im told):
Balanced crankshaft, sports clutch, lightened flywheel

What I want to know is would it be ok to put a set of jdm p73-00 ITR pistons in? My friend has some going cheap and one of my stock pistons on my c4 (p72-A0) is f###ed hence why i am asking. Like i said im not after mental HP out of an NA engine, i just need something reliable and fun. I would like to know if these pistons (and rods) would work with my setup and be safe i.e. piston-to-head clearance and not raising the compression too high. I've read that it would raise the compression to around 11.3-4 but again I am not sure . And lastly does anyone know how to calculate what would be a safe amount to skim the head with my setup to gain a bit of power but not too much that it would cause problems. My machinist has offered me a free head skim for doing him a favor so I am only curious about this as he will do it for free for. Any help would be greately appreciated as like I said before, I know how to spray a car, not how the engine works so please be gentle!

Thanks

N/A

The pistons will work, sound like it'll be a good reliable setup as long as u have it tuned

scottmeister86

thanks mate that's good to know :D does anyone have any idea on the head skimming side of things? how much is safe? cheers

N/A

Personally wouldn't go more than 3 thousanths, your also increasing your p2v, which can cause problems with different cams

PyroProblem

3 thousandths or 30 thousandths?
BIG difference...

wolve

those pistons with that put you a 11.5ish

skimming it .015 will put you at 12ish without putting cam timing of to much, also great for future cam upgrade.

how much is safe? you can get away with .045 easily and still run PRO1's on stock slugs, but you'd be at over 13cr.

for you, i'd say just skim it so it's flat, no need for more on pump gas and ITR cams.
will be a fun drive

N/A

30 sorry I missed that, .030

PyroProblem

I thought thats what you meant, just wanted to clarify.

Ive always thought its better to just run a thinner headgasket. Youre doing the same thing, its just not as permanent.

scottmeister86

right thanks for the info guys, thinking maybe just go with a .010 just to be safe. also i was eventually gonna source some bc stage 2 cams for it with S2 verniers but if i got the verniers now can they be put on the itr cams for now n then get it all mapped up with an s300 or would the verniers be pointless on the itrs n me current mods?

PyroProblem

If by "verniers", you mean adjustable cam gears, then yes you can put them on your ITR cams...
I dont think its pointless personally, you could use them to play with your powerband on the dyno, correct for milling, or just have them ready for your next camshaft upgrade...