Every engine build has a few decisions that stay cheap to change for a while and then suddenly don't. Swap pistons before the block is bored and it costs you an email. Swap them after and it costs you the bores. The same goes for the head stud kit you choose, the head gasket and the block filler. This checklist sorts the choices on a boosted build by the point where each one locks in, so you settle it while changing your mind is still free.
Short version: settle the use and power goal, then measure, then plan the block work, then pour, then assemble. Each group below has to be finished before the next one begins. If you want a worked example on one engine, our N54 bottom end build order walks the same idea through a real teardown.
The lock-in table
Use this as the one-page view. The left column is the decision, the middle column is the moment after which changing it means redoing work, and the right column is the reason.
| Decision | Locks in when… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Street, track or both | You choose a block filler option | EPOXY54's Partial Fill keeps OEM coolant capability; Dry Block runs no coolant through the block and is for track use only |
| Bearing size | The crank is measured (and ground, if needed) | Standard-size bearings are for cranks that haven't been ground undersize |
| Piston bore | The block is bored and honed | The shop finishes each cylinder to the pistons you will run |
| Head stud kit | Machine work on the bare block is done | Some kits need block work; the N54 High Boost kit requires drilling and tapping four holes |
| Head gasket | The coolant passages are drilled through the cured epoxy | The gasket is the template for those passages |
| Kit size and configuration | You mix the epoxy | The whole batch is mixed at once and can't be split |
| First start date | The pour is finished | The engine shouldn't run until the epoxy has had 7 days to cure at room temperature |
Gate 1: before you order a single part
The first gate is about intent. Nothing physical happens yet, but three answers here steer every later purchase.
- ☐ Write down how the car will be used. A daily-driven street car and a trailer-only track car need different parts, starting with the block. Partial Fill suits a car that sees the street. Dry Block fills the whole jacket and is for track use only. Our Partial Fill vs. Dry Block post covers the trade-off.
- ☐ Write down the power goal and agree it with your tuner. Boost, fuel and the tune decide piston compression, clutch and fuel parts. Changing the goal halfway usually means changing parts you already own.
- ☐ Confirm the engine code, not just the model. Badges cover several engines. Every listing in our store has a fitment table or an engine code in the title, and our guide to checking engine part fitment explains how to read both.
- ☐ Find out whether the block is open deck. If the tops of the cylinders stand free in the water jacket, block reinforcement belongs on the plan. Open Deck vs Closed Deck Block shows what to look for.
Gate 2: after teardown, before the machine shop
Now the engine is apart and the numbers start to matter. This gate is where most double orders come from, because it is tempting to buy parts before anyone has picked up a micrometer.
- ☐ Measure the crank journals and cylinder bores first. Those measurements pick your bearing size and piston bore. Engine Bearing Sizes Explained decodes the size labels you'll see on bearing listings.
- ☐ Inspect the block for cracks. Reinforcement is for a sound block. EPOXY54 is not a crack repair, so a cracked block needs a different fix before anything else is planned around it.
- ☐ Choose the head stud kit and read its listing. Most stud kits just replace the factory bolts. Some ask more of the block: the ARP N54 head stud kit listing says its High Boost version needs the four 9mm holes drilled and tapped to 11mm. Work like that belongs on the bare block. What Head Studs Fix, What Block Filler Fixes explains why many boosted builds plan both. You'll find kits in Head Stud & Bolt Kits.
- ☐ Hand the shop the actual pistons. The block gets finished to the parts you will run, not to a part number.
- ☐ Tell the shop the block will be filled. EPOXY54 can be applied before or after machine work without affecting dimensional accuracy, and the deck surface stays untouched. The EPOXY54 Installation Guide puts any planned machining after the final flush. Agree with your shop which way round suits its schedule.
Gate 3: before pour day
The pour is the one step with a clock on it. Once the epoxy and hardener are mixed, the installation guide gives you about 25 minutes before it starts to harden, so everything on this list has to be ready beforehand.
- ☐ Have the head gasket on the bench. After the cure, you lay the gasket on the deck and mark the coolant passages from it. Buy it sized to your finished bore before you pour. The Five Details That Decide Which MLS Head Gasket You Order covers bore, thickness and sides. Browse Head Gaskets.
- ☐ Pick the kit for your configuration. The EPOXY54 product page lists inline 3 to inline 6, V6, V8, V10, flat 4 and flat 6 options, plus cylinder head and small-displacement kits. If you plan a Dry Block, the page strongly recommends measuring your water jacket volume first by sealing the ports and filling the jackets with a measured amount of water.
- ☐ Check how the kit has been stored. The installation guide says to store the epoxy between 8 and 21 °C and install it at room temperature. Our storage guide covers the time between delivery and pour day.
- ☐ Gather the supplies. The EPOXY54 Install Kit includes a stir stick, drill bit and squeeze bottle. Masking tape and sugar or salt are not included, and the guide also calls for red Scotch-Brite, brake cleaner, a heat gun, a level and calipers.
- ☐ Prepare the block the way the guide describes. Clean the jacket, warm it with the heat gun, tape the ports and deck, level the block and fill the jacket with sugar to about ¾" below the deck. How to Use Sugar as a Temporary Floor covers that step in detail.
Gate 4: after the pour, before assembly
The block is reinforced, but it isn't ready for the crank yet. This gate is short, and skipping it is how sugar or debris ends up in a fresh engine.
- ☐ Let the epoxy cure, then drill the passages. The guide gives 24 hours at room temperature before marking and drilling the coolant passages from the head gasket.
- ☐ Flush until only clean water runs through. With the block upside down, rinse the main water port until all the sugar is gone.
- ☐ Finish any machining you left for after the pour. Then clean the block again, fully, before parts go in.
- ☐ Check clearances as the rotating assembly goes in. Measure rather than assume, even with a matched kit. If you are buying a crank, rods and pistons together, What You Get in a Rotating Assembly Kit lists what you will still need.
- ☐ Torque the head fasteners to the manufacturer's specification. Use the procedure and lubricant your stud or bolt kit calls for.
Gate 5: before the first start
The last gate is about patience as much as parts.
- ☐ Count 7 days from the pour. The installation guide says not to run the engine until the epoxy has had 7 days to cure at room temperature. Plan the first-start date around it.
- ☐ Fit the fuel and clutch parts that match the power goal. These are easiest while the engine is still out of the car.
- ☐ Keep your measurements and part numbers together. If a part ever needs replacing, the bore size, bearing size and gasket you used are the first things you'll be asked for.
Why the block sits in the middle of the list
Block reinforcement lands between machining and assembly because it needs a bare block and it needs the head gasket. On an open-deck engine, it is also the part that keeps the cylinder tops from moving under the extra pressure the rest of the build is designed to make. EPOXY54 gives open-deck blocks closed-deck strength without machining. It has 21,000 psi compressive strength and a thermal expansion rate closely matching aluminum, and it is a DIY install in 5 steps. Complete instructions and an installation video come with every kit.
Start your build plan
Choose your engine configuration and Partial Fill or Dry Block on the EPOXY54 product page, add the Install Kit, and find the rest of your bottom end through Shop by Platform. Not sure where a part fits in your order of work? Email support@epoxy54.com with your engine code and power goal before you order.