what to swap in 90 prelude

[dankjeweler]

i have been looking in to alot of difffrent ideas. what i have found out is the h22 is a heavy engine for this car and not a good idea. that it would be cheaper to build a b20 or b21. and turbo it. if i where to go the b20 or b21 will that need a kit or same mounts? i know there is a kit for the h22/h23/f22 engines. just wondering if anyone has any other ideas or if they have done anyswaps on the 90 prelude. thanks in advance for your help.

[3gSi]

I have a 3rd gen prelude also. If I was you I would get a jdm b20. 145hp stock. and it will use the same mounts. Try going to preludepower.com. the 3rd gen section is very helpful and you will learn alot.

[dankjeweler]

thanks thats what i was going to be looking in to is the jdm b20.

[Fishcat37]

I do believe that your prelude has a B20A5 in it. It is a manual transmission, right? Well, if it is- I would go for any B series swap just because you can use your stock motor mounts, and you wont have the handeling issues associated with putting a heavy H series motor in your car which wasn't meant for that chassis. Your b series motor is one of those that no one really uses to build....so a swap is definately in order. A B20B or a B20Z out of a CRV will be very torquey.....and then you have the option of down the road going CRVTEC or just turboing the B20B/Z. You will need to get an integra or a B16 intake manifold due to the tall stock intake manifold on the B20B/Z...it will not clear your hood. You could also do a B series VTEC swap such as a B16 or a B18C. You will need to do more work for these due to the wiring for VTEC, and you will want to use the trans that came w/ the B16 or the B18C because they are geared for those high revving motors. Hope that this ramble helped out some

[dankjeweler]

yes it helped alot thanks for the info. so any b series will work with my mounts mmmm thats opens up a whole lot of options i was thinking the vtec how bad is wiring it up? thanks for the help.

[Fishcat37]

Well- on my 89 crx si........i had to add 4 wires plus a ground to my stock harness. VTEC solenoid, oil pressure switch, 2nd O2, and knock sensor. Wiring isn't too bad.......do a search at a search engine like hotbot or yahoo......and you find out how to wire up almost any swap in any honda

[Redline_civic91]

b-16 should be done by people who really know what they are doing, theres a lot of complication in them. i went b-20b on my civic and i love it. i drove a b20b wtih vtec stock on a civic and that combination is unbeliavable im telling you. a lot of people say that is the best combination you can make for power better than h series. i was honestly scared to really push that crvtec engine i wasn't even flooring it and i was impressed:flash: im going vtec in a couple weeks. i would really recommend this engine for performance you will definetly be one of the faster ones out on the street. even stock. you will rip most cars on the road. but again going vtec in b20b is very difficult one wrong move and your whole head is gone say good bye. but doing it right is freaken outstanding.

[dankjeweler]

well im not to sure what engine im going with yet i was thinking a b16 mabey ill go with the b20b.what engine would be the best bet to run boost on i do plan on turbo as well.have not found a complete swap for that one yet. still looking for wire codes for my car.thanks for all your help guys

[subspace]

I too am considering putting a b16a1 in my 89 Prelude 4ws. The car has 325k miles on it now and it is gradually using more oil, but not really enough to have to worry about a swap soon. I would love to keep the car for the 4ws and have a vtec in it. I love how good the 4ws handles without being lowered. Oh, anyway, I am hoping someone who has put a B16 in a 88-91 Prelude will post with their experience of the project, or if someone can send me to a site where someone has done it.