So im new to the honda world. I have had several camaro's that I have built up and I am now wanting a civic hatch. I am trying to find the right one. Currently I have it narrowed down to three that are for sale locally. A 91 civic hatch, 93 hatch and a 96 hatch. I cant decide which body style I want to go with. Let me tell you more what im trying to accomplish.

I want a hatch that I can easily do a B motor swap and possibly turbo. I might want to go the all motor route if i can get my hands on a nice b18c. I need this car to be very streetable and reliable. This means I MUST have AC and power steering. Most of the 88-91's I see dont have ac and lucky to have power steering. I was in the market for a CRX until I talked to somebody and they said with a B swap motor it is impossible to have power sterring and AC. Is that even true?

I will be putting alot of miles on this car. This is why I think I would be better off doing a all motor build. I will be driving it on a 400 mile road trip every month or so. Gas mileage is not a concern as long as it is reasonable, above 20mpg. I dont mind maintaining my vehilces and keeping them running but being stranded on the side of the road is not fun.

So of the three different hatch body's which is easiest to do the swap? Which is easiest to keep ps/ac and most reliable? Any suggestions for me before I buy a car?

Thanks.

 

I would go with the 93. the 91 is going to be your lightest tho!

less weight=GOOD!

 

dude, a crx wheel base is so short and its light= easy to turn anyway. theres NO need for it in a rex, even so in most hb trims; and im sure someone makes an a/c kit.

 

I guess I should go drive one before making the assumption. Thanks.

 

92-95 EG hatch. Swaps are easy and A/C and PS are easily retained. I have a 93 with a LS/Vtec and a GSR tranny. I get about 36mpg highway even with the low gearing of the GSR tranny. As a highway driver, I would recommend an LS tranny. Their 5th is much taller and more livable if doing a lot of commuting on the highway.

Power steering is very over rated in our cars. I converted my power to manual with little to no increased effort. I did a write-up, here:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/steering-power-manual-conversion-2461681/

 

I have owned a 94eg cx hatch w/ a all motor built b18c1 w/type r tranny lsd and by far it was faster and more fun to drive than any of my other swapped cars.

94 eg coupe swapped built gsr w/ type r internals and lsd,
1997 ek coupe, and 1999 Teg Gsr w/ b20 vtec swap.

So I would definitely say go with the 93, ef's just don't look as good to IMO. I hope that 93 is in good shape.

 

Get the 93. It's OBD1 already, so easier to tune than the 96 will be and has a hydraulic actuated clutch, so finding a tranny will be easier.

My 93 CX with manual steering is as easy to turn as one with power steering, and AC can be added.

Gas mileage shouldn't be an issue, with my B18C1 with a CAI and full exhaust I got 47mpg on a little road trip I took last week (all interstate). Normally I get about 33-37 with having a little fun

I don't know if you would need an AC kit for a rex, couldn't you just pull a system out of a 4th gen Civic and get the right bracket?

 

Do motor swaps become a problem for emissions on the OBD2 cars? In utah they do emissions through the DLC and pretty much just scan for codes.

 

For what your wanting to do, I would say get the EG(93). What trim is it?(IE:CX, DX, SI, Etc?).

Although you don't need P/S..even on the 93. IMO no Civic from 88-00 need P/S. I ripped the P/S out of my 93 EJ1 years ago and never looked back. Its a more enjoyable ride as you can feel the road alot better. And its not THAT much harder to turn in a tight parking lot. If you have an 88-00 Civic and you say your can't drive your car without P/S..your a Wimp.

As said the 91 will be your lightest option. The lighter...the better. But the EG will be easy as pie to do a B-swap and keep P/S and A/C. And you can still fit a Turbo in there with the A/C with the right Manifold,etc.

 

With EG swaps they are typically converted to OBDI. You use the OBDII engine harness but it simply plugs right into the chassis harness. You then use a chipped OBDI ecu with the proper tune.

As far as emissions go, if they are only scanning for codes and looking for a Cat underneath then you will be fine.

 

go with the 92-95 hatchback. b-series swaps r easy and u can keep the power steering and a/c if u wanted to.its also 0bd1 so less restrictions and easier to tune.

 

Nope, it definately isn't. It isn't however quite the same as on a '92 - '00 civic where retaining A/C and PS is simply a bolt on process using only honda OEM parts. On an '88 - '91 Civic/CRX you have to make up custom power steering lines (you can either cut and braze the metal part of the lines near the pump, swapping the pump end of the hose for ones from an Integra), or you can have custom lines made up. Keeping A/C requires the use of an aftermarket compressor bracket. Both are definately possible and have been done before, its just not particularly common.

Let me start by telling you the hardest to swap, '88 - '91 hands down, heres why:

-easily the smallest engine bay of the 3
-requires an aftermarket or custom shift linkage for a B-series
-A/C and PS retention is easily the most difficult of the 3
-STD hatchbacks and HF CRXs require that you swap the front knuckles for DX units because they use a smaller diameter axle than the DX and all B-series.
-Unless its an Si model you will need to convert from DPFI to MPFI.
-Requires an aftermarket mount kit (or custom mounts if you like to fabricate)

Theres not really much difference between '92 - '95 and '96 - '00 as far as doing a B-series swap. There are however several small things about the '92 - '95 that make me believe its the better candidate. Again heres why:

-'92 - '95 civics use the same style 2 piece engine harness that '94 - '01 Integras use.
-All '94 - '01 Integra suspension and brake components are a 100% bolt on for '92 - '95 civics (except for the master cylinder and proporting valve found on '98 - '01 models)
-Already OBD1 (OBD2 ECUs can't be chipped and tuned)
-Rear B-series T bracket is much easier to find used ('96 - '00 civics must use one from a '99 - '00 Si, '92 - '95 can come from any 5 speed '94 - '01 Integra or '96 - '97 Del Sol VTEC)

Somewhat, if you're planning to go turbo you pretty much need to run and chipped and tuned OBD1 ECU, which wont communicate with the DLC connector (JDM OBD2 ECUs wont either just as a heads up)

 

Wheres the love for the 96 hatch, yea they might be a little more expensive but I personally like that body style most. And its relatively simple to do a swap into and keep the a/c (dont need p/s). But its your call. Im glad you found the light(honda) and left the darkness(chevy).

 

EK!

 

GRRREEEEEAT Info! I just learned some new things which I am always happy about.

 

Just wanted to add that 91's have a cable clutch, which will add to the "to do" list for a B swap. Most B Swaps have will have hydraulic transmissions, since they come from DC's(97-01 Integra), and JDM (92-95)EG's and (96-00)EK's. A cable B series tranny will be harder to come by. And due to their age, even if you do find one, you will most likely have to rebuild it.

Honestly, if you are not in love with EF(88-91) body style, then i would steer clear of them because a B Swap in an EG(93) or EK(96) is literally, a drop-in affair. Also, EF's are are not even that much lighter than EG's(excluding the Si models). They all roughly weigh around 2000 pounds. The only exception is the 88-89 CRX HF which which weighs around 1800 lbs. But like 94EG8, mentioned, those take alot more work to swap. Personally, I think EF's and EK's have the cleaner lines, but if you don't have a prefrence for a certain style, then buy which ever car is the cleanest! I think that is the most important factor here.

 

Can't you also get a Hasport or Innovation Cable to Hydro conversion for the 99-91 Civic/CRXs and run a B-Series Hydro Tranny?

There might be more to it than just buying that kit..I don't know, So I was just asking.

 

You can get a kit (you can also run hydro transmission guts in a '92 - '93 USDM integra cable transmission case and not bother with the kit)

 

Oh ok..so you have basically 2 options to go with other than buying the more rare B-Series Cable trannys. Even though I don't own a 88-91 I still like putting info in the memory bank.

 

Yep, although I wouldn't say cable trannys are rare, around here they actually seem to come up a lot more often than the hydro units, I guess it just depends on where you are.

Learning new things is rarely if ever a waste of time.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys this helps alot. I went shopping all day today and the 91 i had in mind had a big dent on the other side that he didnt bother mentioning. The guy with the 93 stood me up and the 96 was ok. The 96 is all stock with a d16. Interior was in great shape and it had AC and PS. I was almost going to get it but the only thing that bothered me is the hood and front fender were banged up and there was a hole in the bumper cover. I gave him a low ball offer but he didnt accept.

Still shopping ill keep ya posted.

 

I have to disagree on the PS issue. Non-ps may not take that much more effort and is more simple but the feel from Honda's PS system is so nice. Especially when using an integra rack with the good ratio. I can't argue that road feel is better or anything but just... I don't know its just more advanced. I think it makes the car feel much more smooth. I wouldn't own a Honda that I care about without PS. AC, *** it, but I live in Canada

 

So I picked up a 91 hatch last night. I looked at alot of them over the last week and this hatch was the cleanest. It is in really good shape. 130k miles. Has nice 16 inch rims and the body is streight. Paint is good but it is a blue car with a red hood. Other then that its solid. It has AC but doesnt work. Im gonna get that fixed and find a way to retain it when I do the swap. Its not perfect but I got it way under my budget. Picked it up for $1,000. Interior is decent shape with some dirty carpet and torn seats. But all the plastics are nice and no cracks on the dash. Im excited to start working on this project. It will be lots of fun. Now time to go motor shopping.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

 

Congrats man on your purchase. What trim is the hatch?

 

Im not sure. It doesnt have any badges that say anything. Its not an SI im sure of that.