New Larger Pistons, Or New Stock Rings

[Tangles]

Heya

Going to send off my manual R32 sedan with RB26dett for an engine freshen up, bolt-on the goodies Ive collected, setup and tune for Mallala trackdays.

Eventually in halfa dozen years Id like to drop the engine into my Stagea, but thats a fair way down the track.

Hope to get out to 4 full track days per year beforehand.

For now though Im sending the car in to Boostworx to have a fair bit installed.

Already has:

. freshly rebuilt highflowed turbos

. 600x400x100mm FMIC kit

. 5Zigen 3" turbo back exhaust

. GTR intank fuel pump

. 550cc Siemen Denso Injectors, new O-rings, seals

. Yellow Jacket coil packs

. ASI 52mm dual core alloy radiator

. Z32 Airflow metres

. Power –FC & Hand Controller

Installing:

* Apexi hardpipe intake kit

* ATI 600hp Harmonic balancer damper & pulley kit

* N1 water pump

* HKS oil pump

* Tomei oil baffle sump plate kit

* Tomei oil gallery orifice

* Twin HKS split dump pipes

* OBX tuned-length manifolds

* OBX flex front pipe into 3" resonator decat pipe

* Turbotech manual boost controller

* Walbro 305LPH external fuel pump

* 4 litre fuel surge tank, 5m braided lines, speedflow fittings

* Fuel pressure regulator kit

* 1L Oil catch tank with mini-airpod filter breather

* Oil filter relocation kit with speeflow fittings

* Oil cooler finned 30-row unit, speedflow fittings

* Oil pressure & temperature metres, EBCR exhaust gas temperature gauge

* AEM wideband sensor gauge kit

* Apexi Multichecker

* ARP Head stud kit

* Cometic Street Pro 87mm MLS head gasket

* Nissan full gasket set

* HKS step-2 valve springs

* Greddy N1 Street Special camshafts

* Greddy timing belt

* Precision adjustable intake & exhaust cam gears

* Drive key, tensioner & idler bearing kit

The workshop I'll be using suggests the following:

"To fit the Gasket set and the crank collar means full strip down except we will leave the pistons and conrods in the block,

The crank will be sent out to be machined for the collar fitment and we will polish it to set bearing clearance,

We will fit new ACL Race bearings to mains and Rod bearings as they usually suffer in the RB26 pre baffle life.

The head will be sent out to be stripped and fit the cam springs and cams re do valve clearances, I would suggest re seating the valves at this time to ensure the best seal and set up with new Valve stem seals,

we may have to do additional machining to the head for lobe clearance if required dependant on the lift of your cams, we will fit the oil cooler and surge tank etc refit to the car and tune her up.

Engine R&R with strip down clean, clearance and assemble parts listed

Crank machine for collar fitment and linish bearing size

Cylinder head Recondition with fitment of your springs and cams valve clearance set plus lobe clearance to head

ACL race main bearings ACL race conrod bearings

Poss oil pump gasket and rear seal for crank shaft sundry parts

Fit surge tank and plumb your braided hoses for memory and wire external pump

Remove front bumper to fit oil cooler assembly

Tune on Dyno Power FC

If we go ahead with the work I will do the tune at no cost, The engine whilst apart if we see need for any further work we will let you know to give you the best poss engine life, I will also throw in an additional oil drain kit from the back of the cylinder to the sump good idea for track use on RB26"

I had to sell-off HKS pistons, rods, bearings & main studs to pay bills; to do this above work I'll be selling the house (separated, time to move on) & using a little of what I'll get from the split.

Question is Should I be buying ARP Main Studs and either NEW stock piston rings, or use some new CP/Wiseco Pistons & Rings with ARP2000 rod bolts to the stock rods, or get a piston&rod kit in full?

Not sure if its best now, seeing the engine is pretty much going to be pulled down, to upgrade to new pistons&rings, perhaps rods, or just leave it be as per the builders advice above.

If on a limited budget (the above will be between $4-5k total) would you add in another $2k for a piston kit, leave it alone, or allow an extra $500 to supply & fit new stock rings for the build?

cheers, thoughts appreciated.

[KiwiRS4T]

Measure bores for wear and roundness with inside micrometer and inspect and measure pistons and base decision on the result. A good reconditioner should be able to tell you the parameters. Unless of course you are going for big horsepower and want fully forged and balanced.

[R31Nismoid]

4-5k for all the work... fitting and reco sounds oddly cheap.

what sorts turbos/power are we talking?

sounds like a lot of expense and parts and you are building a 400rwkw motor?

i mean stock rods alone are good for over 400rwkw, that's been proven many a time over.

there is also no mention of strengthening/filling the block etc, which is certainly something that should be done as well.

another thing is a tidy up of the head because as an example... you get more value outta that (or block) than say, upgrading manifolds or whatever (if you aren't building a 400rwkw+ setup)

[Tangles]

Yeah 5k tops, decent price for a long-time friendly non-pushy customer.

Plus Im on a disability pension so I need "best price no rush" service.

The turbo's are an unknown, under 2000kms (1 week of trips in Melb then I bought the car, drove to Adelaide & parked it, stripped now ready for track work)

bush bearing steel wheels highflow jobbies, good for 1.1 to 1.3bar around Mallala Id imagine

Looking for 1.20min track times, probably 400kw engine so around 330rwkw

Weak link above 300kw at the rears would be the current single-puk clutch (unknown brand) and RB20 gearbox, however around the track it shouldnt be an issue for a number of trackdays at the least I would think

The quoted works involves leaving the pistons/rods in the block - so my query was whether they should be pulled out and re-ringed, or new pistons & rod bolts, or dont touch.....

Thinking now I wont worry until the condition of the piston rings & bores are known.

IF I did buy new pistons, rings, arp rod and main bolts; What extra works are involved for setting up and installing? What sort of extra do$h would that potentially co$t?

cheers

[DR 32R]

You could get a piston/rod kit from USA for close to 1k

[Tangles]

yea I know mate, Im an ebay king

JE Pistons Eagle Rods ARP Rod Bolts $1100del.

ACL main, rod, thrust bearings $200del.

ARP Main Studs $200del.

Bore work (for 86, 86.5 or 87mm pistons), assembly etc would cost what, another $500, a grand, or more?

Whilst Id like to have a fully forged engine for dropping into the Stagea down the track, this is for sturdy & reliable trackday duties only for 5yrs or so

maybe best to see how the stock bores & rings are as Kiwi says....... could always go forged pistons upon a strip-down in half-a-dozen years time prior to going into the road car

ie RB30 bottom end with Wiseco piston kit, 2860 -5's etc

cheers

[DR 32R]

I had very acceptable bore work, plus clean and deck block in Sydney for under 700.

Edited December 21, 2010 by WHITE gtt

[Tangles]

As it turns out #4 bore has eaten something solid.... Id bet ceramic parts from the turbos, the car came with 1week old rebuilt turbos when I bought it.

Never did a compression/leakdown test so its my bad.

Going with 1mm overbore 87mm CP pistons to stock rods, #4 requires a sleeve I think.

[r33_racer]

How much does the sleeve and labour to machine and fit cost? Might be the same as just getting another block.

[zoidbergmerc]

How much does the sleeve and labour to machine and fit cost? Might be the same as just getting another block.

Labour cost for my block was $600; included Bore and Hone, Linish crank and Welsh Plugs.

[r33_racer]

Not the whole block. Im talking about just re sleeving number 4 as the OP stated before.

[Tangles]

be about $1500 for bore and hone, prep work etc, with 87mm CP pistons fitted to stock rods. Using arp bearings/bolts

end of the day the engine will be a keeper,

[paulr33]

good list and sounds good hope it all goes well

why the multichecker

[Tangles]

Multichecker will eventually go into my daily Stagea, decided its not required alongside a power-fc; sitting on a shelf along with exhaust manifold to go onto my rb25