I guess today I can check the clearance on the rods. Still waiting on pistons and rings. I browse the internet and see the likes of John Huber, which is what got my brother fired up to talk me into this. People out there making north of 600 hp from a 2.3. That was designed in the early 70's. If you've ever had one of these apart, it's a joke....to think it could handle 400 hp let alone 600, 700, 800??? even. The deck is super thin. I know from reading most of the problems with big hp numbers start with blowing the head gasket. Solutions end with o-ringing the block and head.
Then there are crazy ways to deal with deck distortion. One guy removes the rear freeze plug behind #4 and puts a bolt and block in the water passage, jacks up the deck, fills the block then decks the block. Sort of pre-stresses it. But the deck is so thin anyway, it's hard to believe you can remove much without making it any weaker.
The next thing and if I keep going after this engine expires, is VW TDI ARP head studs. They are the same thread as a 2.3 but they are longer. So the theory here is from someone who sectioned a block. The head bolt bores have about 5/8" more meat left untapped at the bottom. So you drill and tap the headbolt holes deeper. Then use the longer VW ARP head studs. The threads on the studs are way down deep in the hole and not up near the deck which supposedly reduces deck distortion.
All in the name of pursuing more glorious boost. I'm hoping that this first iteration will be capable of 25-30 psi on the HX35. After that, a serious investment in turbo and head/block o-rings will have to take place. It's getting more expensive even before I build the first one.
Jeez, for what I've spent on the head and valve train, I could have had a 600 hp 4.8 LS.
But as @CarMichael Angelo says, those are like bellybuttons. Now, I'm not going to cut a block apart to put some other engine's head on it, but I want to be different. I've already thought if I keep it remotely street legal, the custom plate. NO50 or NO5OH.
My brother and I used to joke that guys running SBC didn't even have to try because you could go to Kroger or Wal-Mart and buy parts. The decklid of my Regal had a sticker that said Not All Big Blocks Wear Bow Ties. That was one of the coolest thing we we ran the Regal. People would do a double take after looking under the hood expecting the obligatory SBC or BBC. Since a 455 Buick has a front distributor and we had cast aluminum valve covers that say BUICK, they would say, damn, how much to get those custom valve covers made for a BBF, or BBM (or anything else they could think of with a front mount distributor.
So I like to poke and prod @CarMichael Angelo all the time, but I understand the whole NO BELLY BUTTON engine thing. It's hard AF making
for combos that didn't exist in the wild. Mike gets hell for all of the do overs, but you have to do it once to screw it up.
Then there are crazy ways to deal with deck distortion. One guy removes the rear freeze plug behind #4 and puts a bolt and block in the water passage, jacks up the deck, fills the block then decks the block. Sort of pre-stresses it. But the deck is so thin anyway, it's hard to believe you can remove much without making it any weaker.
The next thing and if I keep going after this engine expires, is VW TDI ARP head studs. They are the same thread as a 2.3 but they are longer. So the theory here is from someone who sectioned a block. The head bolt bores have about 5/8" more meat left untapped at the bottom. So you drill and tap the headbolt holes deeper. Then use the longer VW ARP head studs. The threads on the studs are way down deep in the hole and not up near the deck which supposedly reduces deck distortion.
All in the name of pursuing more glorious boost. I'm hoping that this first iteration will be capable of 25-30 psi on the HX35. After that, a serious investment in turbo and head/block o-rings will have to take place. It's getting more expensive even before I build the first one.
Jeez, for what I've spent on the head and valve train, I could have had a 600 hp 4.8 LS.
But as @CarMichael Angelo says, those are like bellybuttons. Now, I'm not going to cut a block apart to put some other engine's head on it, but I want to be different. I've already thought if I keep it remotely street legal, the custom plate. NO50 or NO5OH.
My brother and I used to joke that guys running SBC didn't even have to try because you could go to Kroger or Wal-Mart and buy parts. The decklid of my Regal had a sticker that said Not All Big Blocks Wear Bow Ties. That was one of the coolest thing we we ran the Regal. People would do a double take after looking under the hood expecting the obligatory SBC or BBC. Since a 455 Buick has a front distributor and we had cast aluminum valve covers that say BUICK, they would say, damn, how much to get those custom valve covers made for a BBF, or BBM (or anything else they could think of with a front mount distributor.
So I like to poke and prod @CarMichael Angelo all the time, but I understand the whole NO BELLY BUTTON engine thing. It's hard AF making
for combos that didn't exist in the wild. Mike gets hell for all of the do overs, but you have to do it once to screw it up.
