I just trade for a whole eBay turbo with ram headers. I currently have a stock D16y8 and need to rebuild the engine. I was gonna keep it stock until I got the kit.

Could I just upgrade the connection rods and keep pretty much everything else stock and be a happy sailor? I really don’t want to spend a lot but I know the d16 rods are as thick as my pinky.

 

Stock rods can't handle much more than about 200 whp. If you have goals higher than 200 whp, go ahead and do a set of rods. If you replace the rods, you're going to have to replace the pistons too, as stock pistons are not able to work with a floating wrist pin. The cheapest route is a set of long rods and Suzuki Vitara style pistons ($500). If you can spend another $400 ($900 total), you can instead get a set of standard length rods and a set of forged pistons - a much more robust option.

Be weary of some of the items in the eBay turbo kit. Often the BOV and WG are of a poor quality. If the WG fails in the closed position, you could over boost and kill your engine. Also, the tubular manifolds in these kits are notorious for cracking due to being made of poor quality thin wall material. I would recommend getting a cheap cast manifold if you have one of the eBay tubular manifolds.

Don't forget to budget for everything else you'll need (fuel components, clutch, a tuneable ECU, and a dyno tuning session, among a sea of other small things that will nickel and dime you to death).

 

unless you already have a garage full of extra parts laying around, there is no such thing as an extreme budget turbo build. No-notch pistons/rod combo from Speedfactory runs about $479. Then you have to add other parts such as bearings, gaskets, belts, etc. If you are on a really tight budget, I would suggest selling that kit and just drive the car the way it is. New parts for my engine rebuild was well over $700 (Genuine Honda parts). That right there is about $1200.

 

What is the need to rebuild your engine now-is it in bad condition, or is your power goals? If you do rebuild you’ll at least need new bearings, head gasket, and probably piston rings because you’ll need to remove the wrist pins to get the connecting rods off. That’s why people usually do the upgraded pistons at the same time, because it’s cost effective. You’re better off saving for a good piston/rod combo, and also do ARP head studs which only cost like $150, because the head bolts can stretch the first time they are torqued down and are generally supposed to be replaced when doing a rebuild.
Also, you might as well do the rear main seal which is cheap, and a new timing belt and water pump while you have everything apart.

 

Only if you are over torquing them. Honda D-series head bolts are not torque-to-yield (TTY). They are designed to only be torqued to a point that keeps them below the yield stress of the material.

 

So is it ok to reuse head bolts? I have done it once before on an H22 and it did work, but I thought it was recommended to get new bolts each time or head studs, which are able to be used more than a few times?

 

Correct - it is ok to reuse head bolts. The only thing Honda recommends is applying engine oil to the threads and tightening the bolts down to the recommended torque spec, in the recommended sequence.

 

And to start over on the torque if any of the bolts squawk while torquing. Not enough lube was used if they skip and jump and make noise.