This thread will document the progress of my new motor project from start to completion. Think of it as a blog posted to a forum, if you would. Separately I am going to keep a running tally of my build expenses, which I will post at the end.

Parts I've compiled so far:
2001 Longblock, 23k
ARP head & main bolts
JE Pistons, +.020, 9.0:1
CAT Rods
1999 Cylinder head
NA 1.8 cam cover, black texture w/ polished letters (to run full time)
NA 1.8 cam cover, black powder coat, exposed cam gears (for dyno days)
1999 Intake manifold
2001 Intake manifold
1999 Throttle body w/ TPS & IAC
1999 Fuel rail
1996 FPR
FMIII Manifold and DP for T25
Garrett T25
Tial 38mm EWG

Parts I still need:
Forged water pump
Bearings (all)
Upgraded oil pump
Engine gasket set
ARP intake mani bolts
Adjustable cam gears
NA 1.8 auto alternator
Coolant re-route kit
MazdaComp motor mounts (on order)

 

i thought you were going big turbo, seems overkill for a t25

 

Naw, seems perfectly reasonable for a 200 whp turbo to me

J/K down road plans are either FMIII GT2871r or BEGi S5 w T3/T4

 

i was pretty sure, what are your goals anyway?

 

Have you thought about having the block drilled and tapped for water and oil lines?

Are you going to use a Knock Sensor? The block should have a spot for one.

What engine Management?

 

I hear he is using PC-Pro. 1 for every pound of boost.

 

Ben, do you plan to just make it a blog about your engine build progress or do you welcome questions about your setup and explanations for the reasons behind your decisions?

 

HA !

I just looked at his sig.. yeah i'm guessing i can answer my own question this time..

 

Yea you can scratch water pump off the list. With enough PC-Pros's intercooling there's really no need for a waterpump or cooling system to remove 'heat', since the powercard's already doing that....

 

nice ben. in your opinion do you feel the FM gasket set is worth the price? or is it one too many oil filters and spark plugs?

 

So both the manifold and DP are for a 1.8? I thought they didn't fit together?

 

Going to start with 325/300 hp/tq and go from there.

1. You mean your standard turbo oil and water feeds? Yup. You mean like the HE-X? Nope.
2. I have a knocksense. Will use it with the Bosch sensor or with the factory sensor. Hadn't really thought about it.

I'm planning on 2 PCPs per intake runner, 1 at the TB, plus one at the turbo for anti-lag.

 

By all means. Discussion = good.

Haven't looked, but knowing FM, no. I'll probably get the Mazda gasket set + Bill W's phenolic intake gasket (he sells ARP intake studs too)... n maybe one of Belfab's custom made head gaskets.

The DP doesn't fit right as-is, but will with some work.
BEGi owes me a manifold still, so there's a high chance I'll sell the FMIII stuff for S5 stuff. Need to get pricing on the DP from Steph

 

Yep to feed the Turbo..

 

I'll start with these 2 if you don't mind:

why the 2001 longblock? what advantages do you expect to gain from using this one instead, say one from a 94-97 one?

And about the pistons, why the 0.20 overbore and 9.0:1 pistons?

 

Lemme take a guess I think the NB's had a main girdle system implemented and i bet the pistons where on sale.

 

Very, very nice Ben! Glad to see a Greddy owner upgrading!

 

Sounds like a great project; hope you can do a lot of the build without touching the current car for a bit. Enjoy the weather this spring!

 

1. The 01+ block has the MBSP (main bearing support plate) that ties it together to make it stronger. Less flex = more powah. I had a 96 block that I sold last weekend that I was going to use, but I ended up finding a 01 block for a reasonable price.
2. I went with JE because they have less thermal expansion than some of the other pistons out there and 9.0 because I like a car that's not a dog out of boost. Plus, I personally believe in more compression, less timing, and more tuning. And we have decent gas here (93). Unfortunately, they were not on sale. Quite the opposite actually; they were expensive.

The greddy's really come together nicely. In many ways, it's a shame to touch it.

I'm going to enjoy the car as long as possible before ripping the old stuff out. Besides, I still haven't put the webcam 505s in yet, and I plan to this weekend (or next).

 

Ben, what's your reasoning for using two different cam covers? Why will you use the one with the exposed cam gears only for dyno days?

Thanks,

Rafa