So I bought my first Civic and I'm wanting to do some research on the engine I got. I ended up getting a 96 HB with a B16a2. I know very little about the engine and I'm wanting to learn as much as I can about it and the B20. I'm thinking of trying my hand at building my first engine(boosted B20) but before I do that I'd like to soak up as much knowledge as I can. With that said does anyone know of some good books for beginners on engines as well as swaps? I'm sure I could just ask a ton of questions but I'd prefer to read about it rather than ask tons of simple questions here. Any books, web links, or anything at all would be great. I'm going to continue my search but I figured I'd ask here to save some time. Thanks!

One thing I should add is I don't plan on going out tomorrow to start a build. I figure I should give myself at least a year or two before I try it. I'm even considering taking some college courses at the local tech school. Advice?

 

The best resource for information, especially since you are working with a modded car already, would be forums. Make sure you look through here, and other good forums such as honda-tech.com. There is a wealth of knowledge out there. Just start reading anything and everything. If you have questions, feel free to post up on this forum and we can try to answer as many questions that you may have.

I would just go ahead and turbo the B16 after conducting a compression check. You should easily be able to hit 250-300whp depending on the set-up you run. If you are planning on swapping, go with a B18c1, not the B20. The B20 is essentially the same as the B18, but bored out to 2.0 (thinner cylinder walls), which is not the best for boost.

 

Well I will say this...my uncle is a HUGE Honda fanatic. The problem is he lives 2,000 miles away and can't help me. He suggested NOT boosting the B16 simply because of the high compression rates that the b16 has. Not to mention I'm going to have to end up getting a new transmission anyways since the b16 swap was clean....so I have the stock transmission. The guy had a quiafe LSD added but it's still the stock tranny. IF I were to boost my current engine how much $$ am I looking at spending? Would I be saving time, money and headaches by swapping a b18 in and boosting that instead? Do you think this is something a total newb could undertake? I'll continue to research as much as possible though. Thanks for the help!

I should also add that he runs a Honda dealership out there and has a $20,000 engine/trans in his that he built with a few of his friends. He knows his stuff. I'm not saying that what you suggested is wrong, just that I know his information is reliable and not some half assed info from some 18 year old kid.

 

This was a good beginners book on how to rebuild the b16 Amazon.com: How to Rebuild Honda B-Series Engines (S-A Design) (9781932494785): Jason Siu: Books

It doesn't stray too much into modifying, but they do put a set of oversized pistons in and have it tuned, so I think it's a solid base you should consider reading, and it's cheap.

 

well the 96 hatchback never came with a b16, so you don't have the "stock transmission". Its just the transmission that came with that engine.... which is totally fine. If you plan on boosting, you should think of getting lower comp pistons because a b18c will have high comp pistons in them too. Granted, you can boost a high comp engine, its just not recommended because you need a great tune for it to work without popping your HG. The only engine I would boost without swapping pistons is probably a b18a or b18b because they have 9:1 comp from the factory. But even then I would consider getting forged pieces (with matching rods) for peace of mind.

 

Yes, B18c1's have 10.0:1 c/r. B16a2's are at 10.6:1. I would have no problem boosting either one of those IMO. Hell, I was in process of building a 11.5:1 c/r D16 which was going to be supercharged sitting at 7psi, upping to 9psi once I found the correct pulley before I ended up swapping for a H22.

OP, it really comes down to how much money and time you spend on the car. I would just get a simple bolt on turbo kit, tune, and then look towards modding suspension.

 

Suspension is already Modded to some degree. Here's the list of all the mods that I know have been done to the car. Installed by a professional.

1. Omni Power Full Coilover EG DC2 Sport
2. Full Race ProStreet Traction Bar Set
3. Function 7 Rear Lower Control Arm Set
4.Skunk2 Pro-Series+Front Camber Kit
5.A-Spec 22mm Sway Bar Kit
6.Quiafe LSD
7. Stage 1 B-Series Organic Clutch
8.Streetlite 12.5lbs flywheel
9. B16a2 Engine from a 2000 Civic Si with Transmission

All these were installed at King's Motorsports in Milwaukee, WI. What other suspension mods am I looking at if I want to boost the engine? And when I do get a turbo kit what psi should I look at running pre internal mods and post internal mods?

Any advice on what internals I'll need? I'm assuming pistons, rods, valves and valve springs right?

As for how much money I plan on spending....that's going to depend a lot on how much I save. I don't really have an exact dollar amount but the plan at the moment is to start buying items piece by piece as my budget allows and when I can save enough buy the turbo kit last. If I do all this I'd prefer to do it in one shot. My biggest drawback is never having done this before. I'm hoping that if all goes well I can get it done over the course of one winter. I'm hoping to have everything bought and paid for within a year or two though.

 

woops double post

 

So I went ahead and bought that book along with this one as well

Amazon.com: Honda/Acura Engine Performance (0075478013845): Mike Kojima: Books

Hopefully between these two books I'll have a better understanding on how to do the work I need to. I'm also trying to talk to some people locally that can help me out but so far all I've found are high school kids. Frankly I just don't trust some teenager to help me disassemle and reassemble an engine.

 

I dont understand why you dont just ship your uncle a few cases of that good wisconsin beer to have him tell you what to get and then skype in on a laptop next to you for any of the tough spots in your rebuild. You may need a teenager to pull the engine and put it on the stand, but that's about it. The other challenge is to find a decent machine shop....