B18a1 Build up?

[Gnat5680]

I want to build this up to the point just before a turbo. What can I do to get the most for my money?

I'm not putting a price on it. I just need the ideas.

A few people said to swap a B20 head in. What will this do for me?

And what modification would give me the most gain?

Thanks!

 

[LS_VTEC]

I'm guessing you won't be running vtec. For one, the LS head flows like crap. I would pull the head and take it to a machine shop for a good port job, as well as a port-match on the manifold. Run a larger throttle body (65mm-70mm), and do a valve job.

As for the bottom end, you can do this the "cheap" way, or the "not so cheap" way.

Cheap way:
Take the oil pan, oil pickup and windage tray out. Now you can removed the rod caps and push the rods with the pistons on them out of the deck of the block(being that the head was removed already). Now mark each rod/rod cap for each cylinder so they go back in the correct order. Get pistons (low compression, 9:1cp works well) and have a machine shop press the pistons onto the LS rods and apply ARP rod bolts. Install new piston rings (OEM is fine). Pickup a set of Rod Bearing (ACL or OEM), apply lubrication to the bearings before installing and re-insert piston and rod assemblies back in the correct order. Torque down rod caps to ARP's Spec. Put the windage tray and oil pickup back on, bolt the oil pan back up with a new gasket, and replace the rear main crank seal.

Assemble engine, install and break in the rings on engine (no boost) with 5W-30 for 1000 miles. Change oil and go from there...

Expensive way:
Let the machine shop tear the block down completely, hot tank it, micropolish the crank, all new seals and bearings throughout, new pistons/rods, new oil/water pumps etc. (Costly)

 

[LS_VTEC]

as far as that b20 head on your 1.8L LS block...it wont do much... flow characteristics are pretty much the same.

 

[Gnat5680]

Ok, Some one was telling me that they would improve my low end power.

I have plenty of power when I get up to 3000 rpm. But I have no power to take off. That is the one thing I want to improve. Any ideas there?

Thanks LS_VTEC!

 

[MaxxBoost]

I want to build this up to the point just before a turbo. What can I do to get the most for my money?

I'm not putting a price on it. I just need the ideas.

A few people said to swap a B20 head in. What will this do for me?

And what modification would give me the most gain?

Thanks!

Well it's good you're thinking Turbo, with an LS swap, it's good for nothing else but that considering it's draw backs. Leave the B20 head alone, you'll gain nothing from it, and the low-end gain is insignificant and you loose high end range and max rev. Revving is the name of the game for power in these motors, so i'd go V-TECH, b-16 head if possible, although a GSR head may actually yeild you more power, with less reliability with close to the same rev-potential.

Swap out the cams, camshafts, and pistons. IF YOU HAVE THE TURBO (And you plan on running more then 8 pounds) already, get the low-compression pistons, and camshafts and cams specific for Turbo Applications, THIS way you can up the boost, Step down the V-Tech to the mid-to-high 4's and get a surge sick surge style acceleration, power and you can use those long ass ratio's in the LS Tranny to the max benefit. NO TURBO, Change out the cams, valves, camshafts, rocker arms and you can leave the stock pistons. A GSR head will raise compression, but if you could go Forged Pistons for greater effect, and that "I did it because I wanted to, even though I didn't have to" effect.

In both of these set ups, address the oil pump, I cannot express enough how important it is to upgrade a lubrication system along with other mods, and how it plays a major part in 10,000rpm Go-Hard Civics.