So my baby Vivian crapped out two days ago with a blown head gasket. The worst part is it was right after I paid off my 1600$ credit card so I was finally going to have more money to slowly build her up hahaha. After finding some cars I was probably going to buy (niiiiice 01 Prelude), I decided to invest in Vivian rather than rack up some 8k in debt.

Anyways, she had the standard D-series engine. I'm looking to find a VTEC engine I can switch into it but keep the car as an automatic. My budget is no more than 3k, and that's including labor...so probably around 2k MAX on the engine itself. I'm pretty newb when it comes to this stuff, so I'm not quite sure what to look for and what would even work.
Right now the front runner is this D15B SOHC VTEC Longblock for $700 (50k miles) from H-Motors Online. The guy on the phone said that should all work (with their ECU) and the only other thing I'd need to purchase is a wiring harness.
So my question is what are some other options I could do? Are there any other sites with engines I can look at online? Ideally I'd love a DOHC VTEC but I don't know if realistically that'd fall into my budget.

I'm located in the Bay Area (San Jose) so I called a few places and they all gave me estimates around 500-850 for labor. RedZone told me to call back while they snooped around for some engines but I was busy so I have to wait till Monday. I've called Motorsport Technique, RedZone, Tech3, N1, and a few others. If there's one I missed, let me know!

Thanks for any help!

 

get a d16y8 its your gens vtec motor its more plug and play, and you can use your original wire harness, and get the ecu, then all you gotta do is run the 2 vtec wires and the 1 knock sensor wire to the ecu.

 

agreed. 6th gens come with d16y's if you want vtec, jsut get 8

 

I'm essentially just looking for more speed and power, though I know with my budget I shouldn't be expecting too much.

I've heard some people recommend the D16 (which I can't find online, only D15 :| ) and B18B. I did find an H22A (here) but I don't know if that's advisable or not.

 

cosider searching HCF for sale threads, post an ad for a D16y8 and also try Craigslist/Ebay

 

I don't know if I would recommend the H22 in our generation of Civic. A mechanic buddy was going to GIVE me an H22 for my 97, except there are some issues. IIRC, you need HASPORT mounts which are pricey, some custom CV joints, and will have to remove power steering and the AC to make room for the engine. ETA, I was also told that handling goes out the window with a H22 up front because it is a tad bit heavier.

Then again, I've been toying with the idea of replacing my D16Y8 with a B18C5.

 

completely false information, but anyways...

Since it seems like your on a budget and you have an auto, you should just stick with getting a d16y8.

 

You know how to shoehorn a H22 into my 1997 while retaining PS and AC? I've seen two H22 swapped Civics in the last 5 years and BOTH vehicles had neither.

 

it dosent throw handling out the window...

/story

 

I always thought that one was a myth.... How much more can a H22 weigh than a B16 or B18? 35 pounds? That could be made up for just by not installing the AC and PS with the H22.

Besides, if one is going to go for more HP and TQ, they should have already considered the suspension and brakes as necessary evils. Unfortunately, many of the tuners around here blow their entire budget on making the car go faster that they fail to make it stop faster or handle better. A local junkyard owner jokingly said he would give me a good deal on an engine and transmission pulled from a crashed Civic.