D16A1 VTEC upgrade

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klyph

Dismember
VIP
Hey I have a D16A1 from an 89 integra. I was wondering if anyone knows what is involved in upgrading to a vtec head or if this is even possible. I've seen kits for ls/vtec upgrades and was wondering if something similar is possible for a D16A1.
 
sorry dude...this has been asked alot.....the d16a1 is like a motor of its own....d-series trannys will work with it and the exhaust manifolds....but the head and block are manufactured with differnt bolt patterns and coolant passages....so in easy words...no....cant be done....
 
Yeah I kinda figured. Seems like they make lots of upgrade stuff for everything but what i have. :(
 
actually the only transmissions that will work with it are the CG transmissions that come with the A1 and the 4wd wagovan transmission out of an 84-87 wagovan.

Headers from single cams dont work without modification either and Vtec heads especially dont work.
 
are u fuckin serious.....headers from a single cam wont fit? why not they are d-series kid!!!! when u do a dohc swap into a crx or civic and u use sohc headers how do they not fit....u espicially cant tell ME they wont fit for the reason that i used them onmy swap this weeked...:owned:
 
So how did you make up for the bend that goes into the oil pan? Did you grind out the ports on the manifold? They dont line up properly with the DOHC heads. If you put the DOHC gasket up to the SOHC manifold its slightly off.

Ive tried this before and it didnt work without extensive modification to the whole thing. The D16a1 is a whole different breed of d series and most new stuff will not work with them. Trust me, i own two of these older d series and a few newer SOHC motors.
 
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Ya, whoah guys. Just askin a simple question. No need to threadjack it into a pissing contest. Jeez.
 
my age has nothing to do with it....and im not a noob to shit....ive been swapping shit since 10 years old i know my shit and to prove ur dum ass wrong here is a pic of a d-series header on a dohc d16
 

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Thats a newer DOHC ZC motor, at least the head is anyways since the valve cover bolts are on the outside. I dont know if you can swap the newer DOHC heads for the old ones but i dont know why you would. Looks to me like you used the down pipe from the old DOHC manifold, but the top could be SOHC and if it is, your ports arent lined up properly. Im talking about D16A1s here. Not newer ZC's.

What i used was a SOHC ZC manfold (the whole thing) which was 4-2-1 and it didnt work since the bend at the bottom was too much of an angle, so it bent up into the oil pan. Btw, whats with the hostility? My remark about your age is that your acting just like a 16 year old. Also, could you please point out where i said they dont fit? I said they dont work properly without modification. Thank you.
 
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the SOHC exhaust manifold/header will bolt right up, however the ports do not align - not a big deal - you can either grind out the header to match the head or just leave it - we have run them both ways and it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference either way - maybe a slight increase in power with it port matched, but you will never notice it in just driving it - here is a picture of the D16A1/DOHC ZC exhaust gasket on the SOHC header showing the amount of mismatch
 

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are u fuckin serious.....headers from a single cam wont fit? why not they are d-series kid!!!! when u do a dohc swap into a crx or civic and u use sohc headers how do they not fit....u espicially cant tell ME they wont fit for the reason that i used them onmy swap this weeked...:owned:
Your exactly rite bro I to have used them aswell.. seems like this MR smarty pants has done more reading then hands on. I been building Honda's yotas and Nissan's since I was 14 I'm 35 now it's totally ignorant to think that a person's age may define knowledge or skill...
 
the SOHC exhaust manifold/header will bolt right up, however the ports do not align - not a big deal - you can either grind out the header to match the head or just leave it - we have run them both ways and it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference either way - maybe a slight increase in power with it port matched, but you will never notice it in just driving it - here is a picture of the D16A1/DOHC ZC exhaust gasket on the SOHC header showing the amount of mismatch
Great pic to show how lil of a difference there is... I am a welder and fabricator so I usually buy raw tubing and mandrel bends and fab my own manifolds but they definitely bolt up. Great to see you guys know ur shit cause if u ask the internet these questions the tell a person that Dohc and sohc manifolds Rnt compatable but that's just BS it all just cause they want people to spend more money or to discourage someone's build in my opinion. Great stuff guys and nice rex's both u guys
 
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