Basic engine rebuild questions

[turtl631]

I've been thinking about maybe doing a basic rebuild when I turbo my KA, I imagine it will have about 145k miles on it by then. I plan to get a T3/T04E 50 trim, 50 lb injectors, cobra mafs, jwt ecu, fmic, etc, and probably never go for more than around 320-330 whp, and much less daily. Would it be a good idea to get some forged pistons with a slightly lower CR, metal head gasket, ARP studs, and get my head a mild port and polish? Also, how much is labor for machine work like this generally? i've been reading some posts with guys spending thousands and not even getting everything (pistons, rods, valves, springs, retainers), but mostly just getting bent over by labor costs.

[Structure240sx]

do a compression and leakdown test on your motor. if hte results are decent jsut turbo that. maybe build one on the side if you really want.

fiznat i believe made a post with the break down of machine shop costs. if you pull the engine your self and bring it to them it doesnt cost too much

[turtl631]

Hm, okay.

[andrave]

if you just got the block hot tanked, bored, and honed it would cost less than 200. Its well worth it to pay for them to assemble it though, because it can be a hassle to do it yourself. But defintely pull the block and pull the head and accessories off of it, and take it in with your parts if you decide to let them do the shortblock. A port and polish should help the ka head out, but it flows pretty well stock. The head studs are overkill. The metal headgasket isn't necessary, as the headgasket is not a weak point on the ka. the forged pistons are a good idea though. not necessary, but if you have the money its worth spending. If I went with pistons I'd prolly want con rods too, but the factory ones are known to be stout. For the money you are talking about spending I'd probably try and focus more on stuff that the ka24de actually could benefit from: underdrive pullies, a lightened flywheel, maybe some cams (its hard to find ones that work really well with a turbo though).

[turtl631]

I'm hoping to toss in some s13 cams this summer, and I may buy a Fidanza from my friend when his clutch goes and he gets a new one. So the pullies are a good upgrade?

[iknowyoulike]

just out of curiosity what are good numbers for compressions as far as still being safe to turbo?

[andrave]

If I remember, 160 across the board is considered pretty decent for turbo. higher is bettter. the big thing to watch out for is one or two cyls being substantially lower than the others. if you need more specifics I know this has been covered before plenty of times, so try searching.

[burnin240sx]

i did a compression test on my motor which i got with a blown head gasket. head wasn't warped just a gasket.

i got this

#1 95 psi#2 140 psi#3 140 psi#4 95 psi

should i worry about the life of this lilte motor?

I am building a ka with pistons and mayyybe rods on the side. I just finished taring it down about a hour ago.

i love the cheap ka i bought my motor for $100