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The Benen Saga continues...
So here I am with the car, but no motor. What route do I take? Where do I begin? I initially passed on the B18C Dom was selling because I was planning to go K-Series. After seeing what is available, and seeing the price of what was available, I decided to give D a call and arrange to buy his motor. This 1994 B18C was not put together, and would also need some parts. I figured it'd be worth it, since the block had just been sent out, and it had a lot of extras. So I arranged to pick up the motor/tranny/etc on the way back from a PBA Regional in Sacramento. I borrowed a Honda CRV and loaded that bad boy up! Got the motor home, and called my friend Josh...
Meet Josh everybody!
I couldn't have done this project without Josh's help, he's a madman when it comes to anything mechanical. Josh grew up in So Cal, even went to the same High School as myself. After graduating, he moved to Arkansas, and came back with a poot in his voice and a wrench in his hand. His hobbies include building cars, drinking beer, and other types of ill shit. We joke around a lot and laugh, which is why I get along with him so well...
Anyway, time for inspection!
Didn't take long for us to find a problem. The head failed the leakdown test when pouring water into the ports. Just about every exhaust valve was leaking! Well, that was our first hurdle in building this motor. The head shop does not open Saturdays, so we had to put our plans of building the motor that day aside. I made a list of everything we needed to replace, leaving no expense spared. Luckily for me, I had a friend at Acura who helped get me all the OEM parts I needed along the way, with a nice discount to boot! Every seal, every belt, every hose, and every other wear & tear part was replaced. This motor was going to be 100% NEW.
Anyway, my buddy Lenden came over that morning and fabricated some sliding seat brackets, while we checked the block for correct torque specs, clearance, honing, and to make sure it wasn't warped. I decided to order a new oil pan because the teflon coating was chipping away on the inside. Didn't want to take any chances! While I was at it, I ordered a new 65mm Edelbrock throttle body to match up to the Edelbrock Victor X Intake manifold. I also sent the door panels out to our friend Doug's shop to get re-wrapped in vinyl, as they were looking hideous. I got the Sparco steering wheel for my birthday... I was oogling it for a few weeks!
