lol I had a feeling mister2 was going to chime in
Fastest NA I've seen does 1:10 at Wakefield, fully stripped and race prepped. It was a Gen 3 NA running aftermarket ECU and only a handful of mods. It was mostly weight reduction that made it quick. With a track dedicated Beams it's possible to dip below 1:10 with a good steerer hehe.
That being said turbo still rulez imo but there is something to be said for a high revving Beams as some of us here would know ;)
But yeh check out that other recent thread on "mods vs engine life"
good luck

all this conjecture about what to dowith his engine is pointless unless we know the purpose it's for.
 
if eh's doing serious track work and he wants to stay in the under 2L NA class, i see no reason why he would rebuild the engine to compete for race purposes. it's a moot point about engine life span it's going to be driven hard, but at the same time it will be fully rebuilt.
 
if he's just doing a swap into a weekend car, then if he has the money to rebuild it an squeeze a bit more out then why not?
 
same if it's a daily, but possibly not worth it. i suppose it depends how much he wants t get out of it and the condition of the motor he picked up in the firt place.

Hey Tree who is running that time at Wakefield?

Link to the 1:10 SW20 NA guy:
http://www.86forums.com.a...351-my-previous-rides/
I even joined up just to ask him about it lmaooo x100 the desperate-ness...

i have forged hi-comp pistons for NA engines. Have done Haltec & Motec on BEAMS engines and lots of internal mods.
For dedicated race use , most engine builders will tell  you the VVT is not really needed, and I'm inclined to agreed.
On nearly every NA race engine, the route to power is very high compression , agressive cams and multiple intakes. A proper programmable ECU is essential and pay as much as you can afford for that item
The stock Toyota engines are built very well and will handle the odd track day. If however, you are going to open it up, then do it properly using well thought-out program of mods using quality parts. 
Forget these old wives tales about jsut throw in some cams or drop in forgies. No single item will make it a race engine. Changing head thicknesses is another dubious suggestion. Either its a proper race engine with really high comp, or grannies shopping car. The change in head gasket thickness wont change it form one to another.

Wow thanks for all the info everyone, the car isn't being turned into a complete track car , it will be my weekend car which Id like to track as often as I can,
With what I've read so far I think I'll just stick to what vie got and go down the path of bolt ons , ecu, and weight reduction.

thats ben with the 1:10.. 

MR2QIK

This whole concept of "building it right" can get you in a lot of trouble. It's kind of a false illusion IMO since modified cars will never match Toyota factory reliability (not talking power of course).

My proposal.....fit the Beams with a manual tranny (good start...lol), Haltech ECU with flex sensor, injectors, pump, intake headers & exhaust & get a good tuner involved. I see no reason it won't hold up & it should provide lotsa fun. Bit of a Honda hunter....

I agreewith MR2QIK, you will see far more bang for buck with bolt on work. These engines are pretty restrained tune wise, and just getting them to breath better can be very rewarding.
 
I don't agree about a race motor beams does not require to retain VVT. BTCC cars, TRD touge cars, and some of the most powerful beams motors in the country including the winner of this years under 2 litre sport sedan all retain the VVT (in reduced cam throw) to help iron out any dips in the power delivery.
 

Unless your trying to build your engine to this kind of level, i wouldn't bother touching the internals.
 

When you get the upper end for n/a beams the power, even the diameter can effect power delivery, these three runs were just adjusting the diameter of the secondaries by 1/8th of an inch at a time.
 
Long story short, your best doing basics and tuning the engine to get the most out of it, it will be more reliable, better bang for buck, and will make the engine still suitable for street use.