Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Is it worth modifying the rb25de head or should I be looking for an rb26 one?

At present I'm looking at a port n polish, reground cams etc which will see a 15% flow increase. If i go the whole hog ( and almost double the cost) and get oversized valves etc it could be upto 35% increase, but is it worth spending that sort of cash on a RB25de head?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/64638-headwork-for-rb25-rb30-hybrid/
Share on other sites

you dont need to touch the buckets, to get back the lifter preload you loose buy reducing the base circle size on re-ground cams you need to increase the stem height of the valve, buy either welding the valve tip, using a lash cap, or if your doin a valve grind at the same time cut the seats deeper, wouldnt go deeper than about 20 thou. though

Thanks for the input so far guys, just thought I should point out I wont be doing the work myself so talk about buckets etc goes over my head.

Haven't looked into cams to much, was gonna go with Tomie, but was told not to bother with Jap stuff as they can be made locally for a lot less.

More interested in wether or not to spend the cash on the rb25 head or start looking for a gtr one. Final target for car is 800hp.

Thanks for the input so far guys, just thought I should point out I wont be doing the work myself so talk about buckets etc goes over my head.

Haven't looked into cams to much, was gonna go with Tomie, but was told not to bother with Jap stuff as they can be made locally for a lot less.

More interested in wether or not to spend the cash on the rb25 head or start looking for a gtr one. Final target for car is 800hp.

Go the RB26 top end, it WILL work out cheaper in the long run.:)

So what are the options for cams for the rb25de head?

Can u buy off the shelf items like 260 degree, 9.5mm lift cams for the head.....?

Or would you have to convert to solid lifters (how much for the kit?) and use cams designed for another head altogether.....?

non vvt of course in my case....

It really depends on your final target.

My goal is ~300rwkw with 340-350rwkw for the odd run.

The RB25 head with a set of cams will do nicely.

At the time of purchase my Rb25 head was $750.

For the GTR head I was quoted over $2000, and thats if I could find one.

Now the GTR heads are cheaper and more common than they were 2-2.5years ago. :/

As I didn't buy the GTR head I was able to save that $1250 and put it towards getting the RB25 head rebuilt, ported/polished & inlet valves deshrouded.

I always knew I wasn't after huge cams as I want to keep respectable fuel economy. For myself the RB25 head suited my needs.

The RB26 head will make a little more mid range due to the use of higher lift cams.

I had to draw the line some where. :P

A GTR head not rebuild and stock with a set of aftermarket cams would have cost the same as my RB25 head rebuilt & worked slightly fitted with a set of aftermarket cams 260duration with say a 8.5mm lift.

I like things new, hence I wanted it rebuilt.

If I were to rebuild the GTR head and do a little bit of work to it sure it would flow slightly better than the rb25 head BUT it would have also cost me more.

Some thing a full time Uni student that works during the holidays doesn't really have much of when the build is already going to cost at least $12,000 in total.

DCIEVE, You sound like you are in another boat BUT remember one has to be realistic about their HP goals, 800hp is a LOT of hp and requires a LOT of money. ;)

You wouldn't want to be skimping on a set of what sounds like dodgy aussy reground cams for this build.

Add it all up........

RB26 used "brand name" cams are much cheaper and easier to get than RB25 used cams

RB26 already has solid lifters

RB26 already has a good plenum and throttle bodies (Theo does 9's with them)

RB26 has better valves, standard

RB26 "brand name" exhaust manifolds are easier and cheaper to buy used

RB26 has 12 mm head bolts standard

RB26 doesn't have VVT, so no mucking around blocking it off or adding external feeds if you want it to work like an RB25

RB26 has superior water jacket around the exhaust ports, whic his important for high power applications

I could go on, but I think you get the drift......

If you add up the cost of the above, you will find even paying $2K more for an RB26 head is still cheaper. I bought a complete RB26 with a blown head gasket for $3K, sold the bottom end for $1500, sold the RB25 head for $600, sold the turbos for $400, used the std cams in an RB20 $300. So the RB26 head cost $200. It took me 3 months to find what I wanted so shop around, it's out there, have your money ready and move quickly the good ones go fast:cheers:

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Thanks, I removed the fuse and the relay from the car and made my own circuit with them to test them with a test bulb.  I will look for the wiring diagram and go from there.
    • Jdm DC2R is also nice for a FF car compared to the regular hatches of the time.
    • Now that the break-in period for both clutch and transmission is nearly over I'd like to give some tips before I forget about everything that happened, also for anyone searching up how to do this job in the future: You will need at least 6 ton jack stands at full extension. I would go as far as to say maybe consider 12 ton jack stands because the height of the transmission + the Harbor Freight hydraulic platform-style transmission jack was enough that it was an absolute PITA getting the transmission out from under the car and back in. The top edge of the bellhousing wants to contact the subframe and oil pan and if you're doing this on the floor forget about trying to lift this transmission off the ground and onto a transmission jack from under the car. Also do not try to use a scissor jack transmission lift. You have to rotate the damn thing in-place on the transmission jack which is hard enough with an adjustable platform and a transmission cradle that will mostly keep the transmission from rolling off the jack but on a scissor lift with a tiny non-adjustable platform? Forget it. Use penetrating oil on the driveshaft bolts. I highly recommend getting a thin 6 point combination (box end + open end) wrench for both the rear driveshaft and front driveshaft and a wrench extension. These bolts are on tight with very little space to work with and those two things together made a massive difference. Even a high torque impact wrench is just the wrong tool for the job here and didn't do what I needed it to do. If your starter bolts aren't seized in place for whatever reason you can in fact snake in a 3/8 inch ratchet + 6 point standard chrome socket up in there and "just" remove the bolts for the starter. Or at least I could. It is entirely by feel, you can barely fit it in, you can barely turn the stupid ratchet, but it is possible. Pull the front pipe/downpipe before you attempt to remove the transmission. In theory you don't have to, in practice just do it.  When pulling the transmission on the way out you don't have to undo all the bolts holding the rear driveshaft to the chassis like the center support bearing and the rear tunnel reinforcement bar but putting the transmission back in I highly recommend doing this because it will let you raise the transmission without constantly dealing with the driveshaft interfering in one way or another. I undid the bottom of the engine mount but I honestly don't know that it helped anything. If you do this make sure you put a towel on the back of the valve cover to keep the engine from smashing all the pipes on the firewall. Once the transmission has been pulled back far enough to clear the dowels you need to twist it in place clockwise if you're sitting behind the transmission. This will rotate the starter down towards the ground. The starter bump seems like it might clear if you twist the transmission the other way but it definitely won't. I have scraped the shit out of my transmission tunnel trying so learn from my mistake. You will need a center punch and an appropriate size drill bit and screw to pull the rear main seal. Then use vice grips and preferably a slide hammer attachment for those vice grips to yank the seal out. Do not let the drill or screw contact any part of the crank and clean the engine carefully after removing the seal to avoid getting metal fragments into the engine. I used a Slide Hammer and Bearing Puller Set, 5 Piece from Harbor Freight to pull the old pilot bearing. The "wet paper towel" trick sucked and just got dirty clutch water everywhere. Buy the tool or borrow it from a friend and save yourself the pain. It comes right out. Mine was very worn compared to the new one and it was starting to show cracks. Soak it in engine oil for a day in case yours has lost all of the oil to the plastic bag it comes in. You may be tempted to get the Nismo aftermarket pilot bearing but local mechanics have told me that they fail prematurely and if they do fail they do far more damage than a failed OEM pilot bushing. I mentioned this before but the Super Coppermix Twin clutch friction disks are in fact directional. The subtle coning of the fingers in both cases should be facing towards the center of the hub. So the coning on the rearmost disk closest to the pressure plate should go towards the engine, and the one closest to the flywheel should be flipped the other way. Otherwise when you torque down the pressure plate it will be warped and if you attempt to drive it like this it will make a very nasty grinding noise. Also, there is in fact an orientation to the washers for the pressure plate if you don't want to damage the anodizing. Rounded side of the washer faces the pressure plate. The flat side faces the bolt head. Pulling the transmission from the transfer case you need to be extremely careful with the shift cover plate. This part is discontinued. Try your best to avoid damaging the mating surfaces or breaking the pry points. I used a dead blow rubber hammer after removing the bolts to smack it sideways to slide it off the RTV the previous mechanic applied. I recommend using gasket dressing on the OEM paper gasket to try and keep the ATF from leaking out of that surface which seems to be a perpetual problem. Undoing the shifter rod end is an absolute PITA. Get a set of roll pin punches. Those are mandatory for this. Also I strongly, strongly recommend getting a palm nailer that will fit your roll pin punch. Also, put a clean (emphasis on clean) towel wrapped around the back end of the roll pin to keep it from shooting into the transfer case so you can spend a good hour or two with a magnet on a stick getting it out. Do not damage the shifter rod end either because those are discontinued as well. Do not use aftermarket flywheel bolts. Or if you do, make sure they are exactly the same dimensions as OEM before you go to install them. I have seen people mention that they got the wrong bolts and it meant having to do the job again. High torque impact wrench makes removal easy. I used some combination of a pry bar and flathead screwdriver to keep the flywheel from turning but consider just buying a proper flywheel lock instead. Just buy the OS Giken clutch alignment tool from RHDJapan. I hated the plastic alignment tool and you will never be confident this thing will work as intended. Don't forget to install the Nismo provided clutch fork boot. Otherwise it will make unearthly noises when you press the clutch pedal as it says on the little installation sheet in Japanese. Also, on both initial disassembly and assembly you must follow torque sequence for the pressure plate bolts. For some reason the Nismo directions tell you to put in the smaller 3 bolts last. I would not do this. Fully insert and thread those bolts to the end first, then tighten the other larger pressure plate bolts according to torque sequence. Then at the end you can also torque these 3 smaller bolts. Doing it the other way can cause these bolts to bind and the whole thing won't fit as it should. Hope this helps someone out there.
×
×
  • Create New...