installing pistons and rods

I have a 2000 gsr with 34k on it and I am planning on installing JE 9:1 comp pistons std bore, crower rods, blockgaurd, and headgasket. I want to do this myself and I need some tips and a walk through of the procedure and tools needed for this. I know this is alot to ask so if anyone has a link to a website that has info or if there is a book that will help me please let me know. Thanks

this is prolly the hardest thing you can do to a motor, since it requires a full teardown of the motor. first of all you'll need to replace all the gaskets you remove on top of what you want to replace, you'll also need new head studs. a torque wrench is a must, along with a slew of sockets, and specialty tools(piston ring compressor for one). new bearings are also advised when doing this upgrade as well, plus you'll need to have the cylinder walls honed out by a machine shop.

if your still ready to do this by yourself, post, and ill give ya a walkthru.

I know it is hard but I have nothing but time since my license is suspended for 6 months. I work on AWACS aircraft and am somewhat mechanically inclined so I know I can learn quickly. I have ARP head studs, metal head gasket ,and new rod bearings. I was only going to plan on honing if the cylinder walls were scratched bad enough since that would involve removing the motor. I have access to all tools needed for this I just need a basic walkthrough if you don't mind.

Drain all fluids from the motor, pull the oil pan and head, remove main caps 2, 3, and 4 (if you're going to replace the crank bearings, which I would do if you're in there anyways) Take note of the position of the pistons so you don't mess up the timing when you re-install. Clean the cylinder walls and hone if necessary, apply a fair bit of oil to the cylinder walls along with the piston skirt, ringlands, and rings themselves (oiling up ring compressor also helps to get them in) then slowly tap on the top of the piston with a block of wood with a hammer to get it to slide in, plastigauge the bearing surfaces to check for clearance, and when it's all good apply some engine assembly lube to the bearing surfaces, and use loctite on all threads. Remember to progressively torque down the head studs/bolts in a criss-cross patern so you get even sealing and don't warp anything. It's a good idea to replace as many gaskets and bearings as possible in the bottom end of the engine while you have it apart.

first off honing is required, as the new rings will not sit right against the walls, and you'll be losing lots of oil.

anyway, easy way to do this would be to remove the motor from the vehicle. remove the valve cover, cam tower, cams, then the head studs, remove the head and set aside.

flip motor over, and remove oil pan, pickup, that oil diffuser thingy. un bolt the rods from the crank and bang the piston assembly out through the top of the block. bring your pistons and the block to a machine shop to have the block honed, and the piston wrist pins pressed out, and the new ones installed. if you re-use the bearings, make sure you do not move them from the spot they came from, like dont use the #1 rod bearing in the #3 spot, could cause oil problems again, if anything, buy new ones.

to reassamble, just go backwards. take your time, label all the parts so you know where they all go. be patient and re-torque everything down to spec, good luck.

Originally posted by crxlvr
first off honing is required, as the new rings will not sit right against the walls, and you'll be losing lots of oil.

Honing isn't required if you buy a block from a shop that's pre-honed.

Originally posted by boosted331


Honing isn't required if you buy a block from a shop that's pre-honed.
Yeah and how much is that gonna cost?

Yes honing is required if you want your engine to last.
Just buy a bottle brush hone, not sure of the exact price but I know they cost less than 100 dollars. You put it on a drill, and when your block is empty just run it through. That should be enough to make sure the rings seat properly.

Would it be a good idea to remove the crank and have it mic'd and rebalenced or since this crank only has 34k on should I nevermind that? I don't really have access to cherry picker so is it possible to remove the head then unbolt the block and have 3 people lift it out?I dont hve an engine stand either so what could I substitute?

Originally posted by 00tegGsr
Would it be a good idea to remove the crank and have it mic'd and rebalenced or since this crank only has 34k on should I nevermind that? I don't really have access to cherry picker so is it possible to remove the head then unbolt the block and have 3 people lift it out?I dont hve an engine stand either so what could I substitute?

You could have the crank re-balanced, it would be smart if you want to spin the motor to high RPM's, but if you're going to keep it under 9 grand you'll be fine. You MIGHT be able to have 3 people lift the motor out, but I doubt it. A honda motor isn't that heavy, but it's just too akward to try and get it out of there. If you have a local sears or a machine shop around they will usually lend you one with a cash or credit card deposit, or rent you one. As for an engine stand, you need to get one. They're only about 50 bucks.

yea, you would definatly throw out your back trying to lift it out, if worse comes to worse and you can rent a picker, put your car on a high set of ramps or on a lift and lower the motor out.