i3oricua

I have a teg ls (b18b) that I'm gonna be going turbo on. I already have a t03/t04e turbo in the garage just have some more parts I have to get. The question is how should I go about with the engine itself? Can I get away with just resleeving it? Or full pistons and rods be best? Or just a thicker headgasket? This will be my first turbo project ever so I'd like the get the best pointers I can get. The engine was turbo once before and taken care of very well. He left all the lines in for the oil pan and everything and it still has a vortech fmu and inline fuel pump along with some other small things. Besides msd and colder plugs and wires and those smaller things what else should I look into as far as the engine itself? What can I get away with doing and what must be done? Sorry for all the questions, but I'd like to get it right the first time. Thanks in advance.

Speed PHreak

Well the question is what are you planning on boosting?

Since you're new to boost lemme tell you something. You don't need to build your engine yet. With careful maintaince and proper tuning and LS engine will last a very long time on as much as 10~12psi.

You seem like you want to do things the right way, so I'd suggest that you ditch the FMU and get a standalone. Something like Hondata that is common, and lots of people have experiece tuning on. IF you're looking to have a reliable turbo'd vehical, a standalone is a must.

It's late so i'm not gonna post much, but in the morning i'll add some more. There are plenty of turbo LS owners here. I'm sure you'll get more help. Beside us non-VTEC's gotta band together against the VTEC masses

lazerus

the rod bones connected to the, wrist bone, the wrist bone's connected to the, piston bore, the piston bores connected to the ring land, and they all came tumbling down..

ok it's late and i was bored.

turbointeg

save ur self money and do it the rite way the first time through. it may seem like a lot of money but its well worth it. build the motor, get a fuel management, and tune it.

Jdm_Rice_Monster

the first step in biulding a ls, is the b16 head, hahaha, just kidding.

Na, I am actually about to start biulding a b18b as well, and would like to here more on this topic as well. I am probly going to keep it simple with pistons, rods, blockgaurd, headgasket, some headwork and head studs. I dont have much money and this minor setup would take all the funds I got. I am wondering if I would be better off getting a stock gsr and boosting about 9psi on it. I think I would have more fun with the semi biult ls though.

stupid fast 5.0

I am considering the same and wondering what kind of power a well tuned ls motor will make say 10-12psi. I am still undecided on which motor I want, but want to stay as cheap as possible.

Mase

In my personal opinion, i think its best to do a full build, I mean why cut corners? Id go ahead and get the full package: Sleeved Block, Pistons, and Rods. I would keep compression to around 9:1 (yeah yeah higher compression yields more power, but i like reliability ). I recently added up some costs to build the b18b block, and even w/ buying a spare bare block and the other added costs, it looks like you can have a fully built and complete block for around $2300 - $2400 (i included in the costs: JE Pistons, Eagle Rods, GE sleeved, new water and oil pump, numerous gaskets, crank, machine work, arp head studs, and head Gasket. ) It all depends on the kinds of deals you can get, but if you are gonna do it right, dont cheap out cuz it sure is gonna suck if you gank the motor out and slap in some pistons and rods and then have a sleeve crack on you......

But you dont have to take my word for it

DIRep972

iTrader: (1)

sounds to me, the best solution for u is to go ahead and boost on the stock motor. before I went turbo I didn't know a whole lot, im really glad i didnt rush into building a motor or trying to do a custom kit. get the car running at around 8psi w/ the basic FMU set up and it will be fast, trust me. Then when you are ready, mentally and financially, to take the car to the next level you should start looking into fuel management and building it. you can drive daily for years on an fmu at 7psi and never have to worry about a thing, but once u try to take that next step to 400whp you have to mentally prepare yourself for it because that is where the problems start.


[Modified by DIRep, 7:08 AM 1/31/2003]

ahobbs

Well tuned LS turbo 10-12 psi your looking at a nice 220-230whp & 200-210torque

Ver nice numbers that's not even built just stock. Tunning is the key. If you find the right tunner you wont have any problems. If you can come to Dallas I recommend Tony @Jotech or Tony1. He is a great tunner. Just look at their civic.

For the guy who asked about the slighty built ls over stock GSR. Stick with LS. IMO, LS is the most reliable and boost tolerate of all the Honda engine. I think Honda made the perfect engine when they did the LS.

Mase

Actually no, more than that if its "well tuned", Me and DIREP have made 270 and 274HP (respectively) w/ 10.5-12 psi stock b18b blocks

Happyman

I am about to do the same. I have been researching and I say, do it right the first time. Get it sleeved. And run low compression. I'd rather be doing 15-20 psi daily safely and making more power.


[Modified by Happyman, 8:07 AM 1/31/2003]

i3oricua

Yeah, I'm definitely looking at reliability as being a key. I don't get a great satisfaction out of yanking engines out of my own cars because they're blown. I've already got a prelude that I may end up having to yank the engine out. ls/vtec is not an option. Not even gonna try it. But I would definitely like to be able to boost as much as SAFELY possible. Even if its stock. I don't have enough money to build the engine right now, because I'm still trying to buy all the turbo parts themselves. I will build the engine eventually, but for now I wanna satisfy my taste for boost. So when we say stock, how stock are we talking? I mean, like no internal work done at all? And what does standalone consist of? I really mean this is my first time so be gentle I can afford things as I get the money, so what are some the essentials that will be needed whether its stock or not.

Speed PHreak

Stock is stock yeah. Adding things like cams or maybe a block guard are acceptable when you say "stock". Stock means nothing that requires you to yank the whole engine out and pretty much do a rebuild with aftermarket forged internals. Lots of people run around on stock LS engines and put down 230~250whp at 10psi. That's plenty enough to have some fun with.

A standalone can be any number of aftermarket ECU's that are user adjustable. The stock Honda ECU is not deisgned to read boost, and flips out when it see's it. You can run the FMU/pump/check valve setup, but that just seem like a big disaster waiting to happen. Hondata, Zdyne, Motec, Speedpro, AEM EMS, are just a few that are out there. Most nowdays you connect to a computer or laptop. They allow you to retune the entire fuel and spark curves of your engine to better suit your needs. They allow your engine to be tuned as if it was a factory turbocharged car. It provides for a very wide margine of reliablity, as long as you're not overly aggressive with your tuning. But tuning is the key to the life of your boosted engine.

The FMU's and huge pumps aren't very reliable at best. I never even ran one on my setup, I went straight for a standalone. I was much like you and wanted to do it the right way the 1st time, and the thought of pulling blown engines wasn't very appealing either.


[Modified by Speed PHreak, 12:04 PM 1/31/2003]

Jdm_Rice_Monster

Which do you think I should do: Semi biuld my ls (what I stated earlier in this post) or buy a gsr and boost on it. I am thinking with tunning on a ls or a gsr either way I will be low 12s maybe qiucker. I really dont see the need to fully biuld a street car motor. I have a stock ls running 10psi untuned and cant get traction for nothing. I wouldnt even want to imagine a biult motor tring to hook up without the use of slicks. I know what both setups are capable of. I have seen the power of tunned ls's and my freind put down 289 on 8psi untuned with a stock gsr motor. I am stuck on what to do. I have a b16 block, a b18b block and a b18a in my car, any suggestions as to what might be the best route for me, thanks.

Speed PHreak

Hmmm, well it's a good question. The LS motor is very boost friendly and can hand 10~12psi with no problem. Add pistons/rods to the mix and you can boost a good bit more. The question is what about of boost are you willing to run? Do you have the ***** to run 16~18psi on the street?

I mean turbo'd LS/V's are pretty mean creations if you build them properly. You've got all the parts to put one together.Since you're turbo'd already have some fun with a little taste of boost. In the mean while take that B18B block, slap your B16 head on it, add rods/pistons, and have the crank balanced out. Have fun!


[Modified by Speed PHreak, 12:14 AM 2/1/2003]

Jdm_Rice_Monster

I only have the b16 block not the head. I have been riding in lots a gsr lately and have come to the conclusion that I have to get one no matter who long it takes me. I am going to run a stock motor, with head gasket and head studs.

DIRep972

iTrader: (1)

ive been trying to decide what i want to do for awhile now.

whether i want to just build an LS motor w/ sleeves, pistons, rods, valvesprings/retainers and boost like 1.5bar on the set up i have(revhard/hondata). im sure it would pull around 375/300 and be more then enough for what i do. or if i want to sell everything and go for broke building a completely new turbo GSR set up, id be shooting for 500whp.

right now im leaning towards sticking w/ what i got and just building the LS block, but im sure tomorow ill be like **** it do it all out this time around.

boostedsol

well, thats what I elected to do. I had my ls block fully built 2.1 L, GE sleeves, eagle Rods, Arias pistons 9.2 :1, GE crank /stroke, balance blueprinted,...it should be a monster.

i3oricua

And roughly how much did that cost you?

Jdm_Rice_Monster

I think I am going to start hunting for a bad gsr block and gsr internals.

Arturbo

Once we get my car back together, you'll change your mind.