New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A1
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New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A1
Hey everyone! so i finally picked up a 99 honda civic ex coupe that i have been wanting since highschool hah. but anyways i wanted to get opinions on which way to go. The two scenarios im looking at is a B20Z or B18B1 swap and being in the great state of California i want to get the swap BAR'd so i can get it legally smogged. As far as the use of the car i just want something to keep NA and just fun to smash around town and in the future maybe i would want to vtec swap the head. one of the big things would be cost, i know everything is getting more scarce and prices on engines have sky rocketed over the years (i know im late to the game hah) so what would be more cost efficient for price/fun for the build. thank you everyone for any input!
Last edited by ej8crusing; Sep 18, 2025 at 11:34 AM.
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Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
B18A1 won’t pass BAR. it’d need to be an obd2b B18B1.
B20Z needs to be out of a USDM CRV nowadays, they don’t allow jdm b20 long blocks anymore.
B20Z needs to be out of a USDM CRV nowadays, they don’t allow jdm b20 long blocks anymore.
Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
Caoboy covered it.
Your life is going to be harder because you got a 99 instead of a 2000... so you still have to do dyno, at least for now.
I just smogged mine last week, got hit with a STAR test this time but the only station in my valley happens to be the one I already went to a couple years ago. Old guy didn't look at **** other than the things I told him were on the car (BAR sticker, aftermarket catalyst, and Comptech intake). He was too busy being frustrated about reading the EO number off the cat on my low-*** car. Didn't notice that it currently has a B20B (jdm) in it either.
I 100% could have gotten through there with a vtec head on it.
Your life is going to be harder because you got a 99 instead of a 2000... so you still have to do dyno, at least for now.
I just smogged mine last week, got hit with a STAR test this time but the only station in my valley happens to be the one I already went to a couple years ago. Old guy didn't look at **** other than the things I told him were on the car (BAR sticker, aftermarket catalyst, and Comptech intake). He was too busy being frustrated about reading the EO number off the cat on my low-*** car. Didn't notice that it currently has a B20B (jdm) in it either.
I 100% could have gotten through there with a vtec head on it.
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Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
i get the 99 and the dyno but i thought if for example i get an engine , trans, ecu, etc.. from a 2001 integra and bard my civic with it, doesnt the car now get smogged as a 2001 integra engine setup?
Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
It's confusing the way they word it. My understanding is that the car will always be inspected to the standard defined by the chassis' production year. This is a question for a referee.
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Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
Hey everyone! so i finally picked up a 99 honda civic ex coupe that i have been wanting since highschool hah. but anyways i wanted to get opinions on which way to go. The two scenarios im looking at is a B20Z or B18B1 swap and being in the great state of California i want to get the swap BAR'd so i can get it legally smogged. As far as the use of the car i just want something to keep NA and just fun to smash around town and in the future maybe i would want to vtec swap the head. one of the big things would be cost, i know everything is getting more scarce and prices on engines have sky rocketed over the years (i know im late to the game hah) so what would be more cost efficient for price/fun for the build. thank you everyone for any input!
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Re: New to the game and wanted to get everyones 2 cent on if i should go B20Z or B18A
Hey everyone! so i finally picked up a 99 honda civic ex coupe that i have been wanting since highschool hah. but anyways i wanted to get opinions on which way to go. The two scenarios im looking at is a B20Z or B18B1 swap and being in the great state of California i want to get the swap BAR'd so i can get it legally smogged. As far as the use of the car i just want something to keep NA and just fun to smash around town and in the future maybe i would want to vtec swap the head. one of the big things would be cost, i know everything is getting more scarce and prices on engines have sky rocketed over the years (i know im late to the game hah) so what would be more cost efficient for price/fun for the build. But if you want more potential for customization, then the B18B1 is probably more practical. This engine is more popular for tuning, parts are easier to find, and in terms of price it may be a little more profitable. The only thing is that in California you really have to sweat to do everything legally, because BAR checks everything very strictly. The main thing is to find a donor with a full set of documents and not to mess around with the wiring. In the meantime, you can distract yourself a little with https://casinosanalyzer.com/low-deposits/5-dollar-deposit-casino, I sometimes hang out there after garage evenings, it's interesting and without much risk. Have you already decided whether you will leave everything atmospheric, or maybe in the future you want to add a turbine? thank you everyone for any input!
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