I'm building my first Honda motor, also first turbo motor.
I'm putting it in a 1963 mini pickup. I would like to run from 300 to 400 hp. I have built many different high performance engines. Mostly Chevy small and big blocks. Blower motors but no turbos. I would like to find piston and ring tolerances. I'm going to run CP pistons. Also am interested in putting a b18 crank in and using custom rods. I have not found the actual measurement for the rods. Also is it worth the trouble?
Is there one parts manufacturer that you guys like better than others.
More questions to follow.
Thanks
Charlie

 

CP, Wiseco, Arias, Manley all make quality B series pistons. There are plenty of rod options as well.

If you have room in the bay to allow for the extra 8mm of deck height, I'd just start out with a B18 LS or GSR block so you don't have to fuss with custom rods.

Look into Go-Autoworks for turbo pieces for the B series. One of the last quality kit manufacturers around for these engines.

Hmotorsonline is a good reputable source for OEM engine/transmission pieces. Realstreet is an easy one stop shop for engine internals.

Edit: Also P2W clearances are going to vary by what each manufacture recommends, but for a B turbo application people normally use around .0035. Check that though with what CP or whoever recommends.

 

Hey Mr. Chance, What computer do I need for a B16a2 ??
And where would a person find one?
Thanks

 

Most people use Hondata S300 for tuning B and D series engines. Lots of capability and piggybacks very nicely off of the OEM OBD1 ECU (most people use either a P28 or P72 ECU, but if your B16 came with a P30 that would also work).

Although something to consider is how all of this will integrate with your dash wiring and controls. Someone more seasoned with these types of swaps may be able to offer more info, but I'd be somewhat concerned with how you'd be able to adapt that wiring to the Honda ECU. Could probably be done though, considering the age of the pickup and (assuming) it's electronic simplicity.

 

Thanks for the reply, I don't have a computer at all. I just bought the engine.

Thanks
Charlie

 

Bless you, thanks!

I actually had a 60 something Mini here about 6 years ago that we turbocharged. It had an ITR bone stock swap with the best compression across the board that I've ever seen. Most of his swap pieces came from a place called Mini Tech (or tek...or tec). Something that REALLY helped was that he added this flip up one piece fiberglass front end. This made access pretty easy as the front end is barely large enough to fit the motor/header in. That car got a GT28 on our cast log setup, tuned on Hondata S300 at 8-10psi...it was a torque steering scary joy ride to say the least and probably made 260-300whp.

 

Fun watch for anyone considering this type of build:


As you can see, things in the bay get tight quickly with this swap. You'll have to chop and reweld the OEM intake manifold similar to what they did in this video, or use an aftermarket manifold specifically made for this swap (Magnus makes a very nice piece for this, but it costs quite a bit). You'll also need to get creative with your intercooler mounting, as there won't be any room whatsoever for it in the front of the bay. I almost wonder if it would be easier to run no intercooler, and just do water injection for IAT management, but that opens up a lot of other variables.

I agree with Greg/Autoworks above, if you're able to get a flilp-up front end that would make access a lot easier. Getting the rad support frame out of the way will definitely be worth the time during the course of the install.

 

You still want to run an intercooler, trust me. The methanol substitute has been done, but not very reliably.

I remember the exact engine setup that Autoworks is referring to, and the intercooler he used was a top mounted intercooler , similar to that of a Subaru WRX layout. It was quite well done, and although it was almost on top of the valve cover, the scoop that was made for it was over half the size the entire flip-up hood piece. It was truly a nice setup.

 

Not this
Thanks for the reply's. I have seen the Mighty car mods video on vtecing a mini. I'm using the same engine cradle they are but also the rear end kit to put a CRV diff in the car. AWD but low. More like this.Where is a good place to find a computer for my B16a2? I didn't get one with the motor. I plan on running a Hondata piggy back.
Thanks
Charlie

 

I bought my ecu and tuning hardware here. Good company to deal with.

Hondata S300 V3 / P28 ECU Package

 

Thanks very much, seems like a good place.

 

This site is also great:

Xenocron Tuning: Hondata S300 Tuning Package(Hondata S300 Unit, OBD1 VTEC ECU, MAC Solenoid Kit, PWM Boost Components pre-installed) #[s300-ecu-pwm]

Either one would be fine. The link above comes with the ECU as well, and the S300 and boost components pre-installed in the ECU.

 

Very cool, Thanks

 

You have a B16A2 so unfortunately no one else pointed out that's an OBD2 engine. And you need an OBD1 ECU.

You want OBD1 because OBD1 is tune-able and OBD2 B-series are not.

But now you must convert the motor to OBD1. Trivial, but another step to note.

 

Well crap, I was unaware too. Thanks for the update.

Thanks
Charlie

 

Is it just me or did a bunch of threads start popping up, where people want to do very involved builds, into non-conventional swaps, while still not understanding the basics like ls/gsr >> stroked b16's??

 

It's definitely been coming around a lot more lately. Many these threads were migrated because they were posted in the wrong sections. The same inquiries are popping up because these people can't seem to find similar data in the archives. The information is there, just titled incorrectly or in a vague way. But I see it better to give them the reality check that these are intensive builds and not sugar-coat it. It's a shame, however, as the other mini-build that was on this forum for over a year seemed to have disappeared along with the thread starter that created the austin-mini turbo setup.

 

^^Good point that we hadn't thought of before. You can find OBD2->1 conversion harnesses everywhere for these cars at least.

And yes, a B18 block would be better generally speaking but we were talking about that earlier, so whatever you end up with is fine really.

Photobucket nerf'ing a decade worth of content hosted using their image server doesn't help either. I will never not be salty about that.

It's why I started building a personal DIY/tutorial archive about a year ago.

 

Very cool. I've been collecting all the picts and information I can.
Whats the usual cost for sleeving a block? And is there some shops you would recommend?

thanks
Charlie

 

Darton, LA, GE, and InlinePro all offer quality sleeves.

What's more important than the sleeves themselves is who installs them, so there's no issue of the sleeves shifting or sinking. Pick the sleeve of your choice, contact the manufacturer and ask them if there are any installers in your area that they would recommend, or if you'd need to ship your block to one of their locations.

Typical cost for both the sleeves + install is $1500 or so.

 

Thanks, yes sir, that one. The car came down from (and went back to) Ohio. I was able to get an intercooler to mount beside the dist/over the trans and the owner did the hood scoop(ing) for it.
Dug this up...

 

"Big Block Mini Cooper"

 

Yep!!! that's the one... I remember that one vividly.