ON THE TOP

With the bottom end sealed up, we shifted our focus to the cylinder head. From the factory, the B16/B17 PR3 head comes equipped with single valve springs and steel retainers. Since we plan to test a multitude of performance camshafts on this engine, we replaced the tired factory springs and retainers with a set of BLOX Racing dual valve springs (p/n BXPT-10300) and titanium valve retainers (p/n BXPT-10400). We sent the head to Tom Fujita at Port Flow Design for a radius valve job, new guides and seals and the upgraded BLOX Racing valvetrain. While we could have done a full port and polish and gone with brand-new performance valves, we opted for only the work and parts we needed and nothing more. It’s extremely easy to get carried away with replacing everything except the money in your bank account. Finding a reputable cylinder head performance shop is imperative to meeting both your budget and performance goals. After we received the refreshed cylinder head, Magnus clamped it to the bottom end by way of ARP Pro Series cylinder head studs. To finish off the cylinder head, we sent out the valve cover to our friends at Full-Race Motorsports and got back a one-off valve cover finished in an OEM-style wrinkle black by AZ Top Coat.