I’ll start off with introductions as I kinda know how it goes around here

I have a pretty much bone stock 95 cd5 accord coupe, with the “SI-R” on the vin plate, I don’t know if that means anything or not, anyway so It was my first car I bought at 17, had it for a couple years trying to get it running reliably for most of them as the previous owner had fxcked everything from wiring, motor, suspension, interior, etc literally touched every part of the car already. Finally at the point where I’m comfortable with the state the car is in and started putting some money aside to get into my dream of building a turbo Honda. I want to clarify my point of this thread is to log the progress while garnering any help possible, the goal is to be the get this car into the 10s(low) while being a DAILY (as much as possible). I’m aware of how much work and money this will take but I do not plan to sell this car and have already gotten used to the car sitting for months on end so that shouldn’t be too bad for me also(I hope). Getting to the point now, I’m not a power hungry car guy that cars a lot about hp# as I prefer the twists and actual driving skill but I’d would be nice to keep up with my friends(who can take turns too & have more hp than me). I’ll be doing this build in stages to try and keep that daily drivability there and so I can learn exactly what the car wants as it gets faster. As I said I do want as much help as possible and I’ve read through countless forums on here to learn over the years so I do know how ruthless Honda tech can be but I welcome it as long as its helpful in any way okay here we go


The car
Current build :
Stock f20A block
Stock minor port n polished f22non vtec head
3inch intake
full 2 1/2” exhaust with stock cat(removing sn)& muffler
17” wheels with 215front w10mm spacer & 225back
had the 4.2 trans but that broke so swapped to 4.0(I think) for now
stage 4 clutch going in soon to break in for boost
Pretty much stock everything else but brand new
chipped and tuned p28

Build list/parts list to buy (for now) :

mxr turbo (seems to have the same dimensions as a gt3076r but a little smaller)
4340 rods
stock pistons (not stock ring gap)
540cc injectors
340 fuel pump
31x13x3 intercooler
electronic boost controller
arp f22 headstuds
44mm eBay gate
full 3inch exhaust (will be custom as A/C is must)
Gonna run no Bov for a month
skunk 2.5bar map sensor
top mount manifold

I think that’s everything, will update the thread as it goes and if u see something dumb as hell here do let me know

 

You cannot run stock pistons on aftermarket forged rods without machining the pistons. At that point it's more sensible to just run aftermarket pistons.. The stock pistons accept press fit pins, not floating pins like aftermarket rods require. If you are planning to stay under 350whp, just leave the bottom end alone. If you want to go beyond that you should either sleeve a block or get CSS installed.

You will not get the car into the 10s and have it still be a reasonable daily. Especially not with stock pistons, stock sleeves, and 540cc injectors. You have to make a lot of sacrifices in a (relatively) small engine FWD car to make 10s happen. You also have the wrong platform to make big power. The single cams just do not have the head flow. Period.

My big turbo stroker F20B is north of 500whp but I wouldn't necessarily expect a 10 second pass out of it because of the nature of FWD. Trap speed would be a different story. It's also basically a rolling burnout machine on anything less than an expensive, low treadwear dedicated track tire or radial.

 

MY GOOAATT ARADIN, I was hoping you’d come talk some sense into me, not trying to fan boy but I’ve read so much threads where you’ve helped out a BUNCH of other people, great to meet you!

Anyways, my plan was to leave the bottom end alone for the initial setup as I was unsure if stock pistons would work but overtime I’ve heard a lot of different things about stock rods on both sides of the spectrum so thanks for clearing that up for me, I am planning to be around 300-350whp for the initial setup but for future reference what exact forged piston set would you recommend?

I understand the reference that I won’t get into the 10s with my initial setup and will have to get the true 3076 or even a 3582 to get to the trap speed of a 10second pass, I completely understand how the fwd game works and it was completely my fault for not mentioning that I do not want that power from the setup I listed. My mechanic/builder and the hound reds of posts online have told me that the single cams do NOT have the flow, with that being said I do plan to get an H/F head but I truly do enjoy the driving experience of every different engine and setups so I’d like to experience how fun the sohc can for now at least until the cost to power gain margin just isn’t fun anymore lol.
i know you and others might say to just try to do it once to make it easier or because the power bug will bite sooner than later but I’ve driven and driven in way more expensive and faster cars than mine and I still love the feeling of getting in my slow *** accord and getting it to go a little bit faster around a corner or a little better launch, bear with me
once again getting into 10s is the FINAL GOAL, almost like your final exam after 5 years of uni, is about how frequently I’ll actually go to the track, otherwise I’ll probably be testing on the street (looking into getting a dragy) and on my island we have “Mexico” which is maybe an 1/8 mile abandoned road that we race on every Sunday every week of the year, point is I want the BEST STREET ACCORD like ever, maybe 3/4 years down the line s1 built awd will probably be an option.

if you don’t mind my asking what’s the setup that got you to 500whp and how are the driving/spool characteristics obviously apart from being fast asf

also I’ve heard that above 300whp the head CAN lift on stock studs so I added studs to my list just for reliability sake but because I’m in the Caribbean things take maybe a month extra time to get here, could I run it at those power levels just until I can buy headstuds? Or is it not worth the risk

 

I personally like Wiseco pistons but you'll get a different answer from basically anyone you ask. Wiseco pistons have a lot of nice features as standard.

You could always turbo your stock single cam and build an H series platform on the side. I would not recommend putting any money into trying to make big power with a single cam though.

My setup is the result of a lot of thoughtful engineering and design. I wanted a responsive, robust setup capable of producing a lot of torque for the kinds of driving I enjoy most(street/canyon style). It's based on a F20B but bored/stroked to 2.3L. CSS treatment. Log manifold. Billet journal bearing 6062 with a .63 backhousing. 3" downpipe and exhaust. I would have to pull logs for exact numbers but with quick spool I am making 12-14psi before VTEC engages at 4500. I only rev it to 7200 for longevity's sake because of the 97mm stroke but it makes power to 7800+. The engine pulls the car around effortlessly though. It has power everywhere and doesn't need to be abused to be enjoyed. It's way different than a typical civic build that has no power until 5500 or more.

I would keep it in the 250-280whp range without head studs. After that you need them. I lifted the head on a stock F22B2 years ago around 15psi on a china turbo, so that was maybe 300whp. My current daily is a completely stock F22B2 with a turbo setup I fabricated and it's holding up to 10psi just fine without them.

 

Just a quick update!
parts slowly coming in but I’m trying to buy everything in a methodical way in order to not rush, yk they say do it right or do it twice. Anyway I got the stage 4 sprung clutch + turbosmart dual stage boost controller + boost gauge + the top mount manifold, I could’ve been done but I spent some of the turbo setup money on a new 300$ lip lol, it was too sexy. That should be here soon but otherwise Im going to be getting the 44mm gate, intercooler, head studs and 4bar map next and then finally I’ll order the turbo last. Decided to keep the bottom end stock for now while saving to buy rods and pistons & to swap to a built h22 head(thank you Aradin). Thought I decided on the turbo but now my mind is split between three(kinda) I know what I want power delivery wise and honestly because these turbos will be pretty cheap I won’t mind upgrading but this Is my first AFTERMARKET turbo build (A car that didn’t come turbocharged from factory) so I’m going to ask for help, please don’t tell me net give me new options or say the 270*thrust bearing won’t last (unless you’re giving me fixes) as these turbos are actually pretty cheap so I don’t mind replacing or upgrading in the future as I’ll eventually need to once we get rods & pistons. I need an educated opinion on which turbo is best for now based on stock engine, can only run 91 Oct as that’s literally the highest pump fuel here, and I will be running a high/low boost tune from the dual stage boost controller. I also don’t want to run this turbo too hot so >=20psi on the high boost? Any help is appreciated these are the T04E, aftermarket type turbo, GT30 respectively

TO4E

Aftermarket type turbo

Gt30

 

any recommendations on what I should gap my stock pistons rings to?
I also decided to do f22 internals in my f20 block

 

Stock F22 internals? .018-.020" top ring, and .022-.024" second should be fine for as much as the rods can stand. I would recommend minimum of .0015" on the rod bearings and .0015-.0020" on the mains. Have the stock rods shot peened. Should make 300-350whp reliably for a long time with a good tune.