Hey guys. I was just wondering how many of you have built a motor for the first time with just the help of a helms and honda-tech. I want to pick up an old Y8 block that I can get for free, and just tear it down and build it back up for boost. Im pretty mechanically inclined, although i haven't ever gone to school for auto tech. So I guess I can say I have 75% confidence that I can do this. The other 25% that is pulling me away from just doing it is probably stuff like getting the valves seated and making sure i'm doing it all right, never done that. Making sure im putting the pistons in right, connecting the rods the right way, putting everything in the right way to assure that down the road it wont screw me..Getting the block honed and measuring it to make sure it's within specs. I've never messed with anything that detailed. It's intimidating, but maybe im just being paranoid and its not as bad as it seems?

So what do you guys think? Should I give it a shot? So I guess my main question is, again, has anyone in here built a motor for the first time with just a helms and the help of honda tech? How did it go?

 

I would send the block to a machine shop to align hone, etc, and install the rods/pistons.

From there do the rest yourself. This is what I do, I just don't have the confidence to try to install pistons/rods myself.

I like the peace of mind that a professional did that part, to me, its the most important part.

This is how I've done both my FI builds.

 

go for it...
im on my first build too

as far as installing pistons & rods
it aint nothing compared to what you are gonna be doing

the hardest part i see is getting the pistons on the rods but installing them into the block is nothing...

 

good luck

 

it's cake. i built a complete ls/vtec with no help what's so ever. just had a little hookup at a machine shop and got most of the work done on my own. besides d series motors are what like $150? go for it man, just make sure to keep the crank and bearings clean of debris

 

Anything that absolutely doesn't require a machine shop (i.e. honing/grinding/lapping/cutting/etc.) can be done by yourself.

The key things you must have:

1. Attention to detail and observant.
2. Patience.
3. A clean and open workspace.

Realize that almost everything is not hard - it's just tedious.

 

& the right tools!

without the right tools
everything becomes more difficult & time consuming

 

Thanks for the positive reinforcement guys. I'll probably be picking up a helms and a block here soon. As far as tools go, I know they can be expensive as hell, but other than a torque wrench are the other tools expensive? I've done swaps with nothing but a little bit of elbow grease and some shitty *** wal-mart hand tools, but i know that wont cut it when building a motor so i'm prepared to spend some $ on some real ****.

Oh yeah. Which would you guys recommend- Doing a stock rebuild first... or buying aftermarket pistons and rods and doing the rebuild w/ them on the first time around?

 

I dont know how NEEDED they are...

But I know they make a tool for keeping the piston rings in the correct places while inserting them into the block.

I also believe there's a tool for seating valves as well, along with feeler gauges to check the clearances.

Im sure there's a few others that would make things easier if you owned. Remember many of these more expensive tools can be rented at Autozone for a small deposit.

Good luck man...I hope things turn out great. Any questions...dont hesitate to ask on here.

 

Which would you guys recommend- Doing a stock rebuild first... or buying aftermarket pistons and rods and doing the rebuild w/ them on the first time around?

 

I would stay OEM because i know it works.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by plugg’d &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Which would you guys recommend- Doing a stock rebuild first... or buying aftermarket pistons and rods and doing the rebuild w/ them on the first time around?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Definitely OEM.

Reduce the amount of variables for a first time build. Then move to more advanced stuff after you've done it once.

 

as long as you keep all the parts compatible i dont see a reason for worry with aftermarket rods and pistons. alot of aftermarket rods require the bottom of the cylinders to be clearanced, but thats the only differance between stock and aftermarket.

if you plan on building for boost why use stock stuff????

 

there is a lot of good info here

http://www.c-speedracing.com/h...d.php