Engine Rebuild Guide

Have a tired high mileage motor that eats oil like candy? Want to put in some higher compression pistons?
Or do you just want to build your motor to be a bulletproof beast? If so, this is the write up for you. But
understand this is just a build guide, and not actual step-by-step instructions to walk you through building
your motor. Get a good manual or a knowledgeable friend for that information. But I hope this guide helps.
STEP 1: DIAGNOSE: - The first step to take in rebuilding your motor is to diagnose your motor’s current
condition. This will give you an idea of what needs to be done. By diagnosing I mean what are your motors
current symptoms. Does it burn oil, make loud knocking noises, or feel gutless? Does it leak oil, fuel, or
coolant? Does it smoke? There are the visual inspections that you can do, and then there are the
comprehensive mechanical testing you can do. A compression or leak down test can be very beneficial to
determining your motor’s current condition. A vacuum test can also tell you the condition of your motor.
If you are uncomfortable buying the equipment and performing the test yourself, you can always pay a shop
to do it for you. But chances are if you are worried that performing these tests would be too difficult, then
rebuilding the motor yourself is a bad idea as well.
STEP 2: PREPARE: - Once you figure out what is wrong with your motor or even if there is nothing wrong
with it, you need to decide what you want to do and how much you are willing to spend. For example, if you
do not want to spend a lot of money and only your rings are bad, you can just have your motor re-honed
and re-ringed. I personally would not recommend doing just that, but you can nonetheless.
Rebuild costs can vary. There are many factors that determine the cost: your choice of parts, which is
doing the labor, and time limitations. Obviously if you do the work yourself, it will be much cheaper. Shops
charge an average of $1200 labor to rebuild a motor. However, if you do not have the proper tools to do a
rebuild it will cost a lot as well. Let us go over a list of tools necessary to do a rebuild.
Required Tools: -
 Complete Mechanics Metric Tool set (Craftsman, Snap-On). This includes 1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2" Drive
ratchets/sockets/extensions/swivel joints, 8-19mm wrenches, nut drivers, pliers, cutters, and
screwdrivers. I recommend the Craftsman 241 piece tool set. It will be enough to get the job done.
 ½” Drive 32mm spindle nut impact socket
 ½” Drive Breaker Bar
 Crank Pulley Holder
 Torque Wrenches (good from 87 inch-lbs to 150ft-lbs)
 Hydraulic Floor Jack
 Jack Stands (4)
 Engine hoist (can be rented)
 Engine stand (can be rented)
 Ball joint separator
 Rubber mallet
 Hammer
 8mm punch pin
 Pry Bar
 Piston ring pliers
 Piston ring compressor
 Drill hone (I recommend you have a machine shop hone the block)
 Cylinder Ridge Reamer (again, I recommend you have a machine shop do this)
 Factory Service Manual (Helms Manual: http://www.helminc.com )
 Assembly lube
 Honda Bond
 Feeler Gauges
 Plastigague (if you are measuring for new bearings yourself)
 Calipers and a Micrometer
Optional tools (not required but make the job easier)
 Min 22 Gallon Air Compressor
 ¾” Compressor Air Line
 Impact Gun (at least 500ft-lbs of torque)
 Complete Set of Metric Impact Wrench Sockets
There are probably some more tools that I am missing here, but it’s hard to remember every one. This list
will be more than adequate though. Expect problems that require buying a special tool, and you’ll be fine.
What parts will you need? Again, this is something the diagnosing step will provide you with in conjunction
with how much you want to spend. I will tell you for most parts like belts, gaskets, and pumps, go genuine
Honda parts. You cannot go wrong there. However, for some parts like rods, pistons, cams, etc., there are
better alternatives than Honda. Again, it really depends on what you want. Here is a list of parts that
should be replaced.
Required Miscellaneous Parts: -
 Head Gasket
 Intake Manifold Gasket
 Throttle Body Gasket (only if you remove the TB)
 Injector O-rings (only if you remove the injectors)
 Exhaust Manifold Gasket
 Cam End Plug
 Cam Seals (2)
 Valve Cover Gasket
 Spark Plug Well Seals (4)
 Water Pump
 Timing Belt
 Timing Belt Tensioner
 Oil Pump (optional but I recommend you get one)
 Crankshaft Main Seal
 Valve Seals (maybe valve guides as well)
 Oil Pick-up Tube Gasket
 Distributor O-ring
 Oil pan Gasket
 Oil Filter
 Oil Drain Plug Washer
 Thrust, Main, and Rod Bearings (Honda, ACL)
 Thermostat
 PCV Valve
 Distributor Cap and Rotor
 Fuel Filter
 Spark Plugs
 Spark Plug Wires (only if old/original wires)
There are the main components like pistons and connecting rods, but I figure I’ll put those in their own
category since there are a lot of options.
STEP 3: MAKE SOME CHOICES AND GET STARTED: - Now’s the time to decide what you’re going to
replace and what you’re not, and what you’re building your motor for. I’m going to separate the main matrix
into two sections…. Forced Induction and Normally Aspirated. The general rule of thumb is that with N/A
you want to run as high compression as you can without detonation and with F/I you want to run lower
compression (the higher your boost levels the lower your compression should be). Let’s go into some
detail.
Naturally Aspirated: - Therefore, you have chosen to stay with Naturally Aspirated. The first thing to
understand is that it takes more to make power with an N/A setup than with a FI setup. It’s a whole different
ball game. But it’s very reliable if done right and can be very rewarding. The good thing about building an
NA setup is that it usually takes less money to build (total) than a turbo setup and it’s more of a “build and
go” operation. Turbo requires a lot of tuning and maintenance. Let’s go over the components of building a
N/A monster.
Block: - The first thing that needs to be considered in the rebuild of the motor is the block. Obviously if you
threw a rod through the block, you will need a new one. I recommend finding a used one in decent
condition if this is the case or maybe a motor swap would be a better option for you. However, most of the
time the block just needs some simple work to get it in “like new” condition again. These include:-
  Clean: This is the process of “steaming” or “hot tanking” the block clean. Most shops charge about
$50 to do this.
 Re-tap: This is the process of re-tapping all of the threads in your block to make sure they are clean.
The most important being the head bolt threads.
 Deck: This is the process of machining the “deck” or surface of the block enough to give a fresh
unscathed surface for the head to seal against. They usually remove under .0005”. This usually
costs anywhere from $50-$100, but usually not more.
 Bore/Hone: When an engine is rebuilt, the cylinders usually need attention. Wear tends to create
taper in the upper part of the cylinder that can reduce ring sealing and increase blow-by and oil
consumption if not removed. The cylinder may also be out of round, scored or have other damage
that requires correcting before a new set of rings will seal properly. The main objective when
refinishing the cylinders is to make the walls as straight as possible, the bores as round as possible,
and provide the right amount of crosshatch for good oil retention and ring support, and produce a
surface finish that meets the requirements of the rings. If your cylinders are in good condition, all
you will need is a hone job to give a fresh surface for the new piston rings. Nevertheless, if the
cylinders are damaged, you will need to bore and hone the cylinders. Boring simply makes the
cylinders larger or “oversized”. You need to decide on what size bore pistons you are going to use
before you do this because the machine shop will need the pistons during the boring process to
provide proper clearances.
 Ridge Ream: This is done after the bore hone process to remove any ledge or “ridge” at the top of
the cylinder.
I recommend letting a competent machine shop take care of the actual block machining. They have the
tools and expertise to get the job done right. Make sure the shop you take it to has experience with Honda
motors. You don’t want them giving you domestic V8 Clearances now do you?
Pistons: - As far as pistons are concerned, if your cylinders are in good condition, you can run either a
stock bore or a larger bore piston. Stock bore for most Honda motors is 81mm. The next size up is 25 over
or 81.25mm. If your sleeves are damaged, you will need to run a large enough bore to get rid of the
damaged surface. There are some other options as far as bore size is concerned. There are “overbore”
sleeves such as NuFormz or Darton, and then entire sleeve replacement kits such as the Golden Eagle
sleeves. These are usually made of a ductile iron and are very strong, even with very large bore sizes such
as 84mm. The sleeve kits are priced around $750 installed, but are great for high boost applications. But
back to pistons, once you’ve decided on a bore size, choosing the type of piston is the next step.
Compression is the first thing you want to figure out. What to run? The higher the compression ratio the
more power you are going to make. But there are limitations to this rule. Where you live may be a driving
factor in this decision. For example, here in Oregon the highest-octane level available is 92. In California
the highest is 91. But on some of the mid to eastern states they have 94. What does this have to do with
compression ratio? Well, the higher your compression ratio the hotter the combustion temperatures get. If
you run too low of an octane with too high of compression, severe detonation can be the result. So how
high is too high. This is my general rule of “safety” for daily driven street vehicles.
Max. CR Fuel Octane
10.8:1 91
11.2:1 92
11.6:1 93
12.0:1 94+
You can run slightly higher compression than listed above, but you may suffer some mild detonation in
higher temperatures. The CR’s listed above are totally safe. Under no circumstances would I ever
recommend running over 12:1 compression for a street vehicle.
For pretty much all compression ratios the stock cast pistons should suffice. The benefit to stock pistons is
the extremely quiet operation. The drawbacks are that they cannot handle the higher cylinder temperatures
and that sometimes they cannot achieve the exact CR you desire. This is where forged pistons come into
play. Forged pistons are usually more expensive and depending on the silicon content, can be noisy.
You’ll hear the “piston slap”, at least when it’s cold. It may quiet as it warms up. This is caused by the
larger clearances the forged pistons need. Toda, JUN, Arias, JE, and Wiseco are all forged pistons that
come highly recommended. Something else forged pistons bring to the table besides the added reliability is
that you can custom pick your bore size and compression ratio. They have a very wide selection and can
give you a set of pistons that best fit your application. Use the following calculator to help you figure out
what compression you will be running with different pistons/ bore sizes….
http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/compcalc/compcalc.html
Once you decided on pistons, it’s a good idea to think about rings as well. You can’t go wrong with OEM
Honda rings, but if you get some forged pistons, use the file fit rings that came with them. I do not
recommend running Total Seal or any other “special” rings. If you do your research, you’ll find that most of
these rings do not work as well as stock. You MUST get the same bore size ring as your piston bore. If
you are using stock bore (81mm), you’ll need 81mm bore rings and so on and so forth.
Connecting Rods: - Now let us choose some rods. Essentially, you have three choices consisting of
stock, billet, or forged rods. What’s the difference you ask? Well, here you go.
Stock Rods: - Most all Honda and Acura rods are cast in a mold. The casting process leaves the rods with
very small air pockets basically making the metal “porous”. This process also leaves “stress risers” (sharp
edges) on many edges of the rod making it a weak point. However, for most all-motor applications, the
stock rods will be fine. Many people choose to shot peen them. This is the process of shooting small shot
at the rods to get rid of any “sharp edges” or the “stress risers”. It does not make the rods stronger, but it
will make them less likely to break at the “stress risers” because the force on the rod is more evenly
distributed. Shot peening usually costs about $150 for all four rods. A nice addition to the stock rods if you
are using other than stock pistons is to add some full floating bushings. This allows the wrist pin to move or
“spin” freely. If you use a free-floating bushing, you need to use a piston that uses retaining clips to hold the
wrist pin in the piston. Full floating bushings are said to add near 5hp by making the engine more efficient.
Another choice you have to make your rods stronger is to have ARP Rod Bolts fitted to the rods. These
bolts are stronger and are good extra insurance for your rods. However, the bolts cost $40 and then it costs
more to have them fitted. So in the end you may be at about the same price as getting some forged or billet
rods.
Billet Rods: - Rods like Crower and AEM are billet rods. These are rods that are CNC machined from one
piece of steel. Not made from a mold like Cast. These are much stronger than stock rods, but not quite as
strong as forged rods. Most billet rods have free-floating bushings on the wrist pin side. So same as
adding bushings to the stock pistons, you will have to use a piston that utilizes retaining clips to hold the
wrist pin in place. They usually come with ARP or equivalent rod bolts to match the strength of the rod.
How strong are billet rods? Well, they say if you blow up your motor or detonate severely, your rods would
most likely survive, even if they come out the side of your block. :: shudder:: That’s a scary thought.
Forged Rods: - Forged rods like Eagle, Cunningham, and Oliver are made from one piece of metal just like
billet, but they are pressed with extreme pressure (near 2000 tons) into a mold that shapes the metal.
Some clean up CNC machining and polishing may follow. The forging process significantly enhances grain
flow and increases grain density, compared to rods simply cut out of flat stock. Forging also forces the
straight-line grain of the extrusion into the connecting rod shape. The grain is forced to flow into the tapered
contour of the rod's beam and around the crankshaft rod-bearing hole, creating a "hoop stress"
phenomenon that provides maximum strength for the limited cross-section available at the rod's big end.
This is by far the strongest rod of the bunch and “usually” the most expensive. Most forged rods have full
floating bushings as well as strong rod bolts such as ARP.
Crankshaft: - For a daily driven car the stock Honda crankshaft is more than adequate. They are plenty
strong for boost or all motor. But you need to have the crankshaft spec’d for tolerances/wear. After all, if
your motor had a spun bearing, what kind of damage did it do to the crank? In some cases they can
machine the damage out, but if they have to take too much material off of the journals you will no longer
have a nitrated surface. This is bad because the crankshaft will be soft. In that particular case, a new
crankshaft is needed. If the original crankshaft is in decent condition, it’s a good idea to have the journals
micro-polished.
Knife edging the crankshaft is the process of grinding down the crankshaft counterweights into a “knife like”
shape. This is done to reduce rotational mass of the engine and therefore increase hp by increasing
efficiency. However, this is something I only recommend for a RACE ONLY engine. The countershaft
weights are there to keep the crankshaft stable at higher rpms to ensure long bearing life.
Additional Bottom End Work: - Once you have all of your parts ready to go, there is a bit more you should
consider. If you are running nothing but stock components, rebuilding the motor the exact same as it came
from the factory, you may want to consider having it Blueprinted.
 Blueprinting: This is the process of machining/assembling the engines EXACTLY to the
manufacturers design specifications. During mass production, there is a range of acceptable
deviation of “flaw” from the original design. By manufacturing the block to exact specifications, the
engine will be more efficient and therefore have more power.
If you are putting any after market or “non-factory” equipment into the block it is not possible to blueprint the
engine, but you can have it balanced.
 Balance Entire Rotating Assembly: This is the process where the machine shop “balances the
engine” by making all of the different engine components of each cylinder weigh the same by
grinding or drilling material off of each component. Therefore making each of the pistons weigh the
same, each of the rods will weigh the same, etc. The machine shop will need everything that hangs
on the crankshaft: Crankshaft, rods, pistons, wrist pins, flywheel, clutch, crank pulley, and obviously
the block and main caps. This is also known as dynamically balancing. This is a procedure that will
extend the life of your engine, allowing smoother operation, increased horsepower, and improved
gas mileage in any stock or race engine.
Before assembling the block, you will need new bearings. In order to determine required bearing sizes,
you’ll need to mic the crankshaft, rods, and block for tolerances.
 “Micing” the block is simply using a digital micrometer and calipers to measure the diameter of the
journals and the diameter of the block journals/caps and establishing the difference between the two.
This will allow you to purchase the right size bearings for your block.
Once you have the correct bearings and such, the last step in completing the block is to assemble and
perform a final clearance check. This is essentially everything that is required to assemble the bottom end.
 Connect pistons to rods by pressing the wrist pins through the piston and rod. They have a special
tool that heats the rod enough to allow the wrist pin to press easily into place. I recommend having a
machine shop perform this task unless you have after market pistons and rods. The types that have
free-floating rod bushings and require retaining clips to hold the wrist pin into the piston.
 Install bearings into proper block/rod positions making sure they are clean and well lubricated
 Install crankshaft and main caps/bolts.
 Install piston rings into pistons making sure the ring gaps are in proper orientation and not in any
thrust angle.
 Install piston/rod assembly from the top of the block utilizing a piston ring compressor and a liberal
amount of oil and then installing the rod caps/bolts.
 Torque everything to manufacturer’s specifications.
Again, I cannot stress enough that if you are uncomfortable in performing any of the above tasks even when
using the factory service manual, you should have a machine shop do the work.
Headwork: - Once you have all of your block parts, now it’s time to start thinking about what you are going
to do to the head. It’s not uncommon for someone to rebuild the bottom end and not touch the top end, but
it’s not something I recommend. It’s nice to start out with a motor that you know is fresh, top and bottom
end. To have a head reworked to new stock condition by a competent machine shop will cost about $500.
These are the things that should be done at bare minimum:
 Disassemble and clean head. Usually chemically dipped.
 Resurface the head to ensure a good seal with the head gasket/block.
 Inspect valves for stretching, pitting, or cracking and replace if necessary.
 Reseat the valves with a multi-angle radius valve job.
 Inspect valve guides for wear, and if worn past or near factory specs replace as necessary.
 Replace valve seals.
 Reassemble head and inspect/check clearances
There are many things you can do to up the performance at this point. Here are a few of the more common
performance modifications:
 Port and Polish: This is done to increase flow through the head, which in turn increases horsepower.
 Mill the Head: This is basically the same as resurfacing the head only more material is taken off (up to
.0040”) to up the compression ratio by reducing the area in the quench area.
 Deshroud and polish combustion chamber: This allows for better flow and more complete
combustion/mixture of air and fuel.
 Oversized valves: Bigger valves can give better flow as well as better mixture properties.
 Bronze valve guides: Bronze is an excellent bearing material that provides good lubricity and reduces
the risk of galling and seizure of the valve stems.
 Stiffer valve springs: These are used to eliminate valve float with higher lift/duration performance cams.
 Titanium retainers: A lighter valve train means less parasitic power loss. Titanium retainers weigh
nearly half as much as stock retainers and are stronger to boot.
With all of this said, I cannot stress enough that the head performance modifications such as porting and
polishing should be left to the professionals such as Portflow, PYR, etc. It takes the right equipment and
experience to properly build a performance head. While anyone can buy a porting kit and make a head
“look” good, due to the complex nature of flow routing, it’s much easier to ruin a cylinder head than it is to
improve its performance, if the modifications aren’t properly designed and executed. Performance
headwork can cost anywhere from $650-$2000 depending on what you have done and where you have the
work done. Average cost of headwork is $1000 and usually lead-time is anywhere from 2 weeks to 4
weeks.
Cams: - Cams are more of an “upgrade” rather than a necessity for a rebuild. But I thought I would discuss
them anyway because most people are curious about them. Cams make power by changing two things…
lift and duration of the cam lobes. What do these do?
Duration: Duration refers to how long a valve is opened in relation to crankshaft rotation. This open valve
time period is expressed in degrees of crankshaft rotation. So, a cam specification of 220 degrees duration
simply means the cam holds the valve open for 220 degrees of crankshaft rotation. As strange as this may
sounds, more duration can be helpful in high RPM engines but not low RPM engines. The extra degrees of
open valve time in high RPM engines gives the air flow a little more time to get into (or out of) the cylinder in
spite of the piston's stroke. However, at lower RPMs, more duration can cause less power because the
valves will be open at the wrong time in relation to the piston's stroke up or down in the cylinder.
Lift: While duration refers to how long the valve is opened, cam lift is used to determine how wide the valve
is opened. If the valves are not opened wide enough, they will cause a restriction for the air trying to enter
or exit the cylinder. However, opening the valve past a certain point will not increase the flow to (or from)
the cylinder. A good way to demonstrate this is with the garden hose in your back yard. When you first start
to turn the water on, the flow increases but after a turn or so, opening the valve more has no effect on how
fast the water comes out of the hose. It is necessary to understand a large amount of science to
understand how the flow is related to how wide the valve is opened and how this affects the engine's power.
There are two basic types of performance cams. There are billet cams and then there are regrinds.
Regrinds: - Regrinds are exactly that, which is the process of taking your stock cam and regrinding it to a
more aggressive profile. A lot of people don’t like regrinds because grinding on the cam is said to weaken it
and in some cases they chip or break and damage the cylinder head or other components. I personally
have installed a few reground cams in customer’s cars and have had no problems. But it’s a possibility and
it’s always best to be informed on what “could” happen. Many companies do cam regrinding. Web Cam,
JG, and Gude are a few of the more reputable cam regrinders. To have cams reground usually costs
between $200-$300 and can take 1-2 weeks.
Billet Cams: - These are stock cam replacements. One of the benefits to billet cams is that they are
stronger. The stock Honda cams are billet, so essentially you’re getting near Honda quality. The other big
benefit to billet cams is that you have no down time waiting for your cams to be reground. That and you can
always put your stock cams back in if ever needed. Toda, JUN, Spoon, Skunk2, Crower, Crane, and
Honda are a few of the major performance billet cam manufacturers. Depending on the cams, billet cams
cost anywhere from $300 to $1100 for a set (intake and exhaust). With some performance cams, stiffer
valve springs are necessary to prevent valve float or coil bind. I always recommend running the valve
springs that the manufacturer recommends. Usually they will be the same brand as the cams you
purchase. Toda cams, Toda valve springs…. etc. Stiffer valve springs can cause some parasitic power
loss because it takes more effort for the engine to push the valves down, but it’s not much and worth not
floating a valve which can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Depending on what motor you are running
and how much you have to spend will determine what cams you should run. But understand that in N/A
motors, cams are a MAJOR contributor to how much power you’ll end up making in the end. And with the
cams you will need some good adjustable cam gears and some dyno time to properly tune them.
Forced Induction: - So you have chosen to go forced induction by using either a turbo or supercharger.
Obviously, you have some money for this project or you already have a turbo or supercharger on hand.
This is not an inexpensive route. What should you do next? Well, first thing to determine is what turbo or
supercharger you plan on running and how much boost you will be running. Many will say that you can run
up to 8psi safely on a fresh motor in “stock” form. I think it is a stretch, but I will agree. I would say 6psi is
doable on a new stock motor without sacrifice of much reliability. But it does depend on what motor you are
running. Now let us go over the things needed to get your motor ready for turbo.
Block: - The first thing that needs to be considered in the rebuild of the motor is the block. Obviously if you
threw a rod through the block, you will need a new one. I recommend finding a used one in decent
condition if this is the case or maybe a motor swap would be a better option for you. However, most of the
time the block just needs some simple work to get it in “like new” condition again. These include:
 Clean: This is the process of “steaming” or “hot tanking” the block clean. Most shops charge about
$50 to do this.
 Re-tap: This is the process of re-tapping all of the threads in your block to make sure they are clean.
The most important being the head bolt threads.
 Deck: This is the process of machining the “deck” or surface of the block enough to give a fresh
unscathed surface for the head to seal against. They usually remove under .0005”. This usually
costs anywhere from $50-$100, but usually not more.
 Bore/Hone: When an engine is rebuilt, the cylinders usually need attention. Wear tends to create
taper in the upper part of the cylinder that can reduce ring sealing and increase blowby and oil
consumption if not removed. The cylinder may also be out of round, scored or have other damage
that requires correcting before a new set of rings will seal properly. The main objective when
refinishing the cylinders is to make the walls as straight as possible, the bores as round as possible,
and provide the right amount of crosshatch for good oil retention and ring support, and produce a
surface finish that meets the requirements of the rings. If your cylinders are in good condition, all
you will need is a hone job to give a fresh surface for the new piston rings. But if the cylinders are
damaged, you will need to bore and hone the cylinders. Boring simply makes the cylinders larger or
“oversized”. You need to decide on what size bore pistons you are going to use before you do this
because the machine shop will need the pistons during the boring process to provide proper
clearances.
 Ridge Ream: This is done after the bore hone process to remove any ledge or “ridge” at the top of
the cylinder.
I recommend letting a competent machine shop take care of the actual block machining. They have the
tools and expertise to get the job done right. Make sure the shop you take it to has experience with Honda
motors. You do not want them giving you domestic V8 Clearances now do you.
Pistons: - As far as pistons are concerned, if your cylinders are in good condition, you can run either a
stock bore or a larger bore piston. Stock bore for most Honda motors is 81mm. The next size up is 25 over
or 81.25mm. If your sleeves are damaged, you will need to run a large enough bore to get rid of the
damaged surface. There are some other options as far as bore size is concerned. There are “overbore”
sleeves such as NuFormz or Darton, and then entire sleeve replacement kits such as the Golden Eagle
sleeves. These are usually made of a ductile iron and are very strong, even with very large bore sizes such
as 84mm. These sleeve kits cost around $750 installed but are great for high boost applications. But back
to pistons, once you have decided on a bore size, choosing the type of piston is the next step. Compression
is the first thing you want to figure out. What to run? For any boost I would not recommend anything over
10.5:1, and for higher boost you want to keep it closer to 9:1. The more boost the higher the cylinder
temperatures. The higher the cylinder temperatures are, the higher the chance of detonation. The higher
the compression is, the higher the cylinder temperatures. Combine high boost with high compression…
BOOM! Not good. Here is a good “rule of thumb” chart for you….
CR Boost
10.5:1 <8psi
10:1 <10psi
 9.5:1 <12psi
9:1 14psi or more
This is not the absolute rule, but if you stick with this you are generally pretty safe. But you obviously need
to have the right fuel management and other modifications to run the proper amount of boost. Use this
calculator to figure out what your compression would be with different setups…. http://www.c-
speedracing.com/howto/compcalc/compcalc.html .
If you are going to run a low level of boost, the stock cast pistons should suffice. The benefit to stock
pistons is the extremely quiet operation. The drawbacks are that they cannot handle the higher cylinder
temperatures. This is where forged pistons come into play. Forged pistons are usually more expensive
and depending on the silicon content, can be noisy. You’ll hear the “piston slap”, at least when it’s cold. It
may quiet as it warms up. This is caused by the larger clearances the forged pistons need. Arias, JE, and
Wiseco are all forged pistons that come highly recommended. If you plan to run more than 10psi of boost, I
highly suggest you run some forged pistons. Something else forged pistons bring to the table besides the
added reliability is that you can custom pick your bore size and compression ratio. They have a very wide
selection and can give you a set of pistons that best fit your application.
Once you decided on pistons, it is a good idea to think about rings as well. You cannot go wrong with OEM
Honda rings, but if you get some forged pistons, use the file fit rings that came with them. I do not
recommend running Total Seal or any other “special” rings. If you do your research, you will find that most
of these rings do not work as well as stock. You MUST get the same bore size ring as your piston bore. If
you are using stock bore (81mm), you will need 81mm bore rings and so on and so forth.
Connecting Rods: - Now let us choose some rods. Essentially, you have three choices consisting of
stock, billet, or forged rods. What is the difference you ask? Well, here you go.
Stock Rods: - Most all Honda and Acura rods are cast in a mold. The casting process leaves the rods
with very small air pockets basically making the metal “porous”. This process also leaves “stress risers”
(sharp edges) on many edges of the rod making it a weak point. But for most all-motor or small boost
applications, the stock rods will be fine. Many people choose to shot peen them. This is the process of
shooting small shot at the rods to get rid of any “sharp edges” or the “stress risers”. It doesn’t make the
rods stronger, but it will make them less likely to break at the “stress risers” because the force on the rod is
more evenly distributed. Shot peening usually costs about $150 for all four rods. A nice addition to the
stock rods if you are using other than stock pistons is to add some full floating bushings. This allows the
wrist pin to move or “spin” freely. If you use a free-floating bushing, you need to use a piston that uses
retaining clips to hold the wrist pin in the piston. Full floating bushings are said to add near 5hp by making
the engine more efficient. Another choice you have to make your rods stronger is to have ARP Rod Bolts
fitted to the rods. These bolts are stronger and are good extra insurance for your rods. However, the bolts
cost $40 and then it costs more to have them fitted. So in the end you may be at about the same price as
getting some forged or billet rods.
Billet Rods: - Rods like Crower and AEM are billet rods. These are rods that are CNC machined from one
piece of steel. Not made from a mold like Cast. These are much stronger than stock rods, but not quite as
strong as forged rods. Most billet rods have free-floating bushings on the wrist pin side. As same as
adding bushings to the stock pistons, you will have to use a piston that utilizes retaining clips to hold the
wrist pin in place. They usually come with ARP or equivalent rod bolts to match the strength of the rod.
How strong are billet rods? Well, they say if you blow up your motor or detonate severely, your rods would
most likely survive, even if they come out the side of your block. : Shudder:: That’s a scary thought.
Forged Rods: - Forged rods like Eagle, Cunningham, and Oliver are made from one piece of metal just like
billet, but they are pressed with extreme pressure (near 2000 tons) into a mold that shapes the metal.
Some clean up CNC machining and polishing may follow. The forging process significantly enhances grain
flow and increases grain density, compared to rods simply cut out of flat stock. Forging also forces the
straight-line grain of the extrusion into the connecting rod shape. The grain is forced to flow into the tapered
contour of the rod's beam and around the crankshaft rod-bearing hole, creating a "hoop stress"
phenomenon that provides maximum strength for the limited cross-section available at the rod's big end.
This is by far the strongest rod of the bunch and “usually” the most expensive. Most forged rods have full
floating bushings as well as strong rod bolts such as ARP.
Crankshaft: - For a daily driven car, the stock Honda crankshaft is more than adequate. They are very
strong for boost or all motor. But you need to have the crankshaft spec’d for tolerances/wear. After all, if
your motor had a spun bearing, what kind of damage did it do to the crank? In some cases, they can
machine the damage out, but if they have to take too much material off the journals, you will no longer have
a nitrated surface. This is bad because the crankshaft will be soft. In that particular case, a new crankshaft
is needed. If the original crankshaft is in decent condition, it’s a good idea to have the journals micro-
polished.
Knife edging the crankshaft is the process of grinding down the crankshaft counterweights into a “knife like”
shape. This is done to reduce rotational mass of the engine and therefore increase hp by increasing
efficiency. However, this is something I only recommend for a RACE ONLY engine. The countershaft
weights are there to keep the crankshaft stable at higher rpms to ensure long bearing life.
Additional Bottom End Work: - Once you have all of your parts ready to go, there is a bit more you should
consider. If you are running nothing but stock components, rebuilding the motor the exact same as it came
from the factory, you may want to consider having it Blueprinted.
 Blueprinting: This is the process of machining/assembling the engines EXACTLY to the
manufacturers design specifications. During mass production, there is a range of acceptable
deviation of “flaw” from the original design. By manufacturing the block to exact specifications, the
engine will be more efficient and therefore have more power.
If you are putting any after market or “non-factory” equipment into the block, it is not possible to blueprint
the engine, but you can have it balanced.
 Balance Entire Rotating Assembly: This is the process where the machine shop “balances the
engine” by making all of the different engine components of each cylinder weigh the same by
grinding or drilling material off of each component. Therefore making each of the pistons weigh the
same, each of the rods will weigh the same, etc. The machine shop will need everything that hangs
on the crankshaft: Crankshaft, rods, pistons, wrist pins, flywheel, clutch, crank pulley, and obviously
the block and main caps. This is also known as dynamically balancing. This is a procedure that will
extend the life of your engine, allowing smoother operation, increased horsepower, and improved
gas mileage in any stock or race engine.
Before assembling the block, you’ll need new bearings. In order to determine required bearing sizes, you’ll
need to mic the crankshaft, rods, and block for tolerances.
 “Micing” the block is simply using a digital micrometer and calipers to measure the diameter of the
journals and the diameter of the block journals/caps and establishing the difference between the two.
This will allow you to purchase the right size bearings for your block.
Once you have the correct bearings and such, the last step in completing the block is to assemble and
perform a final clearance check. This is essentially everything that is required to assemble the bottom end.
 Connect pistons to rods by pressing the wrist pins through the piston and rod. They have a special
tool that heats the rod enough to allow the wrist pin to press easily into place. I recommend having a
machine shop perform this task unless you have after market pistons and rods. The types that have
free-floating rod bushings and require retaining clips to hold the wrist pin into the piston.
 Install bearings into proper block/rod positions making sure they are clean and well lubricated
 Install crankshaft and main caps/bolts.
 Install piston rings into pistons making sure the ring gaps are in proper orientation and not in any
thrust angle.
 Install piston/rod assembly from the top of the block utilizing a piston ring compressor and a liberal
amount of oil and then installing the rod caps/bolts.
 Torque everything to manufacturer’s specifications.
Again, I cannot stress enough that if you are uncomfortable in performing any of the above tasks even when
using the factory service manual, you should have a machine shop do the work.
Headwork: - Once you have all of your block parts, now it’s time to start thinking about what you are going
to do to the head. It’s not uncommon for someone to rebuild the bottom end and not touch the top end, but
it’s not something I recommend. It’s nice to start out with a motor that you know is fresh, top and bottom
end. To have a head reworked to new stock condition by a competent machine shop will cost about $500.
These are the things that should be done at bare minimum:
 Disassemble and clean head. Usually chemically dipped.
 Resurface the head to ensure a good seal with the head gasket/block.
 Inspect valves for stretching, pitting, or cracking and replace if necessary.
 Reseat the valves with a multi-angle radius valve job.
 Inspect valve guides for wear, and if worn past or near factory specs replace as necessary.
 Replace valve seals.
 Reassemble head and inspect/check clearances
There are many things you can do to up the performance at this point. Here are a few of the more common
performance modifications:
 Port and Polish: This is done to increase flow through the head, which in turn increases horsepower.
 Mill the Head: This is basically the same as resurfacing the head only more material is taken off (up to
.0040”) to up the compression ratio by reducing the area in the quench area.
 Deshroud and polish combustion chamber: This allows for better flow and more complete
combustion/mixture of air and fuel.
 Oversized valves: Bigger valves can give better flow as well as better mixture properties.
 Bronze valve guides: Bronze is an excellent bearing material that provides good lubricity and reduces
the risk of galling and seizure of the valve stems.
 Stiffer valve springs: These are used to eliminate valve float with higher lift/duration performance cams.
 Titanium retainers: A lighter valve train means less parasitic power loss. Titanium retainers weigh
nearly half as much as stock retainers and are stronger to boot.
With all of this said, I cannot stress enough that the head performance modifications such as porting and
polishing should be left to the professionals such as Portflow, PYR, etc. It takes the right equipment and
experience to properly build a performance head. While anyone can buy a porting kit and make a head
“look” good, due to the complex nature of flow routing, it’s much easier to ruin a cylinder head than it is to
improve its performance, if the modifications aren’t properly designed and executed. Performance
headwork can cost anywhere from $650-$2000 depending on what you have done and where you have the
work done. Average cost of headwork is $1000 and usually lead-time is anywhere from 2 weeks to 4
weeks.
Cams: - Cams are more of an “upgrade” rather than a necessity for a rebuild. But I thought I would discuss
them anyway because most people are curious about them. Cams make power by changing two things…
lift and duration of the cam lobes. What do these do?
Duration: Duration refers to how long a valve is opened in relation to crankshaft rotation. This open valve
time period is expressed in degrees of crankshaft rotation. So, a cam specification of 220 degrees duration
simply means the cam holds the valve open for 220 degrees of crankshaft rotation. As strange as this may
sounds, more duration can be helpful in high RPM engines but not low RPM engines. The extra degrees of
open valve time in high RPM engines gives the air flow a little more time to get into (or out of) the cylinder in
spite of the piston's stroke. However, at lower RPMs, more duration can cause less power because the
valves will be open at the wrong time in relation to the piston's stroke up or down in the cylinder.
Lift: While duration refers to how long the valve is opened, cam lift is used to determine how wide the valve
is opened. If the valves are not opened wide enough, they will cause a restriction for the air trying to enter
or exit the cylinder. However, opening the valve past a certain point will not increase the flow to (or from)
the cylinder. A good way to demonstrate this is with the garden hose in your back yard. When you first start
to turn the water on, the flow increases but after a turn or so, opening the valve more has no effect on how
fast the water comes out of the hose. It is necessary to understand a large amount of science to
understand how the flow is related to how wide the valve is opened and how this affects the engine's power.
There are two basic types of performance cams. There are billet cams and then there are regrinds.
Regrinds: - Regrinds are exactly that, which is the process of taking your stock cam and regrinding it to a
more aggressive profile. A lot of people don’t like regrinds because grinding on the cam is said to weaken it
and in some cases they chip or break and damage the cylinder head or other components. I personally
have installed a few reground cams in customer’s cars and have had no problems. But it’s a possibility and
it’s always best to be informed on what “could” happen. Many companies do cam regrinding. Web Cam,
JG, and Gude are a few of the more reputable cam regrinders. To have cams reground usually costs
between $200-$300 and can take 1-2 weeks.
Billet Cams: - These are stock cam replacements. One of the benefits to billet cams is that they are
stronger. The stock Honda cams are billet, so essentially you’re getting near Honda quality. The other big
benefit to billet cams is that you have no down time waiting for your cams to be reground. That and you can
always put your stock cams back in if ever needed. Toda, JUN, Spoon, Skunk2, Crower, Crane, and
Honda are a few of the major performance billet cam manufacturers. Depending on the cams, billet cams
cost anywhere from $300 to $1100 for a set (intake and exhaust).
It is controversial whether it is better to run after market higher lift cams or not with a turbo setup. But you
definitely want a cam with very little overlap (less duration). Consider looking for some “custom” turbo cams
by Crower or some other companies out there. If you do run after market cams, be sure to match them with
the correct valve springs per the manufacturer’s recommendation.
I hope this guide has helped you in some way. If you ever have any further questions or have information
you would like to see included in this guide, feel free to e-mail me at: g2guru@hotmail.com
Helpful Links:
http://www.c-speedracing.com http://www.kingmotorsports.com
http://www.g2ic.com http://www.spoon.jp/eng
http://www.honda-tech.com http://www.cranecams.com
http://www.b-series.net http://www.pyr-racing.com
http://www.vtec.net http://www.portflow.com
http://www.todaracing.com http://www.jgenginedynamics.com
http://www.gude.com http://www.theoldone.com
http://www.goldeneaglemfg.com http://www.goldeneagle.com
http://www.darton-international.com http://www.skunk2.com
http://www.junauto.co.jp http://www.crower.com