cilvercivic

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first build and I need some input. I am looking to run a t3/t40e setup. I want to get to 300-350 whp. I bought a used B18B and boosted it, got it up to 261 whp 234 tq with 11psi. The next day the shop told me that I had blow by and the rings were done. So now I am looking to build my own engine. Please tell me if these components will be able to take abuse and run reliably.

A rebuilt B18B head, new seals, complete angle valve job, new springs, cams, and valves
SRP Pistons, pref. 8.5:1 - 9.0:1
Eagle Rods
Stock Crank
New Bearings
Stock B18A1 block that has been honed and hot tanked.
Golden Eagle Block Guard ( still VERY undecided have heard mixed opinions)

Please keep in mind that I do not want to sleeve the block and I plan to run it at the track every now and then. Reliability is my main concern, not power. I want this thing to be able to take far more than I throw at it. I have also heard something about using a cometic head gasket but I'm not sure if I need it. Please let me know if this setup should be able to continuously take 300 - 350 hp reliably. My main concern is the block and the crank being able to hold up.

cilvercivic

I am also using ARP Head Studs and Rod Bolts

David12

300-350 reliably might be a tough one

93egSLEEPER

throw a vtec head on it and dont worry about building anything. a stock LSV built will get you the numbers your looking for easily and reliably...plus you will have room to grow.
My last LSV-T setup made 347whp 260tq on 14psi and a 54 trim t3/t4.

Stock honda cranks will hold 1000whp... you dont need to worry about that.

cilvercivic

I am not sure if I want to go with a Vtec head....I would have to buy another comp...as a matter of fact, lol, I just sold my P28 I had from my last swap, lol. I am glad that I am hearing that the crank will hold up from someone else though. What about the stock block and the block guard? I even thought about overboring to 81.5....safe or stay 81? Also for the most part I am set on the pistons and rods, whats another 7-$800 while I already have the thing broken down ya know? If I skip on this and want to go up to around 4-450 whp I will be glad they are in there. Also remember power is great but undeniable reliability is what I'm after.

cilvercivic

IYO what would be unreliable?

93egSLEEPER

Well i guess if you build the block a vtec head could always be added down the road when you decide you want more power easily.
81.5 overbore is fine, thats what mine was. I had no problems, nobody ever really does. I wouldnt run a block guard on a DD and on a lower HP motor, causes heat spots and cooling issues.

cilvercivic

Nice, so basically the setup I am going with is fine for what I am trying to do? Ok is there anything besides torque specs I should know about building this thing, like ins and outs?

93egSLEEPER

you will wanna make sure the rings re gapped correctly pretty much spot on. top compression ring gapped at .017" and bottom .020.other then that its pretty straight forward. make sure the machine shop takes into consideration the forged oer stock pistons for boring.... forged pistons heat and expand.

cilvercivic

I am buying a B18A1 Block off of someone that has been honed and hot tanked already, with that being said would I have to worry about the boring issue if I go with forged 81mm pistons? If so about how much of a bore over the piston size am I looking at?

00EckoSI

just some food for though if your not on a budget then the more forged internals u splurge on the more its going to last..but on that note you can put in 15g's of forged parts in ur motor and if it isnt tuned right you will trash your motor..tuning is they key to reliabilty...now when your throwing boost into the motor your putting strain on your bottom end so it will be reliable to an extent like i said its all on the tune just dont skip out on the tune..

cilvercivic

nope, will make sure I don't, thx :D. So you guys think the stock block will last?

Matt93eg

LS's will take a lot of abuse. There's plenty of guys out there running 300WHP on a complete stock engine(with the exception of ARP Head Studs for most) and are having great success because they maintain there setup and have a good tune. On the contrary though there's been a lot that have blown them up due to an insufficient tune, etc. Do it right and she will treat you right.

As for block guards, in case you haven't came across it yet, here's a thread that's been going in the Forced Induction forum. Some people say yes and no but don't explain there answer, others do. Read through it if you haven't already.

Block Guards: https://honda-tech.com/forums/forced-induction-16/block-guard-no-block-guard-2674171/

And if you haven't seen this one, this is the LS-T thread. At a whopping 23,429 replies at this moment. Its a good thread to see what other people's setups are and what they got out of it. Lets you see what most people do and what works and what doesn't.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/forced-induction-16/lst-ls-t-turbo-b18a-b18b-setups-1323059/

Good Luck with your setup.

00EckoSI

it depends on how deep your pockets are..personally im not going to run boost in my engine with out having it sleeved so i know it can withstand the boost..but your only going to get out of the motor what you put into it..so if u build it right it will last if you cut some corners u run the risk of somthing going wrong

Jimster480

yes it will handle that power with no issues. Just make sure you have a good tuner, because the tune is the key! It shouldn't have any issues with 300WHP. You dont need a cometic head gasket either.

You definately dont need to worry about sleeves. People rarely have issues with the stock sleeves unless they are trying to make insane power (500+WHP). And dont run a block guard on a street driven car, they cause heat issues.

cilvercivic

thx I will make sure I read those :D

cilvercivic

Thx alot evaryone , this is the type of feedback I was looking for, if you have anything to add please feel free........tactfully anyways lol.

cilvercivic

If I have a head that has had the bottom end machined should I use a cometic head gasket? also should I use ACL race bearings or Clevite H series?

93egSLEEPER

use the acl bearings. your choice on the HG, the cometic is just .004" thicker.

cilvercivic

I have been looking all over and I havent seen anywhere what the real advantae/disadvantage of using a cometic HG is. I prrobably will get the ACL ones seeing as though they are cheap, unless there is a big downside to them.

burnykawizzle

oem head gasket is better than costemic... thats what the research ive been doing and the head gasket should come from the dealer not from ebay even tho ebay is great for parts but theres just certain things that shouldnt be bought from ebay

cilvercivic

ok, outstanding, this is what I'm looking for. What makes the oem head gasket better than the Cometic? What kind of research have you done to get to this conclusion?

Jimster480

i doubt that OEM is better than cometic. Many race cars run cometic. I run a FEL-PRO HG on my built turbo setup and its fine.

cilvercivic

what I am coming to believe is this is just like the ACL vs. OEM Bearings question, it just comes down to preference. However with this I am hearing mixed opinions but no facts. What makes either or better? In a way I am leaning towards cometic because If it offers just slightly more reliability then thats what Im looking for. I don't want what gets the job done, I want what gets the job done best.

Jimster480

well as long as you have a OEM, FEL-PRO or cometic with ARP studs you will be fine. Cometic comes in many sizes for adjusting compression, probably why many race cars run them.