if i have a complete b18b block in my garage, how easy is it to strengthen it for a high-rev setup by swapping in some JE high compression pistons and rods, and any other parts? i want to do it in my garage with my friend and we got a lot of tools and stuff. does it need boring or anything like that if we have some crower 404s and upgraded valvatrain in our head already?

 

well to get the use out of the 404's you are gonna need to rev to 8k. Which means balancing the whole rotating assembly, and if you want more assurance you are going to want to install a girdle. All in all you are going to need some machine work done, so it can't all be done in your garage.

 

I'm not an expert on block building, but i think you need a special tool or machine to put pistons and rings back into the block. Sure if you going to take out your old pistons, then you can do that in your garage. Then you need to get the block honed, thats makes the cylinder walls smooth, that way you can add new pistons. You can't just buy new pistons and slap them into your block. So building a b18 in your garage is not that easy, unless you have a machine to hone blocks, which i doubt because if you did you would be a very rich man.

 

machine to hone your block? um..dont you just use a tool with honing stones on it?

 

i don't really know, but we have a machine shop here in JC and i saw them using some kinda of machine to go in and out of the cylinders. When i asked what he was doing he said he was making the walls smooth, Thus called honing.

 

u dont need a machine....just a honing tool.

 

if you have already gone through the trouble of upgrading your valvetrain with stiffer springs and retainers you might also want to get the ecu reprogrammed to a higher rev limit. I have a buddy that is selling his ecu for $150.00 already reprogrammed to 9500 RPM. the motor it was on is very similar to what you want to do with yours. Oh yeah, go to your tool man and ask him for a piston ring clamp, it is the tool that you use to put all you rings on with, even though my old shop manager built plenty of motors but never used one. good luck!

 

hey thanks for the info integradoc, i'll let u know if i need that ecu

 

it shouldn't be too bad, just don't build it in ur basement like some of the other geniuses on this board and not be able to get it out.. hahhaha.

 

If you plan on doing it right, these are some things you should have...

http://www.alaniztechnologies.com/daniels1800.html

This is not a job for newbies. Keep in mind that reputable engine builders have years or decades of experience under their belts. Don't expect to be able to build a bottom end with Honda tolerances which are around a ten-thousanths of in inch.

--
Tom

 

You'll need and want more than that if you wanna be able to make more of the checks and balances.

And you can't use cheapy tools that don't measure out to that kind of precision either. The real precise tools cost anywhere from 2 to 3 times as much.

You can get your micrometers (1"-2", 2"-3", 3"-4"), and a dial indicator from here:
http://www.use-enco.com

The rest of the engine building tools can be bought from Summit Racing.
http://www.summitracing.com

And, plastigage (green) from Autozone. I recommend Autozone over Pep Girls b/c they sell the green plastigage individually. At Pep Peeps, they only sell it pre-packaged with a bunch of other colors you don't need.

Brake parts cleaner (2 for $4) is also nice to have a lot of.

 

That is correct.

Some people use drill presses and stuff like that.