My timing belt snapped on my 91 civic lx, bye bye valves, rods, etc. So, I'm DIYing an engine/ trans swap. Don't know which motor/ trans will go in w/ the least hassle. I want to put a K20 or an F20 in er. I need some help/ expertise on this. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

What's your budget and level of mechanical ability? Are you wanting to do it yourself or pay a shop? What swaps are legal in your area?

 

anything worth doing will need at minimum an OBD-0 to OBD-1 conversion as well as DPFI to MPFI conversion. should be able to get what you need "off the shelf" for this. spend good money on a reputable brand/supplier for the harness(s).

D16Z6 is loads of fun in that chassis. they're cheap and easy to work on, it will bolt in without hassle, work with your transmission (assuming you have a manual already) and give you about 30-40% more power than your D15B2.

But, it still won't be "fast."

it could be "fast" with either of these. Hassle free? not a chance.

there are a lot of extras required to get the K20 in your chassis on top of the cost of the engine and transmission. most difficult swap aside from cramming a V6 in. the engine alone is worth at least double what the car is worth. see install instructions here

F20B (not F20C) is not as hard as the K20, but still not hassle free. A B16 or B18 with a little work done to it would be a much easier way to get the same performance that a stock F20B would provide.