89 EF DX- What engine to buy??

[Dauber277]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just bought an 89 hatch as a project car. The stock 1.6 SOHC has leaking seals and bad clutch and is, in general, about to check out. I want to swap something in with some more power that will be good for some bolt ons, but no plans for boost right now.

All roads have led to the B16a1. Is this a good engine for the EF and what kind of prices should I be looking at for a JDM spec swap installed with all the hooplah (axles, mounts, wiring harness, etc...)??

Or... should I be looking at the B18a1?

Also, looking to sell the new 18 ADR "Intense" wheels and brand new tread that came on the ride along with the R34 body kit. I want something more JDM, even sleeperish. No flash... just engine.

Hit me back........................... thanks.

 

[Citizen_Insane]

If you search, you'll find about 10,000 threads like this. Pretty much all you have to do is swap to MPFI and then you can do pretty much anything. You could get an OBD1 GSR and do the OBD1 conversion, you could do the b16 (this is what I did, cost about $3000 total), a Type R is not impossible, just very pricy, the LS is a good engine for the EF also.

It comes down to price in the end. The b16 is fun, but its also more expensive that the b18 swap...but it has VTEC. The minimum that a B-series will cost would be about $2000 for everything, wiring, motor, mounts, shift linkage, and random bullshit.

 

[gomezkun]

I knew someone was going to respond like this

I would recommend the ZC if u r on budget. I got one and it's loads of fun.
A lot of people talk to me about the B16 and I am favoring that direction when I blow this engine.

 

[Slo86GT]

Lets pick this post apart, shall we?

First of all, your car is an ED chassis, NOT an EF.

Secondly, your DX Civic came stock with a 1.5L, not 1.6L.

Last, you forgot the most important part. How much money do you want to spend? How easy do you want the swap? Do you want bolt in, or do you mind some custom mods and cutting on the chassis?

There is no "Best" motor. It's all a matter of compromise... Do you wanna spend big baller cheese on a b18c5 ITR swap? Do you want good power for a reasonable price, but have little engine bay room, and have to hack up the chassis to fit in an H22? Do you want high revs, decent power, inexpensive, but lack torque with a b16? Do you want a simple, inexpensive swap that has torque to get you going but peters out on the top end with a B18a/b?

You have to answer your own options and make your own choices.

 

[K2e2vin]

if you want cheap and simple, just get a d16z6, ZC, or d16y8; no new mounts, uses the stock transmission, etc. If you search around, you can find good deals on these engines and even though they're not as powerful as the b-series, its plenty of pep for the ED chassis.

 

[Dauber277]

Thank you all for the input... IT HAS BEGUN

SiR Kid... That is obviously why I am soliciting some input from other people... b/c i don't know shit about it! Thank you for the disection of my thread though.