Sleeved Block Big(ish) Turbo Build

[stevenpennington]

To start, I'm Steven and I've been lurking on the forums for over a year now.
I bought my 2008 MS3 in July 2016 with just under 90k miles and planned to rebuild it this year once it got to 100k. Unfortunately, as it turned over to 103k in August this year, I threw a rod and I've been ordering parts bit by bit since then.

Mods at time of zzb were:
Autotech Internals
Cobb V3 Accessport
JBR 70 Duro Trilogy Mounts
JBR SRI
Ebay test pipe
Resonator delete
Stratified OTS+ 93 Octane Tune

Engine:
Darton MID wet sleeves
Manley 88mm 9.5:1 pistons w/ upgraded wrist pins
Manley H-Tuff rods w/ ARP 625 bolts
SP63 CA625 head studs
ARP 2000 main studs
JBR BSD
Clevite H series rod bearings
Kind Racing XP series main bearings
Supertech Valvetrain (Valves, Springs, Guides, Seats, Retainers, Seals)
ARP 2000 flywheel bolts
ACT 6-puck clutch
ACT prolite flywheel
Massive Speed Systems keyed crank/sprockets
Damond EGR delete

Turbo System:
Custom V-Band top mount manifold
Precision 5858 BB (for now, planning to move to a 6062 further along)
Grimmspeed 3 port EBCS
Bosch 3.5 Bar MAP sensor
Turbosmart Hypergate 45mm EWG
Turbosmart Supersonic BOV
Custom hood exit exhaust/wastegate dump
Treadstone TR10C intercooler w/ custom under mounted piping

I was hoping to experiment with the idea of relocating the MAF sensor into the cold pipe for a few reasons:
1. Avoiding issues with the BOV being VTA
2. To avoid having to relocate the battery/ECU for an intake

Not sure if it will be successful, as we haven't gotten to that yet, however I plan to speak with the tuner for his impressions before-hand. In any case, I will likely just bite the bullet and go with a 4" intake and shuffle whatever obstructs it.

On to the fueling:
Though I have yet to order the intake manifold, I'm leaning toward the JMF V2 as opposed to the FST, reason being that it's metal (the whole plastic manifold + 35 psi of boost idea doesn't sit too well with me!)
Aside from that, I plan to go with a DW 300, Aeromotive boost referenced FPR, 1200cc injectors, and CP-E Injector Seals. I'll leave it to my engine builder to decide whether or not it will be a return-style system.
As E85 is only available in 5 gallon pails on island (equivalent of $21.60 USD per gallon), I plan to have a 93 octane tune as well as an E85 tune for racing.

I'm sure I left out a few things, if I remember anything I'll come back to add them-- Just wanted to quickly write this up in my few spare moments at work.

Any input/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

(Updates to follow...)

[Djohns]

Sounds like a great build! I’d go with the CS injector seals though, they’re definitely proven better than CPE, also you can run a guardian angel and run a BOV without issue plus that’s kinda a nice little security to have.

[Fstrnyou]

Originally Posted by stevenpennington ...as opposed to the FST, reason being that it's metal (the whole plastic manifold + 35 psi of boost idea doesn't sit too well with me!)

I think you'll be fine:

https://youtu.be/_uZGSsZH7YE

[stevenpennington]

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the seals--I'll definitely look into that a bit more.

And thank you for the link to the pressure test, that'll help me in making my decision!

[Thor Hammer]

Sounds like a great build!

[stevenpennington]

Originally Posted by Thor Hammer Sounds like a great build!

Thanks! I'm hoping it turns out as well as I'm planning!

Also, just a small update-- I've decided to go with the CS Injector seals after the above suggestion inspired me to do some further research. I found an old thread on another forum that voiced quite a few peoples' struggles concerns with the CP-E set.

In addition, I've decided to go with the standard Treadstone TR10, as opposed to the TR10c, in hopes of not having to entirely compromise the crash bar.

I should be sending the head and valvetrain components off to the states within a few days to have the machine work done and then I'll hopefully be able to have the motor assembled!

[Jeff23spl]

Interesting!

If E85 is hard to find, why not injecting methanol instead ? There is no e85 at the pump where i live so i use w/m kit instead. The good thing with w/m kit is that you only consume it when you need it.

Then if you plan large turbo did you consider higher compression ?

[stevenpennington]

Originally Posted by Jeff23spl Interesting! If E85 is hard to find, why not injecting methanol instead ? There is no e85 at the pump where i live so i use w/m kit instead. The good thing with w/m kit is that you only consume it when you need it. Then if you plan large turbo did you consider higher compression ?

That was my original plan--to run a direct port setup. Unfortunately, methanol isn't available locally either (living on an island really does have its drawbacks sometimes).
I even reached out to the supplier of the E85 and race fuels about bringing in a special order, but the minimum required quantity was a 55 gallon drum.

Also, I'd looked into the CP-E Stage 2 higher compression pistons, but at the time, I wasn't going with such an extensive build.
I'd planned to just do the bottom end, so I ordered the pistons listed in my OP, and the basic Manley H-Beam rods (which I returned since they hadn't been shipped out of the US yet).
Started to take the engine apart and then we noticed that block was done for, so I got my hands on what I understand to be the ONLY other ms3/ms6 engine on island. Lucky right? Not so much.

We came to find out that the engine I bought had been sitting for years and boring it to 88mm wasn't enough to remove the corrosion, so I went ahead with just getting that block sleeved.
At that point, I'd already received the 9.5:1 pistons, so I figured it'd make more sense to keep them.

[Djohns]

Originally Posted by stevenpennington That was my original plan--to run a direct port setup. Unfortunately, methanol isn't available locally either (living on an island really does have its drawbacks sometimes). I even reached out to the supplier of the E85 and race fuels about bringing in a special order, but the minimum required quantity was a 55 gallon drum. Also, I'd looked into the CP-E Stage 2 higher compression pistons, but at the time, I wasn't going with such an extensive build. I'd planned to just do the bottom end, so I ordered the pistons listed in my OP, and the basic Manley H-Beam rods (which I returned since they hadn't been shipped out of the US yet). Started to take the engine apart and then we noticed that block was done for, so I got my hands on what I understand to be the ONLY other ms3/ms6 engine on island. Lucky right? Not so much. We came to find out that the engine I bought had been sitting for years and boring it to 88mm wasn't enough to remove the corrosion, so I went ahead with just getting that block sleeved. At that point, I'd already received the 9.5:1 pistons, so I figured it'd make more sense to keep them.

When it comes to meth I mix my own since research suggest there really isn’t that much of a benefit of running 100% meth as opposed to a 50% mix. So I mix my own using blue window washer fluid (-20) and 3 bottles of heat. That makes a 50/50 mixture. Not sure if those are readily available to you on the island, but they can be ordered online in much smaller quantities and they’re relatively cheap.

[stevenpennington]

Originally Posted by Djohns When it comes to meth I mix my own since research suggest there really isn’t that much of a benefit of running 100% meth as opposed to a 50% mix. So I mix my own using blue window washer fluid (-20) and 3 bottles of heat. That makes a 50/50 mixture. Not sure if those are readily available to you on the island, but they can be ordered online in much smaller quantities and they’re relatively cheap.

My fear with meth injection is the risk of system failure. But thanks for the heads up regarding the mixture ratio.

I'd looked at bringing in the Snow Performance Boost Juice, but the import duty that Customs charges on fuels/chemicals is ridiculous.

If I end up being unhappy with having the multiple tunes to switch between, I'll look into the meth injection again.

[Jeff23spl]

i dont use the pre-mix stuff either, i do my own by buying methanol and mix it with tap water.
You can usually find it at home depot or hardware store. It also found for trucks air brakes line anti-freeze etc....Basically most fuel antifreeze are methanol based....I'm pretty sure you can figure out a place to get some...
Just be aware that some winter washer fluid can have detergent or additives in it that may not be nice for the engine...(The cheapest winter one usually don't have more than methanol and water... )

The issues i had with meth was at -30deg Celcius, the boost port of the controler can freeze and it can trap a pressure to constantly inject juice even at iddle so i switch it off below -15degC to avoid that...(anyway i have no traction to use boost at that temp. )
The other issue was a disconnected nylon hose...after time, the quick release connector may get worn and lack of grip....One may get ANL hose instead if afraid of this.

W/M can be used for peace of mind. Even if you don't run an agressive timing curve, you can benefit from it during hotter days or when the IC is heat soaked....(Probably against the conditions that cost you the engine) If it isn't vital as a fuel adder for the engine, it won't be worse to have a w/m failure than filling the tank with bad fuels....

Instead of going full retard with a separate fail safe unit and a lot of stuff. You can take a kit with a tank level sensor and a pump current monitoring. The ''in car'' led let you know if you are empty or if the pump fail. Then, after a while you will know about how fast you need to refill so if the tank get empty on just 1 pull, you know a hose is disconnected or if it last forever, you know there could be something blocking the path....I put level marks on my tank to better see how it goes...

[stevenpennington]

Originally Posted by Jeff23spl i dont use the pre-mix stuff either, i do my own by buying methanol and mix it with tap water. You can usually find it at home depot or hardware store. It also found for trucks air brakes line anti-freeze etc....Basically most fuel antifreeze are methanol based....I'm pretty sure you can figure out a place to get some... Just be aware that some winter washer fluid can have detergent or additives in it that may not be nice for the engine...(The cheapest winter one usually don't have more than methanol and water... ) The issues i had with meth was at -30deg Celcius, the boost port of the controler can freeze and it can trap a pressure to constantly inject juice even at iddle so i switch it off below -15degC to avoid that...(anyway i have no traction to use boost at that temp. ) The other issue was a disconnected nylon hose...after time, the quick release connector may get worn and lack of grip....One may get ANL hose instead if afraid of this. W/M can be used for peace of mind. Even if you don't run an agressive timing curve, you can benefit from it during hotter days or when the IC is heat soaked....(Probably against the conditions that cost you the engine) If it isn't vital as a fuel adder for the engine, it won't be worse to have a w/m failure than filling the tank with bad fuels.... Instead of going full retard with a separate fail safe unit and a lot of stuff. You can take a kit with a tank level sensor and a pump current monitoring. The ''in car'' led let you know if you are empty or if the pump fail. Then, after a while you will know about how fast you need to refill so if the tank get empty on just 1 pull, you know a hose is disconnected or if it last forever, you know there could be something blocking the path....I put level marks on my tank to better see how it goes...

Fortunately for me, I won't have to worry about the cold weather issues if I do end up going with meth (if it gets below 70 degrees Fahrenheit it's a miracle)!

I do like the idea of having it for the hotter days though, because as I said, it tends to be quite hot here most of the year.

Fortunately I have some time to decide on this before the car goes back on the road. Thanks for the info and suggestions!

[torquemaniac]

The Aquamist HFS-4 injection system has all the failsafe you could want...check it here : ---- 806-065 ----- HFS4-v3.1 system for DI engines The most advanced system to date. - aquamist-direct.com

[5doorsoffury]

Shit if i lived on a island i would get the 55gal drum and sell half of it off to the locals by the gallon... bt built block will run thru a lot of meth. You can always do in tank meth to. If meth will be the octane of choise get a fail safe and you will be as golden as a shower.

[stevenpennington]

In the end, I think my best bet will be just running the car on E85 and buying a beater/cheap daily. It'll save me a lot of hassle with switching tunes, and I'll only have to worry about filling one tank--without being concerned about the availability of the fuel.

Thanks for the suggestions though!