David's CA18DET build-up thread!

:rendeer:
My last post was last month and ive been piling up on some pictures that ive been meaning to get up but just havent had the time (aka laziness). Its not a huge update or the most exciting update but... it is what is.

Earlier in the year it was easier to buy parts (i was working a lot more hours) and get things done but now that its cold and almost winter time, im just not bringing in the dough to make it go as fast as id like to. I work for Sherwin Williams as a "sales associate" and they decide that winter is a slow season for painting so they've cut back on my hours and that takes its toll on my paychecks. Its tough saving your money when you've got college, insurance, and bills to pay aswell as other expenses. Oh and with Christmas on its way... its not lookin' too good. Slowly but surely, i will make it through this! Well heres some pictures of what ive been upto lately. Let me know if youve got any ideas, comments, or whatever. Enjoy!


These first ones are from my intake manifold. I took more pictures but i think you get the idea. Its just a simple disassembly. Its now waiting to be bead blasted, ported/polished and maybe powdercoated.







And this is from the inside of the plenum. Get a load of the pattern of the crap in there. I thought the camera captured good detail here.




Next are my covers. These were glass bead blasted and now are waiting on some red powdercoating. Im going to take them in after the head is finished. Im also going to be getting other parts blasted like intake manifold, butterfly mani, fuel rail, etc. etc. It depends if i want to spend the money... we'll see.

Before:



Now:












Finally i have some pictures of my block being painted and the color and product i chose. When i got it back home, dumbass me was too anxious, impatient and excited to get the engine back on the stand that i chipped the paint a little using the hoist and chain. I shouldve had someone give me a hand taking it out of the car like i did at school. Oh well, thats what i get. lol.

This is what i used. I went with "Aluminum" because it reflected the most light and preferred it over "Cast Coat Aluminum" or some other dark color. I used primer, a finish coat, and a clear coat on the block, oil pan, and other things that you might be able to see from the pictures.



This was the two test samples i did before deciding on the color. You can see the slight difference between the two.

































Well thats it this time. Im now waiting on more money, parts, and warmer weather. Peace!


Oh this a pic Dattodue's ca from nico.

Dude i got to see that engine in person. Good job

that reminds me i need to paint my block

good to see it's comming along man

Props on the build soon it will be ready to beat on..Yo roski we have same job and by god does it pay well!!!

HAha
FA SHO. . . .
the only problem is SAVING money. .. and not wastin it on kicks. . .

Ah i know what u mean im trying to buy an sr and finish my front end aswell but temptation is a mutha#@$%*... So whats the name of ur company?

TRUCK BOY BUY MY SR!

thats confidential. ..
i'm wanted by the feds. . .
(no joke). ..

ROSKILLER wrote:

thats confidential. ..
i'm wanted by the feds. . .
(no joke). ..

somehow that does not surprise me...

Specter wrote:

ROSKILLER wrote:

thats confidential. ..
i'm wanted by the feds. . .
(no joke). ..

somehow that does not surprise me...

AhaHAAHAHahahHHAHahaA

this has got to be the cleanest stock ka i have ever seen in my life. bravo.

Nice build btw. Hows the whole parts thing coming along? I know its pretty scarce as for the aftermarket parts for that motor but i must say its looking really promising.

my friend put a ca into his hatch maybe you 2 can get to talking. maybe help eachother out.


Matty

TaCo_StaMp wrote:

Matty

Quote :

this has got to be the cleanest stock ka i have ever seen in my life. bravo.

Thanks! In the summer, i like washing the engine bay down and making it shiney! Self gratification from having a clean and spotless car.

Quote :

Nice build btw. Hows the whole parts thing coming along? I know its pretty scarce as for the aftermarket parts for that motor but i must say its looking really promising.

Actually you know what? It really isnt. What do you need? What aftermarket? Or an OEM piece? I can point you in the direction if you need something.

Well here some things that can be found with some searching. A used clip, motorset, engine only, tranny, new or used block, new or used oem and aftermarket billet crank, 2.0L stroker cranks, oem forged rods or aftermarket billet rods, oem pistons and aftermarket forged pistons in different bore sizes, compressions and shape, 4 or 8 port heads, oem and aftermarket camshafts from Jun Tomei and HKS, not to mention matching valvetrain from these. Exhaust manifolds can be found for fairly cheap. Turbo chargers of different sizes and intercoolers. ECUs, piggybacks, ignition and fuel computers, stand-alones, etc can also be found but all at a reasonable price. Water pump, oil pump, seals, gaskets, belts, oils, sensors, etc. can be bought at local autoparts stores. The CA was in the Pulsars here in the USA. Oh the list goes on but then id have to make a seperate thread for it. With the right tuning, the CA18 is known as a bullet-proof little motor, so i have read. We'll see!

Quote :

my friend put a ca into his hatch maybe you 2 can get to talking. maybe help eachother out.

Oh really?! Whats his name? Is he on here? Does he have email? I'd like to meet him as i would be very interested in seeing his CA project.

yea dude for sure. His names Alex lives in Buffalo Grove. If you want i can tell him to give you a call.


Matty

My email and yahoo sn is davidricardo86@yahoo.com. That would be the best way to get a hold of me. Or the house phone.

Hey! Well its a new year now and i have small update guys! With Christmas and new years out of the way, im jumping back in the game and ready for more. I took the initiative and took lots of photos of my intake manifold and 8 port runners because i was bored and wanted to do something! I did also because i know the 4 port and 8 port topics have come up and i know these pictures can be useful. They can also be linked or used to further explain or help explain some things that are related to this. Ryan, maybe you could get some ideas from this when you do the 4/8 port head/manifold comparisons. Let me know what you guys think.

Also I am getting the head done as soon as i can get access to it. I left it at my school and its been locked there since my Christmas vacation started! I have the money i want to get it done ASAP. Ill post and update once its done. Any recommendations before i take it to the machinist are greatly appreciated. Right now all i have in mind are a 3 angle valve job, new valve guides, and maybe some light port/ polishing accompanied with some flow bench time. You never know, ill let you guys know what happened later.







































Anyone can use the pictures, just tell 'em David took 'em. :bigthumb

Well i finally got my head done guys! Here's some pics i took of it when i first got it. I had it cleaned, new stem seals, rebuilt lifters by Float_6969, 3 angle valve job, new exhaust valve(one was out of spec/bad), it was milled and reassembled. I kept all the old hardware because it was still good and within manufacturer's specs. I orignally was planning on upgrading the cams, springs, and a few other things. Well i did more research on turbocharging and tuning and my mind changed a bit. Bigger cams wouldve meant a bigger turbo, more fuel, ecu re-tune, and a few other things to accommodate the new camshafts. The stock cams are perfectly fine for starters which are great for overall response, little overlap, and little turbo lag. Eventually i want to autocross and maybe time trail so this will definately work for me. Anyways im going with the "start off small and later go bigger" concept. Ill still be able to have lots of fun and it will be a learning process, just like this whole project i got myself into.

Any input appreciated.
































Modified by davidricardo86 at 7:02 PM 1/28/2007

Am i worrying too much?

Alirght now these next pictures are from the bottom or mating surface that was milled. I took the head to a different shop, not the one i took my block to. The shop, Windy City Machine Shop, wasnt as organized, expensive, or looked dingy compared to the shop i took my block to. Someone recommended them and said they were good and worth a try.

Anyways i was planning on using an appropriate sized Cometic MLS headgasket because i had the block decked and the head milled. I tried taking high resolution pics of the job done to show that theres fine scratches and lines. Now some are very very small and some i CAN feel with my nails, some i can't. I am not too happy about this and worried that if i did use a metal HG, that id run into trouble with sealing issues. I read all the old posts on headgaskets and now am concerned about this. I would hate to have to spend more money on this, again. I do have an OEM HG that i was thinking about using instead.

I asked how much material was removed from the head and they told me 0.007". The machine shop that decked my block said they do the minimum but i forgot to ask back when i had it done, im dumb. They told me its usually 0.001"-0.003".

damn I'd be pissed but on a happier note I like the way you got the head just sitting on your kitchen table lol

looks good very very nice keep us updated.

looks good very very nice keep us updated.

bring that head back. get a refund. go somewhere else.

yup, that shop that did your head is garbage...

do as kevin [dc2_lsvtec] says

anyways that has to be the cleanest factory new engine ever... christ that's clean

Fuck yeah dude take it back.......Props on the build though.

Well guys i got the head back and i must say i am now satisfied and ready to continue along with the project! The shop that did my head the first time wasnt exactly a "performance" shop, more of just a "rebuild" shop so they wont take the measures that a performance shop would.

Last time i posted, the head had scratches and didnt look good enough for the Cometic MLS headgasket i was planning on using. Some of the scratches you could literally feel with a sharp finger nail! I took it back to my favorite machinist, Precision Engine Rebuilders, and they told me that it wasnt too bad and that i wouldnt run into any problems with the type of headgasket i wanted to use. The owner told me this and he also said that as long as there wasnt any deep scratches running across the fire rings, id be ok. But since there was a deep scratch that would've possed a threat, i decided to have the head milled once again. While they were at that, the filled down any sharp edges formed from the milling process. They also had to remove the cams so all the valves could close. From the pictures provided you will be able to see the paint that has come off from the valves from the previouse shop.

Let this be a lesson to me and all the future CA or any tuners that follow! Make sure you have critical and very important machining done by a reputable, experienced, and equiped machinist! If not, you'll end up paying twice like i did! Learn from others' mistakes so you wont have to repeat them!








Luckily this little detour only cost me $60.00. Phew! :bigthumb Heres my head as of now. Just waiting for that Cometic head gasket to arrive (1.55mm). The mating surface shines just like in the pictures. I know that its not that obvious in the pictures but in real life and up close its Amazing!

damn thats clean.... head looks much better now. good luck with the rest of the build and keep us updated