Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

Where would I be storing it in Plant City? Are you volunteering space?

It is the biggest pain in the *** to move without a hoist. I bolted the plate to it and we literally lifted it out of the back of the van I used to transport it and onto the stand. No bueno.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

I would disassemble the motor here and then you can take it back to your place clean and in pieces. Doing it there is going to be a living hell.

Is it a fully functioning motor?

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

The motor is not running. The headgasket blew and coolant hydrolocked it. I expect atleast one bent rod.

It is going to be a huge pain in the *** too move again unless I can borrowm steve's hoist. I would have to lift it off the stand again and into a vehicle. I really don't want to do that again.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

If you remove the cylinder head and as much stuff as you can without removing the oil pan, it is manageable with two people.

petrolmed

iTrader: (8)

It's a lot of fun reading a build thread after actually seeing a car in person. Good job so far Ryan! Next time, I want to see the EBC in action instead of the 2 stage MSM turbo vtec boost lol. But I could hardly complain if you have the built motor and EFR... BTW I know the feels of car parts in the bachelor pad lol.

I liked your trackday post. Hopefully I can get on a road course and mirror your experiences in the near future.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I am going to list out my plans for my motor build as of right now as well as the goals I am trying to accomplish. I welcome any feedback and suggestions as nothing is set in stone at this moment and there are still a few things I am unsure of at this time.

Goals/purpose of car: This motor build is being completed with the parameters that this will be in a daily driven vehicle. This means it has to last at least 50k miles but I would rather be much closer to 100k without a rebuild. While this car is primarily a street car I will be tracking it regularly (at least 4-5 times a year, hopefully more). I plan to make 400whp on the street with pump gas but run it at something like 250-270whp on the track so I am not constantly breaking **** all the time.

Budget: I am very flexible on the budget as I make good money and have low fixed monthly expenses. However, I will not just spend money to spend money. Every purchase has to be justified on a cost/benefit scenario and due to the fact that I will not be competitively racing this car I do not need the best of the best of absolutely everything. I am also not a dyno queen so qualitative gains matter to me as much if not more than comparable quantitative gains. Things like increased spool, smoothness, drivability, and throttle response are all important.

If you are going to make any suggestions on how I should alter my plans you will have to be able to justify it on the basis that the extra cost is worth the improved performance for the purposes of this car and how I plan to use it.


Block:

84.5 mm 8.6:1 supertechs

Supertechs because they seem to be the best piston for DD use. I chose the size because it is the largest bore you can go with a stock gasket. If this is a bad idea from a reliability standpoint then let me know and I can change. Troy(Miata2Fast) has also been trying to convince me that with headwork 8.6:1 is not the optimal compression ratio for power across the band and initial throttle response. These things are important to me so any discussion on this topic is also welcome.

H-Beam rods (probably ebay)

This is a cost benefit thing. Sure there are better rods but these rods have been proven to be durable at these power levels and the slight benefit of a lighter rod does not seem to be justified by the increased cost.

ARP everything
piece of mind and reliability.

Bearings

I am undecided on how I want to proceed with bearings. I do not have much knowledge on the real differences between OEM, ACL, and Clevite bearings for instance. I need a bearing that can reliably handle that kind of power without sacrificing too much longevity. I am open to suggestions here.


Head:

I have a VVT head. At the very least I want to replace the springs. I have also considered doing a complete head workover with a P&P, +1mm oversized valves, etc. I like the idea of more power everywhere by making the head breath better as I am aware that a stock head can flow 400whp and this would not be necessary for peak power. I will need to figure out about how much this would cost me for a few different scenarios from a reputable shop. I am also unsure of how any of this work would reduce overall longevity of the motor.


Accessories:

Boundary engineering VVT Street pump (because 400whp)
Supermiata Damper (because 400whp)
Coolant re-route
LS truck coils

I feel like I have not listed very many parts but I also left off everything that is not really part of the engine or can easily be added later like cams, sheet metal intake manifold, all new hotside parts with EFR turbo, etc. My main priority is to get the engine built and in the car running so I can enjoy it. Then I can continue to put all the baller parts on it.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

At first glance, this seems like an overly ambitious goal based on the combination of bolded items. I'd be curious to see who has made 400 WHP on 93 octane, what their longevity has been like, and how their response would look if dialed down to 250 WHP.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

It is ambitious and I may find that I cannot attain all of the attributes I would like but I am going to give it a solid try. Soviet hit 400whp on pump gas so I know the power level is possible. The longevity is the biggest unknown as most people with cars at this level do not put big miles on them. I am not sure why much would change, besides wear and tear from the power, if the engine was dialed back to a lower whp figure. I would accomplish this with a separate boost table which should be fine with the same tune everywhere else.

thenuge26

iTrader: (2)

I am interested in the answer to your bearings question also. I purchased ACL bearings from doap parts but I highly doubt I will ever receive them.

As far as static CR, TSE builds turbo engines at 8.6:1, which is why I'm going with it. Sav has the hard data to back up his recommendation. Also higher safety margin is always good.

RyanRaduechel

iTrader: (10)

I know it's not much for consideration. But as far as longevity and reliability I have put about 14k on mine in 3 months. That is a 1.6 making 358 whp. And I beat the hell out of it on a daily basis.

That is using Clevite bearings, and a stock oil pump. It has seen some drag strip use but hasn't been to the track yet. First track day (if my wallet allows it) will be the end of September at Sonoma. Then I will see what kind of track reliability it has.

I also use Valvoline VR1 20w50

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I appreciate the input and it will definitely be considered. Anecdotal evidence on the bearings is not really all that convincing though. I need to do more research to figure out what the real differences in the bearings are and how they effect performance and longevity.

RyanRaduechel

iTrader: (10)

Yeah, I would like to pull the motor a pop some of the main caps to take a look, but it still runs so I don't want to do that. Although, on my next oil change I will be sending off a sample to see what is in the oil, any bearing material or anything like that. But there hasn't been any metallic looking material when I have changed the oil thus far.

Impuls

iTrader: (1)

My cometic head gasket goes to 85mm I believe. I have 84mm slugs though, after all the research I did I found that they seen to be the most popular to go up to.

Call Jeff( ninja ) for a guy to go your diamond bore and hone. he did mine and that **** is crazy awesome.

Let me know where you end up sourcing LS truck coils, I'm going to need those guys.

You changing trigger wheel too?

You have VVT?

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

It's about time you started a build thread, lazyass!

Impuls

iTrader: (1)

"Ryan's build thread - Clean and Mean"

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Yeah, I'm glad he finally got around to starting one.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I'm confused.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

It's good you finally started this thread just now. It was about time.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

Considering this thread is over a year old I am having a hard time figuring out if this is a dryer than normal form of humor for you or if you are being serious.

I am trying to stay with the OEM head gasket and not go too big on the pistons to avoid creating any weak points in the block from overboring.

I'll definitely keep Jeff in mind when I am ready to have machinist work done.

I hadn't really thought about the trigger wheel at the moment.

I will have VVT but I will have to add that functionality to my MS2 with the VVT box.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

Believe it or not, Steve and I were having a drink and I mentioned your thread.

Steve was like, "Ryan has a build thread?".

He posted that seconds after the conversation.