hey all,
im lookin to swap the engine on my 96 Honda Civic CX Hatchback with somethin fast...i have the 1.6L 4 Cylinder in it right now...but i seriously dont know where to start, i dont know what kinda engine to go with, and i dont know if i have to change out transmissions, stuff like that...its a manual btw...i cant spend to much, but i do want something good...any ideas???

 

what's your budget?
What kind of power you looking for?

 

Just do a B16A swap and be done with it. Lets be honest another D series wont cut it.

 

So what makes the B16 so great that it justifies spending $3,000? Is it the 160bhp? Or is it the two ft*lbs of torque you'll gain when comparing it the a d16y8? The b16 is a complete waste of time unless it was in the car when you bought it, and even then it's a waste unless you boost it, which is the only thing the engine is good for. It's literally just a D16 with an extra cam, and that's exactly what it feels like.

OP, what's your budget? If you change engine series (say, swap to a B-/H-/K-/F-/J-/C-series (okay, those last two are a little less common and I've never seen someone swap a C-series into anything except a single crx) you'll have to swap the transmission out as well. But to tell you what your best swap choice would be, we need to know what you can spend on it.

 

my budget would be about $4000 i think...idk, obviously the cheaper the better, but i dont want a crappy swap, i want somethin semi nice...as far as power, im looking probably supercharged, maybe turbo, not sure which is better...i dont know much about engines, but one of the reasons i want to do this is for the experience...im lookin for something that i can pull like 5.5 to 6.5 seconds 0-60...right now i prly get like 10 lol

 

oh and btw i would expect to swap the transmission...idk if its possible but id like to pull 8 pounds of boost...more if possible

 

Honestly, you're not going to be able to swap to another series and boost the engine for $4,000. The swap alone will probably cost about that much.

As far as swaps, if you want to boost, I'd suggest going with either a B18b1 from an Acura Integra LS (should be around $3,000 from start to finish, but it's not a vtec engine) or a B18c1 from an Acura Integra GS-R (around $4,000 to swap in).

For forced induction, go with a turbo. The problem with superchargers is that the engine has to spin the pulley to create boost. It effectively takes power to make power. With a turbo, however, you're taking the ~33% of waste energy created by the engine naturally (in the form of hot exhaust gas), and using the expansion of the gas to spin a turbine wheel, which is connected to a compressor wheel that compresses the intake air charge. In other words, you're using the energy the engine naturally wastes and using it to create even more torque. The downside to turbos is that they seem very complicated when you just start learning about them. Trust me, they're a very simple concept once you figure everything out.

 

awesome....so what kinda horsepower does the B18C1 get? ive looked it up a little and it looks nice...i found a couple nice ones for like $2300 actually...obviously gotta be careful who im buyin from...and also i cant buy for like a year or two, but heck i wanna get the best for the price...which is why im researching now...
how bout turbo kits? what kind u recommend? which is more expensive, turbo or supercharge?

 

About 170bhp and 128ft*lbs of torque, and they're from the USDM 94-01 Integra GS-R. If you can find one from a GS-R that's being parted out, you can usually get them pretty cheap, but you're looking between $2,000 and $3,000 for the longblock, transmission, ecu, and a few other little things. You should always replace the maintenance and high-wear items (ignition system, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, water pump, clutch, etc) when you swap an engine, since things like the timing belt/water pump/clutch are a lot easier to do since the engine's already out of the car.

If you're looking at kits turbos and superchargers are about the same price (somewhere around $3k). But if you do some (a lot of) research about turbos and figure out what everything does and exactly what you need, you can piece together your own kit for around $2k (that would be a bare-bones setup; the bare minimum to keep the setup reliable). Piecing together your own setup allows you to get exactly what you need for your goals, instead of relying on the generic "one size fits all" (not literally; I'm talking power goals and boost levels here) type of deal you get when you buy a pre-made kit.

Honestly, as far as price and power production, you're better off with a turbo. Even big V8's and V10's that make a ton of torque respond better to turbos than superchargers.

 

The B16 swap is a waste of time IMO, unless its the B16B CTR engine. I would go with a B18c that would be the best, Vtec and 170hp with torque. A B18a/b swap is a good upgrade, makes 140hp and 127lbs of torque. Alot more torque than a B16a. Then there is the B20 swap. This engine is a torque beast, in a little hatch it will pull like nothing else. You could always through a Vtec head on one of these engines and have a 180-200hp beast. Any of these are in the price range of $4000.