Alright i'm 21 and i've owned my 98 Civic LX for 5 years now, she's pushing 160k miles and i'm thinking it's time for an engine swap. I have very little experience working on cars, but I enjoy installing stereo's and i'm intrested in learning to do this swap myself. My ultimate goal is to turbo the car. According to my research through these forums, my best bet for boost would be to get a B18C1 USDM GSR Engine and add a b16b head in order to lower compression. I'm probably just going to buy a engine swap book and try to figure it out as I go along, my paps said he'd help me but he knows less than I do about cars so i'll have a helping hand, but no mentor. After I get the B18C1 USDM up and running correctly i'll save for rods / pistons / maybe a type R exhaust cam and then turbo kit which i'll attempt to install myself as well.

Right now the AC compressor on the car is broke, and i'm debating if I should replace it or wait till I do the swap? I deliver pizza's in Louisiana so I'm going to have to get my AC back since summers pretty much here now. I'm pretty sure I can keep my AC with a boosted B18C1 so someone please correct me if i'm wrong.

If anyone has any helpful suggestions i'd appreciate it... Is this the best engine for my money to boost? Also if anyone knows of any decent tuning facilities near Louisiana just let me know.

Thanks,

Matt

 

I have a suggestion, if you plan to boost. The B18C1 is a great swap so do not get me wrong but the B18B which is in the Integra LS and RS is a great engine to swap if you plan to turbo. The swap itself is around $1500 to $1800 less than the C1. Plus the B18B1 has a longer stroke so it produces more tq at any certain rpm compared to the C1. As Oscar Jackson from Jackson Racing once said "HP sells a product but tq moves the car" this is so true. The C1 is a great engine though I am not talking bad on it but in the end ask yourself are the advantages of the C1 worth the extra money. By the time you boost, add forged rods, low comp forged pistons, slight head build, and then boost you will come out cheaper with the B18B and in all reality will you need the extra head room after building/boosting the GSR swap will give.

 

Well, considering this is my first attempt at engine mechanics it's probably a good idea for me to go the cheaper route and save 1,500$, i'm not really sure what my power goals are in mind right now (I owned an ls1 so I like to go fast), probably around 300 in the end. I chose the b18c1 becuase it will give me more oppurtunities in the future.

But I'm going to do more research on the b18b1, money and reliability wise, to reach 300 hp, which is the better route.

also if anyone has any good book / DVD engine swap tutorial suggestions i'd greatly appreciate it.

 

Man where are you located and do you know of any good tuners around you because a bone stock B18B1 with a nice turbo setup will reach 300whp not 300 at the crank but 300 at the wheels.

 

ur making me rethink getting the C1 marty.. since i can get the LS swap for under 2k shipped.. so would be saving near 1300 vs the C1.. which im strapped from the accident now.. so might just go with the 18b.. plus theres one on ebay right now with obd2.. seems to be the hard find


i added another post about a ported head i found on ebay for this.. since machine shops here and tuner shops are rare..most closed down locally....also.. is it better if boosting to get usdm b18b vs jdm.. since compression is slightly lower.. isnt this better? or .3 doesnt really matter?

 

Me too, im considering a B18B now. If i can get one from the junkyard for ubercheap i think thats the way im gonna go. Whats the advantage of the C1 other than VTEC?

 

The C1 has vtec, slightly higher compression, a shorter stroke. I am also not a fan of the intake on the C1, it has secondaries that open up in it and when starting to tune if you dont have your ecu chipped it is very hard to get around them. The only reason I'd go with a C1 is if I were building what is called a "poor man's type r" To do this you use a C1, put slightly higher compression pistons in it along with swapping the B16A2 or JDM B16A head, intake manifold, ITR header, and run a C5 ECU or C5 maps in your ecu.

 

Does VTEC give any advantage when using a turbo?

 

I'm in La., dude. I'll help you.

 

So keeping the LS engine non vtec would u still realize higher end power with boosting vs the vtec?