Hi, i just bought a 1998 honda civic cx HB hatch. Its really clean, looks brand new and i was hesitating on either selling it and buy a civic SI or keep it a get a b16a swap, in my corner my b16a swap would cost me around 2k total and i dont know if its worth it or if I should go for an SI. It would be my first swap and im scared of getting problems with my car afterwards

 

thats what you have forums for! you got all the help you need. Ronj, MK, 94CHB, and many others are highly advanced and can talk you through any problomes youhave.. my opinions going to be biast but i say keep the hatch cause their sexxy! haha, Plus when its said and done, you can say you did it all yourself and have something to be proud of. let us know what rout you choose! do you have any pictures?

 

I second the motion! Keep the hatch and do the swap!

 

nope no pictures yet :P its winter here cars are dirty as hell, when ever its nice outside ill take some pics and upload!! i heard a b16a swap cost less in the US? And on the other hand yeah HB's are sexy but the SI got almost same hp as a b16a2 and its has sunroof with electrical group + better brakes and suspension but weighs more =/

 

All the more reason for a hatch

 

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The EM1 has a B16a2. Basically, the only difference between a B16a2-swapped hatch and a stock Si (performance-wise) is the small weight difference; I don't know the curb weights off-hand, but I'd guess it to be no more than a few hundred lbs stock-for-stock, less with a twin-cam in the hatch.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the B16; yes, it's a twin-cam engine and has a higher peak power figure is higher than, say, a D16y8. The thing is, it's a relatively torque-less engine; less than 10 ft*lbs of torque separate it and the y8. Also, keep in mind you'll need more than just the engine, transmission, and ecu to swap in the B16; you'll need new mounts and axles, a harness, and a few other small things. Also, it's always a good idea to swap out things like the water pump, timing belt, clutch, plugs/wires, etc when doing a swap since the engine is already out of the car. Does your $2k cover the cost of that as well? (Not trying to sound like a douche or anything, I'm just making sure you know there's hidden costs in swapping).

My suggestion would either be go with a B18. You can swap in an LS engine (b18b) for about the same final cost as a B16, but you'll have an extra 10 ft*lbs of torque over the B16 (along with a relatively tame 9.2:1 CR that makes it a great engine for forced induction). You could also swap in a vtec-equipped B18C1 from a GSR for a little more than the cost of the B16 swap. It has the same torque figure as the LS engine, but you'll have vtec (and more peak power). And as a huge fan of the H22, I feel obligated to point out that for the cost of the GSR swap, you could swap in an H22 and be sitting at 200bhp (about 160-170 at the wheels) with 160 ft*lbs of torque. It's a slightly more involved swap, but anyone that can do a B-series swap should be able to pull off an H-series swap with no problems.

The way I look at it is that peak power is great for bragging rights, but how often are you actually close to redline where you're at peak power when you're driving normally? Torque is what actually counts

 

true, how much a h22 swap cost?

 

If you order a swap package from an importer (like HMotorsOnline, you're looking at right around $4,000 by the time it's in the car and running (assuming you replace the clutch, timing chain, tensioner, etc). With swap mounts and axles, it more or less bolts in. If you currently have a manual transmission, you'll need to cut a hole in the floor for the shifter cables; if you have an automatic, the hole is already there since the automatic gear selector already uses cables. Also, depending on what mount kit you buy, you might have to bend a frame rail a fraction of an inch for the engine to fit in the bay. You'll have to run 3-4 wires, also. Really, people make it seem like it's a huge deal when it's a relatively straight-forward swap.

In comparison, you're looking at:
~$3,000 for a B16
~$3,000 for a B18b
~$4,000 for a B18c (USDM GSR)

by the time those engines are actually in the car. Keep in mind that the h22 uses fiber-reinforced material for the cylinder sleeves, and they're not as good for forced induction as, say, a b16/b18. Still, they're very potent naturally-aspirated engines.

 

I dnt get it lol people here ask for around 5000 for a b18c, i wont do the swap myself im to much of a noob for now!! Im scared to get problems with my car when i get the swap since i dont know much yet

 

pictures uploaded on my profile!!