This blobeye came in bone stock with a tired motor showing 4th-cylinder ringland wear — the classic EJ story. Rather than patch it, the short block came out for a full forged rebuild.
The block is back in with ARP head studs and a fresh tune held to a conservative 20 psi. Reliability over dyno numbers: this car needs to survive 25-minute track sessions in summer heat, so oil cooler, hood ducting, and a bigger top-mount went in with it.
Currently mid-way through the cage install and seat mounting. The head gasket and short block procedures from this build are written up in the DIY Tech section.