I have a b18b1 and will be replacing with a b16 head. I am still learning all of this stuff and don't want to do anything until every piece of research has been conducted. Reliability and performance are definitely most important.

I just want to know what V-TEC ECU I should go with for this setup. Please let me know if additional information is needed in order to recommend. If possible, please include the reason why you recommend so that I can learn the differences.

Thank You,
Integra Noob

 

What year is the car the motor will be going in? If you have an OBD1 car use a p28 ecu. If your car car is OBD2 96 or newer i would suggest converting it to OBD1 because it's easier to tune.

 

it depends on a few things. if you use a type r manifold and type r cams the p73 ecu is going to be reeeeealy close. if you use anything else you'll need a custom ecu which are all obd1. www.pherable.net is one place you can get a start BUT i would look for a decent tuning outfit in your area for whatever combo you wind up running. when the guy above said a p28 he didn't mean or at least better not have suggested running it stock. the p28 and p72 are the two most common ecus to chip for custom builds-programs.


by the way you said reliability and ls vtec in the same post. a stock bottom end LS and vtec head are referred to as "time bombs" around here. a term they acquired from always blowing up

 

This is why I haven't started my build yet. Because I want to know everything first so I don't have a time bomb. It's going to be going on a 1997 Integra GS.

The head is a B16 with stock camshafts. I do not have cam gears for it yet, so I will be picking those up shortly as well. The intake manifold is the stock B16 one, currently.

Once I get all the parts necessary to get the VTEC going, I will have it tuned at a reputable shop. Unfortunately, all the most recommended shops are an hour away in every direction, but whatever.

So, anyway, based off that. What would you recommend?

 

Not to poop on your party but like idrivesideways said Stock motor Lsvtec=fail. lol. I would just buy a junk Ls block and have it machined and build it the right way because its only a matter of time on a stock bottom end before you blow it up..

b16 head $400
Headstuds $120
Headgasket $ 80
dynotune $400 atleast

Your going to have ATLEAST $1000 in it to do it halfway right plus all your time and effort if you do it yourself so why put all that money in it then have it blow up in 6 months.

Not to mention the absloute most i would rev a stock ls block to is 7500rpm so your only getting it tuned to 7500 rpm which is when your just starting to make power in a honda. Lol. Just trying to help out man..

 

a b18c block would be ideal but you can use the b18b block if you upgrade the rod bolts. main studs, have it balanced and use a vtec oil pump.

tune wise that's not bad shops are only an hour away, that's a quick drive to get your car taken care of. not sure why you would refer to that as unfortunate.

 

Exactly^^^ The rod bolts would probably be the weekest point when trying to rev a Ls bottom end if your doing all that work you might as well just go all out because its not going to cost you much more to have a more powerfull, reliable, fresh engine IMO

 

Definitely, I also plan on changing these along with it. It's recommended in all the lsvtec builds I've found.

 

So any suggestions on Cam Gears? I've been looking at Skunk2, AEM, and BLOX. I did find some AEM's for sale in my area for $70, but the BLOX aren't much more for brand new.

My main concern is reliability, and then performance. Mainly, which ones are going to help me make the most power?

Also, I believe the cylinder head I've got has the stock camshafts as well. So suggestions there would be good.

Remember, reliability, and then power

 

OEM cam gears would be best, if we're only going off of you last sentence.

But, your post is confusing, you want the most power, but also claim you want reliability more than power, which means you don't want the most power...

 

Obviously, reliability will be sacrificed somewhat in the way of power, which is fine. I just don't want my **** to blow up on me or something. I'm just trying to get a feel for what other people have done to their setups that they may have been running for a long time so I can try and gauge what I might do for my setup. My power goals are around 350whp.

Of course, I'm pretty new to all of this, so I am trying to do as much research as possible before I tear into my engine. Currently, my B16 head has no cam gears.

 

Not much point of putting adjustable gears on stock cams, unless you don't already have OEM and can't get them cheaper than a decent aftermarket set.

 

I don't have OEM and don't see the point in buying them and then changing later.

 

Then it's up to you. Stock and mild cams tend to be set up fine for stock cam timing and making cam timing adjustment leads to negligible improvements. If you don't plan on a cam upgrade you may never benefit from cam adjustments. It's just something to keep in mind when you're making purchasing decisions. The tradeoffs to keep in mind are reliability (OEM will never slip unless the timing belt itself is loose), price, and tuneability.

 

toda, crower or skunk2 pro series, not the tuners would be my 3 choices for gears. they also may come in handy if you are doing a build and shave the deck and head in order to create a flat surface. most old blocks require decking of some degree in order to be perfect. as cheap as block guards are i would also consider installing one of those to lend support to the sleeves.

and about those rods. see if you can find a set of scat or eagle rods on ebay. both sell fairly inexpensive.

also buy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ARP-M...item3ef67f9a48

and consider buying

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Block...item19b91640fe

and of course the block guard

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Golde...item3c9b30937e

here's a link to the rods i'm talking about only this auction is for a b16, i would imagine this same seller could get you the b18b rods. this is a good price too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/B16A-...item58856aae1b

 

Thanks, this was definitely helpful. I was wondering about the block girdle and block guard too. I was looking into the differences between sleeving the block and doing the block guard, but for the price difference, it seems more worth it for the guard. Especially since I only plan about 350whp.

My goal is also to make sure that everything I go with will have the capability to handle turbo later on. I've never done any turbo stuff before, so that will be an entirely new experience, but most of it seems pretty straight forward.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

i think if you bought everything i listed above and did a good assembly with clearances you'll have no issues with 300-350whp. sleeving does add reliability but the cost gets high. many guys have ran for years in the low 300s with just minor strength adders like i posted above.

btw: don't skimp on the rods. buy eagles or scat for a quality econo rod