performance parts

[errjam]

so i'm thinking about a build on my stock B3
where to source parts
FMS cam
header
intake
BP throttle body
cat back
just watch the sale/ebay ?
header/intake ... ported heads / lower how much does the dickmyer stuff cost? does he even do it anymore??
any other ideals?

[sketchman]

Dickmeyer is the ONLY source AFAIK for performance B3 work right now. You will be waiting a long time for a FMS cam, and actually they suck it turns out. Not my words, but words of a happy customer of Dickmeyer's who had both to compare them.

Cams were around $200 last I recall. Head work is not cheap. You want pro porting, prepare to pony up for it.

He can also make headers, and intakes, though I would contact bhearts before you contact Dickmeyer on the intake just because he's still active on the forum, and he's trying to get into it.

Dickmeyer is hands down the cheapest prices for custom go fast bits you will find. I've seen work from him priced at half of what it would have cost from another custom builder, and it's good quality built stuff. His header is THE BEST deal you will ever find for our cars.

[Advancedynamix]

Why are you deciding to stick with the b3? You could save a lot of time and money by putting a better engine in the car.

[errjam]

Dickmeyer is the ONLY source AFAIK for performance B3 work right now. You will be waiting a long time for a FMS cam, and actually they suck it turns out. Not my words, but words of a happy customer of Dickmeyer's who had both to compare them.

Cams were around $200 last I recall. Head work is not cheap. You want pro porting, prepare to pony up for it.

He can also make headers, and intakes, though I would contact bhearts before you contact Dickmeyer on the intake just because he's still active on the forum, and he's trying to get into it.

Dickmeyer is hands down the cheapest prices for custom go fast bits you will find. I've seen work from him priced at half of what it would have cost from another custom builder, and it's good quality built stuff. His header is THE BEST deal you will ever find for our cars.

i'm sure its awesome I just wonder what a ball park cost was, I like the ideal of optimizing the B3 but at some point a swap makes sense

[sketchman]

Reality is, I'm afraid, that at any point a swap makes more sense.

It is about what you want to build, but the dry facts say swap.

I'm not of the "just swap it" mentality, but if you're going on cost, well, just swap it.

The other dude in this thread IIRC said the B6D is the sweet spot harmonically. I would assume the other 1.6 varieties would be in that spot too.

it depends on what you want. If you want the best bang with the easiest swap go B8-ME. If you want the same MPG (based on my experience) but more grunt, go B6-ME or just B6. If you want all out but still a sane swap, BP+T.

But if you're just going on dollars and sense, building the B3 doesn't make any.

[sc72]

A swap makes sense right away, your going to send plenty of money to gain extra HP only to realize you would have been better off and money ahead to do the swap in the beginning. Just my .02 but take the b6d swap for example, twice the HP as a b3 and a simple swap. Good luck with what you decide.

[88nStillAlive]

What could the B3 possibly output for max hp? I believe my stock engine is getting 65hp??? Though I believe a few minor improvements have increased it a little higher because my clutch starting slipping during my street drags with my buddies, and it has a new clutch...lol
(It doesn't slip under normal acceleration) How hard is it to find a B6T? Are B6D's more common? What are the hp ratings on these motors, I'm guessing we're probably talking almost double the HP? I can't foresee my B3 pushing over 100hp without some seriously heavy mods. I like my B3, its been a smooth good runner, but a performer? Better than most compacts of the era in my opinion, my buddy had the Geo, and that thing was a turd. No comparison to my Festiva, a lot of people were impressed by my cars performance. Looks can be deceiving I suppose. All my friends miss our trips in the old 88', hopefully soon enough I'll get it back together and be able to attend Festiva Madness events. Whatever you decide "errjam" I'm sure you'll like it, and if not, you can have more fun changing it!

[bhazard]

Dickmeyers favorite is the B6 8 valve. But yes he can extract power out of anything. He just prefers the 8 valve because half the valvetrain, its cheaper to build and you're starting ahead of the b3.

[jason_]

B3 isn't too heavily built. But with enough boost and juice you'd probably still push the crank out the bottom, lift the head, Crack water jackets..... But that's probably the same for any engine.

I too am curious how much a tightly built B3 can handle. It'd probably be quite surprising. Pumping serious boost and hot fuel will certainly require some ignition tricks to keep things under control.

Honestly they are stout and get a half million miles easily if built correctly from mile zero, clean oil, and a pump that keeps pressure satisfactory. I've had a few blocks that had zero ring Ridge, and 300k on the clock. Good quality castings.

But like others have said, One bill will make 20% more fun if it's not being bolted to a B3.

Sent from my One using Tapatalk

[Advancedynamix]

The B3 was not created equal to it's larger double overhead cam brethren. It's not just a matter of larger displacement.
The b3 is a very budget minded engine with weak components and a cylinder head design that is dated and restrictive. It's a great engine for what it was, but squeezing more out of it is more of a labor of love than a wise decision.
The b6d (or b6ze in a Miata) is superior to the b3 in many ways. It has a much stronger, better balanced crankshaft, it has stronger rods and pistons. It has a bigger oil pump, oil squirters to cool the pistons, and a head that flows nearly twice as much air. These engines are commonly available and they are a bolt in upgrade with a simple modified engine mount and some wire rerouting.
You can even run a b6d on all stock fuel injection, no mods at all! That's right, nearly twice the factory HP and it's plug and play. No chassis modification needed, and you can bolt on your factory air conditioning too. The b6d is the engine these cars should have come with.


The Top engine is a first generation B6. About 85-90hp. It's a direct bolt in with very little effort.
The middle engine is a B6t. 160-250hp. Bolts up to stock transmission, but best used with stronger driveline as this engine is tripple the factory output.
Bottom engine is a B6d. 95-120hp. Most bang for your buck. They can be turbocharged down the road to make up to 350hp with the right supporting hardware and modifacations. Works great on the stock transmission with a quality clutch. Fuel mileage is close to that of the b3 (actually better mileage than the b3 has been reported on the automatic cars).
These engines all are based off a nearly identical block as the b3, except much stronger. All the provisions are there to bolt all the factory b3 accessories.
Often, a b6d can be purchased for less than the cost of a header and camshaft for a b3, and nets 20-40 more hp!

[errjam]

convincing argument advance, junkyard for engines,, any new ones

[88nStillAlive]

What about the stock transmission? Obviously the clutch will need to be upgraded. But can the rest of the transmission and the cv joints hold up to all that extra horsepower?

[bhazard]

I dont like the idea of putting more than 100hp through it. It's more how you use it than how much you're putting through it. Some people have run stock trans with boosted BP's and have had it hold together for a period of time. It WILL eventually come apart though.

[88nStillAlive]

Are the transmissions on the B6's also plug and play with the Festiva? Any modfications needed to get them to fit? Are the speedometers still the same style cable on the non Festiva transmissions?

[bhazard]

Any transmission swap will require mounts to be fabricated