HeX

Finally getting my engine rebuilt after a few months of procrastinating. I've come up with a list of parts/mods that I will to get with my rebuild. My goal is to do anything and everything that I can be done while the engine is apart. Anything else that can be performed when the engine is in does not concern me now. Simply, I want to make the most progress/use while the engine is out of the car. Question is, if money was no object, what would you have done to it (engine out only)?

My list so far is as follows;

lightened/shaved rotors
RB aluminum rear side housings
wild street/bridgeport combo
new rebuild kit
heavy duty coolant seals
coolant passage modification
race clearancing for rotors
race exhaust porting
RB 3-window race bearings
englarged e-shaft oil passages
*exhaust air injection passage plugging

*not sure

This is all I can think of right now. I'll add the rest later. I would appreciate all additions and opinions. Thanks.

93BlackFD

you're not going to be able to drive that car on the street

this coming from someone who has tried most of it

Black97VR4

Yeah that's pretty outrageous. Get a halfbridge port with some other nice internals but keep it within reason if the cars is street driven.

HeX

Ok...like what?

Yeah, it might be outrageous but I don't care. I have my daily driver for the street. I just wanna spend my bonus check. Gimme some ideas guys.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Dowel/pinning for extra strength. Eshaft oil jet mod. Race bearings. Oil pump, pressure regulator. Large streetport. Rotor lightening and clearancing. 3mm seal package, solid corners, viton oil rings. Teflon coolant orings. You can also consider various heat treatments/coatings on the wear surfaces, these are up for much debate however. Might look at one of those aftermarket oilpan frames too, said to add strength to the engine overall as well as prevent pesky oil leaks.

To be honest, most of your attention should be placed on the engine accessories and control system...reliability mods, cooling system, turbo setup, computer control, fuel, exhaust, intercooling, etc etc. You can put 10G into a race block and blow it the f*ck up in 6 months with the wrong setup, or you can build a $500 near-stock block that lasts for years when properly setup. I usually lean toward the latter, personally.

Rhode_Dog

Well those RB housings are uber expensive...do they even make them for FD's anymore.

HeX

Most of what you said was already mentioned. The dowel pinning and
heat treatments are good ideas though.

I think most people misunderstood my thread so far. I don't plan to neglet the exhaust system, turbo setup, reliability mods, control system, cooling system, etc. I will get to that after the engine is built. Right now i'm only focusing on mods that have to be done while the engine is out and apart. Thanks for the advice R R.

HeX

Nobody has anything they wish to have done to their engines? Geeezus....

GSB

I think a street port would be the better option there geezer, bridge port ok if you're gonna only use it for track / drag??

Sickass7

4 rotor conversion

93BlackFD

see, the problem is, you fail to realize the reason why people do these things to race cars only, is because it either, shortens the life, heavily increases the maintenance, or it basicall won't allow you to drive it on the street


you can modify the oil system to an extent where you basically can't get the car to warm up in a reasonable amount of time

also, with all the extra clearancing on bearings and what not, you're making room for a $4000 dry sump system, that runs at a much higher pressure...but I doubt you'll be doing that, no?

you need to understand what you're buying, that's all

HeX

I understand you're first statement. But I did ask if money wasn't an option. My FD is weekend car, I hardly drive it at all to be honest and thus longevity and driveability isn't much of a concern to me. Dry sump? Did my homework and that's a modifcation I can forego and you're right about the whole temp thing though.

I just want ideas so that I can research them later. Thanks 93.

4 rotor, too much work and $.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Exactly. Kevin knows what he is talking about. When I ported and built my most recent motor, I had an entire shop at my disposal and opted to pass on most of the bells and whistles simply b/c they are not needed for a street car. I have had the modded cooling passages and enlarged oil passages in the past and don't notice any difference on this new motor. Don't get me wrong, I intend to make big power---my FD has already handed a new Porsche TT it's *** multiple times at highway speeds, just to give you an idea of what it is capable of. The last time I road raced the car, I flogged her mercilessly at one bar with no problems whatsoever for many 30 minute sessions, and my peak coolant temps were 99 degrees celcius.

I recommend s/s MOP Lines, Urethane Motor Mounts, Upgraded Clutch and Lightweight Flywheel, Large port, teflon coated inner coolant o-rings, and all new seals, springs, bearings and gaskets. An oil pan reinforcement brace would also be a good addition.

This post kind of reminds me of a guy who I spoke to who wanted a multi-piece e-shaft, strengthened stationary gears, and all kinds of crazy stuff. On a street car, why bother? How many motors have you heard of failing from a bad e-shaft or failed stationary gears? All you really have to worry about is detonation.....to that end I highly recommend a water injection system.

I've been around the block a couple of times now, and one thing I have learned is that there is nothing wrong with OEM when it comes to internal motor components.

Just a bunch of random thought based on my experiences over the past six years .

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Oh, and I think he was kidding about the 4 rotor thing

HeX

Ah yes, finally getting somewhere in this thread. I'm still not sure if I want to opt for the poly urethane motor mounts due to the ride quality. I'll figure that out later. The oil pan brace is a great idea. Everything else, duelly noted. Thanks alot.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Sure, not a problem . Coupla things.....re: the road racing example up above, I have my a/c completely removed, so my fluidyne rad is nicely exposed to the incoming air (no condensor). This def helps with the temps.

The oil pan brace is awesome---not a drop of oil on my pan at all for the first time ever. FYI, most of these parts I installed at the Gotham Racing shop while I was an owner there.

Also, the urethane mounts haven't decreased ride quality at all in my opinion. Keep in mind that the stock mounts fail often. I went through about 5 total before switching over, and they aren't cheap. It's kind of nice knowing I won't be replacing my motor mounts for a long time.

Rich

Sesshoumaru

iTrader: (1)

alot of internal work IMO isnt' worth it.

Mazda took care of the oil problem from the FC's. They added a baffel and upped the psi in the higher rpm (oil starvation). The only weakness i see with the oil is the temps except in the R1 models.

Cooling the engine can be done more effectivly by lowering the coolant temps (rad). A greater temp diff will have a greater heat transfer.

if there was one internal thing i'd have done it would prolly be balanc'n the engine. If you get a large street port your gonna make power up top so i would try to bring the red line up 500 or 1000 rpm.

SVT Squasher

I would put 8 pistons in a aluminum block with ported heads. If money is no prob I would stroke it with a high pressure oil pump and knife edge the crank to reduce friction.

HeX

I'll definitly inquire to those with poly urethane mounts to give me their opinions as well. The low maintenence of those mounts sounds like a nice luxury. Thanks Rich.

The engine balancing is something I will definitly do for the reasons you stated. Thanks Sesshoumaru.

Anyone have any heat problems with exhaust air injection passage plugging? With or without a modified intake manifold?