B20B in an 89 Civic LX

[StaindFaith]

Ok, so I've finally thought things through reasonably, And I've decided not to go with the k20 in my civic, instead I'm going with a B20 with a B18 head, though I'm still a bit confused with the transmission issue, as well as the wiring harness. Should I be looking for a transmission for a B20 as well? And as for the harness, if I plan on going Hondata in at about the same time (gonna get everything done at one, save a fortune on labour costs) does it really matter? Any other pieces of advice greatly appreciated.
Thank Guys.

 

[broonie86]

hi

you will need a gearbox from an ef civic fitted with a b series engine in order for it to bolt straight in, im not sure what civics in america have b series engines fitted as standard otherwise you will need to modify other boxes from the likes of integra's and later civic's,also i assume the lx has a d series engine so you will need engine conversion mounts which you can get cheap from innovative which i can vouch for being really good or there is hasport for a little extra cash, you will also need the shift linkage, drive shafts, intermediate shaft and i would recomend you upgrade to the vtec hubs and brakes as im sure you are aware with putting in a larger more powerfull engine you need more stopping power

if you are unaware on the b20/b18 build then it is not a simple bolt straight together process but there are articles on this site that will describe that to you in full detail

as for the wiring again i dont know about the american wiring but i doubt its any different to the uk so you will basically need to wire in vtec, oil pressure switch and o2 sensors and the ecu to run the b series, p28 is a favourite for that

hope this helps but if i am wrong on any this please let me know , i just know this is correct for a jdm crx si going b series as im doing that at the moment lol

cheers

broonie

 

[broonie86]

forgot to add

i wouldnt recomend going for a b20 gearbox as they are not designed for high revs and are only geared for a small offroad vehicle

i dont know what the us equivalent of a uk/jdm sir or vt is but try get yourself one of those boxes prefferebly with a lsd, found in most jdm boxes

cheers

broonie

 

[phunky.buddha]

Very nice! I have an 88 LX sedan. No B engine in it though.

For the transmission, you'll have to find a cable clutch B series transmission. The only choices in the US are the B16 and B18 transmissions from the DA Integras. You can find a few JDM transmissions lying around also, but they're getting harder and harder to find. Hydraulic clutch transmissions (94+ Integra, del Sol VTEC, 99-00 Si) are all over the place, and you can get conversion kits to make them work in your car.

You'll also need a swap mount kit to put the B engine into your car.

If you want to skip the B transmission, you can try to use a B to D conversion kit. There are a few out there now, and they basically convert your D series transmission to work with your B series engine. This makes a TON of things easier- mounts, shift linkages, clutch actuation, etc.

Electronics- you'll have to convert to MPFI if you aren't already. The straight B20 doesn't have VTEC, so converting the car to run on the Si PM6 ECU with a chip socket will work. Hondata isn't necessary- there are quite a few DIY alternatives for the non-OBD car. As far as harness, it does matter- Hondata uses the stock ECU, so you need to be wired to take whatever ECU your Hondata setup (or other tuning solution) is going to live in.

 

[StaindFaith]

Thank you both for the quick replies, I figured the swap mount kit would be necessary, the brakes are on the to-do list as well, as for the transmission, would it be perferred (performance wise) to swap for the b series transmission, or to convert the current 5 speed d series? (I'm trying to stay with manual tranny, more control and more fun in my opinion (justw anted to celar that up in case it became important)). Getting the LSD makes alot of sense, as it is the car gets a little squirrely with the 6k rpm launches.
I'm not too sure on the moment about the FI set-up, but I'll take a peek and post it when I get home.
Once again I'm still a little confused on the Hondata and wiring issue, should I be sending the ecu off to hondata before-hand, letting them know what it's going to be used for, and see if they can provide me with a wiring harness for it? Or am I barking up the wrong tree with that?

 

[StaindFaith]

Bump for the sake of having the questions answered. =[

 

[broonie86]

for the transmission you will be better getting a hold of transmision from a crx/civic siR if possible as it will bolt straight in with the conversion mounts and will save alot of hastle and money trying to convert your d series transmision to fit the b series, although ive never heard of that being done,

wiring ways all you need to do is get hold of a obd1 ecu like the p28 and use it, if the engine is standard then a unmodified p28 will run the engine without any problems and if and when you tune the engine you can socket and chip/remap the p28 ecu to run with your engine, there is no need to bother with hondata at all as the standard honda ecu is more than up to the job

broonie

 

[phunky.buddha]

B to D conversion isn't that bad. It costs about the same as a HASport mount kit too. You get to keep your stock axles, linkages, mounts (except for the engine side mount)- basically everything from the transmission back because it remains stock. Bisimoto makes one, and Intercrew in Dallas will convert stuff for you too with their own (better) kit. The cable SiR transmissions are pretty hard to find.

I might try one of the H to D conversions later on for my wife's car.

 

[StaindFaith]

Ok, I think I've got it. New Ecu for the new engine, a conversion kit (or hasport kit, depending), and that should be it? No messing around with the axles and such? (I was kinda worried I'd have to)

 

[phunky.buddha]

It's a little more involved than that for the B to D...

 

[StaindFaith]

It's a little more involved than that for the B to D...

Well that would be why I'm asking for help, now wouldn't it? ^_^