need advice on 87 CRX Si D16Z6 swap

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1stgencrxZC

Junior Member
okay, i am currently buying up parts left and right for a D16Z6 engine, sinking lots and lots of money into this baby. (just a toy/project to get my feet wet with all out drag racing) and i want to start with something incredibly simple. but i have NO clue whats necessary and what will/won't work. the wiring seems easy enough, just get the 92-95 ecu (P28?) and underdash wiring harness as well as the engine wiring harness, i dont need the dash to work as i will be wiring in gauges, no stereo, no a/c, no heater nothing like that. so the wiring part is easy to me. i read up in sport compact car about the D16A1 twin-cam integra swap and i have searched several online forums but it seems that nobody really does anything with the first generation CRX anymore. i realize that i will be getting an SI due to the fact that its easier to work with because of the fuel injection, but my main questions are regarding the mounts, the axles, and the transmission. which transmission do you guys recommend using? will the stock axles work? will the stock engine mounts work? which engine mounts would work best? the base del sol mounts or the 92-95 civic ex mounts? is there even a difference? i would like to get this all figured out before i have a CRX sitting in the garage for several months while i search around on the internet trying to find out who did this 10 years ago. i realize that its a pretty low-tech swap but like i said, i want to start out simple. and these first gen crx's are light as hell.
 
first off, you would be better off starting with a 88 CRX HF because it is lighter than the 1st gen CRX Si and easier to swap the D16Z6 engine into - if you are set on a 1st gen Si, you have a lot of work ahead of you - a lot of wiring is probably the least of the problems - the 1st gen CRX uses completely different suspension, transmission, mounts, axles, etc. than any of the later CRXs - the 1st gen CRX engine mount on the driver's side is on the front of the engine (toward radiator) where the D16Z6 driver's side mount is at the end of the block in the center of the engine - you would need to fabricate a new mount for this location - the 88-91 D-series transmissions will bolt right to the D16Z6, but unfortunately they will not bolt into the 1st gen car - the 1st gen only used 1 transmission mount which is on the front of the transmission at the passenger side frame rail - the other mounts (front and rear) were on the engine itself - in order to use the 88-91 transmission, you would need to fabricate all new mounts for the transmission, as well as get custom axles and shift linkage - the 86-89 Integra transmission will bolt right into the 1st gen chassis, but again, had only 1 mount - you would need to fabricate new mounts for the front and rear of the engine/transmission - to use the 86-89 Integra transmission would also require using the 86-89 Integra knuckles/hubs, intermediate shaft, axles and shift linkage - unfortunately, it will only kind of work with the D16Z6 - not all of the bolts that attach the transmission to the engine are in the same location - you can get most of them in - you would need to use the 86-89 Integra starter, flywheel and clutch - the D16Z6 does not have holes tapped in the back of the block to bolt the intermediate shaft to the engine - the holes are there, they just aren't tapped - you would actually need to use a JDM DOHC ZC intermediate shaft as the Integra shaft mounting bracket holes don't align with the holes in the block, where the ZC does - you could eliminate the intermediate shaft and use unequal length axles like the 2nd gen CRX, but you would need to get a custom axle for the driver's side - my advice is to find a 88 HF

CRXWEIGHTS.jpg
 
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well thanks for the info, i guess its more work than i had planned on, i was hoping that this had been done enough that people had developed a kit, i guess it would make more sense to just drop a B16 into it, since hasport makes a kit for that, and that would be just as emissions legal as any other swap. i just like the first gen CRX because you dont see too many of them here in tennessee that are in anything even remotely close to DECENT condition. you see second gen CRX's all over the place with over 10 grand dumped into em. ah well, i guess an ITB'd or JRSC'd B16 isnt such a bad choice after all. im glad i didnt get too attached to the idea. thanks again!
 
well thanks for the info, i guess its more work than i had planned on, i was hoping that this had been done enough that people had developed a kit, i guess it would make more sense to just drop a B16 into it, since hasport makes a kit for that, and that would be just as emissions legal as any other swap. i just like the first gen CRX because you dont see too many of them here in tennessee that are in anything even remotely close to DECENT condition. you see second gen CRX's all over the place with over 10 grand dumped into em. ah well, i guess an ITB'd or JRSC'd B16 isnt such a bad choice after all. im glad i didnt get too attached to the idea. thanks again!
another option would be the "browntop" JDM DOHC ZC 135hp which will bolt right in using the 86-89 Integra knuckles/hubs, axles and shift linkage - a lot cheaper than the B-series swap
 
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