i have a 97 lx with a d16y7 non vtec motor and i'm wondering what it would take to swap for the y8 sohc vtec head. should i? is it a good idea or benificial? and ill need a y8 computer too correct?

 

been done lots. called a mini me swap. good idea yes, beneficial yes, y8 computer yes.

 

Waste of time and money? Yes. You'll still be sloooooow.

 

Your wrong.

D16y8 has 9.6:1
D16y7 has 9.4:1

 

so what do you guys think would swapping it with a y8 motor be better? my y7 has 180k on it. or put a y8 vtec head on it?

 

swap the head.... a z6 head is more desirable. the y7 and y8 bottom ends are practically the same. as for the rulemaker a stock turbo D with 200hp on stock internals is not slow and def a mid to low 14 sec car. even my 4dr EJ ran 14.6 on rubber band 18" street tires w/ slicks def a high 13. ive seen many hit the low 13's on slicks. i have roll raced 350z's and kept up quiet a bit. when built a turbo D can deff stand its own ground with 300-350hp.

 

so if i put a z6 head on my y7 what computer should i run in it? would converting it to obd 1 from obd 2 still let me pass emissions testing? i guess it's better but not sure what's the difference. i'm also looking at high comp. pistons and a skunk 2 pro s intake plenum/manifold what's a good chip to tune it all with? also would i need a different wiring harness?

 

your best bet is to get low compression pistons and turbo... any n/a setup will not perform unless your adding nitrous. if u do any major mods u could try running a afc for tuning but its not a good set up. if u do any major mods ur going to have to run a chipped obd1 ecu and just use a obd2 ecu to run through emissions. being its a y7 in a ek a y8 would be your easiest swap because the 0bd2 ex ecu looks for a knock sensor. there are tricks around it if u look around.

 

i wanna keep it n/a for now i read up that higher compression pistons on non f/i motors is better but ill have to run it on premium to keep it from preigniting. so the z6 head doesn't have a knock sensor? i read that the z6 head has better quality of air flow on the top end than the y8 so i'd rather run a z6 head on it. would it also be good to port the z6 head?

 

knock sensor is in the block, not the head. y7 blocks are tapped for it.
z6 head will require 1 longer head bolt.
if your going to port a head, just port the y8. it can be ported to flow better than an un-ported z6 head and you can still use your obd2 distributor.
it also has better 'quench pad' than z6 to resist 'knocking'.

 

The mini me is a great starting point especially if your learning. Stock y7 is about 106HP and 92ish lbs of torque compared to the y8 which is 126HP and roughly 105lbs of torque. DON'T KILL ME OVER THOSE NUMBERS ITS BEEN A WHILE! All BS aside its a good starting point. All you need is the P2E ecu, vtec head, knock sensor and wire the vtec solenoid and I believe that's it. The ecu is straight plug and play and the head is simple to do just watch your tdc. I have two of those ecu's laying around if your interested in doing the swap. Ton of writ ups all over the net about this swap. As I have learned on here at the end of the day what you want to do and what your wallet can afford. Good luck

 

^IACV 3 wire to 2.

 

Ah thats right. Y7 has 3 y8 2 wire.

 

i think that's the one my lx came with, not sure, did you mean p2p? any idea where i could find a 3 to 2 wiring adapter for the iacv? would my y7 computer kick a code with the y8 head? because i was thinking of using a chipped p28 ecu or would it be a better idea to just use a 98 ex ecu (p2p). you said you have some ecus laying around what would one of those run me? jw......sorry lot of questions i dont know much about swaps and dont wanna rush into anything till i know what will work well thanks for all the help!

 

Doing this may increase your horsepower somewhat BUT with long geared transmissions it'll be like pulling teeth getting there. You won't be taking advantage of the little bump in HP and you'll be unsatisfied.

 

as he said long gearing will be pulling teeth to feel that little gain in hp. everyone will tell u a ex manual transmission is the best mod any d series owner can do. y8 vtec is nothing like a k20a2/z1 or b18c where when vtec kicks in u feel the pull the y8 is very faint(more bark then bite)

 

yeah I've been looking to get a different transmission my second gear syncro is bad so anytime i go for second quickly it grinds then pops in. i'm looking at one for 375 on ebay and jw i want to cam it too whats a good one to look for?

 

Don't. Adding a cam won't do dick without a tune.

 

 

im doing that now im puttin a y8vtech head on my d16y7.. i would need a whole y8 harness right ?