B16A vs. JDM B16B

[northtexasskater]

I just bought a 1989 lxi accord coupe. (I go through hell trying to find parts for it as there is almost no aftermarket support and no dealer support) I want to keep the car because I spent almost 3200 having it repainted and another 1500 on miscellaneous crap. I found a B16B engine and transmission for $ 4120. I know the B16A has 111 lb-ft and 160 hp. The B16B has 118 lb-ft and 185 hp. What is the difference in cost between the B16A and B16B. Isn't the B16A almost identical to a B16B. If its like 2000 more then I could just buy a B16A and build it. I think a B16A or B16B would be cheaper than building the engine already in it. I talked to a place that does mostly the A series engine. They said they could build a 400hp engine but the block would be 2250, head 1200, the ECU is 825, turbocharger kit (without turbocharger) is 1100, exhaust is 950, and the turbocharger is 1200.

[jcrx]

Ok, first off the B16B is the motor from the CTR (Civic Type R) and the B16A is from the SiR's. One is a balanced, worked over,high performance motor, and the other is just a performance motor. But aside from the B16 part they are almost completely different motors. Cams, pistons, block, crank, valvetrain, oil pump, transmission, almost everything.

And it doesn't matter anyway because either of them are sooooo wrong for your car. ne the Accord is very heavy and those 1.6's don't have hte balls to move them very fast, that's why Honda puts 1.8-2.2 liters in them. And the other is the mounts, among other important things like wiring, sensors etc... are COMPLETELY different. Look into an H22 swap, still a pain, but at least a worthwhile platform to start with in your car.

[SiGNAL748]

jcrx's right - the b series have the hp, but not the torque to get your heavy accord moving.

I'd go for an f20b or h22a in that car.

[Plastic_Fork]

Actually, I owned a 1988 Accord and looked into this. The best swap for this car is a B-series. The H-series motors require SO much fabrication it's not funny. B-series is possible, but the 3rd gen Accord is OBD-0, so you need to wire the motor for pre-OBD or convert it to OBD-1 somehow. And I'm not getting into wiring for the ECU, but it's easier if you have the LX-i since it's already wired for EFI. Also, the 3rd gen Accords are actually very light-weight. My Accord LX sedan 5-speed weighed only 60lbs more than my Del Sol, and the B16A in my Del Sol moves me just fine. His LX-i coupe weighs about 120lbs more than a Del Sol VTEC.

PlaceRacing Inc. makes B-series mounts for the 3rd gen Accord. They have a new site under development, but here's the part number:

http://www.placeracing.com/
BIM07AG 86-89 Accord for "B" series engines $637.55

You also need the standard B-series swap stuff like axles, ECU, etc. and some custom fab is probably necessary to make those fit. Best resource for 3rd gen Accords is here:
http://www.3geez.com/
However, the B-series swaps that are more common there seem to be B18 flavors. I think someone there did an LS/VTEC as well.

I believe Pacesetter makes a header that will fit this car as well. Another alternative is a B20A swap. This is a DOHC non-VTEC motor (pre-date's VTEC). This is not the motor out of the Prelude of the same years (which is physically different), but the JDM version which came in the 3rd gen Accord Si. Good luck though -- they seem very difficult to track down but can be had for about $400 - $600 or so if you can find one.

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by Plastic_Fork

PlaceRacing Inc. makes B-series mounts for the 3rd gen Accord. They have a new site under development, but here's the part number:

http://www.placeracing.com/
BIM07AG 86-89 Accord for "B" series engines $637.55

.

Interesting, I wonder why they are the only ones (that I have seen) that make those? Do you know if it is actually a physical product yet? Last time I looked (a while ago) it wasn't more than an idea.

[Plastic_Fork]

Yeah, these have been in production for a little while. The 3geez guys have been using 'em for as long as I've been a member there which is a little over a year, and were probably using them well before I was a member too.

As for why only PlaceRacing is making these, well there's not really a large market for the 3rd gen Accords. They are pre-OBD, older, and require a lot of effort to do a motor swap so it's not a popular platform plus the aftermarket support for them is very small. Plus, only the LX-i and SE-i models are wired for EFI and a little less of a pain to perform a swap. All the other models are carbeurated and require conversion to EFI first.