dmanfree

First off, I've been searching for a while and in some cases, I've found nothing at all, and in others, I've found conflicting answers. Yes, I did go to the FAQ, and there is a great write up on this specific swap, and it answered a lot of questions and is very informative. There are just a few specifics I'm not real sure about. I'm very thorough and I have to be absolutely sure of what I'm doing when I do any work like this so hopefully someone here can help and give me some definitive answers to my questions.

A little background for those who may request it or need it to help answer my questions (skip ahead if you don't want/need background to answer):
When I bought my car (95 eg dx hatch), I was told the engine was completely stock. I also had no experience with engine work. With help from some much more experienced friends, I did a lot of work (maintenance and repairs) to the car. I did a lot of research and have learned a lot about the car to know a good deal about what I'm doing. Now, assuming the car was stock, I knew the engine was a d15b7 and those who worked on the car with me (include experienced "Honda guys") confirmed that. Despite all the work I had done, the car was always having problems that I could not figure out based on the common issues the engine/car had (bogging down, and failure to start, and a/c among others). After blowing the headgasket which I'm thinking might be from oil pressure (not really convinced at all though), I decided to replace it myself. After going to the junkyard for some minor, Honda specific parts, I noticed the head on the stock eg's were different than my own. Still, despite my suspicions, I was assured that mine was the stock head. After finishing the job and trying to start the car, it failed to start. Fed up with it at this point, I just sent it to the shop cause I didn't want to mess with the timing anymore. Turned out that the timing was way off because the belt was too big and it had a y7 head on it. That confirmed my suspicions as to why my head looked different and my b7 headgasket/belt sets had some different sized pieces (I was assured it was a website ordering/shipping error). My options became: put the right belt on and hope the valves weren't bent from the bad timing, or swap with another head. I chose the latter since it would cost less if my valves were in fact, bent. Which brings me to where I am now. I decided to go vtec and started looking for a z6 (preferred option), or a y8. I ended up finding a complete y8 (including the intake manifold) at a better deal than the one z6 (head only) I found. I've been doing a lot of research about this swap now to make sure I get all the parts to run vtec and make sure the timing is right and all the little things to make sure my car does not keep running into problems.
NOTE: I am not looking to boost. I was going to go with a GSR swap originally before I blew my head, now I am not even sure how long I'll keep the car. I just want to get it running properly so please don't tell me to go b, h, k or any other series engine. For this car, for now, I'm staying d series. I don't want this to be a debate thread, I'd just like some info please.

Now to my questions:
1) Can I have A/C with this mini-me? If so, do I need to add/replace any A/C components? I don't know much about A/C systems and I didn't even think that the dx hatchbacks came with one. Regardless, mine did not work well at all before, but I really want to get it working.
2) The timing thing seems to be a pretty inconsistent issue. Some people have said that adjustable cams solve the problem, the implication I got from this entire thread is that there is still some issue with one. Some people have said that if I use the b7 cam, it works perfectly. The only specific difference between those who said b7 and adjustable, has to do with having the head milled, but no one has been specific with which way it works. My head has been sent off to the shop to be machined so I'm wondering what difference that will make.
3) There seems to be a consensus that the P28 is the right ecu to go with for this swap. However, in the thread in the FAQ, it said that I would still need to have it chipped/tuned. Is that true? If so, couldn't I just have my P06 ecu chipped and tuned for vtec? Would that be just as effective or is the P28 the best way to go? Are there any other Honda ecu's that will work just as well if not better? NOTE: My car is OBD1 and I would like to keep it that way.
4) If there is anything else I should know about this swap, such as things that I should get, or specifics about maintenance that most people don't normally mention about doing this swap. Anything ranging from which spark plus/wires I'd need, the right amount of oil to use, to other specific parts I should/can add or replace to ensure it runs the best it can.

Thank you in advance to those who read and provide feedback.

dmanfree

bump, please help

dmanfree

bump

ZenkaiRacer

1. Yes you can still have the A/C. Changing the head has nothing to do with the A/C system.

2. You cannot use a non vtec b7 cam in a vtec head. If you have a Y8 head it is said your timing will be off half a tooth unless you use the Z6 cam gear. If I were you I would get an aftermarket cam gear that has marks for both the Z6 and Y8 (like skunk 2). Then you can zero it on one, if it doesn't work, then zero it on the other.

I just finished putting together a mini-me in my hatch. I used a Y8 head, but with a skunk 2 stage 1 cam for a Z6. Since it was a Z6 cam I used the Z6 timing marks on my skunk 2 cam.

3. You can use your P06 once you get it converted and chipped with a P28 map/bin loaded onto the chip. I am using my socketed P06 on my mini-me right now. Instead of a chip, I have a moates ostrich 2.0 installed so I can tune it myself on the fly without burning chips. Though I am using a stock P28 map.

4. You will use the spark plug wires for your head. Y8, get some for a 99 EX or any other car that uses that head. The spark plugs from the non-vtec head will work in the Y8. I just took mine out of my non-vtec head and put them in the Y8 since mine were still new.