There aren't many parts of the automobile I'm not willing to work on. However, rebuilding an engine's internals is one of the few jobs I lack confidence and experience in. One day I'll give it a try when time and money are more abundant. Until then, I'll leave it to the experts because there's nothing worse (on the mind and wallet) than grenading a freshly rebuilt engine.
That's why Project Super VIII was shipped from one side of coast to the other. For me, having confidence in a shop that can not only build but take care of your car is critical, even if it is 3,000 miles away.
Chad Block and his team at CBRD do exactly that, and in Chad's words, "For the past seven years, CBRD has chosen the Evo platform as one of our favorites-we have made a lot of mistakes and gains along the way. One of the main issues of 'pain' for us was finding a proper engine supplier that would provide us with consistent results on a day-in-day-out basis. Over the past two years, we have finally ironed that out on our own.
"The one main focus we have is a no-compromise approach to building our own engines. CBRD does not offer 'low-cost' alternatives for our builds; it's done one way and that way only. This means utilizing the best components that we have access to in each and every motor in order to maintain consistency within our brand."
Because of the success CBRD saw firsthand with Pankl Engine Systems in motorsport, it was chosen as the supplier for CBRD's rods and pistons for every single Mitsubishi Evolution engine build. There are no options for CBRD. Chad says, "We have seen great products from many other companies out there, but Pankl's willingness to supply the right product, whether it be off the shelf or custom, has proven them to be the proper 'fit' for CBRD. Does that mean if you don't have a CP piston or Carrillo rod in your engine, it's junk? Of course not. They are simply the go-to solution for CBRD."
So how does CBRD determine what engine build is right for you? In my case, we talked about everything, power and torque goals, fuel, and primary usage. "For the Evo market, we haven't found ourselves jumping on board the 4G64 bandwagon," Chad adds. "Ninety percent of our client base is weekend road racing or track cars, and we are simply not willing to give up the oil squirters and other items that affect proper long-term durability, so we stick with the 4G63 block."
As discussion progressed, we took into consideration displacement and compression ratio. Many things dictate this, but as Chad put it, "The one main goal is maximum efficient power output with the least amount of boost needed to do so." In many cases, CBRD pairs its engine builds with its LMP Vband turbocharger setups, which provide extremely efficient flow on the exhaust side of the motor and make great power at low boost. For my application, we are using a stock location CBRD BBK-BB-B turbocharger that is in the range of a 30R on flow but jam-packed into the stock housing.
Chad did such a great job explaining the reasons why certain internal parts were used that I'll let him do the same for you. "For this engine build, we chose the combination of a billet stroker crank from Manley and a CP/Carrillo piston/rod combo with a slight bump in compression. Since the Evo will be using 93 octane and/or race fuel in the future (with a dual map ECU file), the slight compression jump (9.2:1) allows for excellent spool and great off-boost characteristics.
| "The Manley 94mm Billet Turbo Tuff Crank was chosen in order to increase displacement while keeping the piston/rod ratio in check for long-duration rpm use. Over the past few years, we have found that a proper selection of turbocharger and tube diameters in our packages allows for us to run the lesser displacement setups and still make killer power under the curve.
"The Carillo H-beam rods with Carrillo hardware were chosen to handle future torque capacity, and they're very light. A side-coated CP piston with proper tolerances (which are adjusted depending on what type of coating is used and where) does not have pronounced piston 'slap' like many of the other brands we have seen over the years from other builders.
| "The motor is tanked, inspected, and then is set to be torque-plate-bored/honed/head-surfaced, and from there the components are assembled/balanced and installed. ACL bearings are the bearing of choice in our builds-and we utilize ARP components, as they're the best in the business for fasteners.
| Project Super VIII - It’s What’s Inside That Counts
| "The deck surface of the block is machined for a copper O-ring that will work perfectly with the OEM head gasket to provide us with the proper seal we need for the abuse that this package will see. In the past we had various issues with other companies utilizing stainless steel O-rings in the heads, which without proper seating or overlapping of the O-rings would cause head-to-block sealing integrity issues. The softer copper and diagonal overlay of the rings allows for the proper seal and durability for these applications.
"On the 4G63, the front oil pump balance shaft is kept in its full length to be supported by the center journal, but the counterweights are machined clean. This allows the oil pump to be supported by the shaft and doesn't allow the pump cover to be overloaded on the front side by the timing assembly or the pump gear to 'walk.' It's yet another small but rather important detail in building a motor for extended street or track work."
Toda timing and balancer shaft belts replace the OEM parts, as they are 200 percent stronger and less prone to stretching while being more heat resistant. As for headwork, HeadGames Motorworks will be providing its magic touch with a proper port and polish (you can read all about it in the next installment), while Ferrea valves and valvetrain make up the rest of the moving hardware.
| Kelford camshafts (264-degree intake and 260-degree exhaust) were chosen for their broad torque/horsepower characteristics, and CBRD has never had a failure with them, which can't be said for other brands on the market the company has tested. AEM Tru-Time adjustable cam gears mate the camshafts to the Toda timing belt and make sure everything is timed perfectly.
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| The combination of the enhanced cylinder head and displacement is going to provide a rather fantastic broad curve on the BBK-B-Ball Bearing stock housing turbo setup. There's going to be a lot more fuel needed, so a set of High Impedance Injector Dynamics 1,000cc injectors were chosen for the reliable fuel delivery and superb spray pattern.
| Another must-have for any Evo engine build is the AMS oil pan, which allows for an additional 1.5 quarts of oil and has a slightly different baffle and pickup for more effective oil control in the pan during high-g loading. The additional oil itself is of obvious benefit, both cooling and lubricating the engine.
Finally, CBRD uses Amsoil as its motor oil of choice, with the break-in oil being used for the initial 1 minute of start-up. Then the oil filter is cut open for inspection-and more break-in oil is used for the first 500 miles before being switched to a 10w-40- or 15w-50-weight Amsoil Synthetic.
And there you have it-one hell of a built engine using only the best parts and assembled by CBRD. Hopefully, now you can understand why this process is best left to the professionals. To me, it's much better to be grinning ear to ear when you're turning countless laps at the track than to be losing sleep over a freshly blown motor, even if that means having to save up some bucks for a build such as this.
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