Engine buildup

i have decided instead of getting a new car i will buildup my engine and go the n/a route then the turbo route. Upgrades like pistons, camshafts, valve springs, retainers, fuel, spark, etc on the existiing engine. It's still not going to be cheap because theirs a lot of parts to consider not to mention parts uncalled for or things i need extra, what do you guys think and do you think this is the way to go.

Pick NA or Turbo. If you go NA and then turbo, you're going to have to buy pistons twice; as well as take apart the engine twice. I'd recommend just saving up and buying the parts for the build and turbo, when you can, and do the build and kit all at once.

i agree w/ civicspoon....pick n/a or turbo. you'll save $$$ in the longrun. i was facing the same decision as you and i decided i wanted to go n/a adn just make my car look good b/c no matter what i do, my ls will never be that fast with my $3k budget for my motor and my high milage but i figured that i could at least make it not slow.

i agree w/ civicspoon....pick n/a or turbo. you'll save $$$ in the longrun. i was facing the same decision as you and i decided i wanted to go n/a adn just make my car look good b/c no matter what i do, my ls will never be that fast with my $3k budget for my motor and my high milage but i figured that i could at least make it not slow.


Man did I mess up my post. I actually meant N/A OR turbo i actually put THEN turbo sorry if I messed you up. Ya i totally understand what you mean i'm definately not going both that's just ludacris and besides if that's the case you pretty much have to build up your motor and then add $3500 + on a decent turbo kit or make my own. With a turbo setup for a b18c1 you need a lot of money for boost beyond 13 psi.

And besides I personally don't like to have a fwd turbo motor setup because of torque steer and because honda isn't stupid and none of their cars are forced induction, i personally like turbo setups for rwd or 4wd ( ex. wrx, or supra ). But if you want to shame a mustang or camaro i totally understand why you would go for a turbo so you can represent the HONDA BADGE BIACTCH.

And besides I personally don't like to have a fwd turbo motor setup because of torque steer and because honda isn't stupid and none of their cars are forced induction,

Honda's stock B-series motors don't make more than 215 HP stock, so if you don't want to turbo a honda motor because they didn't come stock turbocharged, why do you want to make more power than the factory? That is the worst argument ever.

Yeah, just give it up BIACTH. :disappoin

well this just got me lost.....

Honda's stock B-series motors don't make more than 215 HP stock, so if you don't want to turbo a honda motor because they didn't come stock turbocharged, why do you want to make more power than the factory? That is the worst argument ever.


Which b series are you talking about? the only b series that comes close to 215hp stock is the b18c5 and that makes 200hp. To answer your question it depends on how much power your gonna make and your budget. I personally don't know how much it's gonna cost to go either route and i have considered both but i don't intend to make 400 whp because with power comes more pains.


The turbo route is fine and my friend has a turbo gsr but I have driven it and sadly i didn't enjoy it much as i thought I would. I like high rpm power that's why i bought a honda in the first place and if I built it up n/a it won't be faster than a turbo setup but it will be faster then the current state not to mention i'll be happy driving it.

well the cost depends on what exactly it is you want to do. with an n/a build, your gonna do new internals and shit like that and thats not cheap but it is cheaper than turbo kit unless you do your own turbo setup but you have to know what your doin. i just totaled up the cost of the build im doin and it costs about 1800 for the parts and thats if i get them through nopi which is expensive as hell so i expect around 1500-1600 for parts cost. i posted a thread (name of thread is n/a build) about a week ago with a list of the parts im getting. i did look into a turbo briefly but when i realized how much shit im gonna need to do to have it running how i want it to run, i decided it wasn't worth it and i don't have the $. from what you said you want, it sounds like n/a is your best bet.

well the cost depends on what exactly it is you want to do. with an n/a build, your gonna do new internals and shit like that and thats not cheap but it is cheaper than turbo kit unless you do your own turbo setup but you have to know what your doin. i just totaled up the cost of the build im doin and it costs about 1800 for the parts and thats if i get them through nopi which is expensive as hell so i expect around 1500-1600 for parts cost. i posted a thread (name of thread is n/a build) about a week ago with a list of the parts im getting. i did look into a turbo briefly but when i realized how much shit im gonna need to do to have it running how i want it to run, i decided it wasn't worth it and i don't have the $. from what you said you want, it sounds like n/a is your best bet.

I agree with you dopenoze and besides mines a 94 and it has high mileage so it needs a rebuild anyways. the price sounds about right and your exactly right about the turbo kit it gets expensive fast and like I said you have more things to worry on top of the engine. I didn't see your thread on n/a build but how much hp you think you gonna make.

im hoping for about 170-180 whp but i think that is less than i will end up with. i know the crower cams give about 20-25 and im doin a full rebuild with valves, cams, rocker arms, valvesprings, cam gears, forged pistons, piston rings, new gaskets, new seals, new connecting rods, fuel pressure regulator, and a fuel pressure gague, and either have my ecu tuned by the person who is doing the rebuild or tune it using uberdata. i was gonna do other little things like pulleys, a fuel rail, and injectors, but boostedk20 told me they werent worth it. he has a similar set up so he helped me figure stuff out like the using uberdata. i have a 94 ls with 163,000 miles so my engine isn't in the best condition for a turbo. i bought it with 138,000 and i know that the car was never run hard so a rebuild will give me a fresh start as well.

im hoping for about 170-180 whp but i think that is less than i will end up with. i know the crower cams give about 20-25 and im doin a full rebuild with valves, cams, rocker arms, valvesprings, cam gears, forged pistons, piston rings, new gaskets, new seals, new connecting rods, fuel pressure regulator, and a fuel pressure gague, and either have my ecu tuned by the person who is doing the rebuild or tune it using uberdata. i was gonna do other little things like pulleys, a fuel rail, and injectors, but boostedk20 told me they werent worth it. he has a similar set up so he helped me figure stuff out like the using uberdata. i have a 94 ls with 163,000 miles so my engine isn't in the best condition for a turbo. i bought it with 138,000 and i know that the car was never run hard so a rebuild will give me a fresh start as well.

Ya man having a new engine and knowing nobody else has used it gives you a satisfaction like you just bought a new car. It sounds good what your getting and that would be pretty good numbers for the ls and 180 whp is pretty good. I'm practically doing everything on my engine like you but I also was going to do injectors, fuel rail, pulley and throttle body do you think it's worth it. I also need lsd because i need to put power to the ground.

im still considering doing the injectors, pulleys, and fuel rail, but that might wait until after b/c im gonna be broke when im done. i eventualy want to put a type r tranny on but thats probably gonna happen about 8 or 9 months after the rebuild. damn i wish i had $$$.

Which b series are you talking about? the only b series that comes close to 215hp stock is the b18c5 and that makes 200hp. To answer your question it depends on how much power your gonna make and your budget. I personally don't know how much it's gonna cost to go either route and i have considered both but i don't intend to make 400 whp because with power comes more pains.


The turbo route is fine and my friend has a turbo gsr but I have driven it and sadly i didn't enjoy it much as i thought I would. I like high rpm power that's why i bought a honda in the first place and if I built it up n/a it won't be faster than a turbo setup but it will be faster then the current state not to mention i'll be happy driving it.

JDM ITR motor makes what, 205 HP? I threw 215 out there to be on the safe side.

All I can say is if you didn't enjoy driving a turbo GSR, prepare to be bored as fuck with an N/A car. I had a 220+ WHP N/A B20/VTEC (11.5:1 compression, crower 403's, ported head, big header, etc) and it paled in comparison to the fun factor of a stock LS motor + T3/TO4E 57-trim.