i got a 90 crx hf, and i need a swap...i don't have too much to spend though, so i need something reliable, easy to afford, and easy to install...any ideas? looking to spend less than 1500 including labor......hope thats not too cheap....i got a 93 d15b7 in it now with a 91 si ecu and close ratio tranny just installed, but with old hf intake manifold and throttle body..damn check engine light always comes on...car runs really slow at below 3500 rpm, but when it hits 4000 it pulls extremely hard all the way to 7000...i was thinkin maybe a zc, but my buddy says sohc vtec is cheaper, newer, easier to find parts for, and more reliable...maybe a non-vtec integ ls? HELP!!

 

i second with my man on top with the hf....i got a 91 and i need a swap to go in...right now it is totally stock! no mods at all except for lowered and racing clutch so please try to help me out too. and thanks for makin post.

 

i got a b16 in my 89 hf and it hauls ***

 

my buddy got a 95 sohc vtec in his and he either beats or hangs with b16 crx's and civic hatches all day...so i'm wondering if the extra money and weight are worth it...i don't plan on fully draggin the car, just wanna have a fast street driven show car...

 

Do you want to buy a 90 Si motor? my friend in Sac has two of them. D16a6 Probably pretty cheap.

 

There is "NO WAY" a SOHC vtec hangs or beats a B16, stock versus stock it's hands down B16! No if you're comparing a modified (heavily) d16 racing a stock B16 then yeah I can belive that story. However if you honestly think a stock SOHC versus a stock B16 DOHC just take another tok from the CRACK pipe your smoking because my CRX has assorted handfuls of Honda's/Acura's under her belt, to include Ford (god I hate typing that word), and GM cars too . Driver error will determine that race, between SOHC and DOHC but not this driver. Let's weigh the pro and the cons of this scenario. You do the same mods to each motor who still comes out as the victor? But if you talking about saving money then yeah maybe it's you route to take but I think in my opinion B16 is your best bet. You won't be dissapointed. Bryan

 

yes i have to agree with mrdoch2 b16s kick ***......ill race any stock d16z crx and im pretty damn sure ill pull on him.....why dont you try driving a b16 crx and a d16z crx see which one pulls harder and get back to me

 

then if you don't got alot of cash go B16A good luck

 

yea...the sohc vtec had cold air, full exhaust, headers, msd and wires, and was always tuned...the b16 was pretty stock...just cold air and wires...the sohc pulled on the b16 hard, but toward the end of the run, the b16 did start catchin up...

 

The answer to that race was driver error, unless his b16 wasn't running right. However even with those minor bolt on mods a SOHC still does not compare to a B16..........trust me I know this........Bryan

 

to answer you question.
if you plan to spend no more than $1500, then your options are rather limited
I would look for a 95 or newer SOHC VTEC motor. get a 88-91 CRX si tranny and ECU. Keep your distributor, and wiring harness. get a VTEC controller for VTEC.
A SOHC VTEC on an HF is a peppy car, (forget about using the HF transmission.)
The ZC is an old motor, and I would not bother to swap it in unless you refresh the internals.
All other DOHC engines require new mounts, linkage and a few other things that will definitely cost over $1500.

I have a 99 Civic DX engine in my garage, it has 12350 miles and it will go on my 90 HF as soon as the stock motor starts to give me trouble.

 

thanks spaceballs...i'll give your advice some serious thought...i got a 91 tranny off an si already, and a 91 crx si ecu, so i guess i just need the sohc vtec head and block and vtec controller...? that should not cost more than 700 right? then labor should be pretty cheap...thanks man...

 

Actually, the SOHC motors arent all that bad.. they are underestimated by most people.. becuase swaps are becoming the norm these days.. Youre saying theres no way a D16z6 can keep up or beat a b16a? wrong.. check out a dyno plot.. power below 4 grand is almost the same. The guy said his friend hangs or beats b16 civic and crx's all day with his d16z motor.. so if it was based on driver error.. then there must be a lot of crappy drivers.. my brother has a b16 in his EF, its powerful and fast, i have a minime motor and it feels just as powerful (but the top end doesnt compare to the b16) For 1500, you can get some decent power..
I would suggest either a d16a6 or d16z6.. build either one of them up.. then save money for some BOOST.. or save $500 more.. and get a good ole B16..

 

so true a d16z6 is about 130hp stock and in an hf witch is alot lighter than a si with all the bolt ons that he listed would run mid 14s a stock b16 runs about the same with a better launch teh d16 could win

 

well, money wise, i guess i could just get a good b16 for around 1500-2000...but then i have to buy the mounts, and all the other required stuff..labor, and other pains, and the price gets pretty high..on the other hand, i could grab a nice d16z6 for around 500, i have a new 91 si tranny, and si ecu, so i would just need to grab a vtec controller and then drop the car off and get the thing swapped in...labor would be cheap, since i don't need any mounts, and wiring and harnesses are basically the same...with the extra grand or so i have left, i could get all the bolt ons (used), nos (used), and pay labor to get the head ported/polished or msd/wires/coil ....??????????????

 

Correct me if I am wrong but... B16a1 they came out of an 88-91 CRX SIR right? And the DOHC ZC came out of an 88-91 CRX(i may be wrong...).. So if this is all true, why does everyone keep saying get a b16a1, and ZC is getting old.. Because if that was the case, wouldnt a B16a1 get old too? Just wondering...

 

Im wrong, 86-89 DOHC ZC, and 88-91 B16a1

 

Please read my reply thoroughly, and I said that STOCK VS. STOCK it's hands down B16. Now a "HEAVILY MODIFIED" d16 will hang or beat a B16 stock. But if both engines receive the same mods who will still come out as the victor??????

"B16" of course

Please read thoroughly before making a reply...............Bryan

 

actually, i was talking about stock versus stock too... Compare a dyno plot of each and youll see what i mean.. a d16z in a EF can make that car really move.. theres not much difference in power below 4000rpm, and torque isnt much different from each either.. STOCK. it doesnt take a HEAVILY MODIFIED d16z motor to take a b16.. people underestimate the sohc motor way too much..

 

it doesn't take much to build on a single d16z to beat a b16 a
the amount of money you spend to buy a b16a you could put into a single cam d16z and you would have more power

 

You might want to upgrade your intake. The HF intake track is very small for good velocity at low rpm's. It was designed for milage not performance. I too have a HF. It has no power at all. It will be replaced with a B18b that I just found.
HTH
chris

 

Ok I'm not trying to take this out of hand, but who races just up to 4000 rpm's? 4 Grand? I'm just getting started with 4000 rpm's, while my redline is at 8200. What does the SOHC have 6500? The extra rpm's makes a difference right? I don't underestimate the SOHC motor, but the competition between I still stand my ground. I've drove both, and from my experience the SOHC feels choked up on the high end in comparison to a B16. All I was doing was merely stating my opinion, and it was based on my experiences. You can always make a motor go fast, but my argument was if the same mods were done to each vehicle then the B16 will still pull away from a SOHC. Off the line launches you'll find that almost every car on the street will hang for a given time. Every car starts from ZERO!


[Modified by MrDoHc2, 5:45 PM 1/27/2002]

 

some good points man...i've spoken to a few techs down at modacar.com and speedimage.com, and they said the d16z can be faster than a b16 and cost much less...you only gotta buy one cam, one gear, parts are cheaper, there are plenty runnin around at low prices (as low as 500) for a 50k model, and torque levels are about the same...so if me abd a guy with a b16 have the same budget, i would end up being faster since i can do more for less on a d16z...and redline wise, one of the workers said his brother has a d16z with a JG head and valve springs, bolt ons, port polish, and valve job that pulls to 8600rpm safely...all day...i would love a b16, but price wise, it's a little bit out of my league (yea, i'll admit...i'm broke as hell)...but i'm hungry for power!!!!! yea, the sohc do get a little choked, because they need more air...my sohc d15b7 from a 93 civic dx pulls to 7100 rpm and pulls extremely hard all the way...i guess its just a matter of how well the engine is taken care of....(its a stock engine)...when ever i run b16's at the runs i get em off the line and pull on em til about third gear, then they start pullin on me...they always say "what u got? ls? zc? " no...sohc 1.5L...stock......i pop my hood and their like.."no way...what the hell are u doing pulling on me? you got nos huh? or you got internals huh?" its not just sucky drivers either...some of these guys are at the runs almost every weekend, and go to the track every so often too...i love the look on their face when i say "sohc..non-vtec"...i usually either hang with or beat the d16z's too...guess it depend on the driver...i dunno...to each his own...i guess i jus like being the underdog....