firstly how do you identify a closed deck motor from any other ?

am i right there is a hashed patten printed into the block as you look between the power steering pump and the alternator?

i got the chance of fitting one to my my2000 t2000 im looking for 400bhp but my options are a version 10 uk sti 2.5 short motor with uk heads or the closed deck 2 litre as mentioned what are either of these engines capable of without forging them.

i have heard the 2.5 blocks suffer from piston failure is this true?

thanks for any response in advance

 

hi mate you are right about how to identify a close deck block iam unsure of how much bhp you could get before forging them but i would imagine just over 300 bhp before you put to much stress on the engine but iam sure some one on here will put you right

 

in completely standard form the 2.5 is probably a better bet, the stock internals in a CDB are now very old and were not that great in the first place. The 2.5 Does have poor pistons, but with a sensible map would probably be ok to near 400. If your only looking for 400 and while everything is apart i would put some pistons in the 2.5 (and probably bearings) or if you have a bigger budget forge the CDB with a 2.1 stroker kit for a super strong engine (have one myself at 500+ and love it !)

 

You would be better off with a newage STI engine which can do 400bhp with ease compared to the early 93/94 cdb engines (acutally any classic engine)
Remember its not the block type (CDB, SCDB and ODB) but the internals that determine the strength (upto a point).

Tony

 

and to add to that your 5 speed gearbox might not be upto the task of holding 400bhp

neither would the clutch

steve