Ive got a 90' accord dx with a completely stock f22a1 engine with about 350,xxx on it currently thats my baby and my daily driver. I got the idea to build a replacement head, or complete engine for it, over the winter, not exactly to make a drag car but to have a "new" reliable engine made for highway cruising. I had thought of sticking with the f22 and picking up and rebuilding an a6, since my current engine has been taken care of so well I would like to use as many peripheral systems as possible. I would also like to look at doing something about the transmission as well, I replaced it this past summer (stock automatic) after it started slipping bad. I have been having a lot of just weird problems with the current one that is in the car now, but it works so its what Im using to drive now. I know a little bit more about the engines than the transmissions, so would it be possible for me to rebuild my old trans. and come out with a higher end ratio for better highway mpg? Or if not, should I look at a prelude transmission? Like I said before, this is just my daily driver that Ive been fixing up for about the past two years, by no means am I trying to turn this thing into a "race car," but a little extra horse power, and a little better fuel economy never hurt anyone, right?

 

Are you thinking of porting the head or running an as-cast head? How heavily ported? Wanting to install larger valves? Your best bet may be to just grab an F23A1/4 and adding some bolt-ons. They tend to make more power than a similarly done F22A1/4/6 and should get better gas mileage considering it's conservative out-of-VTEC valve opening.

Being an automatic, I'd just drive it and get another shell that's a 5-speed and build from there. You get a lot more freedom doing that and don't have to make compromises towards keeping it DD'able. A LOT of stuff goes out the window in the interest of creature comforts, IMO.

 

With the head I think I would just use it as-is. With this whole project really, if I cant do it myself, it probably wont get done, excluding have the head resurfaced if it needs it of course. I had entertained the idea of throwing a 5 speed in there but that just adds a little bit more cost and headache than Im looking for right now. Granted, if I had the funds to buy another cb7 Id do it in a heartbeat, but this one is just going to stay an automatic for now.