1.5 vtec question???

Have you ever noticed how auto manufacturers try to CLONE you into a vehicle they "designed" for you ???? Well first of all "they are not ME and will never be... AMEN!" all I want is a mini-van with a manual transmission, AC, a kick'n stereo, and good milage that isn't 40 years old. So... I'm planning on "building my own" I am considering a 1.5 vtec engine and gearbox with a possible aftermarket turbo-charger and intercooler. My question is what year and model vehicle should I choose for my "powerplant doner" remembering that MPG is a high priority as well as the largest clutch I can find to handle the load and power I plan to apply?

:confused: You're going to build your own mini-van??? What kind of chassis are you planning on using? What kind of weight with this mini-van have?

Honestly, you're probably better off with a different engine than a 1.5L. The 1.5L Honda engines have no torque (actually pretty much every Honda engine doesn't have any torque), so unless you're going to build your own turbo kit with a small turbo, it would be very sluggish. A much better choice would be the B20 from a CRV or an H22A from a Prelude. The H22A would have more power, but requires 91-93 octane. The stock H22A transmission is also very short, but you could use a longer geared Prelude or Accord transmission. But the B20 might be a better choice, as there are more parts available for it. It's basically just a bored out Integra LS/GS/RS engine (81mm vs 84mm), with low compression (good for gas mileage).

But it sounds like you're looking for quite a bit of power, so here's what I would do. I'd just buy the B18B1 engine/transmission (Integra LS/GS/RS), sleeve it with 84mm sleeves (same bore as the B20), put low compression pistons in it, and and then turbo it. On every forum I go to, I've read (aka no personal knowledge) that the B20 is harder to sleeve properly because there isn't much material at the bottom of the block to securely put in new sleeves. And The B20 has very different sleeves than the regular Honda engines (though it shares the same material as the H22A); it's made of a stronger fiber-reinforced metal (FRM) which don't react well with most aftermarket pistons; though there are companies that make them. But if you scratched up the stock sleeves, you're not going to be able to bore them out, because they are made so thin.

As for year, I'd suggest anything from '92-'95 since they are OBD1 and easier to tune off of when you turbo it. The '92-'93 B18B's (might be B18A's) come with cable transmissions, while the '94-'95 B18B's come with hydraulic transmissions.

I considered using a 1st generation Odesy as the platform (which came with a 2.4 vtec, but wasn't sure about what manual transmission might work ??? and then just have to deal with flywheel and pedal assembly etc. I wasn't happy with the MPG of that engine tho power was acceptable so I thought about going smaller and use a turbo to gain on midrange pull. then again if I could find the right doner vehicle my 1st choice would be a Chevy HHR outfitted with a complete moter and trans swap. So what do you think???

The 1st gen Odyssey was actually a 2.2L non-vtec engine. But I would think that an Accord & Prelude transmission would bolt right up to it, since it's a F-series engine (F22B6). Honestly I'm not positive about that though, but it seems like that would work.

And if you were to get an HRR, you'd be better off just keeping the stock engine and turbocharging that. You'd have just as good gas milage with it (probably even a little better), and you wouldn't have to deal with all the $ doing custom fabrication to get a Honda engine into it. Even the H22A has 200hp but around 156tq; which is just about the same as the HRR engine (torque not horsepower). So that wouldn't even be worht the $ just to gain some hp when you could just go turbo.

What do you think about Scions? I haven't really looked into it, but maybe there's some kind of Toyota or Lexus engine you could swap in there. Might be something to look into.

Other than that it's really depend on the exact van you'd get.

i would say go with an h22 swap. it should be for the most part straight forward. as for gas mileage, it shouldn't be that bad.

I was going to try to go through my insurance man and maybe try to pickup a HHR from a theft recovery or flood damage vehicle, that way I would have a rolling shell and title to start with and I wouldn't feel too bad getting rid of the rest. But yes, kick'n out the bucks for a new HHR then diving into an engine swap and costomiz'n would be a LOT of coin.
My Second Idea is get my wife a newer mini-van and start with her Odessy (which does have the larger v-teck already).
both the (older) Odessy and the new HHR are rated at 20MPG around town. I was hoping to do better by going with a very small cube motor and a manual trans..(which I love), then hot rod it a bit till I was "satisfied" with power. Thanks for sharing your expertiese ... I'm still kind of new at this "Honda" thing, I've been racing VW's so long, I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for "smaller" engines. Thanks again