I see that there's quite a few engine build threads going on lately. This is a good thing because I am in the middle of a decision-making process. At first, I was going to just send everything to Buschur and let them do everything, but quite honestly, I don't think that I'd get the same amount of enjoyment or appreciation out of it over doing the whole thing myself. My goal is to build my Evo VIII motor and put together a low to mid 9 sec car, probably with the new FP 3586 (724whp or there-about). I plan on starting this whole project within the next month or two and will be updating this thread with tons of pics, comments, progress, etc. For now, however, I am interested in getting everyone's opinions (professional or otherwise) about the specifics of what brands/materials to use (rods, pistons, cams, etc, etc, etc.). I thank you all in advance and look forward to contributing whatever I learn from this to the community.

 

have buschur do it .. before you have to do it twice

 

Yeah it is always fun to do your yourself but sometimes its better to let the pros do it.

 

Yes, I suppose you're right, but at the same time, if I screw it up, I can just have Buschur build me a new one I guess what i'm saying here is, I'm going to do this myself regardless.

 

If you have the tools and feel confident, do it.

I am. It surprises me as you see the project coming together.

 

I do have the tools as well as a few mechanic friends to help me And yes, after my last project I def feel confident in my ability to do this right. I'm a bit OCD as well, so I'm ALL about the details. Now, who has some suggestions??

 

First off I would like to say I think a 9sec 1/4 mile ET car for your first car you are going to try to put together is a bit steep of a curve. I would start off with a realistic power goal to aim for, and go from there. Regardless, I commend you for your decision to not just hand your stuff out to some shop and dish out tons of cash, but to learn how to do it all yourself. Sure, the "pros" do it well, but they will never spend the same amount of time and effort as you can into your own project, nor will they care about it as much.

Building an engine if you never have done it before can seem like a daunting task, but if you take your time, pick the right parts, and stick to the specs that come with the parts and by the service manual, you will do fine, and it will be a great learning experiance.

As I said earlier, I would pick a power level you are trying to acheive (within reason to budget and ability) and then begin to choose the parts for your build. Afterwards, you can order your parts, and send your block out to get the proper machine work.

If you don't have a service manual, get one now. It will be your bible, and it will also give you a good idea what your about to get into.

 

Hey, thanks for the help! Yes, I do have a copy of the service manual and have read most of it already. Yes, this DOES seem like quite a bit of work, but I like the challenge. I have both the time and the money for this project and right now I am mainly concerned with putting together my "shopping list" so to speak. This build will be the block AND head, so I'd like to use the best parts that I can get. Starting with the block, what pistons and rods should I be using for maximum strength?

 

Personally I ordered a shortblock. It was the easiest way to ensure that the rotating assembly was put togeher correctly.

I am assembling my own long block. Specialty tools I needed were nothing other than the timing tools and a good quality snap-on digital torque wrench. A slide hammer is needed for removing the axle shafts (actually I used a length of chain wrapped around a 20lb dumbbell to yank them out..I forgot I did that)

 

It's hard to say without knowing how much power you want to make exactly, but just to give an example, on my 2 liter 4G63 6 bolt build I am putting together, my goal is around 575-600hp. I decided to go with Ross Racing 8.5:1 .20 over pistons, and Pauter X beam rods. Carillo and Crower also make great connecting rods, so any of those rod choices are of great quality and strength.

 

And what about compression ratios? For a larger turbo (35R) and the 2.0l, someone explain to me the pros and cons of diff ratios.

 

im going with a full BR motor, its been proven time and time again. I also had the money and i'm too busy with starting flight school to do it myself. good luck with what ever you decide with