okay, so here is what I've disovered about the "oil jets" I will need one in this motor combo, because the non-vtec motors have this on the block and vtec motors have this in the head.
if I run a vtec block (d16z6) and a non vtec head (d15b2), there is no oil jet. that could possibly starve the bottom end of the motor for oil, since the path of least resistance would be the missing jet's location. or the oil could all get pumped into the head, block the drain passages, and hydrolock itself into the head, or other seriously scary things could happen, inlcuding night tremors, rectal bleeding, painful urination, etc, etc....
on a more serious note, this is the oil jet on the block of the stock d15b (non-vtec), above and between the middle two cylinders (the shiny thingie - I've got it semi pulled out already)
here it is up close:
so this oil jet thingie has to go into the non-vtec (d16z6)block here:
but the damn oil jet is too fat to go into the vtec block! I've been clicking all over the interweb to try and see if a smaller one is available, but no
looks like I'm going to have to drill this opening out a little on the vtec block (SCARY)
...that can be put off a little longer, but I'm going to have to bite the bullet here pretty soon on that one (gaskets are on the way)
went to town this afternoon on the old non vtec head, knocked a lot of "varnish" off the top end:
also did a thouroughly terrible job getting the old head gasket off the head:
I did manage to get the vtec block's mating surface pretty sexy clean though:
with any luck, tomorrow I'll have an engine stand here to get the bottom end of the vtec block checked out and ready for a new oil pan gasket and possible oil pump filter.
I've decided that the sexy "hooter's cream" colored VX tranny will have to wait even longer to go into "Skiddy", since the bearing and seals kit is the same part number for both the original and replacement trannies, I'm just going to rebuild the stock wago tranny when it comes out with the dead block, and hopefully have something that I can put some miles on for a while and enjoy while the next motor gets built over the coming year!
that's the update for now
Thanks,
Victor