Rebuilding block.
 

Ok so my rod broke the other night. It started ticking really loud and the tick got louder and louder untill i guess the rod blew out. The rod blew out while I was in idle. The head and crank still looks good but the block, oil pan, and pick up tube are devastated. Is a 94-97 block the same exact as the 99 00 block? with the exception of different compression ratio (piston design). To be more specific I am wondering if everything on a 99 block can transfer right over to a 97-94 block? i could have thought i saw soemthing about changing over the cas, which im not too sure what this means specifically. I plan on going forged this time around to help avoid things like this. I saw some m tuned rods for nearly 400 . Now is there any other forged rods liek this but maybe a little bit cheaper? and does any one have any advice on some good pistons that wont break my wallet. TIA

Search more, a lot of this can be answered easily. Rods can be had via a group buy for $300 I believe, quadruple check that crank, and again, a search will answer your questions about block compatibility and pistons. Doubt you'll get much help from anyone else before you SEARCH.

The 99-00 head will interchange onto the earlier 1.8 block if you also determine how to control the variable intake valve in the '99 manifold (VICS systems, probable a rpm activated selenoid will do it) as well as retrofit a cam angle sensor for the earlier ECU (the cam drive is still there so it just slaps on)

see i have :) but not sure about the vics. can someone elaborate more on this? and since im keeping my head and it is a 99, and so is my car. i shouldnt need to retro fit a cam angle sensor right?

If you're going to boost, weld the VICS open.

(and considering which forum this is, you *should* be boostin')

Swapping over the CAS is if you are putting a BP4W (99-00) head into a 94-97 car. You have a '99 chassis and a '99 head, no changes necessary for anything related to the head.

As far as the block is concerned, everything is the same dimensionally. Since you're aiming for forged internals, the only thing that will concern you is the condition of the crank (as mentioned), you'll be replacing everything else, so the different compression ratio pistons don't matter.

M-Tuned rods are the best value on the market right now. Everything else is more expensive unless you find someone selling a set privately for a good deal.

wow you guys are great! thanks for the info. Now what benefits are there to welding the vics open? other than more air through my intake? or is that the idea?

Larry, do you know of any handy dyno plots showing boosted cars do worse with the VICS than without? Curious mostly for myself.

The dyno charts on FM's site only have have an N/A car.

I thought about completely taking out the VICS butterflies but opted on keeping them open. I don't have a dyno of VICS working/not working but there is Artie's dyno of VICS open vs gutted manifold:

http://www.miatamx5.com/dynoruns/11-...e_vs_artie.jpg


did the same thing as pat, manifold looks like this:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...5/100_1870.jpg


I believe those manifold's are basically designed to flow at a stupid high rate. I'd like to see a dyno with a manifold with VICS removed.

ok, some other general questions about rebuilding block. I plan on going with either weisico pistons with eagle rods, or cp pistons with eagle rods. Any preferances to either weisico or cp pistons? Also when putting on my timing belt. I believe the factory is set at 10btdc right? I marked my belt and the cam gears to where the belt should be with the "i" and the "e" positioned at the marks. Now i wasn't thinking to great and removed my belt without marking it on the crank side. But before i removed the belt piston 1 and 4 were at tdc. So, my question is, can i just put the crank back at tdc and make sure that the cam gears are positioned at where i marked them "i" and "e" at the marks on the timing back plate? I have adaptronic also. I dont know if that will correct my timing.

You set the timing belt/ static timing at 0*tdc by aligning the marks on the belt, pulleys, and covers. For the NAs, you adjust the electrical timing with the CAS, but I'm not sure that there is that adjustment on the NB without your aftermarket EMS.