im in the market for a built 2.0l short block. i have spoken to each company '' AMS, B/R, JAM'' and all three of them build there blocks differently. so im making this post to get other peoples opinions and info on what they have seen and delt with. i know all 3 companys are great builders but i want to make sure i get exactly what i want and need. im staying with a 2.0l block. i want to over build a little bit just to have that extra strenth in case i switch out turbos again for more power. i would like a block to hold at least 800hp. right now im on a 35r and i know it wont make 800hp but its that safty margin i want incase i go bigger. so here are my questions.

JAM uses venolla pistions. i never really herd of them and it seems AMS, and B/R do not use them. how come. are the pistons AMS, and B/R use better/stronger?

JAM also does not offer O-ringing on the blocks. both B/R and AMS do. they say its a good idea for high boost applications. then why does JAM NOT do this service?

JAM also does not knife edge the cranks. AMS/ and B/R both have that as an option when building there blocks. JAM says its not needed at all and that knife edging is only when a crank goes through the oil in the oil pan and it helps cut through the oil. they say the evo crank does not do this so there is no need or benafit to doing knife edging.

the prices are all around each other from shop to shop but price is not my issue. i just want what i need that will make my setup as trong and relyable as possible.

now on a different note i have some of my own questions.

i mainly use my car for drag racing on a track and some highway fun.

i am thinking of changing compression ratio. why i dont know so help me learn why. if im running 25psi on pump and 30+ on c16 fuel what will make more power a higher or lower compression?? i was thinking of going with 9 .1..... but what are the pros/cons of changing compression ratio??

piston bore.. i here we have basicly 3 options. .20 .40 .60 bore size. im told to go with a .20 bore because if anything happens i have room to save my block. well i really dont care about my block in that way. so i was thinking .40 over bore. .60 to me seems kinda to risky. does boring out a block help in adding power?? what are some pros/cons of boring the block.

i think thats it. so thanks guys for your help and have a great 2008 and lets all have another good race season.

 

BR all the way - better price and more expereinece with DSM

 

BR most definately for the built 2.0l. ams and jam are great companies too but for the 2.0l i'd give it to BR all day long. do a search and you'll see why. look a shep's car and look whose motor he runs.......Buschur

 

good questions..
hope people with more experience than me could chime in..coz i am in the same boat as you..

 

AMS great customer service and bada$$ products

Tom

 

There's a reason that many of the members who race every weekend use a Buschur Racing motor. They stay together. Longevity is important and experience, (time in the saddle) speaks volumes. They've been building motors longer than most of the posters have been out of kindergarten. I've used them for 2.0 liter builds and wouldn't even consider something different. We used them for the recent build on the OKIX car and fully expect to go 10.4's on a daily, I repeat, DAILY driven 20G-LT turbo'd car that will spin 8000 rpms safely, but with authority. Pricing can't be beaten either. Do your research on each of the builders before making your final decision. You'll be glad you did when you're turning high rpms and need reliability.

 

what about buschurs 2.3L? aint they reliable?

 

Buschur Racing.. They have the most experience IMO... I only run buschur motors in my personal car..

 

JAM is a awesome company. They have been building 4g63 motors for quite some time now. I know if you do some research you can see that allot of people run there
motors.

 

the OP had questions...all of you guys are only recommending which shop he should go with...with out answering his questions

 

ifarted2....i dont mean to rub it in or anything...but you are making a coupla hundred hps than david buschus is on his RS with full interior and a sound system while your car is fully stripped and full race preped...how come you only run 9.5s ??

anything i am missing bro..
Thanks

 

I think because those are alotof the questions you have to ask the company building the motor.. I cant say why BR suggests o-rings and JAm does not for example..

 

jam all the way for there top notch stuff and gr8 customer service.

 

Yeah that does rub me the wrong way. I have 1 year of drag raceing under my belt.
What you make on a dynojet is what you make a dynojet does not lie. Now getting a car at my level down the track is another story. If i had a shop and been doing this for a long time yes i could head to the track and run better times.
I ran 9.4 at 157. Do you have a clue how fast that is? have you driven a car like this? There are allot of other people on here making the same power but run about the same time i do. David seems to be the only one that can pull that trick off with that turbo. He even said that 99% of people here will not run that fast with that setup. You have driver,tuning,and other things...

 

I cant comment on the Venolia pistons. I've never seen one, used one, or know any info on them at all. Their website appears to be very old and they don't even list any pistons for any Mitsubishi. I would assume with most good quality pistons, they will work just fine.

We've done motors without o-rings and lots with. Over years of testing we've come up with what we feel is the best o-ring setup for power and longevity. It also eliminates the need for using exotic high dollar head gaskets.

Without doing more research, I'm pretty sure that the crank on a 4g63/Evo does cut thru the oil at least by a little bit. We don't knifedge many cranks, but if we do we have a much different way of doing it than what I've seen. We do not cut the counterweight off and knifedge the leading edge. Most of the leading edge doesn't go thru the oil anyway. We actually knifedge the last inch or so of the outer edge of the counterweight, the only part that actually contacts the oil in the pan. This seems to be just as effective and leaves most of the counterweight there for balance and strength purposes.

There are MANY theories on what compression ratio is better. Your initial choice of 9:1 is pretty much right up the alley of what most cars that are making 800+ hp have.

I would go with stock bore or .020. 4g63's piston wall thickness isnt the greatest in the world and the cast iron material isnt the purest and best metal either. The more you overbore the higher your risk of cracking a cylinder bore. The extra displacement is so small, the gain just isn't worth the risk.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a ring. We will be open for the 2008 season starting at 9am tomorrow!

Best Regards,
Eric Jones