I have a 93 civic dx. Its my daily driver and it has a jdm 15b non vtec under the hood. I have a d16z6 vtec top end in my garage I would like to swap if it would make a difference in power or at least alittle more pep. I'm not looking for a major increase in hp, just alittle would be nice. I've read so much on the mini me swap, honestly I'm just confused now. Would I gain just the hit of the vtec, more or less? And yes I'm new to honda's but not to working on cars. I've read alot in the forumns but have not seen much on anyone swapping the z6 head on a engine like mine. Thanks.
Chris

 

What you want to do is a mini me swap. It is not uncommon in anyway.

 

Your JDM D15B non VTEC is quite literally a USDM D15B2/7 in every way. Simply put, yes there are gains to be had with this conversion. Your satisfaction with said gain will vary based on your overall experience with other cars you may have driven or rode in. It's not much to be honest, but if I had done this when I was younger I probably would be super stoked with it. If I had it now, I'd probably be like "meh, it's alright."

 

Yes, and Ive been reading all about them. Whats confusing to me is all the letters or numbers I have read that come after the d15b, as mine has none. That Im aware of anyway. Ive also read somewhere that their the same heads just about minus the vtec. Also that the timing will be off more than 4 degrees. I wanna do the swap if it would wake it up alittle. I was also thinking of doing a small, and i mean small, turbo install on top of the swap. But would the swap be worth it if I were to just put a small turbo on it anyway? I really would like to replace the timing belt and waterpump because ive put some miles on the engine and I don't know what it was when I got the car. So I figured, do the swap, see how I like it, and if it din't change it enough, have a turbo installed with minimal boost. The engine runs well, no smoke, no leaks. If I take on the swap, am I going to run into problems with the timing like I read? Thanks.

 

24ten, You posted at the same time as I was writing, lol. How bout that timing issue though? I'm actually 41 years old, i've been trying to go backwards but it's not working. I traded an ef hatch with a jdm b16 dohc for this car. That swap was done by someone else and something was always breaking on it that i had to fix. But it was sure impressive though. It was obd0 and I was always having issues with it so i traded a kid for the eg i have now. But like I said I'm not looking for a race car. Ive built a few mustangs and had a few streetbikes, those days are over, for now anyway. I tend to like mpg alittle more these days. But I'm not dead, so alittle more than what I have now is what i'm after, without an engine swap.

 

K-series
The only option

 

You might as well sell the z6 head and turbo the d15b, the head swap will only add vtec and maybe a few horses which is a mini me swap but getting the mechanical timing right will be an issue, you will need an adjustable cam gear but it will still never be perfect, with a turbo kit you could easily make more power but with stock internals keep it under 200hp

 

It really is not worth the time for a not so drastic gain in performance.

 

Swapping a head on a block, not a major gain.

 

Another reason for the swap, i picked up a chipped p28. I thought i could do the swap, esp. since i wanted to put in a new waterpump and timing belt anyway. And with the chipped p28, i could have it tuned for the turbo. Theres a big write up on here from years ago and when he did his swap, he never needed an adj timing gear, why is that? Twin turbo, lol. I would have liked that on my 300zx I had.

 

Yea see you didn't say **** about a turbo. All this was about was swapping a head.

 

Sorry Tony, brought it up as a possible option on reply number 4.

 

Well it's not absolutely necessary but helps, and since u have that ecu here's what I suggest, if you do the head swap try to find a good deal on rods and pistons to swap out and then with a turbo setup you could make about 250 maybe closer to 300hp, would be a lot of fun to drive, you will have to hone the cylinders but that's not too hard..

 

If you're going to do that get a 92-95 EX/Si or 96-00 EX transmission. The gearing on the DX is not that great for performance.

 

^^ yeah that ^^^ , another option is sell the z6 head to buy an ex/si trans (unless you can do both) and turbo the d15b, the trans alone will have better acceleration gains then the head swap, yet another option is forget the turbo and do the trans and head swap you will probably be satisfied.. But honestly that would be something to commit to cause if ur not changing rods and pistons while head is off it will be all the work you just did plus more if it does not satisfy..

 

Interesting convo

 

If you're actually interested in turbo setups, read through the Forced Induction forum... the model specific forums aren't known for their reliable turbocharger knowledge.

I'll leave it at that...

 

From a simple head swap to a now force induction motor rebuild......which route will you take now.

 

I know Tony, lol, decisions, decisions. I'll look up the model specifics forced induction threads if and or I find them, thanks. I did read on getting that ex trans. I actually called a guy who fixed my old ef trans if he had any laying around and he was gonna look around for me, so thanks for that info. Can the head swap be done without an adj cam gear? Theres a write up on here that was done about 10 years ago, and he never had to change his z6 cam gear. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Yo so have you made any decision on what you might want to do? I'm interested to see where this goes..

 

midori, do the swap, you dont need an adjustable timing gear. i've done this many many many times hell my very first honda was this very swap in the same chassis . d15 block, z6 head = easy
if your gonna turbo it, just get a cheap ebay kit cuz theres no point in the higher price stuff if your not gonna build up the block.

but firstly do the swap if you succeed, then buy the turbo kit, install and tune.

if memory serves me correct i had the cam 2* retarded and used the dizzy to do the rest.

gain in power? yes you will definitely will notice the few extra hp if all youve been doing in daily'ing the stock d15

dont forget to get the arp head studs

 

I know its not my thread but i always see people using arp headstuds... is there a specific reason as to why they must be arp?

 

not much more difference in price range over stock, they last longer, warranty exceeds alot of peoples expectations (ive heard of few ppl getting whole new motors or other major parts replaced when an arp product malfunctions under warranty)

fact that your torquing studs with nuts and into the block and not full bolts, less likely to seize, much easier guides when placing head on.

theres a crap ton of various reasons, mainly proven reliability.