Hey, I have recently purchased a 94 Honda Civic that has a blown engine. I Want to do a swap, but I don't know what engine would be best, and if there are any step by step guides to make the swap easier. I was thinkin about going with a B16 out of a 99 Civic SI. I dont know how hard that would be or if anyone would have a better choice for an easier swap. I would also like to know the cheapest place to pick up a used honda engine, mileage doesn't matter it will be rebuilt anyway.

 

First off, let me start by saying there is no "best" engine. It all depends on budgets and goals. Next, b16s are not all that much more powerful than d16's. From what I've read/heard, they feel exactly like d16's until about 5500rpm.

Recommended motors:
B18b (~$2200)
B18c (~$3000)
H22 (~$2200)
K20a2 ($4500+)

Just remember that you're dealing with an extra $500-$1000+ for the little extra things you need for swaps (mounts, timing belts, water pumps, etc... basically all the maintenance things you should do during a swap)

If you have an extra $4500 sitting around, I highly advise you go with a k20 (preferably an a2 (from an '02-'04 Acura RSX-S), since the k20a3 (from '02-'05 Civic SIs and '02-'04 RSX base models) isn't as powerful). H22s are underrated, but seem fairly difficult to swap in (you have to persuade some of the frame to move about half an inch out of the way for one of the mounts, you have to cut holes for the shift cables, etc.). Honestly, if I were to swap an engine into my EG (on my budget), I'd swap to an H22. Anyway, K20's are some of the best engines honda makes, but they're also the most expensive to swap in (since they are all fairly new, being '02+).

and HMO is very popular for swaps.

 

Could you give some more detail about making H series swaps work? How would you "persuade" the frame to move out. I'm not sure what to search for and on other threads people just say that H series swaps are troublesome and expensive. They never go into details. Do you cut/hammer the old frame parts or fab new ones? ...or do you change the car's frontend to make it work? I think answering these questions will also help the original poster decide. Thanks!