Well I thought it was about time I posted up a build progress thread.

Back in April I managed to blow up my stock V engine whilst undergoing some CAT driver training at Millbrook. Cicky here to read about it

My car being recovered


The damage:








Now at this point I could of either fitted another stock lump or gone for what I always wanted to do.... a full on build
So I thought **** it.... and went for the build I always wanted

There are so many build combinations for the Evo. Most folks on here would want some sort of stroker build but I wanted to go for something a little bit different. For my project I'm aiming to put together a fully built 2.0L long rod motor that can hopefully cope with some serious power. I like engines with long 'useable' powerbands and a long rod motor ticks the boxes. I'm wanting to get into Time Attack and like the idea of a high revving 2.0L with a decent size tubby + lots of BOOOOST

I've chosen MG Autos for the build and have also sourced a lot of parts from Ross Sport.

OK enough of the chit chat - lets get to the piccies.

First up the MG crew whipped out the dead engine:



A bit of a distraction from the build.... I've just bought some Volk RE30 wheels (you can't really see them with them too well being black... I'll get some proper pics up later)




Ok slight side track back to the build:

First on the shopping list was a donor block. I managed to source a suitable block out of an Evo VI


Next up pistons. After quite a bit of research I decided to go with a custom set of CP X-forging pistons (each one is a work of art):



Next up rods. I wanted something that was strong and light. Weighing in at only 615g a pop and being able to cope with pretty much anything you can throw at them - I decided to go for a set of R&R Racing Pro Billet con rods.




Now these come with ARP 2000's rod bolts as standard. I'm going to swap these for a set of ARP custom age 625's.

Next up crank - at this stage I had already spent a fortune on pistons and rods... why scrimp with the crank? I need a billet crank to match



OK so with those bits I was ready to let MG Autos loose. The donor engine was stripped, block cleaned and sent away to their engine shop for machining and balancing.
Madmat then set to work putting the bits together:
ARP main studs and ACL bearings... we know what they look like









These to go on:



And that's about where we are with it.
Mat's waiting to swap out the ARP 2000 rod bolts for the ARP custom age 625's

These bits to go on to finish the short block:
Balance shaft eliminator kit
Full OEM gasket kit
New OEM water pump
New OEM oil pump
New OEM sump kit

Bobs your mothers, brother.... short block done.

I just need to get some pennies together for the top end which will be my next update.

Massive thanks to MG Autos and Ross Sport for all their help and work towards my project.

All comments and questions welcome

Cheers,

Karl

 

Good stuff bro. What turbo you plan on running?

 

Something GT35 based and Vband.
Precision and Forced Performance are looking likely sources although nothing set in stone yet.

 

Your build looks really really nice! Any plans for the head?

 

Nice Build.

That crank looks sick. Any idea how much it weighs?

 

Nice...should be a beast

 

Thanks - I appreciate the kind comments guys

Yep - there will be a worked head going on but that's for the next update

Thanks

Umm not sure on the one - I can ask the question to Ross Sport. I will be interesting to see the weight difference over the OEM crank.

I hope so

 

Here you go

Stock 88mm crank



Billet 88mm crank



Not much in it.

 

Nice build thread man, congrats and good luck with the rest of the process!

 

very nice

 

I appreciate the kind words and good luck wishes

Thanks a lot

 

Man sur thought there would be a bigger difference in crank weight. None the less, cant go wrong with a billet crank. Looks like your ready for some big power

 

Looks like a good build. Hopefully the power you are looking for is found with that long rod block.

 

A few weeks ago I popped down to MG Autos to see how things were.
I had a chat with Mat and asked him what could be done about engine bay as it was looking a bit sorry for itself (which no suprise as the old girl is 13+ years old now).

Some old pics how the engine bay looked before:





It would be a bit unjust to put a brand spanking built lump into a scruffy bay.
So a bit of a steam clean, prep and some fresh paint:

Some pics Mat txt me today after some MG'lovin:







Those with sharp eyes will have noticed the battery/earth bracket points have been removed as the battery is going to be relocated in the boot - much smoother now

Next on the list is a loom trim.....



and then the engine is going in!!!!!

 

Mat txt me a few pics of how things are progressing
(apologies for the low res MMS shots)

The motor:










Exedy twin - refurbished with new plates



Gearbox - refurbished and tinkered to MG "sprint spec"



That's all I've got for now - will update soon

Karl