94 civic, which swap would be best for me?

[zacharyaus]

Hi,

you guys probably get this alot, i already saw a few topics on this but i just needed some opinions

anyways, i'll be getting a 94 civic (non-hatch) soon and i plan on doing an engine swap almost as soon as i get it. i don't plan on turboing it but i will definetely be doing alot of work on it, i.e. intake, headers, porting the head etc.

i originally wanted the B18c1 for it's power and it can have alot of work done to it, i've also heard good things about having small hondas (my civic for ex.) and b16a's, but i've heard so many things from different people that i'm confused now. if you guys could help me out with this i would appreciate it very much.

so, after i get the civic i will have about $4000 for upgrades what should i get?

thanks alot,
zack

[crxlvr]

id say get the b16a3 from the 94 del sol, it will be an easy swap and you'll have plenty of money to start modding it.

[zacharyaus]

thanks

160hp/111lbs sounds good

do you happen to know how much one of these might costs?

i'm strating to look at a 91 crx instead of the 94 civic dx, but i haven't decided yet

thanks,
zack

[optimuscivic]

4000 is a lot to spend, hmmm if i was you, i would look into crv-tec or maybe a turbo ls. turbo is going to cost you more i think. but remember that the gsr, and b16 engine are becoming more and more costly. and theres a lot more choices you have. but just keep searching this forum has a lot of good info.

[boosted331]

A B16, even for a honda, is totally torqueless. A B18C1/B18C5 or B18B would be a much better swap, and a B18B is only down about 20 horsepower on a B16 but is way cheaper.

[zacharyaus]

ya, i was also looking into a b18b1 or b18a since they have more torque than the b16's and only a little less hp but that can be worked on

i don't plan on turbo'ing my engine. does anyone know where i can find the msrp's on all these engines?

[crxlvr]

id still get the b16, it would leave you with more tuning options, especially if your not turbo'ing, the b18 is a good motor to turbo as it has a low CR piston already.

[boosted331]

Originally Posted by zacharyaus

ya, i was also looking into a b18b1 or b18a since they have more torque than the b16's and only a little less hp but that can be worked on

i don't plan on turbo'ing my engine. does anyone know where i can find the msrp's on all these engines?

Call up junkyards and see what they want. In all honesty a B16 will be much harder to find than a B18, as the B16A2 and B16A3 were only produced for a grand total of 4 years (94-95 del sol, 99-2000 civic SI) stateside, but the B18B was MASS produced from 94-2001 in integras.

[zacharyaus]

thanks Boosted,

i'm pretty sure i'll be getting an engine from www.hmotorsonline.com
they are only about 6 miles away from my house
i e-mailed them asking if i could pick up the engine, we'll see what they say

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by boosted331

Call up junkyards and see what they want. In all honesty a B16 will be much harder to find than a B18, as the B16A2 and B16A3 were only produced for a grand total of 4 years (94-95 del sol, 99-2000 civic SI) stateside, but the B18B was MASS produced from 94-2001 in integras.

B16's were made from 89-00 and as readily availible from online dealers as any (and they were in the delsol dohc vtec's till 97) B18B's cost about the same, and the B18A1 requires the extra cost of a hydraulic cluth or a conversion kit to use the cable, also you think it is hard to find a B16, try finding an OBD I B18A1, hmmm.. that motor was only made for two years. And the OBD I b18B1 were only around from 93-95 also, so....

[redmanjd]

what the ls laks in hp it makes up in torque. if you get a b16 you have to pay 300 for shipping the cheapest i have ever seen a b16 for was 1250 plus 300 for shipping. Their are tons of modds for the b18a and b18b. If you are going 4th gen all you need is a cable tranny from a 89 to 91 teg

[zacharyaus]

Originally Posted by redmanjd

what the ls laks in hp it makes up in torque. if you get a b16 you have to pay 300 for shipping the cheapest i have ever seen a b16 for was 1250 plus 300 for shipping. Their are tons of modds for the b18a and b18b. If you are going 4th gen all you need is a cable tranny from a 89 to 91 teg

the engine comes with the tranny.
i won't actually have to pay for shipping, i only live a few miles away from hmotorsonline.com (they have lots of b16's).

i guess my question is, with a 94 civic and about $3000-4000 of engine work which car would be faster? the car with the b16a3 or b18b?

thanks,
zack

[TizziteyO]

b16's suck from rolls because the lack of torque... you'll like it at first but be dissappointed in once your used to it... If i could redo it i would probably go GSR, but then if you think about the fact that the type r has alot better cams and LSD its almost worth the money because to add those 2 mods is gonna cost more than have just bought the engine inthe begining. Since your trying to save money I would go either B20 or LS then talk to a good shop around you and buy a b16 head and LS/b20 vtec... then you'll have torque and hp... Probably wanna get a car first before you make to man plans...

[redmanjd]

the only advantage of vtec is the cams

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by redmanjd

the only advantage of vtec is the cams

Ok, sure that's it, lets not mention stronger valve train, better flowing head, better r/s, higher compression, and the much better geared tranny. And everytime that B18B shifts that oh so huge "torque advantage" goes out the window, and they just get to watch the vtec (even a B16A) pull away. And yes, that is exactly what happens, be there, done that. If you want a motor that has power and torque, that is mid priced as suggested before, go with a GSR, If you're picking it up, you can have enough for I/H/E $4000, and be pretty happy.