help!. i have a 1995 civic 1.3 16v carb which is looking tidy but the engine is struggleing and needs more power. i could spend money on a bigger carband other engine upgrades, butit has done 90,000 miles and i just think it could be easier swaping it for a 1.6 vtec cos there is so much more i can do with them, ecu wise and vtec timer ect. so i guess im asking what sort of questions i need to ask a local jap car garage or some were like urban racing demon tweeks ect. i know bout the looms and wire can be difficult but i wouldbe looking out for a rear ender, but which year and engine could fit mine and wat do i need to know bout my car to find that out?
Has any one ever been in this situation and what was the first step? Or is it a case of save up for a 1.6 vtec and sell mine?

 

woah, a 95 carbed engine? Are you sure it's not an *85*? I have an '87 civic and i'm pretty sure it was the last year Honda offered carbureted engines. I've thought about going to fuel injection, but it won't be easy (I believe all vtec engines are fuel injected). Your car doesn't have an ecu, so you'd have to buy an ecu and add the wiring for that. Additionally, you have a mechanical fuel pump powered by the camshaft, so you'll have to drop your gas tank and then install a fuel injection gas tank and fuel pump. After that, the rest of your swap would be the same as a fuel-injected to fuel-injected swap. Still, that's a lot of extra labor and parts.