+1 getting the vtec water and oil pump will increase reliability too. myne made 177 hp and 128 tq on the dyno with stock gsr cams and head and usdm itr pistons (11:1 compression). and please by all means TUNE IT!!!!

 

yea i can get all the parts for cheap so thats no problem.

well im useing a b16 head its allready set up for the Ls/vtec it has the oil lines and the rest.

 

get the golden eagle kit if you can! its hassle free and comes with a head gasket!

 

yea im going to get the first kit i have the rest of the stuff.

 

the sandwich plate is what is best because you are guaranteed filtered oil all the time!

 

primary factor to consider is rod and rod bolt strength in my opinion, especially if you want to rev it.

Piston speeds in an ls/vtec exceed all vtec engines by a fair amount and the poor rod stroke ratio makes it a short life engine compared to something with better geometry and lower piston speeds. By that I mean a good ls/vtec rebuild might go 70,000 to 100,000 miles before it gets sloppy, while you might get 130,000 on a rebuilt gsr. Also depends on how hard you beat on it. Figuring most here drive a bit hard, the 200,000 mile mark is hard to get to, at least without drinking as much oil as gas.

I don't think ls/vtecs are worth doing unless you get rid of the ls pistons and go with vtec pistons. Ideal set up is forged internals and pushing 12:1 compression and putting some cams in to make the most of the increased compression. you also will need a 2.5-inch exhaust system and headers. Tuning is a must, at least if you are adding performance cams. Type R cams will do if you don't go over 11:1 but they don't really have the duration for 12:1, so you'll want some of the bigger sticks.

Do a good oil line setup to ensure no leaks.

 

+1 good info there nick. IMO keep compression around 11.0:1 for the streets. Anytihng much higher than 11.8:1 is gonna have to be detuned to run pump gas. type r cams will idle nicely and make great midrange power. if you want to rev past 8600 rpm id say get some bigger cams like nick said. however, if the assembly isnt balanced u might do more harm than good revving that high.