Need some opinions, please. (H22A instead of B18C, '96 hatch)

[96civic_buildup]

First off i'll apologize about all the questions and what not about doing the swap and building the engine in my '96 civic hatch, it's probably gotten kind of annoying. The reason i've been asking so many questions is i'm only gonna get one chance to do this so i want to maximize my performance with minimal cost (i know that's kind of a oxymoron) and also i would like to make the best decision possible. Ok now for the question i need opinions on. I went to www.hmotorsonline.com and was looking at doing the B18C 94-95 integra swap, but then i realized i could just get a H22A complete change over for about as much or a little less. Should i do this instead of the B18C? If i did do this what would i need to do, or get to make the complete swap? (hmotorsonline.com have the complete swap kit, that's what i'll get if i do this, but is there anything else that i would need to make the swap into a '96 civic?) Also i do realize that i would have to opt for the optional civic motor mounts and half shafts and axles. here the website, www.hmotorsonline.com (i know, i know everyone already knows where it's at, but just in case.) Are they missing anything i'll need, if so what? Last question, are there any big downsides to this swap? Now i'll leave it up to you guys, help me out. Thanks.

[CivicSpoon]

Yes the H22a "complete swap" is cheaper than the GS-R complete swap. However it cost quite a bit more to get the motor in your car. It's going to cost anywhere from $4,000-5,000 depending on what parts you buy and who you buy them from. Along with the swap from Hmotorsonline (with the hasport mount kit and axle kit from them); you'll also need better springs and shocks, more than likely a better radiator (although the stock one will work) and also it'd be a really good idea to get a thinner fan (like a 'FAL').

There is also some cutting involved in this swap. You will have to cut the tranny side mount and drill out the smaller hole on the inside to put the mount bolt thru that. Here's a pic of what i'm refering to: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...rannymount.jpg
You will also have to cut the hole for the shifter bigger to fit the one that you get with the swap.


A downside to the swap is understeer. Now it's not a ton of understeer, and a good set of springs and shocks, rear sway bar, and other suspension parts help out quite a bit. The understeer from the swap really isn't that horrible, even if you use it for a daily driver. It's caused from the motor being tilted back, so the weight of the motor is off balance, compared to the D's and B's. It is NOT because the motor weighs a ton more, like most people state.

This is a very nice swap if done right, you will make a lot of power from it.

[burnt_outV8]

well the reason i'm interested in this swap now over the gsr swap is because i can remember riding in my brother's prelude and that thing had tons of power, or at least it felt like it. So i was thinking, my civic hatch is lighter, hmmmm. The swap would be done by me. As far as the cutting could someone with good welding/cutting skills accomplish this task? Also bigger radiator, any ideas as far as what i should get, or where. I could probably find one in a junkyard or something, also would i just need to completely remove all a/c components and stuff. Because i was thinking and the condensor that sits right next to the radiator doesn't leave much room for a bigger radiator. Last question when you said thinner fan and you mentioned (FAL'), what is that? is it a brand name, if so where can i find one? Next, springs and shocks what should i be looking for? Also for some reason my computer logged me one as my old login name burntout_V8 instead of my new one 96civic_buildup, so it's me not some other person.

[burnt_outV8]

also, thanks for the quick reply. keep'em coming. please.

[CivicSpoon]

Yeah the H22a has a lot of torque, so it's quick off the line. It will be quite a bit faster with an H22 in it compared to the b18c. If you know how to cut metal well, then yes you can definently do it yourself. My buddy did this swap 2 years ago, I mena he's a certified mechanic, but he still didn't know exactly what he was doing at the time. But now there are so many different walkthroughs available for this swap, it's almost crazy not to atleast consider it when getting ready for a swap. As for radiator, I've heard people use a del sol radiator with this swap; also there are companies like Fluidyne, C&R, Koyo, and www.radiatorbarn.com Yeah FAL is a company name, this right here: http://www.importparts.com/shop/prod...oducts_id=5164 I'm not saying for you to get it from that place, just showing you what I'm talking about. My buddy has one of those and the fan blows like crazy, with the hood up you can feel the air blowing hard while standing in back of his front doors (on his 4dr). So not only are they thinner than stock, but they also push air more than stock. As for AC, I'm really not sure if you can keep it or not. Here's a pic of where the alternator is on the motor: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...alternator.jpg I'd recommend calling hmotors or hasport and asking them to find out for sure about it though. For springs and shocks, it's really up to preference. Find something with a good spring rate. You'll want something pretty stiff. My buddy has Neuspeed OE style springs with tokico shocks, can't remember how much it dropped it but it wasn't much. But they work really well with his setup.

[96civic_buildup]

also another question i had is... would a future turbo set up be available, or would i need to make my own? And then if i'm gonna go through the trouble to do this swap, will the power increase be worth it. So basically i'm wondering were could i expect my quarter mile times to be? (assuming i'm a good/decent driver and the set up is done right.) Then i have some other questions about wiring and computer stuff, what is everybody talking about when referring to obdII and obdI, what is that? Also when and if i get this swap it says it comes with computer and stuff (the engine would be out of a 92-95 prelude), so would the wiring be that hard to do since my hatch is a '96? Finally last question, i will be using this for a daily driver, assuming i redo the springs and shocks could i accomplish this? (I don't need it to ride like a cadillac, just liveable with lots of speed, at least thats the idea) Sorry about all the questions, thanks for the replies in advance.

[CivicSpoon]

With just an h22a swap you'll be running 14's, possibly high 13's if you get really good at driving it. Honestly I don't know who makes a turbo kit for that motor and that car, I'm sure someone does. But there is not a lot of room in the engine bay for the turbo and h22. Not that it can't be done, but it's going to be a pain with clearance. Mostly it's from the turbo being so close to the radiator fan. But if your going turbo, I'd personally recommend not getthing the h22, and just sticking with an LS or GS-R motor. OBD2 and OBD1 are different emission controls. OBD1 is '92-'95 (also '96 with the JDM H22a for some reason), and OBD2a is '96-'98. Basically there is slightly different wiring done on the injectors, distributor, alternator, an extra O2 sensor, and different plugs on the ECU (there's probably more I'm forgetting). But you could just buy a OBD2a to OBD1 conversion harness. It will plug into the plugs on the harness that leads to the ECU, and have the plugs for the OBD1 ECU on the other side. It's basically just an adapter so you don't have to change plugs and do the wiring yourself. Here's a link to one, the cheapest I've seen: http://www.boomslang.us/obd2.htm
And yes you could use this as a daily driver, my buddy has used it for one almost every day for the past 2 years now with no problem.

[th_james2003]

there is tons of room for a turbo kit in the engine bay. me and my friend did this swap in his 95 hatch.im not sure what is different in a 96 hatch but the only cutting we did was for the shift cables and passenger side mount bracket had to be cut a little.

[CivicSpoon]

There's definently not a ton of room, maybe it just all depends on what manifold you're using. My buddy got one from South Florida Performance, and there was just enough room for it. I mean there is quite a bit of room between the manifold and front part of the frame, but there was only an inch or so between the turbo and the radiator fan. This is on a '95 LX too. But yes the only cutting is for the shifter and the passenger mount, like I stated previously. It's the same between the 5th gens and 6th gens in that regards. I think the 4th gen is the only one you need to do more cutting on, but I've only read that so who knows with all the BS spread around with the h22a civc swap in general.
EDIT - here's a pic of the clearance of the turbo and the frame: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../clearance.jpg

[96civic_buildup]

Ok, just wondering other than the clearance issues is that the only reason you wouldn't reccomend a turbo setup for this engine? Also with the complete swap kit from hmotorsonline, do you think the wiring will be pain trying to get it into my hatch? Another question is what's the difference between the JDM and USDM motors? (other than 10hp) Would the swap be different if i used the JDM motor instead of the USDM? Last question, how potent can these H22A's be when only N/A? I'll quit with the questions for now, once again thanks for the replies.

[CivicSpoon]

You'll definently have to do wiring to get it to work. You can either do it yourself based on this pinout: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t211027.html Or you could send out your wiring harness to Hasport and have them do it. I'd personally send out the harness and have someone else to do it, so you know for a fact it was done right. And it will be a lot easier than doing it yourself. The only difference between USDM and JDM is I've heard (no personaly knowledge or experience with) that the USDM's have an open block. But I seem to recall someone on here telling me that was incorrect and that it's only certain years that have the open block design. Open block meaning that there is an open area around the cylindars, compared to the closed block ones that don't have the open areas. I'd recommend looking around online to get a definent answer. But definently get a closed block if both are available, since your turboing the motor the closed block will hold up better. The h22a swap is pretty fast, faster than any of the B-series. Even a little faster than the Integra Type R motor, because it has 25+ more torque.