1998 GT-Four 3sgte Options

[zCelicaDude]

Hey all,

I am going for an engine rebuild on my 3sgte st205... I'm told that the 1998 3sgte's have a thicker block which allows for safer reboreing.

Basically I wanna end up with about a 450-500 hp at the wheels gt4...

I want to rebore engine with .5mm overbore, I can get CP Pistons (forged pistons and rings)...

HKS Gasket (should I get 1.2 mm or 1.6mm ... whats the differnece???)


ARP bolts.. headstuds

I'm told that the standard rods are ok to around 600hp.? true or false

I'm currently looking for a bigger turbo to get my goal... I dont want an 800hp turbo for a 450 hp project.. so Im thinking of maybe a GT28 or something similar but need to then get a manafold to support it...

Heavy duty clutch kit
Gates cambelt
sports thermostat
sports oil filter
front mount intercooler

Anything else you guys think i should do/get done within reason (i cant spend 20k on this rebuild..)

Thanks

[lagos]

if i were you, i wouldnt crack open the motor. just spend your money on an ems, turbo and fuel upgrades. the 3s is a pretty strong motor, and as long as everything is tuned correctly , i dont see why it wouldnt make 400hp. but, if anything were to happen to the motor, you could always spend the money to rebuild/upgrade it later

This post has been edited by lagos: Mar 18, 2007 - 1:51 AM

[zCelicaDude]

EMS (computer?) turbo upgrades.. what turbo/manafold/downpipe combination hmmm.. custom?
fuel upgrades? i.e. higher capacity fuel pump and 850cc injectors... adjustable fuel presure regulator?

I think I have a cracked ring.. cos after a hard drive under idle it smokes out the back.

[Insanity-74]

Hey all,

I am going for an engine rebuild on my 3sgte st205... I'm told that the 1998 3sgte's have a thicker block which allows for safer reboreing.

This is a bit of an urban myth i`m afraid, having followed some research to find out weather this is true or not, it turns out that, yes some blocks have thicker walls than others, but it dosnt seam to be related to age / year produced and the diferences on blocks tested is very small. The best bet, if you want to go that far is to get the block NDTed, there are several methods to use, Radiography, which uses a radioactive source to produce an image on some film, similar to a camera film...this shows up any cracking withinn the structure of the block, but expensive to do...the next test is called Eddy Current testing...this uses magnetic fields to find the cracks (if any) but usually only shows surface and low level cracks...and of course the final test Dye penetrant testing which uses basically a paint with very small molecules that is drawn into the cracks on the surface of the metal.
If you want to run big power, your better off finding a good block with no cracks in it and dont worry too much about wall thickness cause they are all pretty much the same....with maybe the odd freak that has thicker walls tha normal, but you ,might spend a lifetime searching for one.