Looking at the photo to the right, you may be wondering why Cosworth product planner, Sierra Sierra Enterprises tech, and all-around import tuning guru Eric Hsu is measuring an AN fitting with a digital caliper. He's not. When a reader sent that fitting to Eric this month, asking why it wouldn't fit in place of valve stem caps on his '87 Corsica, Eric demanded we snap a pic of him single-handedly crushing it with said calipers, to demonstrate "what he's gonna do to the next kid who asks a stupid question."
Send your worst to: questionit@importtuner.com and put your helmets on.
B-Series Killer
I'm building my first Honda D16A6 motor and was advised to sleeve the block, port and polish the head, and buy a turbo setup to be able to decimate any B-series car on the street. What is the maximum bore size the D16 block can handle, and do you have any suggestion on which parts to use when beefing up the internals? I don't want to spend a bunch of money on expensive internals, but my goal is to make 300 hp with a turbocharger.
-Henry Pendley
Shawnee, OK
Three hundred horsepower can be accomplished on an un-sleeved block, as long as the fuel and ignition are tuned correctly. You say you don't want to spend a lot of money, but you also mention boring the block, porting and polishing the head, and adding a turbo setup. The reality is that all of these things are pretty pricey if you want to do them right. You might be able to find some good buys on the forums or eBay, but stay away from the crappy, made-in-China parts. As far as a D-series motor "decimating" a B-series goes, I'm going to disagree with you there. While the D-series motors can definitely be built for big power, it's easier on a B-series with two independently tunable camshafts and a better flowing head.
Nissan Lover
Since day one with my B14 coupe, I've been in love with the Nissan 200SX SE-R. I have dreamt about modifying this beauty, but have no clue where to start. Should I get the 2.0L SR20DE bored out to 2.2 liters, gut the interior to drop weight, and build it all-motor? Should I add a Jim Wolf Technology turbo kit? Or maybe just swap it for an SR20DET? I'm a big Nissan fan and would love to really do justice to this car by doing things right the first time.
-Nicolas
via importtuner.com
Since I have no idea what your budget is, I'm not really sure which route you should go. I can tell you that removing interior parts is generally one of the last things I do, because there really is very little gain for the inconvenience of removing comfort out of a street car. Something I do recommend is sticking to a company that is knowledgeable about your particular car. That company, in the case of the SE-R, would definitely be Jim Wolf Technology. Their SE-R turbo system is great and their ECU mapping always does the job reliably. And with the stock DE engine, you won't have to sweat the off-chance that it could be viewed as stolen or illegally imported. If you have the budget, just go straight for the Jim Wolf turbo.
Stalling Out
I recently replaced the stock blow-off valve on my '03 EVO VIII with an EVO IX unit, and installed an aftermarket intake system. Is it normal for an EVO with these mods to almost stall when in neutral, or is this a sign of trouble?
-Louis Rothman
Rochester, NY
No, I wouldn't say that is normal. It sounds like air is sneaking past your MAF sensor. The first thing to do is check for an air leak and replace any clamps or hoses that are questionable. If that doesn't work, check the blow-off valve for bleed-off, then call the manufacturer of your intake and ask them for advice as a last-ditch.
Good luck.