If you are looking here maybe you are looking into do something to your own RedBlock engine. Let’s figure out what your wallet and your mind can handle. 😉

First of all: do you know what you have? Or don’t you have anything? Maybe just a car with a blown up motor? If you need to get something and want to bring the majority of the important parts to me, check out the “All About The OHC RedBlock”. If you have a functioning engine it can still be a good idea to read up. Unless you are 100% sure what you want. Then you simply e-mail me at info (a) ftteam.com. English or Swedish preferably.

Budgety Budget!

If your budget is tiny, we use as many stock parts as possible. Preferably you start with a B230 with 13 mm rods. B21 and B23 have decent rods as well. If you have a B230 with 9 mm rods it is possible to turbo these as well. Just don’t expect them to hold up very long, and especially not with more than 200 HP.

A stock B230F is a pretty decent start. Another camshaft is preferred, but not 100% necessary, a turbo manifold is needed. I can build a cheap manifold if we can’t find a stock turbo manifold. Injectors need to be exchanged for bigger, and it is better to go a little on the big side. Want to run E85? It saves on the hardware and give a little more power under boost. Requires slightly bigger injectors though, about 30-40%. And a turbo of course. A Mitsubishi turbo is the natural choice in many ways as they bolt straight onto the tock turbo manifold . A T3/T4 hybrid is quite popular and doesn’t require water plumbing. Oil cooling is preferred but not 100% necessary. Another way is to expand the oil pan to hold more oil. Better than stock, but an oil cooler with an adaptor plate and lines is better. Saves on the engine and turbo. Even the n/a pistons are pretty strong and 250 hp is not a problem for an engine in good condition.

Up to 300 hp or a little more, depending on how you tune it, works well even with original rods as long as you have the 13 mm rods that were introduced in the 1988B B230. Over that you need H-profile rods, but good quality rods can be found really affordable. So for 400 hp you need rods, a V camshaft or better, light porting of the 530 head or a 531, larger injectors, a TD04HL-20T or similar turbo, good quality head gasket and a rebuild kit, rings and bearings. And of course an exhaust and catalytic converter fit for the job. As for EFI I’m connected with a tuner that live tune the LH 2.4 on the dyno, it works great as long as you don’t need flex fuel ability. Then I recommend MaxxECU Mini or street for a street car. Cost effective and easy to get running by yourself I can of course install this for you.

One thing that often comes up is oil cooled pistons. Meaning oil-squirters in the block. Those are not necessary to build a big hp engine. They are there to reduce wear on pistons and the bore by keeping the piston cooler and not expanding as much. You kan drill and thread holes for squirters, but the problem here is that the exact squirters needed for RedBlocks are almost impossible to get these days. The need to be the right version in order to not affect oil pressure to the intermediate shaft and crank.

The Doctor Orders…

Recepies for dirt cheap, budget and $$$$ builds

All these recipies require mapping on dyno.


Dirt cheap:
• LH 2.4 car with B230F engine in good nick, running and driving. No big leaks or plugged crankhouse ventilation:Even compression numbers
• TD04HL-15G or TD04HL-16T used junkyard turbo from T5 engine
• Used standard 740/940 intercooler
• Saab brown 356 cc fuel injectors from the scrappie (used green R “968” 445 cc injector is you want to run E85)
• Turbo downpipe from 7/9-series (yup, fits OK even in a 240)
• Exhaust of your choice. 2,25″ or larger diameter. Catalytic converter from turbo car or new for 4L+ displacement.
• Oil & waterlines from B230 FK/FT, B200FT. Och steel braided hydraulic lines with correct fittings
• Using LH Jetronic EFI

Bonus parts:
• Upgraded fuel pump
• A better and more suitable camshaft.

Realistic power goals: 200-220 RWHP


Budget
• B200FT/B230FT/B230FK in generally good nick
• Top and bottom end quality gasket sets
• Ring kit
• Bearing kit
• New TD04HL-19T/20T turbo with #7 exhaust housing and wastegate bracket for RedBlock use.
• Aftermarket welded aluminium intercooler (original doesn’t hold up to much boost). Piping to fit if you don’t go with OEM form factor.
• Upgraded fuel pump. Guide coming up on pumps!
• Adjustable good quality fuel pressure regulator
• Injectors fitting your power goals. Should be single cone spray pattern. Latest generation Bosch injectors recommended.
• 2.5″ or bigger exhaust with metallic core catalytic converter (3″ to catalytic converter)
• 3″ downpipe
• V-camshaft or better
• Upgraded clutch
• Using LH Jetronic EFi

Bonus parts/work:
• Light porting job on 630 head or a 531 head
• Slight porting of turbo manifold
• Lighter, machined single mass flywheel

Realistic power goals: 270 RWHP on gasoline, 295-300 RWHP on E85