VeryUnoriginal

Hey guys, I'm new to the Honda world and wanted to ask some advice. I recently bought an EG Civic with a "mildly built" B18b and a Garrett 60mm turbo making about "300whp". After I got it home and started looking into it, turns out the PO lied to me. It's actually a completely stock LS with just injectors... Also, he was hiding a pretty serious oil burning problem (1qt per ~100 miles) and an oil leak. So I've narrowed it down to the piston rings and I'm going to have to go into the block and rebuild the engine.

Since I'm already going to be in there, I figured I'd go ahead and "mildly build" the engine since it will be my daily driver and I want it to be able to handle the boost reliably. Do you guys have any suggestions about what parts I should upgrade. Mind you, I'm not made of money and I'm still paying for college so I can't dump a TON of money into it. I've heard the stock LS block can handle up to 400hp (with ARP head studs of course), but I really don't want to test that out. Since I have to get the car retuned, I may turn up the boost a little bit.

turbohatch96y7

iTrader: (15)

Go autoworks kit
Full blown fuel setup
Ignitor bypass from turbo-ls
Turbo from shodan
Cams from DDTECH
Tune from churchs

VeryUnoriginal

I've already got the fuel injectors from before, going to keep the same turbo, not getting a new cam, and I've got a good guy for a tune.

Maybe I should have clarified, what are some good quality pistons, rods, etc. I've already looked and I have some ideas, but I figured I'd ask you guys because the people here are a lot more knowledgeable than I.

*edit: I already have Precision fuel injectors, Inline Pro exhaust manifold, and the Garrett turbo. I'm most likely going to go for eagle rods, but I haven't decided on the pistons yet.

turbohatch96y7

iTrader: (15)

Cp pistons are a great choice.

Make sure you get the upgraded rod bolts

Oem headgasket

If you have the money oem bearings

Arp headstuds

VeryUnoriginal

Thanks! I actually just picked up some ARP studs and bolts brand new still in the plastic from a guy off of Craigslist last night for $145. Turns out he owns a shop around the area and he told me that if I need parts he'll give me the best deals I can get on parts. So once I figure this stuff out I'll hit him up and see if he'll live up to his promise. Lol.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

"I have fuel injectors" and "I have the right fuel injectors" are two completely different statements. Exactly what injectors do you have?

As for forged internals, any reputable name is fine. For low budget, I'm personally a fan of Wiseco pistons and Eagle rods.

You should seriously consider giving the FAQ's sticky at the top of this sub-forum a read. Tomorrow when you wake up, give it another read. There's so much information there, that if you read it and truly understand it, you'll be able to turbo just about any Honda without having a single question or problem.

VeryUnoriginal

Will do! I've already started reading a lot on here, but there's so much to learn. Just getting started with Honda's and turbos and stuff. I only know a lot about V8's and Corvettes haha.

And I have Precision 60656, 60614, 60636, and 60550 fuel injectors.

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

What arp bolts? aftermarket rods and stock rods do not use the same bolts...

VeryUnoriginal

http://arp-bolts.com/kits/ARPkit-det...?RecordID=1263

^this

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Those are head studs, not rod bolts.

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

Yea I'm confused as to the studs and bolts comment

on a sidenote me and my dad built and race a 650hp 590lbft c6 z06 road race car. a lot of people here do more than Hondas

although I'm not gonna lie, almost 600lbft of torque on full slicks will make your neck hurt wearing a helmet lol. it just pins you back to the seat... that's how I get my harness tight haha

blackeg

Hahaha.

U will be fine with wiseco and eagles. Get something around 10:1 compression. Id also really recommend at least an aftermarket intake manifold and maybe even a small set of na not turbo cams. Gotta do what u can to prevent the major tq drop after 5000 rpm if u wanna make power that necessitates a built block

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

can you post pics of the motor and any parts you have? that will help us visualize what you have

also the numbers for the injectors are just serial numbers, there should be an identical number on each that corresponds to a precision part number. if not you can call or email precision with the serials and they can tell you what size they are

how many miles are on them? it might be a good idea to have them cleaned, tested, and flow matched. fuel injector connection is literally down the street from me and their service includes cleaning, flow testing, matching, as well as providing you with precise offset and latency values (used injectors can have slightly differing values from new injectors)

I would also contact whoever you bought the car from and call them out on their bullshit move. I've done it before and actually gotten money back from the seller. however I was dealing with honest people who just didn't know any better and were going off what they were told as well

VeryUnoriginal

Oh I can imagine! That Z sounds amazing.. I'm in the process of turning my C4 into a decent auto-x car. Already fixed a lot of the notorious frame flexing with a lot of bracing and next I'm going to do wheels and big brakes. I'm not planning on an all out horsepower monster, just a CC503 cam, headers, ported heads, and should put me at about ~400whp. Not too shabby.

According to the PO, there's between 1500-2000 miles on the build. He bought the car in October of 2013. I've been trying to figure out more details on the injectors so hopefully I don't have to buy new ones. I just need to look for somewhere close by that can check them out for me. I also have been trying to contact the PO since I bought the car. Once I started finding things wrong with it he just stopped responding to me. I still have his old license plates that he gave me off of his daily that he let me borrow to drive it home.. He wouldn't respond to when I could give his plates back to him.

And I'm also away at college, so I can't really go out and look at the car. I only have 3 pictures of the engine at the moment, and they were just taken to show my friend who's a big Honda guy the "oil change I did last week" (PO's words). The Valve cover's just off, but hope these help.

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

Varnish is normal on motors with a decent amount of mileage, especially if poor quality oils were used and or the oil change interval wasn't properly executed.

I'm sorry you had to deal with this bs after you bought the car... and people wonder why I have very little faith in humanity these days

however you do have a solid start. the inline pro manifold, TiAL 38mm wastegate, DSM 450s, Garrett t3/t04e turbo, and a chipped ecu are a proven combo.

I think the 60 trim might be a little too much turbo for your build... it will work just fine but a 50trim t04e would be absolutely perfect for you.... but if it isn't broken don't mess with it.

I would suggest that you get a wideband of some sort so you can monitor air fuel ratios. It's the best way to monitor the health of the motor and the tune. any issues will normally present themselves with a change in the af ratio and would allow you to catch the issue quickly before any damage is done.

we've had very good luck with the NGK AFX wideband on our cars, also innovate and PLX offer solid products as well

VeryUnoriginal

Honestly, the real reason I love this car is because it's a total sleeper. A buddy of mine did a video on the car right before I bought it and when it had the old turbo on it. Driveablity is much better with the smaller turbo. Here's the video;

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

A wideband is a necessity for any FI application, in my opinion. Also, fuel pressure and oil pressure gauges never hurt. A fuel pressure gauge will help you spot fuel problems before they blow up your motor (also, before they might show up on a wideband), and the oil pressure gauge might just save your motor from oil starvation.

You can maintain the "sleeper" look, especially in an EJ chassis, with cluster bezel pods, and a single DIN pod mount. That'll give you mounting for five gauges that aren't obvious to anyone not sitting in the car.

VeryUnoriginal

So far I've only got a boost gauge and a A/F meter. I'll do more if I can find a way to integrate them and still keep it easily hidden. But you do have a point.

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

is the af gauge the narrowband light show? if so it is useless.

DC_Legacy

Eagle rods are about the cheapest option once they become a forged necessity.

The Inline Pro is quoted as one of, if not the best cast type manifold for its shaping and flow characteristics.....I'm leaning toward getting one my self if I don't get a SPA top-mount cast mani...

Piston wise, for forged, if for a "Mild" build, I'd look into Supertech's line of pistons which look to run a real nice price at roughly $460 w/rings as forged.
JHPUSA Supertech piston set - http://www.jhpusa.com/store/pc/viewP...idproduct=3010

You could also get a set of SRP pistons which are JE's attempt to offer a piston that could be regarded as the "synthetic blend" of pistons since the alloys used make them, makes them stronger than cast but not as strong as a run of the mill forged piston.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Supertech pistons are definitely interesting. They run a "harder" alloy than most other forged pistons are made of, so they have a lower thermal expansion coefficient, so you can run tighter P2W clearances...but there has to be a down-side, and no one ever talks about it. I'm not 100% sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if they're less resistant to detonation damage. Harder alloy, less room to flex, more prone to shattering. Like I said, I'm not 100% on that, just a thought. I never finished my materials classes for my Aerospace Engineering degree

Do yourself a favor, call up Myles at English Racing. Tell him James sent you, and ask him for a price on Wiseco pistons for your motor. He might just be able to help you out.

blackeg

get the jdm audio console and mount your gauges down there. definite sleeper from outside the car. here's mine

VeryUnoriginal

Update, luckily my engine doesn't need to be rebuilt. My turbo was just terrible and needs to be replaced. I was quoted at $450 to rebuild it... so I'm going to rebuild it and the car will be back on the road sometime soon!

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

That is a lot, for 450 I would expect all new components including compressor wheel and turbine shaft.

VeryUnoriginal

It was a lot more than I was expecting. I'm probably going to end up either rebuilding it myself or buying a new turbo for that.