am planning on buying a honda civic eg the hatchback . am planning on changing the engine but i dont know which one to choose from i want to go all motor with this car reving about 9,000 or so. i like the b20, the type r . but the type r motor is to much money . the b20 i like and wondering if i could put a different head on it. i want the car to run around high 10's or low 11's. if someone could help me out and if left something out just ask me and i'll respone back to you with the answer. and also is their a site where i could find out the weight of the cars and the weight of the motors. thanks alot
Help choosing an engine
- Thread starter civiceg94
- Start date
- Replies 15
- Views 1K
We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms
EG6Civic83
New Member
I don't know about the weight thing but I could comment on your motor. First and foremost is your car equipped with VTEC? I have a 92 Hatch Si and it has VTEC. If so then kudos, swaping in a VTEC motor will be easy and, in my opinion, the best for running high RPM applications. Personally I would not want the B20 for an all motor build because of the lower compression ratio. Unless you plan on boosting that baby or spending a ton of money on raising a perfectly good B20's already boostable compression ratio I would stay away from it. You can LS/VTEC swap the head's and gain some valuable rev's but still, the comp is way low. The Type R is the ideal candidate for a high rpm, fast Civic but as you mentioned the price tag is uber high. Plus you will have to deal with swaping from OBD I (your year) to OBD II (the Type R motor). My advice, go with something like a GSR or maybe even a Civic Type R motor. The Civic Type R will make around 185 horses to the crank which is nothing to laugh at in a B16. And you can get the full swap package from hmotorsonline.com for $3800 which includes the rare S4C tranny equipped with factory LSD!! Just depends on how much you are willing to spend. You could also go with a hugh H series swap and be out of this world fast but that too is a complicated swap.
Personally, I have a B16A2 sourced from a 92-95 SiR II Civic headed my way and it is supposed to make 170 hp at the crank. With a $1700 Buddy Club Spec IV head job I should be making somewhere in the ballpark of 225 to the wheels. The motor only cost me $2250 and when you figure in the new head job you are looking at under $4000 for an SiR II motor and a fully rebuilt head (cams, gears, valves, springs, retainers) that is cheaper than the Type R and should hang with most things out there. Like I said bro... just depends on how deep them pockets are.
Personally, I have a B16A2 sourced from a 92-95 SiR II Civic headed my way and it is supposed to make 170 hp at the crank. With a $1700 Buddy Club Spec IV head job I should be making somewhere in the ballpark of 225 to the wheels. The motor only cost me $2250 and when you figure in the new head job you are looking at under $4000 for an SiR II motor and a fully rebuilt head (cams, gears, valves, springs, retainers) that is cheaper than the Type R and should hang with most things out there. Like I said bro... just depends on how deep them pockets are.
Last edited:
what am going to do is just build it slowly. because am not in a hurry am just going to buy parts slowly. with the B20 i heard they have good torque if it has low compression to build a NA motor would buying higher compression pistons fixs the problem? and how about changin the head like into a type r or a gsr head do i need to modifi anything so it could fit onto the B20 block ?and of course have it vtec. i was planning on putting a buddy club head job or a toda racing head job. i just want to find a good engine to start off and or find a good head to put on the motor. once i have that. i just buy one part at a time nice and slow so money would not be a problem. and also find a nice transmission to go along with this package. am not planning on boosting my car. i dont really want to have a slow car on the street. most likely am going to be racing hard. does torque really matter? thanks for your help
EG6Civic83
New Member
In Response
Well as far as getting VTEC that can be accomplished by swapping a VTEC head onto the B20 block. I've hear they make good numbers. I know you have to drill a hole in the block for the oil system which is essential to VTEC operation but other than that I don't know about anything else. Is your EG an Si or EX? If it isn't then you need to get an EX or Si wiring harness because it will have VTEC prewired. You will also need to make sure you have a compatible VTEC ECU. The P28 which comes in the 92-95 EG Si hatch is probably your best bet as you can get that thing chipped by Hondata for like $300 to run optimal on your setup.
As far as I know any VTEC head from a B series block should do the trick. Any DOHC VTEC head should accomplish what you are after. You can buy high comp pistons to raise you compression ratio but I couldn't tell you which ones you would need. There is a great book by a guy named David Bonk called "Honda Engine Swaps" and it details how to do certain swaps for your EG Civic. You can ask someone on here or read the threads to figure out how to hook that up. You will also need a different intake manifold because the B20 manifold is way too big for your little hatch.
If you want that thing to be rev happy you can go with a head from something like a B16 from a del Sol or 99-00 Civic Si. But a B18 VTEC head from the Integras (GSR, Type R, etc.) will give you a little less rev but the same VTEC. Probably want to go with the B18 head since it will have more airflow as it is designed for higher displacement. It would be rockin' to have something like a rebuilt GSR or a Type R head on that bad boy and really see what it could accomplish. You will have alot of torque with a lower compression ratio motor which makes putting a VTEC free flowing head on it a well rounded set up.
Well as far as getting VTEC that can be accomplished by swapping a VTEC head onto the B20 block. I've hear they make good numbers. I know you have to drill a hole in the block for the oil system which is essential to VTEC operation but other than that I don't know about anything else. Is your EG an Si or EX? If it isn't then you need to get an EX or Si wiring harness because it will have VTEC prewired. You will also need to make sure you have a compatible VTEC ECU. The P28 which comes in the 92-95 EG Si hatch is probably your best bet as you can get that thing chipped by Hondata for like $300 to run optimal on your setup.
As far as I know any VTEC head from a B series block should do the trick. Any DOHC VTEC head should accomplish what you are after. You can buy high comp pistons to raise you compression ratio but I couldn't tell you which ones you would need. There is a great book by a guy named David Bonk called "Honda Engine Swaps" and it details how to do certain swaps for your EG Civic. You can ask someone on here or read the threads to figure out how to hook that up. You will also need a different intake manifold because the B20 manifold is way too big for your little hatch.
If you want that thing to be rev happy you can go with a head from something like a B16 from a del Sol or 99-00 Civic Si. But a B18 VTEC head from the Integras (GSR, Type R, etc.) will give you a little less rev but the same VTEC. Probably want to go with the B18 head since it will have more airflow as it is designed for higher displacement. It would be rockin' to have something like a rebuilt GSR or a Type R head on that bad boy and really see what it could accomplish. You will have alot of torque with a lower compression ratio motor which makes putting a VTEC free flowing head on it a well rounded set up.
Last edited:
To me the k24 swap would be the best swap to go high 10's low 11's with a street car but it will cost you a pretty penny. We have a b20 all motor going 11.9's but it only weighs 2000lbs. with the driver and has 245 whp. All motor is expensive, so make sure this is what you want to doand do it right the first time out.
i really want to do all motor because going forced induction is just to easy just slap on a turbo and your making good horsepower. i want to build the motor so i could learn while building a nice motor and knowing that the horse power that it is going to put out was work i had to do and do research to put on down good horsepower
thanks alot guys for your help
thanks alot guys for your help
EG6Civic83
New Member
My fault bro the guy is Aaron Bonk who wrote the book I recommended. Yeah I want to go all motor as well but it is expensive. K series is going to rheem you when it comes to the price but they do make killer horses. Still sold on the B20?
i guess for now this seems to me like one of the best set ups for me i wouldn't mind doin a k series swap. but the money is what is going to hold me back from doing that set up. bulletproof the block first so i could make handle the high rev then find me type r or gs-r which ever one ill find first and find me a nice transmission then ill move onto bulletproofing the head. if there is a place which sells the k series around 3 g's which i know there is no place lol ill just stay with this setup in mind for now. it'll be nice to be the only oneto have a k series around where i live but o while hopefully with this setup i get to kill most cars out there
suspendedHatch
audio/security
LS/VTEC is actually the best way to go. It has tons of potential and it will teach you the most about engines than any other swap. Medium budget. K series isn't going to teach you shit except how to bend over and fart cash. It's still just a fad and hasn't matured yet.
Running 10s or 11s is a very distant goal. For now just focus on learning and going fast on brains, not budget. You might not want to hear this but it's going to take several cars and several engines before you really start to feel like you've learned something.
Aerodynamics is what wins at drag racing. Secondly with a FF drive car is traction, and then horsepower. I'm not sure where money and brains factor in but they're up in the top three.
Also, there is so much more to a mid nineties Honda than drag racing.
Running 10s or 11s is a very distant goal. For now just focus on learning and going fast on brains, not budget. You might not want to hear this but it's going to take several cars and several engines before you really start to feel like you've learned something.
Aerodynamics is what wins at drag racing. Secondly with a FF drive car is traction, and then horsepower. I'm not sure where money and brains factor in but they're up in the top three.
Also, there is so much more to a mid nineties Honda than drag racing.
EG6Civic83
New Member
Ls/vtec
If I am not mistaken the LS Integra came with the B18B which was DOHC but did not have VTEC. You can get an LS motor and swap any B series VTEC head onto it. Course there is some block drilling that needs to be done for the VTEC but other than that I think it's fairly simple. You can get an LS Complete Swap for $2200 plus shipping from hmotorsonline.com. Check it out.
If I am not mistaken the LS Integra came with the B18B which was DOHC but did not have VTEC. You can get an LS motor and swap any B series VTEC head onto it. Course there is some block drilling that needs to be done for the VTEC but other than that I think it's fairly simple. You can get an LS Complete Swap for $2200 plus shipping from hmotorsonline.com. Check it out.
will this be a better setup because i just checked out the torque numbers on the LS its lower ? what would be the difference?
and also another question the hole setup is 2200 plus shipping plus a vtec head for a LS engine
what is the difference from having a B20 i hear alot of people talking about the LS and also the B20 cost around the most is 600 plus shipping? is it because it doesn't bring the axles, tranny, harness and all the other stuff or something else let me know
and also another question the hole setup is 2200 plus shipping plus a vtec head for a LS engine
what is the difference from having a B20 i hear alot of people talking about the LS and also the B20 cost around the most is 600 plus shipping? is it because it doesn't bring the axles, tranny, harness and all the other stuff or something else let me know
EG6Civic83
New Member
Yeah the price I gave you for the LS was for a complete swap package. That includes your wiring harness, ECU, shift linkage, axles (x2), motor, trans, and motor mounts. Of course if you are getting the B20 then you won't really need to worry too much about mounts cause there are mounts on that motor which are not compatible with your Civic. Plus with the B20 you have to get a new inake manifold because the CRV intake manifold is too big and will hit the firewall in your Civic. So, you are talking, mounts, head and intake manifold for the B20 swap and that is all I can think of but I am sure there are more things you will need. Someone around here will know more than me. You could buy the LS and drive it w/o VTEC unitl you save the money for a new head. But that is just a suggestion. Gotta do what works for you bro.
Similar threads
