976

I decided to buy an EG, (Of course USDM 92-94 civic hatch) I have a few questions if someone could help me out, preferrable someone who has done a B16 swap.

Is it easier to swap a B16 in a vx, cx, or si?
Would it be better to swap in a USDM B16A2 or JDM B16A - or does it matter?
What trim version (vx, cx, or si) is the lightest in weight, or better options?
What extra parts should I plan on buying, i.e. speedo cable, shift linkage, etc?
Any pointers when I install?

The EG will be a auto-X car and daly driver, some drag for fun. I plan on guttung and stripping mostly everything.

Please any input. I've been a prelude guy for awhile, I can't help but love the swaps into civics. Don't point me into the search direction, 'cause I already tried.

TIA

Evil_Wizard

You mean 92-95 and I think you want it as a DAILY driver right?

Evil_Wizard

And the ones in the USA are considered EH's not EG's

Extent

I belive it's equally easy/difficult for all the trim models and body styles. except for the VX I think because it has vtec wired already you dont have to mess with the harness any.

I dont know if there's any difference, I suspect not any of consequence for installing it

VX or CX is the lightest , I think it depends on the year too, but the difference isn't more than a hundred pounds or so I belive. again this is all off the top of my head

I plan on getting a complete swap from one of the companies that sells them. that's garunteed to have all the parts you need

HTH

blufke

well. the vx and cx are the lightest from factory. 2094 lbs, but the cx can be lighter if you change the steelies to the vx aluminum ones and you will save about 36 lbs. id say go with the vx because the vtec plug is already there. you will still need to wire a knock sensor, but if you get a rechipped ecu from someone like kenji you dont have to wire the knock sensor.

PhatboyNYC

Actually, ALL the 92 hatches came pre-wired for vtec. As for weight, it's a tossup between the CX and VX but if you're gonna strip it out anyways, either will do.

saber1

Yeah, yeah, CX/VX are lighter. Blah, blah, blah. If any amenities are of interest you may want to look higher up the Civic food chain. DX will give you tilt wheel. Might as well get comfortable, right? Si will give you rear disc brakes and the much coveted sunroof (and a few other tidbits).

I really wanted the Si just for the darn sunroof, but I got tired looking for one that wasn't beat up or too much $$$. So I settled for the DX.

Just to clarify, I believe both the VX and Si had vtec.

As far as the swap goes, find a reputable company that sells complete swaps. There are always little parts that you'll need to buy also, but the complete swaps should include all the major components for a bolt-in heart transplant. Have fun!

Mr. Thunderlips

I feel Tom's CX speech coming very, very soon.

B18C5-EH2

How'd you know?

As someone already mentioned, ALL 1992 Civics are pre-wired for VTEC. This means the CX and DX also, which had non-VTEC motors in them to begin with.

As far as vehicle weight goes, I'll simply give you a link to a thread that lists all the 1992 hatch weights and WHY they weigh what they weigh, and how you can get them lighter if need be. That link is here:

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=150315

Now as far as the "luxury" items go, anything can be added to the CX and VX models that the DX and Si already have. My 1992 CX now has a tilt steering column with leather-wrapped Integra steering wheel (Civic airbag fits right in!) and I also have full Integra front and rear disc brakes on the car - even BETTER than the factory Si brakes up front, but the rears on the 1992-1995 Civic Si and 1994-2001 Integra are the same size.

I have owned a 1992 Si hatch for several years and I did a few swaps in it. My last swap in it was a Type R swap. The car just didn't feel as quick as it should have because it was heavier than all my other friends' non-Si hatches. So I sold the 1992 Si and bought a 1992 CX and dropped my same Type R swap in it and the CX pulls so much better.

My Si weighed 2289lbs. while my CX weighs 2040lbs. If you're putting a B16A in you'll want THE lightest car possible, believe me. I also still have a 1992 Si hatch with a 1999 Civic Si B16A2 swap in it. The car pulls good, but it's nothing like a CX/VX or even a DX hatch with the same motor. Yeah the moonroof is neat, but they begin to stick (both of my 1992 Si hatches did this) and they are a pain in the *** after a while.

Now as far as which B16A to swpa in goes, that's a pretty easy one too.

http://www.hondamotorsonline.com sells the "Second Generation" JDM B16A with 170hp and the HYDRO tranny. Do NOT buy the cheaper first-gen cable-trannied B16A because those are menat for the 1988-1991 Civics, not our 1992-1995 Civics.

If you buy this swap it will bolt right in and if you got the 1992 Civic then you will only have to add ONE wire - the knock sensor wire - to your harness.

Really all you have to do to get the swap to work is swap over your Civic's stock engine harness onto the B16A motor. The JDM harnes is for a right-hand drive car and isn't the easiest to streth to get it to work right, so swapping over your harness will make things easier and it will look very stock.

You can also check http://www.importautosalvage.com for USDM 1999-2000 Civic Si B16A2 motors or the 1994-1997 Del Sol VTEC motors.

If you choose to go with the B16A2 from the 99-00 Si then again you will need to swap over your engine harness. The only other things here that you'll have to do for this swap that you don't for the JDM swap are:

1. Move 2 wires on the distributor. Very easy. If you ever get to this point I can tell you which wires to move and where to put them.

2. Buy a 1992-1995 Civic SOHC VTEC P28 ECU and have it reprogrammed to run the B16A. I have the P28 on my Type R and B16A2 swaps and it runs better than any O.E ECU that comes with the motor. Since the 99-00 Si is OBD2 you cannot use the ECU that comes with it.

Lastly you can use a 1994-1997 Del Sol VTEC B16A3 or B16A2, but they are harder to find and offer no advantage over the other 2 swaps I've already listed.

Good luck! Any more questions?

976

Thanks for all the great info, esp. B18C5-EH2.

Only problem is that I can get a 1st gen JDM B16 for cheap, I need new mounts the huh? What else? Or is it just better to save for 2nd gen?

B_CRUZ!

it will be more expensive in the longrun if you get the 1st gen motor.

dose

i believe the cx is the lightest,a us swap is easier cause of the wiring harness,the jdm is opposite sides and a 92 car would be a little easier cause they are already wired for v tec and you should get a b18c1 and not a a b16 ,hope that helps

SPDRSR1

now would this be the same if you were you to do a JDM b18c1 swap....

all you would need is the p28 ecu(reprogramed) and the knock sensor wire..??

so this would swap right in.."plug and play"


Complete motor and hydro tranny,ecu(P72),axles,shift linkage,stock motor mounts,engine harness and all sensors needed.


[Modified by SPDRSR1, 6:59 PM 9/19/2002]

neof69

Yeah there are 3 reasons why 1st Gen. B16A's are so cheap.
1. They are 10-12 years old.
2. Little japanese man beat the **** out of his EF8/EF9 Touge'ing up MT.Fuji
3. Japan just wants to get them the **** out of japanese salvage yards, they take up too much damn space.

Besides if you are putting this into an EG chassis then you will need a hydro trans not cable trans and its a pain in the *** to convert, and 1st gen B16's have shitty compression and low profile cams, my friend put 00Si cams in his 88 B16 and gained 9hp to the wheels. So dont go around your elbow to get to your azzhole just buy a nice clean USDM 94+up B-series motor from your local distributor. I highly recommend Import Auto Salvage 1-800-962-8922 ask for Larry Jr.

976

Will do, thanks for the insight.

Well, I looked at my prelude that was stolen today, wow, did they f*ck it up! Once I get the check I will buy 92 cx, or vx hatch. Then either save a little more for a B18, or just get a nice 2nd gen b16.

I appreciate all the replys, thanks guys, good stuff!