Thread: So....im building my first engine.

yup im doing it.

I manged to pick up a sweet low milage VE block. I plan on putting basically stock spec parts in it, no boreing or anythig crazy.

I do need some info. I have been searching & found some...this thread is mearly going to be a ongoing process of building a engine from scratch , kinda of a how to.


So with that in mind.... ill start with what i know.

I have a VE block with piston squirters in it.
I wanna get some DET pistons, rings. bearings etc...
I will be using a stock DE head that i have port matched & polished smooth & will be having a shop do a valve job & clean it up a bit
i will be running a s15 T28 turbo with stock boost.


I was under the assumption that i could buy all the parts at once, & then put it together, however talking with my mech. buddy. He is telling me that EVERYTHING has to be measured & stuff.

so he says i need to :
get the block honed.
then get the corrct size pistons. then the rings need to be ordered to fit the exzact measurements, then the same needs to happen with the bearings...etc..

anyone have any input?

im not looking to build a monster....im just shooting for about 250 low boost- 280-300 MAX no more than that

any help or info will help

Why spend all that time and money for 250whp? Get a low mileage JDM DE and slap a turbo on that.

WHY? becasue racecar.....lol j/p


but because i want to .

I have a spare DE & a spare VE block. my current motor im gonna boost has 245xxx on it right now, so its not going to last long.

also what is the point to have over 280 on FWD? really none.

But also since i never built a motor, id like to

Ummm...what do you plan on doing about the extra VE oil hole?

threading & then blocking it

block will need to be surfaced and honed. The head should be surfaced as well. I would also have the crank journals micro polished. I would use acl race bearings for the rods and crank. the std acl race bearing covers grade 0-3. I would use gtir main studs or aftermarket. I would also upgrade the head studs(mazworxs) and use a oem vet head gasket. You will also need to replace the front and rear main seals. Don't forget to get a new o-ring for the oil pump. use lots of lube during assembly.

can you elaborate on this a bit?

I was planning on using the ACL bearings, but are you saying the races are better then the standard ? & the standard on cover grade 0-3? (<---that is what im confused about)

Acl race is the higher end bearing. Standard is the size. the standard size covers nissans bearing sizes 0-3. So you buy the standard size and the clearance should be correct. Nissan and honda run very tight clearance from the factory. I used acl race bearing when I built my motor and checked all the clearances with plastigage. All were with in factory spec.

Steve that block was decked just needs to be honed . Get a hold of manny he's got a complete Sr16 block at his house you can prob use the oil pump and upper pan off it .

seems to me you need to find a better mechanic/builder. lol.

If the crank is in good shape meaning no damage to the journals there is no reason to have them measured and sized bearings installed. Just get some ACL race standard size bearings and be done. As for the cylinder walls, if they need a bore and hone then you will need to get oversize pistons. If the wall just needs to be honed then you can use the stock size pistons and rings. Rings can be checked for ring end gaps to make sure they are still within spec and if so done, if they need to be filed then thats easy as well. But ive yet to find a set of rings from any of my builds whether it be with oem parts or aftermarket CP pistons, if the piston to wall clearance is done properly by the machine shop during the bore and hone process the rings provided are already sized for the pistons. And depending on what type of engine its going to be determins what you need to set your ring gap to. Boosted engines usually use a slightly larger gap while n/a motors use a tight ring gap.

Other than that it is not that hard to build one of these motors properly and have it last a long time as long as you have someone that knows what he is doing and the guy your describing knows jack.