Im gonna drop one of these in somtime this year. Im going to leave it non-vtec for a while, until i get some more money and then ill add the VTEC head. What exactly will i need? I really want to use the ITR LSD gearbox instead of the ls or CRV one. What ecu will i need to use? Will they both fit right in? Which would be betteR? Thanks for the help..
Graham..

 

Get the B20 over the B18. You'll have more torque from more displacement and it will respond better to mods. When you do decide to go LS/VTEC or CR-VTEC, you'll need to change a few things, like the water pump, distributor, timing belt, etc. cuz they all have to match the head, not the block. Instead of looking at it the way most people do, as a CRV swap and you're putting a VTEC head on it, it's more realistic to look at it as a VTEC swap and you're putting a CRV block on it. More of the parts need to be off a VTEC motor, so it would be better if you bought a B16 swap instead. That way, you'll have the close gearing of the B16 tranny. You can add in LSD if you'd like. The gearing's not too far off from an ITR's. If you want (the ideal setup and want to piece things together, you can try to find the following (this is not the lowest priced setup!!):

- B20 block
- B18C head (if you wanna leave it stock) or a B16 head (if you're willing to have it ported and polished)
- B16, B18C, or B18C-R trannies are all good...get a Quaife or Kazz LSD and you'll be happy
- water pumps, oil pumps, injectors, etc. from either a B18C or B18C-R
- P72 or P30 ECU (you can use a P28 ECU but you'll lose your knock sensor)

There's a ton of other things for a franky setup, but you can find all those with a lil research and speaking to some knowledgable shops. I highly recommend getting new higher compression pistons while the block's open. Put in a CTR/ITR valvetrain, balance the rotating assembly, and replace the main and rod bearings with new ones and you'll have a good strong setup. The older the block, the more important it is to replace those bearings and balance the rotating assembly. YOu can also look into some extras like a Z10 engineering block girdle to help with high rpm vibrations and bearing wear. There's more, but I didn't get enough sleep from last nite...zzzzzzzz

 

thanks for ur help. Im gonna look around for a B20Z and swap that in. Do u have any idea wat kind of 1/4 mile times i could run with a stock B20Z in a Civic CX?

 

Ahh...let the misinformation roar!

Actually...bhcvc did a pretty good job in explaining some things...but some things are wrong.
For one..you dont need a new oil pump. The B20's come stock with the same oil pump as the GSRs.

A B16 head is better then a GSR head. It flows better.
The only advantage to the GSR head is that the combustion chambers are smaller..therefore a slightly high compression ratio results. Since new rods and pistons should be installed anyway...the compression will be to your liking so the B16 head is better then the GSR head.

Tranny wise...a straight GSR tranny or one with an LS 5th gear would be the best all around (good gearing and low freeway cruising RPMs). An ITR/B16 tranny is the best for acceleration but crusing at 80 MPH will result in RPMs at 5000!

A block girdle should be a must on the list. GSRs and ITRs have girdles from the factory...so if Honda realizes that one is needed...what do you think? Plus..the GSR/ITR has a better rod/stroke ratio..and it still comes with a girdle.

Good luck on your project.

 

Yes...I myself would opt for the B20Z if I had the money. A friend of mine (N3 or Pest...Not sure what his name is on honda-tech) just completed his B20Z swap into his 92 hatch and that thing is running 14.2 on street tires! He had a B18C in his coupe and he said that he wasn't nearly as happy with that setup as he is with the B20Z setup.

 

dont' keep the engines tranny....get a GSR tranny it'll help u accelrate dude.....don't get the SI's cause thats way tooo short and u'll probably be killing ur engine....nonvtecs aren't as revable as the vtec engines.


im fuc*^&^ drunk! don't mind me

 

What about an ITR tranny? Or should i just get a GSR tranny, ls 5th gear and get a Quaife lsd? Thanks for all the help. U guys are great!

 

Oops, sorry about that...I thought the B20's had the same pump as the B18B's. As for the GSR vs. B16 head. In stock form, I still like the GSR head cuz of what you mentioned, higher compression. I still wouldn't say the stock B16 head flows better than a stock GSR head, but with a mild port and polish, it would for sure...it's also cheaper, which makes it a nice choice. I still think a B16 tranny is a good way to go, mainly because those are cheaper than a GSR tranny and easier to find, and he can do the LS 5th like you mentioned for highway cruzing.

 

Get the B20 block and put B17 rods in there. I heard the when you put in the B17 rods in the B20 block, the rod ratio is actually better than the Civic Type Rs.

 

Kill the guy...burn his car...see a psychiatrist...and buy a McLaren F1

Thats my opinion.

 

---Get the B20 block and put B17 rods in there. I heard the when you put in the B17 rods in the B20 block, the rod ratio is actually better than the Civic Type Rs. --


B17a crank... not the rods. Then use custom rods and pistons to achieve a good r/s that will be happy w/ FI. Otherwise, keep the b20 crank for N/A.

Pete

 

Is it me or wouldnt the B17 crank be good only for forced induction purposes?

 

"Is it me or wouldnt the B17 crank be good only for forced induction purposes?"

It wouldn't hurt but its best for NA because the ideal rod ratio would allow you to rev the **** out of it. With the right cams and good head work it would be a killer engine.

The only problem is B17 cranks are hard to come by.

Mike

 

Not if you buy a new one from ACURA

 

geez!!

You can still rev up w/ the b20 crank. If you take the certain safety precautions... you should have no problem w/ an 8500 or so rpm band. You dont really need more w/ N/A unless you have the cam profile w/ it.

Im very happy shifting at 7k rpms!!! Have you ever driven a b20/vtec? Most dont even make power past 7500 rpms unless you have the cams and tuning done to it. Most people that swap their engines never bother to tune it... period!


Eg6-sir- The b17a crank is a good idea for FI... yes. You could do the crank for N/A, but you would waste about 800 bux for that setup. That 800 bux you could use on a z10 specific girdle, oil pan needed, new bearings, arp rod bolts and head bolts, new oil pickup... you see what Im saying??? If YOU ARE GOING TO STAY N/A, then there is no true gain from the b17a crank being installed on a b20. It will only have piece of mind... but I've seen even b16a blocks (almost perfect r/s ratio) blow up cuz of bad tuning and a very abusive driver. That has to be thought of also when you do ANY engine work.

You can pick up a b17a crank anywhere. There about as hard to come by as an ITR swap. Just look a lil and you will find one.