Just How Reliable Is a LS Conversion

rcj

Member
Hey you guys i have a question. Might seem newb but still imma ask anyway. Just how reliable is a b18b1 lower end with a vtech top end. Im wondering if its even possible because of the difference in compression from top to bottom. Im asking because im thinking about doing it and using it as a Daily Driver. I don't Race or anything but a am looking to mod a little bit. Thanks for you guys time :shock:
 

cody1018

Member
Just browse the Forums there are many opnions on the subject.. Some ppl say their s*** others say their great.. But in all honesty it depends on much time and effort you put in building your bottom and properly.. Reliablilty for an LSV only goes as far as how much you wanna spend.. Just do some research on it.

You would probably be better off boosting it IMO
 

Samurai_Blue

Yolo Whippin'
This is the thing: its as reliable as you want it to be.

if you put in the time, and effort it will work. If you half ass it, it will fail. Using a gsr ecu or a basemap is one way to ensure you have an unreliable build - a dyno tune will solve this, and if you are in CA i suggest either DnR in the bay area or Raceline in so cal LA area.

Secondly it depends on the parts you use and how they are machined. getting the right sized bearing is important, getting a good hone and bore is good as well. slapping the two together and just calling it a day may not yeild the best results.
 

rcj

Member
cody1018 said:
Just browse the Forums there are many opnions on the subject.. Some ppl say their s*** others say their great.. But in all honesty it depends on much time and effort you put in building your bottom and properly.. Reliablilty for an LSV only goes as far as how much you wanna spend.. Just do some research on it.

You would probably be better off boosting it IMO
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ok thanks i havent decided yet. but if i do go boost what systems are recommended?:lol:
 


rcj

Member
Samurai_Blue said:
This is the thing: its as reliable as you want it to be.

if you put in the time, and effort it will work. If you half ass it, it will fail. Using a gsr ecu or a basemap is one way to ensure you have an unreliable build - a dyno tune will solve this, and if you are in CA i suggest either DnR in the bay area or Raceline in so cal LA area.

Secondly it depends on the parts you use and how they are machined. getting the right sized bearing is important, getting a good hone and bore is good as well. slapping the two together and just calling it a day may not yeild the best results.
Click to expand...
Ok i gotcha. So its waaayyyy more to building a proper ls vtech than changing the head, and remapping the ecu lol. man i have a lot to learn. btw im in Georgia so i dont think imma be able to tune anytime soon.
 

Samurai_Blue

Yolo Whippin'
there are lots of places in georgia and florida to tune...and i mean you can slap on a vtec head and call it a day. just dont expect it to last forever.
 

cody1018

Member
rcj said:
ok thanks i havent decided yet. but if i do go boost what systems are recommended?:lol:
Click to expand...
I'm defiently not the one to talk about boosting.. But there are so many systems out there to get the job done and it depends on all what you want to do but even then like Samurai said you still have to get it dyno'ed because you can just throw a turbo set up on it and expect it to run perfectly, anytime you do engine modifications to your car alters it in different ways. So just mindful of what your doing and do alot of research to see if it'll fit your needs. There are tons of Forums on here that will aid you in doing so.
 


94RS

No fucks given.
rcj said:
Hey you guys i have a question. Might seem newb but still imma ask anyway. Just how reliable is a b18b1 lower end with a vtech top end. Im wondering if its even possible because of the difference in compression from top to bottom. Im asking because im thinking about doing it and using it as a Daily Driver. I don't Race or anything but a am looking to mod a little bit. Thanks for you guys time :shock:
Click to expand...
rcj said:
Ok i gotcha. So its waaayyyy more to building a proper ls vtech than changing the head, and remapping the ecu lol. man i have a lot to learn. btw im in Georgia so i dont think imma be able to tune anytime soon.
Click to expand...




I'm sure you don't want a toy or a phone in your engine. :thumbup:
 

Prozon

Kris
LS/Vtec is probably in the top ten as far as questions go. A Google query could answer most if not all of your questions.

$400 to get a conversion kid from Password JDM.
$65 for ARP rod bolts.
$120 for some arp head studs.
$100 for a new head gasket.
$50-200 to get everything machined.
$100-500 tune.

That is of course if you're doing all the labor yourself. It should be fairly reliable with a little more power than your LS.
 

dlo253

Active Member
fullrace makes a kit for like $80, if you are going the route of getting the block machined..
 

Tegz

EV1L EMPIRE
My first Teg was a 1994 LS in which I did a LS-Vtec build. This was back in 2003 after I graduated High School. It later was boosted and tuned for 8psi. Nice fun daily driver and never gave me any problems whatsoever. Just sold the car earlier this year running tip top at 250k original miles. No rebuild.

My 1996 RS will undergo similar surgery. =)
 

dlo253

Active Member
Wait, so you literally just slapped the head on and went basically?! As in no rebuild? Scary, but goes to show you anything is possible. I wouldnt bother with the kits. More parts to fail, but thats just me. You can get it done the "correct" way with machining for not much more if any. But if time is an issue go with the GE kit.
 

Tegz

EV1L EMPIRE
dlo253 said:
Wait, so you literally just slapped the head on and went basically?! As in no rebuild? Scary, but goes to show you anything is possible. I wouldnt bother with the kits. More parts to fail, but thats just me. You can get it done the "correct" way with machining for not much more if any. But if time is an issue go with the GE kit.
Click to expand...
No I didn't just slap it together and I never said I did. I just said in it's lifetime, I never had to rebuild it and it still ran fine when I sold the car. It was swapped into a buddies CRX and was rebuilt for more boost.

The Golden Eagle kit is a good reliable kit. Mind you I don't beat the shit out of my vehicles. So maybe that helped. :what:
 
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