h22a into my 89 ef hatch

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

Zero2sixtyin3

89 EF Hatch D15B2 w/ 5spd
ok so i am going to go with an h22a swap into my ef because i like the fact that it isnt as common as the b series...yet, and for a little more or in the case of b18c, a little less, i get more power. i am referring to motor alone not complete swap price.

so my questions are basically, about bolt ons, intake and exhaust, what do i use for an intake and for a header? are they different or need to be custom? also would it be a good idea to replace internals to do a turbo or would i be able to get decent and moderately reliable power out of stock internals? and if i were to pick up an exhaust before i did the swap would i end up just needing a new catback exhaust or would i still be ok with using it. im wanting to get the rsr gt2 exhaust but not if it wont work with the swap.

im planning on rywire for the harness, hasport for the mounts, and axles and havent decided on the motor. the p13 ecu so i can go with a plug and play set up. ohhh and does anyone know of a good spring rate for when i order my coilovers, i want to order the right ones so that they will accommodate the heavier h22.

as always, any help and info is greatly appreciated and i rep those who help, hell even those that are just plain good people :D
 
An H22 in that car will be a beast:twisted: For the header you going to need an H22/prelude header because it will bolt up to the motor. On the bottom you're probably going to have to cut out some of the crossmember in order to get enough clearance for the header. I would use a cold air intake that normally goes on your car. If you are going turbo I would replace the internals and build it up to handle the boost because once you feel the boost you are going to want to turn it up. You'll be glad you did, and it's better to be safe than sorry. Plus replacing the internals will be like having a new motor. You dont know what you are getting when you buy a used motor, or how well it's been taken care of or abused. Rywire harnesses are the best. They are a direct plug in. Go with HAsport mounts.
 
Last edited:
well is there anything i will need to modify if i use the hasport mounts or are they just a bolt on deal? do you know if i will still be able to use my same catback exhaust? and the intake is still in the same position as with my d15?
 
I was planning on doing the same swap in my 91 ef, but the guy that i was supposed to get the swap from decided to keep it after we agreed on everything. It was an H22 type s. I was so stoked to do it. Alot of people were telling me it wasnt worth it and was stupid for having to bang up the engine bay to fit. I disagreed. Hopefully i still do it someday.

I'll be watching this thread. I'm excited to see how it goes. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
well i decided to do it because it isnt common. and i have been looking around and from the sounds of it they have been making better mounts and such that provide proper positioning so you wont have to notch parts of the car for things like exhaust headers and such. its just like any other swap it seems now. im thinking i might just find one in a wrecked lude or go to a junkyard and pick up a motor and just build it inside out. replace the internals and stuff. with the money i would save going that route i figure i could do internals and have a little better power for the same price.
 
ok so according to hasport i will need the sir front end or at least the hood because of clearance. and even then it isnt guaranteed. so is there a company that makes a set of mounts that wont require me to swap the front end or maybe an alternate method of raising the hood to clear?has anyone done this swap and used the O.E. USDM front end? i want to do the sir front anyways but i would prefer to do the swap first as the conversion is around a grand done right and i would rather be faster then look better.
 
Don't quote me on this but yes it can be done with out front end converision you most likely have to get a different hood that raised I.E aftermart/carbon fiber that has the hood raised in the center I've seen it done friends have told me about it a well as ive seen a ef 4 door rolling around my town with h22stock front end so I know it can be done just not 100% on how hope it helps you
 
Explicitspeedperformance.net makes everything you need as far as hardware, and its great quality stuff. i used them for my swap and dont have any hood issues BUT it sits it lower in the engine bay and i had to raise the suspension. If your going to turbo it, get hondata so you can tune it better. A header for a prelude will work, and so will your exhaust if you get it, you will just have to have a test pipe made to connect the two. Go get an ESP traction bar, it replaces the front crossmember and you wont have to worry about clearance.
I'll post some pics
 
my h23a in my EF
enging bay.JPG

This is the traction bar from the front, it looks good on there
traction bar 001.JPG

no hood clearance issues at all
0421092257.jpg
 
ok so then its the hasport mounts that make it sit in such a way that hood clearance becomes an issue. i will have to check out esp too and i will check innovative mounts as well see if they are decent. so it is a matter of raising the car for clearance with the esp mounts then? this is becoming enough of a pain that i might be forced to go with a b18c1 to keep it cheap. im not worried about the hassle as much as i am the time and money it could cost me simply from the car being apart when i do it and the difficulties i will run into with an H22 i am thinking an eg might be a better body for it no???
 
and on top of that i just found out my car has a bit more damage then i thought. turns out i have to replace the cradle which is the big black bar the is right below my radiator, and i have to get a new core support. and the frame might be tweaked but i wont know for sure until i get the first two taken care of. this is apparently meant to go even harder then usual lol.
 
ok so according to hasport i will need the sir front end or at least the hood because of clearance. and even then it isnt guaranteed. so is there a company that makes a set of mounts that wont require me to swap the front end or maybe an alternate method of raising the hood to clear?has anyone done this swap and used the O.E. USDM front end? i want to do the sir front anyways but i would prefer to do the swap first as the conversion is around a grand done right and i would rather be faster then look better.

why dont u just use hood spacers?
 
also i wouldnt give up b series in ef's are a dime a dozen i personally also have an ef and was thinkin about running a poor mans type r but changed my mine and now am debating to either stay single cam and swap an f22b1 and boost it or go dual cam and do a h23 turbo but stay original its worth the hassle
 
pjschmitt: no I hvaent given up, hatch was stolen and then recovered, going to be picking up another one here in about 2 months.

civicfanboii27: thanks for the advice, hood spacers are probably going to be the best route, and i am in the same boat you are currently though i am considering the vitara z6 sohc build or an h23 turbo build.

Topher: nicely done, just the way i pictured it lol, so did you have as hard of a time getting the front bumper off as I did?
 
Back
Top