hondaswap

Introduction
It started when i was driving in rural north carolina and all of a sudden my car felt like it was running on two cylinders. I pulled my car over and it was barely idling...and smelling of anti-freeze. Shortly thereafter i realized that i'd probably blown a head gasket. However, being 10 miles away from home i decided to drive it anyway and ran it hot all the way to my house. The next day i called my dad and we discussed my options. Basically, it was either to spend 1000 on labor and rebuilding the entire head, get a new or used head and or get a new engine. I decided on the latter because i had visions of vtec in my head.

Proper Planning
Everyone that has ever done an engine swap will tell you that proper planning is the key to a clean and quick job. In my case I was forced to sacrifice some planning because i needed my car to be ready in three weeks and i didn't have a second car to gather parts. I started by finding a B16A3 from a local salvage yard. This VTEC was from a 1995 Del Sol and had 5436 miles on it. I purchased the engine itself for 750 dollars and the ecu and wiring harness for 250 dollars. Unfortunately the transmission had been sold so I had to use a B18B1 transmission. To those of you unfamiliar with engine codes go here to see the different engines and their specifications. The B18B1 transmission is from the 1.8 non-vtec and has much longer gears. Bad for acceleration, but great for gas mileage. Along with the transmission I bought the integra's axles and rear engine mount. As it turns out the rear engine mount and passenger side mount are the same on 93-95 integra's. The drivers side mount is lower and came with the engine so I was all set there. Next, I needed to buy some parts for the engine. On my list included a distributor which I highly recommend getting from honda. I've talked to several knowledgeble people who have said genuine Honda distributor's are the only way to go when swapping in a VTEC. The downside is that I paid 450 dollars for mine. I also needed a starter, alternator, shift linkage, spark plugs, spark plug wires and the throttle linkage. These parts came to another 400 or so which brought my entire total to 2200 dollars. This is about 300 less than you should expect to pay for a complete engine, tranny, etc. I also paid 600 to have the engine installed and that raised my total to just under 3000 dollars. Looking back if I had had more time and was able to do the work myself i could have saved a few hundred dollars.

Here is a Complete list and Breakdown of all parts needed. Use this as a checklist if you are looking to buy an engine from a salvage yard. Being able to go over the engine before purchasing it is ideal in almost every case because you can see what parts you have and what parts your missing. Sometimes, as was the case with my engine the distributor had been broken while it was removed from the car.

1. Engine
2. Transmission
3. Shift Linkage
4. ECU
5. Wiring Harness
6. All brackets and engine mounts
7. Starter
8. Alternator
9. Distributor
10. Throttle cable
11. Down pipe
12. Exhaust Manifold
13. Intake
14. All belts and hoses

Pictures from my Swap

What Fits?
In a 5th generation civic which is 92-95 there are three basic choices. These include the B18C from the integra GSR. The B18B from the integra LS and GS. Also, the B16A3 which is the US Del Sol VTEC fits. Ideally the B18C is the fastest and has the highest torque. The B18B has almost the same torque but less horepower while the Vtec has 160 HP and 111 lbs of torque. Most experts will say that these engines bolt right in. Thats true, however you DO need the engine mounts. For all three engines the passenger side mount and rear mounts are the same. However, the passenger side mounts are different and need to be from your specific application. Besides these basic issues the physical swap isn't that complicated.

Wiring
This is one area i'm not particular astute in. Basically having the complete wiring harness and ecu makes for the simplest swaps. Otherwise, like in my case i had the wires from the engine and the ecu but the other half of the wiring harness wasn't available. Thus, I had to talk with Cory Thompson at Automotive Engineering. Good luck with this aspect of the swap...I can't offer much help in this area.

Which Engine is Best?

B18C - Integra GSR

The fastest engine with the most torque is definitely the B18C. It has the highest hp rating and the highest torque. The downside is that you'll be spending around 3500-4000 for this swap unless you get a great deal.

B16A3 - Del Sol VTEC

Its going to cost around 2500-3000 and has almost as much hp but not much torque. Like the B18C its a high revving engine and has considerable power. This is a fast engine and can be heavily modified. Obviously the B16 is legendary and with this engine you'll probably be satisfied. If not with its stock power it can be turbocharged, supercharged, or outfitted with nitrous. There are also adjustable cam gears, higher compression pistons, type r camshafts and on and on. There are many possiblities with this engine and substantial increases in hp are definitely reasonable.

B18B - Integra Ls/Gs/Rs/Se

This engine is the cheapest and probably the easiest to find. It has 142 hp and 127 lbs of torque. With modifications this engine can be fast. Often, people with this engine usually chose to turbocharge it. With lower compression pistons and a rebuilt head on 20 psi you'll have around 300hp. Other mods can bring you closer to 400 with proper tuning. In laymans terms this engine is great for those interested in boost. Some people, like my dad insist that torque is more important because its more usable when driving daily. Torque is noticed at lower rpm's and if this is your preference and money is a factor you may want to consider the B18B.

Other Considerations

There are other possibilities for engine swaps. Some people are using Ls/Vtecs which is a B16A head on a 1.8 liter bottom end. Others have used obd2 engines on 5th gen civics and had success. However, these swaps should be done by those who have extensive knowledge. For example a 96 or 97 del sol vtec will bolt in but the emissions standards are different. Thus, you'll have a wiring nightmare that most people are not capable of fixing. Anyway, the possibilities are endless if swapping engines from different generations is what you're considering. All i can say is good luck.