1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

[Ralliart16]

Q&A: viewtopic.php?f=61&t=32847

First I will preface with the history of my car for those that do not know it. A few years ago I picked up a busted up '95 SC2 for like $500 and decided I would rebuild it. Needless to say, the rebuild turned into a ground up build where I (literally) removed every nut and bolt on the car. EVERYTHING was replaced, most stuff OEM where it matters. New suspension, wheels, black leather interior swap, engine, the works.

Some old pics:






Whole picture archive found here:
http://tsnhosting.net/ralliart16/Rebuild_v1/

[Ralliart16]

Re: 1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

So the new engine runs fine, however the compression is slightly low in all cylinders (~200 psi, should be 230-240). Not enough to affect driving, but enough to make less power than it's capable of. I have my suspicions of the causes - and will verify it upon engine disassembly. Anyway, I had this 2002 engine lying around and figured I'd try a new build.

New build consists of:
-'02 Block (.040 over) & Crankshaft
-'02 Tie Plate
-'02 Rods & Sealed Power Pistons
-Hastings Rings
-'94 Head (Milled .040")

The '02 rod and pistons combo has a longer rod and a shorter piston, which is desirable for a N/A engine. The ring lands are also thinner, which is again desirable for N/A as they are strong enough for the engine and the thinner rings reduce friction. I took everything to a trusted machine shop this time and even bought all the measuring tools I needed to double check their work.

[Ralliart16]

Re: 1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

Parts back from machine shop - double checking specifications:

[Ralliart16]

Re: 1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

Parts all ready for assembly

[Ralliart16]

Re: 1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

Engine is put together for the most part. B/c of the defective head gasket, I'm waiting on a new Fel-Pro one to come into the parts store tomorrow morning then I'll get the head on. I really like the 02 parts better than the 1st gen style. While the rod bolts are a little more pain b/c you have to use torque angle (19 ft lbs + 75 degrees), the torque angle is far superior over a simple tq spec for getting the proper bolt stretch / load. Upon spinning the engine by hand, it feels to turn over a lot smoother than I remember my last engine doing. Likely due to the shorter piston / thinner rings so there is a lot less friction.

[Ralliart16]

Re: 1995 SC2 Stock-ish Rebuild

Well after the head bolt fiasco (see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32914 ) I decided to work on the trans. Got it all together and went smoothly. Basically I just used a new case w/ new axle seals and swapped my older trans internals. The old trans was fine, but the case itself was damaged / leaked.






Also got the old engine pulled. Man my engine bay is dirty after 15k miles...