Markley02

I picked up a 95 del sol VTEC with 140k miles that was isle green last fall. The car was totally stock, but I just got it back from the painter and it is now Samba Green. I want to keep the car very reliable. At the moment the only issue with the car is it has a 3rd gear grind (synchro) and the cam seal is leaking. Also the car is due for a timing belt.

I really like the idea of having the revs lower at highway speeds. So I am thinking of a longer 5th or 4th and 5th gear. Since the trans already has 140k though, should I just get a different trans or just change out the synchro and the last gear or two? Where is a good place to even buy the synchro and gears?

Now about the motor..... There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, but I would really like some more power. What is up with the whole ls/vtec thing? Is it easy to do? Should I just rebuild my current b16 throw on some sort of forced induction? I know a lot of people say to piece together a turbo kit, but I would rather just buy an entire kit so I know everything is new and nothing will break. I originally was going to go with the JRSC, but then I heard a vortec setup is better. I am having trouble finding them though. When I go to the website I cant even find it. Not looking to go crazy power, but just a little more. The 200-250 hp range sounds about good. Reliability is #1!

Vindicator9000

You're asking a very complicated question. You've stated a horsepower goal, but not a budget. You say that you have a 95 VTEC, but that doesn't say a lot... a 95 Civic VTEC is D series, but Delsol is B series. I'm going to assume you have D, but the same info applies for B.

Personally, I think that your cheapest bet is to do the maintenance on your D, change the synchros, and boost it. You should be able to reliably get over 200HP on a boosted D fairly easily, assuming that you tune it. Any other option is going to cost you substantially more. On any boost setup, your biggest factors in reliability are going to be the quality of the tune, and not overboosting.

Now, if you really want to keep it as reliable as possible, and are willing to lower your horsepower goal, I'd recommend a plain old gsr swap. 170 HP, and as reliable as any stock Acura engine. That's what I run. If you already have a B16, you can get a few more horses out of a 1.8 gsr block.

If you already have a B16, I'd forget about the LS/VTEC. You're better off with a gsr block.

As far as synchros, mfactory sells a carbon coated set that are supposed to be stronger than stock. I'd replace synchros rather than transmission. Any new transmission you buy is going to have the same problem eventually.

Markley02

wow, that was quick!

It is an EG2 Del sol (B16 with y21 trans). Money really isn't an issue. I dont want to put 20 grand into it or anything, but I dont have a problem spending the money on something that is worth it.

Markley02

Any other input?