what to stuff into a crx?

hey all i want to start a project car. pretty much ive decided on the 2nd gen crx, but i dont know what engine to put into it. i was thinking ild like to get around 250horses out of the engine. i was hoping to go N/A and yes i do know itll be harder then just sticking a turbo on lets say a b16 and being done with it. what engine would u guys recommend? i was looking at a b18c1 out of an integra gs-r. but lately ive been looking at the prelude h22's. i really like the torque they produce but im not sure if thatd be good in a chassis as light as the crx. once again trying to go n/a so would i be able to get the 250horses out of a b18c? ive heard of it being done but how much do u think itd cost? any help you guys could throw my way would be much appreciated.

It's be cheaper to go turbo than all motor. With the h22 you'd have to do some cutting and fabrication, but it's been done. I'd recommend getting a book called "How to Build Honda Horsepower". Although it doesn't have anything about the h22 in it (which sucks in my opinion) it's a very good read. Gives you examples on different setups that make serious hp, and gives you dyno charts of a lot of different add-ons that you can do. But you could definently get 250hp out of a GSR all motor. Basics (and I mean simple basics) would be to get high compression pistons, some nice cams, and upgraded valvetrain (of course better fuel management and tuning as well). Price would depend on parts you buy and what your local machine shop would charge.

ah that kind of answered my question right there about the h22. ild rather keep it somewhat simple since id prefer to do as much of the work as possible on my own. i could do a normal swap, but cutting and welding i couldnt do. and yeah upgraded valvetrain/high compression pistons were pretty much my first step, followed quickly by porting the head =). fuel management i would have a shop by my house do, ive seen some of the work theyve done, although its mostly classic cars they still have a few imports under their belt and im impressed. and yeah i know its cheaper to just stick the turbo on, but for some reason the idea of a n/a engine appeals to me much more then forced induction.

oh yeah, i was also planning on replacing the crank/rods with LS parts, is this a good idea? i heard that the ones that came out of the integra LS were the strongest and most durable?

lol, forgot one more thing. would i even need the b18c1 engine to produce 250hp? or is there something i could get for cheaper and get 250hp n/a?

why do people keep saying that na is more expensive then turbo, i mean in a na you gotta replace everypart with stronger parts, in a turbo you gotta replace every part with stronger parts, but with a turbo you gotta buy the turbo kit.

im assuming this is going to be a full race chassis. get the motor sleeved, bored out to 86mm, if you go with an ls crank, i forget the exact numbers of rod length and deck height but its close. get like a 12:1 cr, some kidn of stage 3 cams, ITBs, of course full valvetrain with a p&p head, and of course a good race header.

that should net you some good hp, with a good tune

do u think i would have to bore the engine? i was hoping i wouldnt have to do it but i havent been able to find any info on how much hp that gives. i think i could pull off 250hp without having to bore it though, but if u have any info itd help.

yeah i think your gonna have to, to reach your goal of 250whp. why dont you wanna bore it ?

cause its a little bit more work then i intended to do. plus boring weakens the block, yes i know that i dont have to do excessive on it to where the walls are a millimeter thick (exageration hehe), but i still dont like the concept. but ill see if i have to do then i guess ill do it.

why do people keep saying that na is more expensive then turbo, i mean in a na you gotta replace everypart with stronger parts, in a turbo you gotta replace every part with stronger parts, but with a turbo you gotta buy the turbo kit.
Because I was thinking that he could boost 7-8psi with a good turbo and tune, and possibly make 250hp without changing internals (probably not at the wheels though now that I think of it). But you're right he's probably better off building the motor and turboing, which would be more expensive than all motor.

yeah if you talk about only 7-9 psi of boost vs an all motor then yeah the all motor is more expensive.

no you dont gotta worry about weak sleeves, with stock sleeves at 81mm, the most that is recommended to bore is 81.5 so only .5 on stock sleeves. if you get the motor sleeved then you can go 86mm which the sleeves will still be strong especially for all motor.

but what you always could do is just build the motor with the stock sleeves and put in every other part and dyno and see what kind of numbers your make. if its not at your 250 then you will need to bore, if it is then you dont need to. then you can also be the person to tell us on a fully built block if you bore from stock to this bore you will gain this much hp

lol will do =). but im not planning on really starting this till around spring/summer. right now im just looking around for the best places to get everything and just general research on what parts ill need/want to get. what do you guys think about superchargers? the main reason i dont want to go turbo is cause of lag, and yes i know i could get a smaller turbo but i still dont like the idea. if i supercharge a b18c1 i could get around 230hp and thats without any other mods. so new cams and intake manifold and i should be set. does anyone know the compression ratio on the b18c?

JDM B18....or do a build up on your own....the stock motos doesnt have verymuch potrential unless yo uhave hte SI version...the HF and HX motors are poo

ummm, i never planned on keep the hf or hx. and i was thinking about getting the b18. and even the crx si motor doesnt have much in it. plus id have to do a build up on my own no matter what since i want more then the 170hp offered by the b18c.

uhh.. the hx didn't even come out until '96, when the crx was already dead and buried (other than the del sol of course) :disappoin

indeed you are correct. lol, guess i shouldnt follow someone when they dont really make much sense in the first place. but yeah either way, i never planned on keeping any of the stock crx engines in there...

dont get JDM motor, just a waste of money when you can get something almost equivilant but much cheaper. and since you are building it up then most of the jdm parts will be taken out.

NA is more expensive then turbo because NA requires more dyno time, and time=$$$. in the NA motor every little thing has to be tweaked, its not just buying the parts. turbo is simpler; beef up internals and boost. the gsr cams are good for boost also, so save a little money there. just keep it from detonating and you are good to go, in most cases. the parts price will be almost the same, unless you get a shit-expensive turbo. usually a full build for both will be around 13g.

the b18c1 is a good choice, its cheaper then the type-r engines, flows almost the same(contrary to the myth that the type-r has much better flow). also has good aftermarket support(the whole B-series thing). and its lighter then the h22.

well actually i think i just found my best solution. how about a b18b1 from an integra ls and then supercharge it? internals should hold up to the 200whp ild like to get out of the car, so the only thing id reall yhave to pay for would be the engine and the supercharger. im really not looking to go all out with this car since it would be my first project. 200-250whp would be plenty enough for me.

Yeah the build up might be the same price and tuning might cost more for NA, but you still have to buy the turbo kit. And yeah I think the type r is the same head as the gsr (of course the cams and valvetrain are different)but the type r had a mild p&p; maybe some other minor things as well. But you're right on the not getting jdm thing, because of exactly what you said. I never understood people who say they had to go with the jdm motor and are planning on rebuilding it anyways to go NA; complete waste of $ that could be spent on parts.

well actually i think i just found my best solution. how about a b18b1 from an integra ls and then supercharge it? internals should hold up to the 200whp ild like to get out of the car, so the only thing id reall yhave to pay for would be the engine and the supercharger. im really not looking to go all out with this car since it would be my first project. 200-250whp would be plenty enough for me.
I think that's a good choice. Personally I've been swaying back and forth between a few different motors, but I keep coming back to the LS w/FI. Low compression and a little more torque stock than the gsr; can't beat that...well maybe ITR or h22a w/FI.

sounds good(supercharged b18b), even though the rods can handle about 200whp, upgrade them just as insurance. they are usually the weakest link in a motor.

uhh.. the hx didn't even come out until '96, when the crx was already dead and buried (other than the del sol of course) :disappoin

HX was still poo....just stating a fact.. :-P

sounds good(supercharged b18b), even though the rods can handle about 200whp, upgrade them just as insurance. they are usually the weakest link in a motor.

and after the rods its the block... :banghead: i dont know how many cracked production b18 blocks i have seen...but its hella lot... i think DART performance should be ever imortified for recreating the well designed b18 block in much stronger CNC machiened aluminum.... :worshippy :dogpile: :boink:

sounds good(supercharged b18b), even though the rods can handle about 200whp, upgrade them just as insurance. they are usually the weakest link in a motor.

you dont need to upgrade the rods, the rods can handle 300whp, which is alot more then 200whp. but you are right in a sense that they are usually the weakest link.

and usually if you see a cracked sleeve on a block its due to bad tuning or running more power then the block can handle. honda blocks are strong with stock sleeves handling over 500whp, so its hardly ever running more thent eh sleeves can handle, its usually always bad tuning