1999 Honda Civic EX Engine Swap...

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I have a 1999 Honda Civic EX with a SOHC d16 and I just recently bought a b16a2 block really cheap. From there my plan is to buy a b18c1 GSR head and a b16 trans but replace 5th gear with the 5th gear out of an LS. Now for the block I've looked around and think I'm going to throw in a set of Arias pistons and Eagle rods. For the intake manifold from what I have read a stock GSR intake is just as good performance wise as most aftermarket im's.?.? One thing I am not sure of is the Crank.. Any suggestions? Had the car for a while just used it as a daily driver. So I'm needing as many helpful suggestions as I can get... Help me out please!

On a side note once I'm done building the engine I plan on turbocharging it. I use to drive a Chevy and had Edelbrock everything and noticed that they have a few turbo's wondering if anyone knows if they are good or not?
 
I'd probably avoid the GS-R intake actually. It's got a "butterfly" secondary mechanism that many people find difficult to wire up. It's not actually that hard, but you'll need to stick with a GS-R ECU, which will limit you somewhat, and won't really be ideal for a 1.6 liter engine.

I'd probably go after-market or stick with a B16 intake. And since we're on the subject, why not just use a B16 head if you're going with a B16 block?
 
I read that a B16 intake wont match up to a gsr head. Ok so I'm going to take your advice.. I'm going to get a b16 head that will also help keep my compression lower for a future turbo...ok so what about valvetrain??? I'm looking for the best bang for the buck.. Ferrea?
 
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yeah.. well if there is anything cheaper that is close to the same quality feel free to let me know! Still needing to find a Crank.. any suggestions?
 
well honestly before i spent anything i would have that very cheap block inspected , as far as the parts go whats you end goal power wise for this car ? and the eldebrock turbo kits are ok , not great , but not bad
 
Lisa kubo , ed bergenholtz , kenny tran , and many other raced honda on production cranks at over 600 whp , it needs to be prepped , but unlike chevy , Honda uses forged cranks stock , get a good stock crank , blueprint it and your all set
 
I read that a B16 intake wont match up to a gsr head. Ok so I'm going to take your advice.. I'm going to get a b16 head that will also help keep my compression lower for a future turbo...ok so what about valvetrain??? I'm looking for the best bang for the buck.. Ferrea?

Yeah you may be correct about the B16 manifold not working on a GS-R head. I looked into it a bit. It seems the GS-R head requires the GS-R intake, but a B16 head can use a B16A, B16B, or B18C5 intake. I'd probably stick with the B16 head though, then you won't even have to mess with finding a way to activate those secondaries in the manifold.

For the valve-train, yes, Ferrea is good, but expensive. Crower is decent as well. I've actually heard bad things about Skunk2's springs and retainers, so I'd probably avoid them for that...
 
Yeah the block is already scheduled for a day at the spa... looking to make somewhere around 350whp... i have heard the same thing about skunk2... Crower is def a better price 2 for the price of 1 on most other brands on cams... I would like to avoid mix and matching all my parts so crower cams and valvetrain are lookin pretty good right now... You guys are helpin a lot! i have all these choices and it is really good to hear what actually works!
 
Yeah you may be correct about the B16 manifold not working on a GS-R head. I looked into it a bit. It seems the GS-R head requires the GS-R intake, but a B16 head can use a B16A, B16B, or B18C5 intake. I'd probably stick with the B16 head though, then you won't even have to mess with finding a way to activate those secondaries in the manifold.

For the valve-train, yes, Ferrea is good, but expensive. Crower is decent as well. I've actually heard bad things about Skunk2's springs and retainers, so I'd probably avoid them for that...

He's right. Avoid Skunk2's valve train at all costs. I've learned that they tend to fail a lot. Their cams are good though.

Another thing he is right on, stick with the B16 head. You won't regret it.

I would suggest PortFlow or OmniPower if you are not wanting to go with Ferrea. They're very reliable as well as Crower.

Best of luck on your build and should you need any further advice on your head build, check out my build in my signature. Though it may not be the route you want to go, a LOT of people chimed in with great advice.
 
Yeah thanks a lot! One thing I havn't seen much on is fuel systems and ignition??? My parts list is getting closer and closer to completion! Even though I know from experience that it won't ever be complete when it comes to something like this! I'm at least getting pretty close to a starting point!
 
Ok wow my b16a2 build got pushed back a little bit... But I'm back on it now! What ECU should I get and what all will I have to do to get it to work? I was looking on Hondata at all the ECU's that will go with the engine but have no idea which will give me the most potential.?.?
 
Ok wow my b16a2 build got pushed back a little bit... But I'm back on it now! What ECU should I get and what all will I have to do to get it to work? I was looking on Hondata at all the ECU's that will go with the engine but have no idea which will give me the most potential.?.?

Well, since it's going into a 99 Civic chassis, then a 99-00 Si ECU would be the easiest thing to use...
 
I am getting 8.5:1 pistons to help keep the compression low for the future turbo.. should i go oversized? and if so how much and how far can i bore it without causing the sleeves to be too weak?
 
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