I was ROOKED - open deck block in my Turbo

[musketeerracing]

Hi-

Finally pulled and tore down my engine. To my surprise my 91 SS, with pretty much everything intact - including turbo, manifold, etc. has an open deck block. I didn't look for identifying marks before I left the shop in frustration, but what marks should I expect on it?

Any explanation besides someone swapped it out ahead of me, or maybe blew it earlier in the car's lilfe?

There's no way there should be an open deck block in there, is there?

Now I have to figure out what the heads actually are.

ACP

[NICO]

i think they look the same, when you open them, then you will no if its a true ej22t block. sorry to hear about that.

hows the show going, i wouldent mind comeing down to visit you guys at the shop your working at, i can show you my impreza legacy bullet. let me no where you are in my city and i will fly bye.

[DLC]

Sounds like someone broke it and swapped blocks on you. Look for the VIN and compare it. I'm not sure about getting a good ID on the heads, but I'm sure someone else can answer that.

[andys2]

it sould say ej22 on the block ender the ps pump. My Ej20 and EJ25 ans EJ22 say this clearly. I have never heard of an open deck EJ22 8:1 engine - it does sound like you have something odd happening.

So you either have a high compression NA block - yikes - or a NA block that they reduced the compression on - still yikes.

PS You should have had my impreza rally car build on your show. It was built over the past year in downtown vancouver alley all with hand tools from the local canadian tire. A seafoam blue Fwd automatic transformed into flat black mosnter 16PSI, diff laden, STI shiften, skid plated, straight piped, millitary offensive lookin machine. And yes, I do expect it to ultimately get stolen - like a significant number of the parts so far. But what can you do? Luckily it's more about the process.

[Matt Monson]

So,
I am curious if it has turbo pistons or not? Got any pics?

I've been telling people for sometime that an open deck EJ22E with lower compression could handle a decent amount of boost. This may help back that up.

As for the heads, check for the coolant and oil returns. If they are turbo heads, they will have them. Though the bosses for these returns are cast on the NA heads as well. Someone could have drilled them out and used them, I guess...

[THAWA]

I didn't look for identifying marks before I left the shop in frustration, but what marks should I expect on it?

Marks on the EJ22T? It should have either ribs or a checkerboard pattern on the block in certain places.

[Legacy777]

you can look at a lot of the pics from my motor rebuild for the ribs and such that hardy mentioned. But yeah if it's open deck, it's certainly not an ej22t block.