Block Question

OK, i've been reading about swaps and stuff, and i keep bumping into the words "long block" and "short block" whats the difference between the 2 blocks, and what is a dizzy?
what is OBD0, OBD1,etc. and what cars come with each, what the difference between the obd's?
what about LSD, how that helps your car, i've searched around on GOOGLE, but cant find an straight forward andwear.
i know im a noob, but please be polite and tell me what that means.

thank you

With Hondas, a long block is the bottom end and head, and a short block is just the bottom end without the head. A dizzy is a distributor.

Different OBDs (On-Board Diagnostics) have different ways of controlling emissions. The newer the OBD series, the more emmision controls the ECU has. There are a few slight variations, but most OBDs go like this: -'91 is OBD0, '92-'95 is OBD1, '96+ is OBD2. But then there is also OBD2a and OBD2b, but that depends soley on which engine and year of that particular engine. Here's some more info on OBDs: http://www.epa.gov/obd/

LSD is limited slip differential. Basically it in a car without it, 1 wheel will have more power distributed to it than the other. With LSD, both wheels get almost the same amount of power. It helps get better traction on launches and while cornering. If you're taking a corner in a car without LSD, and the dominant wheel hits a wet patch or gravel, it won't get traction. So the car won't be moving as fast as it should. With LSD, even though one wheel isn't getting traction, the other one will be able to help you power through the corner. Of course there are also quite a few different kinds of LSD. Here's a good site with a lot of info on different differentials: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

Hope that helps.

Thank you CivicSpoon, you've been very helpfull

But other then the difference in the ECU's in OBD's, what else is different? enigine harness?

Various plugs (alternator and distributor as examples), some added sensors on the newer OBDs, injector wiring (though with obd1 and obd2, those wires are just backwards from eachother), and different ECU plugs. But in general an integra or civic OBD2 engine harness will plug directly into an integra or civic OBD1 subharness (with the exception of the OBD2 Civic harness).
Also depending on where you live, some states won't allow you to swap an older engine into your car.

Is there anything specific you're trying to figure out? Like deciding what car to buy, or what year engine to buy?

well i've been studing for about 1 year now. read about every engine swap guide i could find on pretty much any d, b, h, series. but never fully understud, what they meant about short/long block. and dizzy:) well after the summer ill have about (hoping too) 5-6 g's, and im looking to get 92-95 civic coupe, then probably swap an ls/vtec or b18c1 motor. most likely b18c1 motor but ill still have to decide. and then after i get some more cash, ill get the i/h/e and probably cam gears, and in the future do some internal work. still dont know what i should do internaly, like rods/pistons/etc???? well leave some feedback if you wish. thank you
~nick

Sounds like a good plan. I would skip the cam gears, they aren't needed unless you get upgraded cams and/or forced induction. But if you're going to stay NA, you should get some cams (and upgraded valvetrain) and some higher compression pistons. Other than that it depends on how much power you want and how much you're willing to spend over all. If you wanted to go fairly cheap, you could just get some Civic Type R cams and jdm ITR or jdm b16a pistons (bring you up to roughly 11.3:1-11.5:1 compression respectively). But rods really aren't needed unless you're looking for around 300-350whp.

But as for going N/A with gsr. what would you recomed doing for about 1-2 grand , other then i/h/e

It's all about the same thing. If your going N/A (Naturally Aspirated) then your going to want high compression pistons. You usually only use low compression when you use forced induction. The valve train upgrades and the piston upgrades that Civicspoon recommended could be had fairly cheap if your the type to bargain shop. If you're going to get a 92-95 civic and you have 5-6 grand to play with doing it, then I wouldn't suggest doing an LS/Vtec swap. Because you're already planning on doing the engine work, I would find a car that someone's pulled the engine out of and is selling for cheap. It's a civic so it won't be too hard. You could get the car for around $500 depending on what model the car is. With the money you save, versus buying a car that you're going to change the engine out of, you can put the rest of you savings into an engine that will be satisfying to your needs. The ls/vtec is a cheap way to get vtec on a non vtec engine. If you can afford it, just swap in a vtec engine. If you look at the 92-95 section of the forums, there's a sticky with all available engine swaps for every 92-95 civic. You should read up and make some decisions on what you would like your car to be able to handle. Good planning now will save you pain and money in the future.

Well i did post that im going with a b18c1, so thats what im lookiing to upgrade. but a properly done ls/vtec could go to even 230hp from what i've read. so thats why i considered it

Well i did post that im going with a b18c1, so thats what im lookiing to upgrade. but a properly done ls/vtec could go to even 230hp from what i've read. so thats why i considered it

Anything an LS/vtec build can do, an equally well built b18c1 can do better(assuming both motors use the same head and intake manifold). Oil squirters for the win.

i believe you, thats why i said ill go with a b18c, lv/vtec was just an option:)

if i could go 250 hp on a gsr block i would be happy.... what would i need to achieve that goal. im in Tampa FL by the way, if any1 from around here....:)

http://tamparacing.com/forums/cars-sale-wanted/260029-99-civic-coupe-w-built-ls-vtec.html?highlight=civic

this is my alltime favorite ls/vtec ek, my friends owned it. its one of the nices. pulls like crazy.

so....what would i really neeed to go around 250 hp N/A with a gsr motor?

A full built engine (sleeves, very high compression pistons, rods, cams, valvetrain; the works). It's going to cost far more than you budget (at least the one you gave). It will end up being far cheaper to piece together a cheap turbo kit.
Check out this link and look at all the different setups. http://forums.evans-tuning.com/viewforum.php?f=5 There are bored and stroked engines on there that aren't even making 250whp. And with the stuff needed to make that kind of power; you're going to lose a considerable amount of reliability and pump gas probably won't be good enough.

Edit: I agree with Civicspoon. You should take a look at that.

250 HP is a lot to ask of a 1.8L NA engine.

If you do a CRVtec(b20 block with a b series vtec head), with endyne's long rod/piston kit, and most everything else upgraded, maybe you could get a peak 250hp NA on pump gas. Larry at Endyn says he can get a 2.0 B series to nearly 300hp on 93 octane pump gas. Don't ask me how. ;)

Unfortunatly B20 blocks seem to be hard to find in good condition.