new to engine building, help with lsvtec

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aceracerff

New Member
hey guys, new here to the honda engine building and tuning community/world. ive done some research, and this is the list of shit i would need to be buying for LS-VTEC:

B18A/B Block
B16A2 Head
PCT CTR Pistons & Rings (do these work no problem?)
----------------
ARP Rod Bolts
ARP Head Studs
Gaskets....(see below)
ACL Bearings
Valve Seals
NGK V-power R5671A-8 plugs
Magnetic Oil Drain Plug
Shotpeen LS rods
Hone big end of rods
Hone cylinders
Balance entire rotating assembly
Water Pump, Timing Belt, Oil Pump
Tuning

I have a 2000 civic si that this might be going into. my questions concern:
1. What ecu do i use, and what do i need to do with it? I have the stock si one, and i also have an ITR one. What sort of tuning.. chipping needs to be done?
2. What gaskets do I NEED to buy, and what gakskets SHOULD I buy?
3. Can I use the water and oil pumps off of the B16?
4. What is all the stuff that I cannot do myself.. that will cost more. What ASSEMBLY aspects does someone else need to do?
5. and.. what am i MISSING for a RELIABLE build.

thanks in advance for all input!
 
aceracerff said:
hey guys, new here to the honda engine building and tuning community/world. ive done some research, and this is the list of shit i would need to be buying for LS-VTEC:

B18A/B Block
B16A2 Head
PCT CTR Pistons & Rings (do these work no problem?)
----------------
ARP Rod Bolts
ARP Head Studs
Gaskets....(see below)
ACL Bearings
Valve Seals
NGK V-power R5671A-8 plugs
Magnetic Oil Drain Plug
Shotpeen LS rods
Hone big end of rods
Hone cylinders
Balance entire rotating assembly
Water Pump, Timing Belt, Oil Pump
Tuning

I have a 2000 civic si that this might be going into. my questions concern:
1. What ecu do i use, and what do i need to do with it? I have the stock si one, and i also have an ITR one. What sort of tuning.. chipping needs to be done?
2. What gaskets do I NEED to buy, and what gakskets SHOULD I buy?
3. Can I use the water and oil pumps off of the B16?
4. What is all the stuff that I cannot do myself.. that will cost more. What ASSEMBLY aspects does someone else need to do?
5. and.. what am i MISSING for a RELIABLE build.

thanks in advance for all input!
Click to expand...
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Buy a obd2 to obd1 jumper harness and run obd1 p28 or p30. Make sure you have it tuned right away, I recommend crome, hondata, or uberdata. Do not use a piggy back computer like a vafc they suck bad. I have a 2000 si also and when i used a emange for a while it was nothing but CEL and coughing following it. Order a new oil and water pump for a GSR also get a timing belt for the same car. You want to use a LS head gasket, oil pan gasket and rear main seal. The CTR pistons will have some pretty radical compression. I would recommend using some aftermarket pistons and rods. Thats just the way I like to do things. You can usually get a reasonable price on eagle rods and srp pistons as a combo. If you live nearby I would assemble the engine for a much more reasonable price then a machine shop. You would still have to have the cylinders honed and I recommend balancing and polishing the crank also. My machine shop can do all of that and deck the block for about $350. Let me know if your interested. :)
 
Blanco.. I have read all of the guides and such... but still have questions concerning a few things... thus this thread.

boostin4fun.. by radical compression.. you mean too much, and that CTR pistons are a bad idea? And, if i get the cylinders honed and cranked balanced ect at a machine shop... can I follow a guide easily enough to assemble it all back together myself?
so the obd1 conversion is a necesity then? i do have a vafc istanlled of course i wasnt planning on just using that for tuning.
unfortunantly, I live in ohio.
 
aceracerff said:
Blanco.. I have read all of the guides and such... but still have questions concerning a few things... thus this thread.

boostin4fun.. by radical compression.. you mean too much, and that CTR pistons are a bad idea? And, if i get the cylinders honed and cranked balanced ect at a machine shop... can I follow a guide easily enough to assemble it all back together myself?
so the obd1 conversion is a necesity then? i do have a vafc istanlled of course i wasnt planning on just using that for tuning.
unfortunantly, I live in ohio.
Click to expand...

I think the compression would be to high for a street motor, not that it cant work. It would take great tuing and premium gas. Assembling a engine isnt the most complicated thing in the world to do, however is does require a fair amount of specialized tools. Just to name a few; torque wrench, ring compressor, ring grinder, feeler gauges, engine stand, etc. I have probably spent several thousand dollars on all of the tools i have. Also they are many important steps that need to done such as gapping rings, checking bearing clearances and so on. So if you dont really no what you are doing there is a chance you could overlook something.

I would consider it a necessity if you want your car to run worth a shit. Here is a good link why piggy back computers dont work for anything PGMFI.ORG - Grassroots ECU Development - Library . WhyDoPiggybacksSuck

I think tuning is the most important possible thing. When you think about how much quality parts cost why not do it right the first time? I cant possibly stress how important quality engine management is. I have had personal experience with all forms of it, and chipping a obd1 computer with crome, hondata, or uberdata is the way to go. It is the most important thing you can spend your money on!!!!

If you are mechanically inclined, I could just build the shortblock for you and you could finish it up. I could supply you with the instructions that you would need. Building the shortblock takes the cake as far as difficulty. I have built and shipped people several shortblocks for under $125 through DHL. So that is always a option. ;)
 
Ls/vtec

I'm in the process of building an LS/VTEC. It looks like you know all the parts you need for this swap. Just to add a little detail to you list....

1. Golden Eagle sells a full LS/Vtec conversion kit that will include the proper size head gasket and all necessary hoses and fitting for the swap (no drilling required).

2. Boosting is out of the question if you want the engine to be reliable. The reason people build ls/vtec's are for the low end torque from the block and the a bigger top end from the head.

3. The weak part about this swap is the rod bolts and the bearings. Using ARP bolts is a good idea.

4. Use a ecu that has been reprogramed or chipped to not search for the knock sensor. If you don't, you will have a hard time passing inspection with the check engine light glowing on your dash board. Also, make sure the ecu matches the head. For example, if the head is from an obd1 the use the obd1 ecu. Yes, its that simple.

5. Yes, you can use the b16a water pump and oil pump. You can even use the gsr pumps also. These pumps have more teethe than the ls pump. Either one will be fine, just don't use the ls pump (not enough teethe on the pulley's.

6. Finally, DON'T FORGET TO SEAL THE OIL HOLE ON THE VTEC HEAD SHUT. The ls block was not manufactured with this extra hole. If you don't seal the hole you will have some serious leaks.

That pretty much all I can remenber. Check out this website for further info.....

c-speedracing.com

They have a a full how to section about the ls/vtec build. They also have a compression calculator so you can figure out which piston to use for your build. Just remember that a high compression is not always best way to go. It'll be great for the track but it will suck when your driving to work.

Good luck.
 
what are the characteristics of very high compression build (PCT pistons) that make it undesirable exactly? are P30s really the best option?
 
The extremely high compression will have more problems with detonation. The compression is actually high enough to a point were the fuel mixtue is prematurely ignited. This is the same principle of how a diesel engine works. When people run 12:1 compression or higher they are usually using race gas, race gas is not as easy to ignite that is why people use it for one reason. If you are looking for reliability I would go with 10.5:1 or 11:1 at the most. You will have to check the compression calculator to see what piston will get you the closest to your goal. I definetly recommend some good tuning also if you want your engine to last any measurable amount of time. The last ls/vtec I built for my friend I used .20 srp pistons that were a 10.4:1 compression ratio with the head we were using and it makes great power still. He also went with eagle rods and a full skunk2 valve train. I will post up some pictures of that build here soon. ;)
 
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