Head work

[carguyinok]

OK, new guy here. I did a search and found nothing on race heads as for true numbers or specs on what is done for the race head. At this point I have a 95 GS 5 speed with no plans of going turbo or spray. I am just looking for a few good HP gains.
I have the motor pulled down to the bare block this morning and will be putting the lower end togather today. OEM lower end crank,rods,& pistons. I have looked and havent found any true numbers for the head work.
At this point I have the 55mm TB with the OBX intake & OBX fuel rail "Yes, I have all the drilling and vac lines done" OBX header & OBX oil pan. I have had the head ported for bolth the intake and header.
Can you see any gains from shaving the head down? If so how much can you remove and still be safe? Or over size the valves and if so how big ?
Please keep in mind I am not a kid & again not racing this car I have other big hp toys for that. It's nothing more then a fun driver for me. I live in Oklahoma and our speed limits here are high. Interstate speeds here are 75 so on the avg. 80-85 MPH held for long amounts of time. Then you get on the back roads and pull it down to 70- 75. Anyway, I just want to know I can pull out for passing without headaches.
Thank You for any info & help.

 

[dr1665]

Well, if you've not got the bottom end together yet, you might consider getting it all balanced. Should you decide in the future to install the Megasquirt fuel/ignition computer in your car (bargain packed value of the decade), you will be able to get more from that motor if you drop in some bumpier cams and wind it out beyond factory redline.

If you're looking for a highway cruiser, I'd suggest considering the larger valves. Along with the portwork, they will shift your powerband higher up into the tach. I run 10.5:1CR and my car has no balls below 3000rpm. Cross 3500rpm, however, and she wails (for an all motor DSM).

You can mill the head down to bump compression a smidge, but aside from the obvious going too far and destroying the head, you will encounter some play in the timing belt/gears not aligning properly, meaning you'll need to degree-in some adjustable gears to time the engine right. I've got the FSM on az2gnt.net if you want to read up on the service limits for the head.

As for numbers, the current record for an all motor 2GNT is just below 170whp. He is running closer to 11:1CR on that car at the moment, with mods similar to those you sound like you have on yours.

Back to cams, I don't know that I noticed what you're going to run in that thing. Allow me to say that, daily grind or not, if you've "race ported" that head and install stock cams back in it, you just wasted a LOT of your time. You'll see some more pep, but the bulk of the power is made in the head on this engine. The increased lift and duration of an aftermarket cam profile (I suggest Crower 2 or even Crower 3 if you're feeling saucy) surely do you right with a ported head. VTEC be damned, but my engine completely changes in the 3500-4500rpm range and, with the AFX/R ECU I had (97 models only), was still pulling at 8000rpm before factory ignition cut.

Aggressive cams like this will get you into some more money, as I'm sure you know. A cam like the Crane 0010 or Crower 1 is a waste of money in my opinion, but anything more aggressive, while perfectly driveable and all that, will also require upgraded springs. PT Cruiser lifters and rockers are always recommended during a head rebuild.

It sounds like you've got quite a bit done, close to done, or nearly ordered, so I hope this helps you out, man. You can check out my mod list on DR1665.com/rally/Daisy and get some idea of how your build compares to mine. I don't have any numbers on it yet (I'm a slacker), I can tell you that I *firmly* believe this is how these engines should have come from the factory. I absolutely love driving my car. If you appreciate this sort of thing, I know you will thoroughly enjoy yours once done.

Welcome to the fray.

 

[carguyinok]

dr1665, thank you. I do have alot of time into buying & collecting parts. This car is just a fun driver for what we call winter here But it's still to cold for the bike after dark. I think I will go with the cams after all. I had thought of just going with a adjt cam gears but wasnt sure. I dont have a whole lot of money in this yet & looking to keep it that way. So far its been waiting out e-bay auctions over the last few months. Now it's go time & I need to get it running.
So far its a clean silver 95 GS 5 speed bone stock. The motor spun a bearing in #4 and it was parked at our shop for months. I ended up with it for near nothing. Over the last few months I have put togather a pile of new stuff in the corner of my work bay. The project should come togather easy. With red&black racing seats, cross drilled rotors all around, stanless brake lines, 17" black w/silver lip wheels, prject headlights, new clutch, OBX intake, fuel rail, & oil pan.
Now I will be looking for cams but for now she is getting put togather with the stockers. Not like its a big deal to swap um once I find a deal on some.
As for mega squirt I have kept a close eye on that for years now. I will be puting one togather for use on my 240Z. My plans for the Z car have changed many times over the last few years. I have made plans for 6 motor swaps now. From the LT1 to a super charged 6 from a 03 nissan. Now kinda dead set on a SR20 turbo that I found. But the one thing they all had in the list was a mega squirt set up
Again thank you

 

[dr1665]

No problem, sir. From what you've said, I would suggest sticking with the standard sized valves for the time being as well. It's likely that they will allow you some added charge velocity into the combustion chamber. Depending on how aggressive your porting job is, it's something to consider.

And yes, there are people running MSnS on all kinds of cars these days. I actually spotted a TVR in the UK running MSnS with multiple throttle bodies. Looked raw. From extreme cases like that to the guys using it to run the motors in their Ford XR4Ti rally cars, it's everywhere.

 

[Blitzeclips]

Driggs is going to hate me for saying this, but man, don't even bother with the P+P. You won't even notice the difference for the money. You sound like you don't want any money going into this thing, so keep it that way. With the upgrades and parts you just mentioned, you'd spend maybe an extra $600-$700 for literally, 10-12 WHP. If you need to, upgrade the lifters/rockers so they don't poop on you in the future. Cams? I wouldn't. Unless you bump up the CR I wouldn't do it.

Sounds like you know what you are doing and want from the car, so keep steady to those goals and you'll be happy...

 

[4UH8ERS]

Now I will be looking for cams but for now she is getting put togather with the stockers. Not like its a big deal to swap um once I find a deal on some.

guess its not to bad, but definately not an exciting install.

 

[carguyinok]

TY to all on the feedback. I think I am going to stay stock on the valves with looking @ bang for the buck. The P&P work is done but thats no real outa pocket cost for me. We have a true top of the line race motor shop here. With that I have a friend that is there in house P & P guy. He gave me a deal I couldnt pass on. But it went in the back door after hours so he wouldnt get picked on
Again TY

 

[carguyinok]

Ok, so the motor is togather as of lastnight. One major headache was the damn crank bearings. It tokk alot of leg work and time "as in days" to find out the lower part of the block needs to have new notchs for the new bearings. I was beating my head into the wall thinking I had the wrong bearings. I guess I should have put up a post. But I dont get alot of free time for the computer so....
As of now I am sitting in wait for my oil pan to get here. Once thats here I can finish the little stuff & find out if the header needs to get cut & worked for clearance of the new pan.
Other then that she is ready to stick. I will work on getting some photos up.

 

[Blitzeclips]

Nice stuff man. Looks like you've got a nice project coming along. Noting with insane HP, but some nice extra "pep" should make it more fun to drive... Looking forward to the pics...

 

[carguyinok]

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/carguyinok/DSCF0769_0226.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/carguyinok/DSCF0780_0215.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/carguyinok/DSCF0781_0214.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

And the old talon

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/carguyinok/DSCF0749_0010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>