hey, i just bought my first proj car (1989 prelude S) and was wondering if anyone could tell me what engine would be good to swap w/ my car because I am ******* clueless... Umm it would be nice if someone who knew what they were talking about could tell me like what engine and what parts would be needed thanks...

 

if i was you i'd stick with a b21a1, or the b20a5 the si, and 2.0 si motors that come with those cars stock. A few people have put the h22 in the cars..but most have had problems with them plus its a pain in the ***. As far as parts needed any place that sells you the motor should know what exact parts you need, depending on the motor you'll most likely need the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold and down piple too.

jay f.

 

H22 all the way, well worth it. b20/21 are all crap. there are more problems with those than H22/23, plus the gen is lighter so it will be sweet and sleper like

 

I think its more of a hassle with an h22..depends on what you want to do. Talk to the guys that have actually done the swap. From what i have heard..and this was a while ago so might be different now, a lot of them had a hard time getting the actual vtec to work/problems with the ecu etc. Also that motor is heavier..some of the guys did say that the nose would dive more than normal, think some of them were experimenting with springs of stiffer spring rates. As for the motors being a hassle..only problem is with the b21 with the cylinder walls "wearing" away and then you get some blow buy of the oil..hence the b21 oil loss problems. If you plan on going turbo i' say stick with the b21/b20 as they are better.. are solid deck, and the longer stroke is good for making power with a turbo, if you want vtec and a 8000+ rpm redline then go with the h22 (by the way 4th gen h22 are solid deck too..5th gens are open deck)..i'd just make sure to peronsally talk with as many people that have first hand experience with the swap.

jay

 

The h22 swap has been a pain, but I'd do it again if I had the choice. It's still not finished though. I've been working on it for about 10 months now, but that's mostly due to a torn up knee (ACL, MCL, miniscus, etc.) and waiting on slow companies to remove their thumbs from their asses.
It's most definately not a weekend swap. I'd give at least a couple of months or so, just cause you'll have problems with mounts or axles or something and there'll be lots of down time while your waiting for the parts (that's all pretty much my situation anyway).
BUT, I have no doubt that my car will kick *** when it's finished. And I've learned a lot and had a lot of fun doing it.
If you need your ride, don't do it. If it's a project and you have time and funds, absolutely.