Hi all,
now that i have that D16A6 in the garage, I need to rebuild it - or get it done somewhere.
I have sent an email to Sunbelt (no replies yet after 3 days) and to the guys at OPM. I also know that Steve at SG-T has a very good reputation, although he is notoriously hard to get a hold of...
Is there anybody else in the No. VA area that does race engines that people have experience with? I just want my engine rebuilt, overbored, maybe balanced/blueprinted and some minor IT-legal head work (all depending on $$$, of course). I'd like a nice, solid, reliable engine with decent performance.
As cheap as I am, I would rather avoid doing all that work myself, although I can certainly disassemble and reassemble everything, if I can find a good machine shop I guess (hmm, nice sentence). Before I decide which route to go, I'd like to know what the options and costs involved are.
thanks a bunch in advance for any info.

 

As you don't need it for now, I'd get a rebuild kit and DIY. Would be a good learning experience, and will save you money. Besides, you didn't pay anything for the motor, so you really aren't out more than the price of the rebuild kit if you mess it up.
Our region's HS champ last year did the same thing to his 91 Si and was soo stoked at the results after he had it on the dyno. 90 lb/ft from 2100 all the way to 6000 from my quick glance at his chart. He is not a mechanic, and does not have a machine shop. Just a couple of favors from a buddy who had a stand.

 

perhaps JE Import Performance (James Evans?) They're in the Baltimore area, but not toooo too far from Haymarket.

 

hi.

i am very pleased with the guy that did my LS motor.... he got good results and very reasonable. he is in Aberdeen; his shop is called North End Service.

IM or email me if you need more info...

good luck

todd reid
d15b7@aol.com

 

We have some very fast IT legal D16 motors if you are interested. We are just north of Baltimore. Probably only an hour from you.....maybe less. Give us a ring....our contact info at web site listed below. Sent you an IM also

 

Sunbelt typically doesn't work with the public. They take in work from places like OPM and BSI. I'm not sure if this is 100% operation, but it is the vast majority of their business.
You can't go worng with OPM, but they are kind of far from you. Sam Moore in Kannapolis NC has a great reputation as well (phatty should have contact info).
And of course JE can apparently construct some stout stuff as well.

 

James and the gang at JE are close to you and are very skilled, as is sGT who does Warren's motor. I spent some time on JE's dyno at VIR and was impressed with those guys, they're knowledgeable and they all like what they're doing.

Maybe Mitch Piper has a preferred engine builder up there? I know he builds a hell of a cage, so maybe he can recommend someone who will build a hell of a motor.

--Rice, who will also need a motor this winter...

 

i don't call sakai suckie for nothing! heheh. he's getting quite good. does he not answer emails?! doing a solid stock rebuild isn't rocket science. just follow the manual and you'll be ok. Sunbelt?? they are BANK.

i think you should go with OPM as sakai is more or less a B motor head. OMP ought to have way more experience on the D's.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Maybe Mitch Piper has a preferred engine builder up there? I know he builds a hell of a cage, so maybe he can recommend someone who will build a hell of a motor.
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I think he has a guy on staff now that can handle engine work.

 

cool. Thanks for all the leads guys. I am trying to contact the JE guys and am waiting on an answer from OMP.
I'll go down the list from there.
thanks again.
Sebastien

 

Tom Stewart at Redline motors is who builds my engines (both porsche and honda). He has experience with building WC engines for his Civic SI.

540 338 1986

Alex.

 

talked to several engine builders, thought about my situation a while, and am still a little bit undecided, but I know where I am leaning!

(all price quoted approximate and depending largely on the shape of the engine, and the parts necessary to make it work)
- King motor: ~$4500
- OPM: ~$3500
- Red Line: ~$2000
- DIY: $500 - $1500, depending on what all I replace.

Then, there's a 4.7 Final Drive at ~$1000, and a LSD at ~$800 (although I did see a used tranny with both of those for $1500)

If I did all that, (professional build + tranny work) the car would be relatively competitive in H4, maybe even (illegally) in ITA.
I (as a driver) most certainly would not be - regardless of the car's state of tune.

So now I have to decide how much I want to invest in a car that will not be ITA legal unless they change the rules, and that would require another $2000 to be Prod. legal (fuel cell, fire system and window straps) - but legal in H4 and some form of PSx class with NASA.

The cheapest would be to do a very basic rebuild myself for about $500, slap it together and get on the track for some seat time.
At the same time, the engine is OUT OF THE CAR right now, and it seems silly (considering my time constraints) to not get it done before dropping it in the car - I mean, who wants to have to yank an engine out (Warren and Chad excepted of course ) any more than necessary?

So, I am leaning towards the Red Line Motor route. I talked to Tom Steward there, and he seems like a very down to earth, direct (ahem!) kind of guy. Definitely no-nonsense kind of person, and he tells you exactly how he feels about whatever it is you are talking about. I like that. Oh yeah, and he is also the most reasonable engine builder, price-wise. Granted, he does not have the reputation or bling factor that a King, or a OPM has - but neither do I have the money
I think it may be reasonable to sink $2k in a solid, professional engine rebuild, maybe giving up a couple (or a handful, whatever) horses to the top guys, but saving some dineros for seat time.

It's that or count on that lottery ticket to come in a winner!

Just an FYI, in case anybody was interested. Suggestions/opinions welcome.

 

Talk to Tom Blaney, at SBMS Racing. He's not only an EXCELLENT guy to deal with, he builds good power. He just finished a D16A6 that dynoed at 126 at the wheels. Prices are very fair. E-mail him, and I guarantee he'll get back to you quick!

Website&gt;&gt;&gt; http://www.sbmsinc.com/race_shop.html

E-mail&gt;&gt;&gt; sbmsinc@warwick.net

He's building my eng/trans/quaiffe package right now, so you'll have to hop in line.....

 

do it yourself, get a honda manual ( i have an EF one in PDF format if somone has room where i can upload it)

it is really basic stuff, and as long as you have a torque wrech, engine stand, sockets, feeler gagues, and plasti gauge (or have a machine shop messure up your bearings properly) and you are set.

How would you feel blwoing up a $4000 motor or a $500 motor

And then when you blow it up, you know how to rebuild it LOL

 

shortbus: seems nice. However, it's a little far for me to just go and drop off the engine... I was hoping to find someone relatively local to avoid the hassles of shipping.

zc: rebuilding the bottom end I can handle, it's doing some headwork (valve job, port, polish, etc.) that I can't do myself... thanks for the vote of confidence, though. I believe the hybrid garage has a copy of the manual in pdf on their site, let me check... edit: http://tech.hybridgarage.com/tech/manuals

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SJR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">zc: rebuilding the bottom end I can handle, it's doing some headwork (valve job, port, polish, etc.) that I can't do myself...</TD></TR></TABLE>
That's why we did the bottom end and tranny ourselves and sent the head up to King. $700 for the head work/intake & exhaust port matching/injectors was a far easier pill to swallow.

 

ahhh headwork i would always have a pro do. A guy at home in his garage with a dremel can do more harm than good.

Take the head to a pro then when its; done start the assembly process