H22A in a 3rd gen (DB/DC) Integra

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H22 Into an Integra​

A conversion from B18C1, to H23A1, to JDM H22A VTEC

PARTS REQUIRED​

H Series Motor
A Mount kit (www.hasport.com) (www.placeracing.com)
Custom axles
Custom Radiator
Custom Radiator Fan
Custom Welding of Catalyst
90-97 Accord Shift Linkage, all lines running up to cabin
97-00 Prelude Power Steering Line
General Knowledge of Wiring.
A 92-00 Civic, A 90-00 Integra

A VTEC Ecu (P-13) (P-28) .

January 13th, A Wrecked 95 Integra Gsr was purchased, no motor, ecu, and rims.
FIG 1 FIG 2 FIG 3


I purchased a Fully Built H23A1 Block, It was supposedly 11.5:1 Compression with Arias pistons, it was bought for 1500 Dollars.
FIG 4 FIG 5

MOTOR​

Since it was only a block, a head and transmission had to be purchased. Since we were starting off from scratch we needed basically everything. So the cheapest route was to purchase a Blown H23 motor. We searched for weeks and we finally got one, a H23a1 with a spun bearing!
It was purchased at a Local Shop "All Motor Works", we got a killer deal for 900, but that price included....A jdm h22a tranny with lsd! This was great because the motor was built for All Motor, so the high revving H22 tranny would be perfect.
So with the motor finally in hand, we started the long process of transplanting the parts off the blown motor onto the "Mint" block. Many misc. parts had to be purchased for the swap. We of course needed custom mounts because the H22/H23 Design wasn't really made to go into smaller cars (integra's, civics, hatchbacks)

MOUNTS​

I went shopping for numerous brands of mounts, there was HCP, HASPORT, PLACE RACING, and a few others. HCP was 300 Dollars, Hasport was 650, Place Racing was 650 also. HCP mounts are a duplicate of HAsport mounts, so spending 650 on HAsport wasn't a good idea because u can get the generic ones. But with more research and talking to a few people who have done these swaps told me that HAsport mounts mount the motor too close to the driver side. So i wanted to settle for the best, i went with the Place Racing Mounts. FIG 7

GETTING THE MOTOR IN​

With the motor assembled and tranny bolted on, it was time to put the motor in the car. With the place racing mounts, the issue of the motor sitting too close to the driver side has been solved by making a mount bolting on to the chassis and not onto the original mount, so the stock passenger side mount had to be sawed off. FIG 6

RADIATOR​

The Stock Radiator was also intruding the engine installation, so it was removed and the motor was dropped in. We later installed the radiator and it did not fit. So we measured it up to specs and got a custom one made. The Stock radiator fan also didn't fit, it hit the header. So we got a Super Slim radiator fan and installed it.

AXLES​

With the motor in the car, it was time to do the axles. With HCP and HASPORT mounts, u can use a 90-93 Accord Intermediate shaft, with Integra Axles. But A H22 swap like this inside an integra/civic makes the H22 sits 2 inches lower then normal. This improves center of gravity but should require Custom axles because the motor sits low, which in turn makes the inner joint tighter together and making the axleshaft smaller.
With Place Racing Mounts, the motor sits inside the engine bay pretty much in the middle, but completely eliminates the possibility to use the Accord Intermediate shaft, Integra Axles Combo.
I had a local shop in Fresno Custom make me my axles for only 90 Dollars, I don't know how much they charge normally because i got hooked up. Custom axles should be 15 3/4'th Inches long.

SHIFT LINKAGE​

Some people say you can use a 92-96 Prelude Shift linkage, but nope. For some reason it didn't work on my car. The lines are too long, I talked to a few local shops again and they told me to get a 90-97 Accord Shift Linkage. You will need the bracket, all clips and lines that operate the shift linkage system. You will need to drill a hole big enough to run the Cable lines from inside the car to the motor. The hold should be about 10 inches big to be on the safe side. It is HIGHLY recommended to cover the hole because debris, and water can come splashing in. Also inside the car you will need to drill the shifting bracket to the car. This was fairly simple. FIG 17

POWER STEERING AND A/C​

My car is not currently running PS or A/C. But I have heard, and know for a fact that all you need is a 97-00 Power Steering Line to get it running. The A/C on the other hand needs a custom bracket to fit the A/C pump. FIG 8

ECU'S AND WIRING​

My cars stock ECU wiring was cut because of the previous theft it has gone through. Since I was running a H23, It was non VTEC, so i opted for a P75 ECU. It is a Integra LS Ecu. *Note* If you are running a Integra/Civic ECU, it will need to be chipped to employ the needed fuel for a 2.2+ Liter engine. The reason why i recommend using this Ecu for a H23 swap is because it gets rid of the EGR valve, Knock Sensors, and the Butterfly valve mechanism can be removed for a more direct air flow. I am also using a Non Vtec LS wiring harness.

CUSTOM CATALYST WELDING​

Of course the Integra Catalyst wouldn't work, Mainly because i am trying to keep it smog legal so a Prelude Cat was used. The end which connects to the cat back piping was welding to fit onto a Integra Cat back, This way I can change headers if i like.

With everything wired up, it was time to start the car. All Hopes were up high, but disaster struck when the motor Knocked like a *****! It turns out the motor was over raced and there was piston slap going on. Pissed off, I took the motor back to the owner of it. And owner of a Local Shop also. He refused to pay me back my 1500, and he gave me a bunch of BS on how we installed it wrong. Even more pissed off now, I brought my cousin over, which is the owner of Quick Care. We had a long Unfriendly talk and he finally agreed to pay me back 1200 with a brand new Alpine TYPE R Subwoofer. FIG 15 FIG 16


With $1200 in hand, I went to All Motor Works again and bought a long block H22A for 700 only. Mainly because im a good customer and he hooked me up, there was no transmission needed because i already had one.
Now the installation of the H22A was fairly simple, same wiring, the LS wiring harness plugged right up. But we had to install 3 wires, they were for the VTEC Activation. There was also two week delay, because the motor came with no downpipe, so a DC Sport Ceramic Header was ordered. I picked up a P13 Ecu (OBD1 H22A VTEC ECU) and plugged it in. We cranked the motor but it didn't start. We checked for spark and Whola. No Spark. It is a common problem because a resister box was required for the Injectors. My cousin suggested to test a Chipped P28 Ecu. Once again, we went to All Motor Works and they supplied us with a GENUINE, JDM Mugen P28! With it plugged in, we cranked it and it started! Success!!!

The car is finally running and should be hitting mid to low 13s. Mainly because I have Quite a few mods.
Intake
DC Sport Header
Custom Exhaust
ACT HDSS Clutch
Lightweight Flywheel

FINAL WORDS​

I have no new pictures of it with the H22 In, however I will be sure to get some. If ANY of you guys need pictures of ANYTHING of the swap, don't hesitate to contact me.
The swap I think went pretty well. If we had all the parts in hand, the swap could easily be done in about a day or two. But be sure to have your axles made, and radiator measured because waiting for them is very time consuming.


Written by: Thong Pham
Email Supraman28@hotmail.com
 
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