1990 honda civic lx motor swap. New to proformance mods need help

[jrod719]

Hi i have a 1990 honda civc lx. i dont know to much about all this stuff but hoping to learn and get advice.
i have a completely stock motor, tranny ect.
i want to do a swap with maybe a b18 motor with vtec or something.
so what i really want to know is is there better motors out there that will fit is a b18 a good engine and what parts i will need. i love my civic im just looking for that next step to make it better and a lot more faster. i am open to all suggestions thanks.

 

[Culberson]

it really boils down to money....how much do you have to spend....i currently have a 1990 DX and im about to do a D15B swap but i personally am doing it cause i wanted to keep it SOHC....if you dont have much money to spend look into a d15b or a zc swap

 

[jrod719]

i really want to stay around 5g i now i can get god cheap motors from like password jdm

 

[Culberson]

ive never bought from a company...i actually got mine from a guy on here! do your research on the place your buying from though! and 5k is alot to work with....id go b16 and turbo the sh*t outta it haha or a modest b18

 

[Culberson]

have you done the dpfi to mpfi swap yet? if not thats gonna be your first thing you need to do!

 

[jrod719]

i havent done anything yet just trying to figure out what all i need and opinions on what i should do. i do want to boost it

 

[Culberson]

well if its stock the it has the D15B2 in it which in simple form is basically a carburated engine....you will need to do the DPFI to MPFI swap basically your making it fuel injected. so put your turboed engine swap dreams on hold and dig into the manifold swap first! as it will save you alot of time and effort in the long run....to get a parts break down on here just search dpfi to mpfi on here and you will get instructions and a parts break down

 

[jrod719]

ok so being that im not a mechanic or anything haha. should i find a local shop to do the swap and i buy the parts? or should i buy them do the research and install myself? and i also realize that all of this isnt going to happen over night lol

 

[Culberson]

ummm it doesnt look too hard....im gonna do mine by myself haha there some wiring that needs to be done....in all honesty i follow the rule if you dont feel comfortable doing it,dont do it. its all up to you.

if you did go to a shop id print the instructions out for them cause i doubt they would know what you ment. and you might have to go to a custom shop sence its custom work...and that might be more pricy then a regular shop.

 

[jrod719]

i know it would cost a little more to take it to a shop. and i want to try and avoid all that hassle. it doesnt look like to crazy of a swap it looks pretty simple but i dont really have all the tools and stuff. But im going to do the research because im new i still havent thought of all the simple mods such as that . i mean do i really need to do a swap? could i just do a simple rebulid and look for a turbo kit ( which arnt very cheap haha) but i know with my engine it is just for fuel economy there is no real horse power there.

 

[Culberson]

yeah you do need it.....your ecu and your engine harness is wired for dpfi....you could never run a turbo off of 2 fuel injectors much less an obd1 or obd2 engine

 

[jrod719]

i mean is there other ways to mod the engine that i have insted of like doing a whole b18 or b16 swap should i just rebulid my motor do the mpfi swap and other things or should i do a whole motor swap

 

[jrod719]

also what motors could i fit in my car without changing my transmission. Is there like endless possibilities? like i want to do a b18c gsr DOHC Vtech is that possible?

 

[jlicrx]

also what motors could i fit in my car without changing my transmission. Is there like endless possibilities? like i want to do a b18c gsr DOHC Vtech is that possible?

the only thing you can swap in without changing transmissions, buying a mount kit, buying axles, etc. is another D-series engine - the simplest D-series engine to swap into your car that will give you the most horsepower is the 88-91 JDM DOHC ZC - has more horsepower than any SOHC D-series and responds well to turbo - it basically bolts right in and all you need to do is convert the wiring from DPFI (Dual Point Fuel Injection) to MPFI (Multi Point Fuel Injection) - need to get a diferent ECU, change the upper radiator hose and change the fuel hose

http://www.jdmenginescorp.com/engine_details/honda_jdm-zc-dohc-obd0-engine-only

 

[Zedicous]

I'd put a ODB 0 B16 in it. That should keep the cost down..