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View Full Version : new build idea... has it been done?



OZZYG_EP3
03-31-2014, 02:33 PM
ok so i know down the line i am going to throw a turbo on my A3 until it blows and then im gonna k24 swap... until i can do all of that i was thinking of doing a first stage of upgrades to start off the build.

heres what im thinking and i would love some feedback.

i wanna get an A2 head to put on the A3 til it blows and then put in on the k24 short block i get. im gonna go with obx v2 race header, some type of midpipe (possibly megan racing but i am reluctant since its less than 2.25 inches and id like to keep whatever midpipe i get through the turbo and swap), to the megan racing axleback (i like the dual tip look to keep the stock look). i want to upgrade to 1000cc injector (no idea what kind), get KPro, and tune it on e85 (there are 2 stations within a few miles of my house). and of course get innovative motor mounts to keep it all stable.

will i need to upgrade to an A2 oil pump in order to handle the higher rev range of the A2 head and bolt ons? how about a fuel pump? i need to know if i need to do this stuff now or when i boost/swap. i wanna do the basics now and hopefully get as close to 200whp as possible with a good tune.

if anyone has gone down a similar road let me know. i wanna start my build but i dont have enough cash to do everything i would need to boost right now so i would like to do a basic stage 1 upgrade to keep it NA for a while until i graduate and get a full time job and save up the money to do a proper turbo build (wont be happy with less than 300whp) on e85.

any advice would be appreciated, but please dont tell me to just swap now or boost now... if i had the funds to do it, it would be done by now.

tlikethedrink
03-31-2014, 05:05 PM
Why spend on a header that will be useless of you want to go turbo?
I say just turbo the a3, when that goes buy a k24. Depending on your hp goals your turbo kit will eliminate the need for a vtec head. Lots of ivtec head k24s run big boost and net good results.

Do this, buy a k24 then swap it in or slap on a turbo kit.

If you really want to stay NA for now buy a k24a1. The cost of an a2 head and bolt ons with a tune is like $1000. A k24a1 should cost in that neighborhood.

OZZYG_EP3
03-31-2014, 06:43 PM
my a3 is strong with less than 100,000 miles so i dont wanna swap until it blows. thats a waste of money. and when i swap i wanna get the k24 out of the tsx which is like 2gs for a good one with low miles thats reputable. and a turbo with everythingg else i need is gonna be in the $4000 range which i dont have. i have the money to do everythjng buttt the actual turbo. the header im getting is like $200 which ill sell for like $100 cause ill have used it for less than a year.

if you asked me two weeks ago what i wanted to do i would have said turbo asap but as ive done more research ive learned to do it the rightttt way its gonna be more than i can currently afford. so im doing alll the other basics firstt. and hey who knows i may like the feel of NA and keep going that direction.

i wanna hear from people who have researched the setup i asked about or actuallly have something similar. ive seen the response "just swap it now" or "just turbo it now" in every other post which is why i still have questions. right now neitherr of those is an option in the next year and i want to start doing something.

no matter what i do im gonna need kpro, midpipe, exhaust, motor mounts, and injectors (to run e85).

i guess my question is, why shouldntt i do this?

USAF EP3
03-31-2014, 08:34 PM
no matter what i do im gonna need kpro, midpipe, exhaust, motor mounts, and injectors (to run e85).

i guess my question is, why shouldntt i do this?

I would do these first as they're gonna cost a pretty penny before you dive into building the engine or buying another one.

superchargedk20
03-31-2014, 10:53 PM
Am I reading this right? U Wana buy an a2 head and put it on ur a3, just to buy a tsx long block down the road and go turbo? Ur gona tune for an Na setup only to re tune again down the road for a turbo setup? Seems like a waste. What if u pop the motor and sustain head damage? Then what? And ur gona have to re tune again once u go turbo again. Save ur money and just boost it down the road if that's ur overall Intentions. I would buy an emusa turbo kit for the a3. Push 280-300 whp easily. And be happy for quite awhile. If it's tuned right it won't blow anytime soon

Ep808
03-31-2014, 11:29 PM
Am I reading this right? U Wana buy an a2 head and put it on ur a3, just to buy a tsx long block down the road and go turbo? Ur gona tune for an Na setup only to re tune again down the road for a turbo setup? Seems like a waste. What if u pop the motor and sustain head damage? Then what? And ur gona have to re tune again once u go turbo again. Save ur money and just boost it down the road if that's ur overall Intentions. I would buy an emusa turbo kit for the a3. Push 280-300 whp easily. And be happy for quite awhile. If it's tuned right it won't blow anytime soon

I would agree. I am going to start a new engine build soon. But for power now I have boosted my a3 with and emusa kit. 800 dollars. Either way you'll be doing injectors, fuel pump, and kpro w/ any turbo set up and that's a big chunk of the cost boosting, so with the a3 boost cheap and it's pretty reliable. Build your engine, throw it in and upgrade the turbo and such as you get the cash. If 300 whp is your goal you can hit that pretty solid on the a3. But the more power you get, the more you'll want! With the emusa kit w/ everything needed your looking at close to 2 g's. But over half that can be used towards your swap anyways.

OZZYG_EP3
04-01-2014, 10:15 AM
ideally my a3 will stay strong and reliable even after the turbo and all so a swap is a last resort if/when i blow the a3.

getting the car retuned isnt the biggest issue. theres a few local places to get it done and the tune is the most important thing so i'll do that as many times as i need to in order to run a safe, reliable, strong setup.

what else did you upgrade when you did the turbo? this is my first time going the turbo route and tbh i dont know every part that im gonna need in order to run it on my car. obviously i need the turbo, intercooler, piping, ssqbov, downpipe, midpipe, axelback, injectors, fuel pump, oil pump, motor mounts and kpro? this probably sounds really inexperienced but thats what i am and im trying to learn. i want to start creating a realistic budget for my build to determine how readily i can get all of this done. if i can do my turbo and everything all at once for less than 3500(including install and tune since i dont have the time, place, equipment, or experience to install a turbo) then ill be boosted by august for honda day in new jersey for sure. but i was talking to someone who said it cost them closer to 5gs for everything, which i dont have right now. if its gonna be in the 5g range to do everything THE RIGHT WAY then im gonna need to do everything in steps.

and does anyone have any advice/experience with the megan racing midpipe axelback combo (the axelback with dual tips that keeps the stock look) this is in my budget now and id like to start accumulating parts to get me motivated to make money to spend money. but i dont wanna buy it just bc its in my budget. if anyone has any ideas of another axelback that looks stockish let me know, and also if you think its just worth it to get a fabricator to make me a 2.5 inch midpipe to connect to the megan axelback

OZZYG_EP3
04-01-2014, 10:16 AM
and is it worth it to swap to the a2 head assuming im keeping the a3 block as long as possible?

superchargedk20
04-01-2014, 10:25 AM
Emusa turbo kit
Kpro
ID injectors
2.5 exhaust with vibrant sleeper series Muffler and vibrant resonator( if u want quiet)
heat wrap
Now for pieces that u could get but don't necessarily need
Fuel pump
Boost , oil, wideband gauge. Get a true af wideband gauge not those dinky 30 dollar ones
Motor mounts
I'm sure I'm missing stuff but that's all I can think of. The install and tune is gona run well over 1k alone . Ur basic tune is 500. Ur turbo install plus anything else extra ur gona have em install I can see costing over a grand itself

Ep808
04-01-2014, 04:59 PM
In all honestly doing the build yourself isn't as scary as it seems. I did mine 2 months ago by myself and since we don't have a dyno on maui I had to street etune. Cost like 200. Had a custom exhaust done, but I did everything else w the help of the legit OG's on ephatch. And when you say the right way, doesn't always mean expensive it means taking your time and not cutting corners. But if you don't have a garage you can rent and aren't confident then I think the install will be pretty expensive. But it is possible to boost under 3 g's. I think first thing is get kpro, and then decide if you want to take the boost road or swap.

tlikethedrink
04-02-2014, 10:08 AM
start with parts that could be used for both set ups.

exhaust, kpro, motor mount inserts wouldnt hurt. an $40 ebay cold air intake wouldnt be too bad if you plan on staying NA for awhile.i was originally going to recommend the emusa kit but thought the "right way" speech was coming.

if you want to go about it for less than $1500-$2k. Buy used kpro for $6-700 and the turbo kit $800. buy the little things needed like the missing coupler/dump pipe and exhaust flange for the dp. buy modified stock RSX injectors (will work for the time being on the cheap) and get a base/street tune. a boost gauge could be had for $30 bucks.

keep in mind that little stuff will add up. i would follow someones build like EP808s to see what he ran into to anticipate any issues.

tlikethedrink
04-02-2014, 10:13 AM
and is it worth it to swap to the a2 head assuming im keeping the a3 block as long as possible?

its possible and people have done it, but if your not going to be happy at 300hp you will be dissapointed >200hp. plus this would cost the same as going with the EMUSA kit...

OZZYG_EP3
04-03-2014, 05:55 AM
awesome man thanks for the info. didnt know the emusa kit could be had for so cheap. probably gonna save up and go that route over the summer. i saw that you could send it to a company that will upgrade the internals to garett standards... is this worth it to do from the start or is it worth it to run the turbo straight from emusa first and if i ever have problems, then have it rebuilt to the garrett internals?
one of my brother's buddies has alot of experience with hondas (hes a master mechanic for honda) and tuning and boost so ill see if i can get him to help me and do the install myself. im gonna need to have a shop install the motor mounts at a minimum still but if i could save the money of the turbo install that would help with all the other little stuff im gonna need/want like a good boost gauge.

OZZYG_EP3
04-03-2014, 05:58 AM
and i dont see the emusa kit as the wrong way at all. i consider the wrong way getting a used beat up turbo, getting it rebuilt, and doing the install all by myself with no help from someone with experience and just running a base turbo tune on kpro.
getting a nice new kit (even if it is inexpensive) is definitely the right way to go about it especially when its paired with the right injectors, exhaust, and tune.

tlikethedrink
04-03-2014, 02:42 PM
lots of people run the kit right out of the box. why not run it for awhile, pick up a spare and have that one rebuilt when funds allow?

Ep808
04-04-2014, 12:38 AM
Yup, I am running kit right out the box, and I am running nice right now. with the oil restrictor the turbo should be fine. And for me I had a custom 2.5 pipe made to hold me over until I can get Tkeller 3 inch pipping shipped out here to hawaii. But the beast pulls nice and is super fun to drive.