i have a dohc zc on it's way from texas with 31thousand miles on it....it's going in my 91 hf....oh and i have the zc trans and si ecu for it too.... what else should i go ahead and change or get for it while i'm doing this swap?(and don't say b16 ) i was just wondering about internal and external such as connecting rods, intake manifold, gaskets....i don't know just looking for suggestions

 

some MANDATORY things you should change are
1) ALL gaskets
Head gasket, intake manifold gasket, exhaust gasket,etc
2) all belts
TIMING belt, altenator belt

3) All seals
Front an rear main seals, CAMSHAFTS seals, Axel/tranny seals, etc


4) all other miscallaneous parts like Water pump, Spark plugs distributor cap.

I know people say that these engines have 30k on them, but there really is no way to tell. you also have no idea on how long it was sitting . at the very minimum, you shouls at least change the timing belt, head gasket an water pump. youll need a USDM d series header, the zc wont fit , its 4-2 an your us version is 4-1 or 4-2-1. also youll have to port match the header. youll need 90 integra axels for the zc tranny an SI hubs an Knuckles i believe. youll also need to find out whatyear tranny you have, if its an 88 you need a 87 honda prelude clutch disk if your going to upgrade to the bigger 90-91 crx flywheel an pressure plate. check out THEZCR.COM, they have LOTS of good info. also the connecting rods an pistons are fine you dont need to change those, if you want performance ones the rods are the weakest part of a ZC so start there. there is only 1 intake manifold you can switch to an that is the 89 acura integra. NO CRX SI or any othe d series will fit. some say its not worth the money to get the 89, gains would be marginal. if you have time get a Port an Polish on the zc head, its real restrictive an you can gain some good numbers there. spend what money youll have on a good clutch an lightend flywheel to make use of the small power youll have. the quicker you rev the more youll be able to keep up with your B series brothers. torque shouldnt be a concern for you, only way youll get any is by turbocharging, an if you do that , make sure you dont have goals of going past 7psi, stck rods on a zc fail at 200 FLYWHEEL hp. I used t have a zc an i know alot so feel free to ask more questions.

 

i think the headgasket is a bit much to change it for a swap...but everything else i would do and did when i installed my zc...

 

well ive had 2 friends that did ZC swaps, an a week later their headgasket blew. so just to save a headache, id say do it while its out of the car. but ive had friends that swapped without changing anything an they were ok, just depends how good your luck is i guess.

 

thanks alot man, especially for the quick response, i'll try and keeo in touch with you, thanks again for the help

 

May I recommend TheZCR.com

 

already done!

 

FYI older integra intake flows 28% worse than ZC intake. ZC cams are longer duration and higher lift than integra. ZC can be a donor but not vice versa. 88-89 dizzy is the same.
ZC header works just fine if you get both top and bottom halves. I ran one for 2 years.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecKiDD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">some MANDATORY things you should change are
1) ALL gaskets
Head gasket, intake manifold gasket, exhaust gasket,etc
2) all belts
TIMING belt, altenator belt

3) All seals
Front an rear main seals, CAMSHAFTS seals, Axel/tranny seals, etc


4) all other miscallaneous parts like Water pump, Spark plugs distributor cap.

I know people say that these engines have 30k on them, but there really is no way to tell. you also have no idea on how long it was sitting . at the very minimum, you shouls at least change the timing belt, head gasket an water pump. youll need a USDM d series header, the zc wont fit , its 4-2 an your us version is 4-1 or 4-2-1. also youll have to port match the header. youll need 90 integra axels for the zc tranny an SI hubs an Knuckles i believe. youll also need to find out whatyear tranny you have, if its an 88 you need a 87 honda prelude clutch disk if your going to upgrade to the bigger 90-91 crx flywheel an pressure plate. check out THEZCR.COM, they have LOTS of good info. also the connecting rods an pistons are fine you dont need to change those, if you want performance ones the rods are the weakest part of a ZC so start there. there is only 1 intake manifold you can switch to an that is the 89 acura integra. NO CRX SI or any othe d series will fit. some say its not worth the money to get the 89, gains would be marginal. if you have time get a Port an Polish on the zc head, its real restrictive an you can gain some good numbers there. spend what money youll have on a good clutch an lightend flywheel to make use of the small power youll have. the quicker you rev the more youll be able to keep up with your B series brothers. torque shouldnt be a concern for you, only way youll get any is by turbocharging, an if you do that , make sure you dont have goals of going past 7psi, stck rods on a zc fail at 200 FLYWHEEL hp. I used t have a zc an i know alot so feel free to ask more questions.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

ok i had heard people say the integra was bigger an flowed marginally beter. thanks for the info.

 

no nothing on the Integra motor is better. ZC parts that fit are better. Dizzy is a straight swap. and the rest well lots of places show part numbers.

I have 2.5 years on my ZC, original head gasket but I did seals belt and water pump before I put it in.

 

yeah thats why i left the zc, it 6 cars in one when you need parts.

 

I have STD 4spd 90 civic, are there any special changes that you, or anyone recommend I need to make b4 my motor goes in, I have the ZC tranny and ZC ecu (of course the ZCmotor)
or does the changes DX owners have to do, applied to me as well.

I don’t mean to hijack the thread.
Thanks

 

no just three, Civic, prelude and integra.

 

well thers the 84 honda accord radiator hose
90-91 crx si clutch an fywheel
89 integra dizzy
90-93 integra axels
89 prelude timing belt
87 prelude clutch disk

i would consider these all seperate cars since they are different model years

 

where are you coming up with the prelude clutch disk from? Its standard civic. any year that matches splines. Prelude timing belt is only prelude part. In a 90-91 Si the clutch and flywheel are identical. Dizzy and internals are integra., yes axels are integra. water pump and mounts if yours are shot are civic.

Like I said, Civic, prelude and Integra. yes years are mixed somewhat with the integra stuff.

 

read my post, if you have the 88 zc tranny an you upgrade to the larger diameter 90-91 CRX CLUTCH an FLYWHEEL, it makes no sense to use the smaller 88 clutch disk just cause they have the same spline count, the 87 prelude is the only other car with the same spline count as the 88 trannys an has an ovdrsized clutch disk to math your newly upgraded larger 90-91 crx clutch an flywheel. I just did this on a swap man.

 

ok thanks

BTW, I wanted to try and keep my stock ZC JDM header. Is there anyway to modify it so it can work with my custom 2.5in exhaust system or is that just a waste of time messing with it.
I just have the top header part, that is the same length as the heat shield.

 

oh yeah if you want an aftermarket flywheel, almost NO company makes them for a 88-89 crx tranny, or 88-89 zc tranny due to the smaller diameter. they make you HAVE to upgrade to a 90-91 crx clutch an flywheel. thats why i said "FIND OUT WHAT TRANNY YOU HAVE" if he has an 88, he'll need a 87 prelude clutch disk if he upgrades his clutch. there get it now?

 

the Stock ZC flywheel is the same as the 90-91 civic and so is the clutch, how do I know I have a 89 hatch with a 89 ZC engine and trans, it takes a 90-91 civic clutch. He bought the pair together so he has the flywheel already. And 88 is the only oddball and my ZC engine has a 1989 date code. and I have the 90-91 civic clutch on it., the USDM civic had a smaller clutch in 1989 not the ZC.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecKiDD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">read my post, if you have the 88 zc tranny an you upgrade to the larger diameter 90-91 CRX CLUTCH an FLYWHEEL, it makes no sense to use the smaller 88 clutch disk just cause they have the same spline count, the 87 prelude is the only other car with the same spline count as the 88 trannys an has an ovdrsized clutch disk to math your newly upgraded larger 90-91 crx clutch an flywheel. I just did this on a swap man.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

you can use the top part of the zc header but you need a 92-95 civic downpipe. it hangs low though so i hope your car isnt slammed. OH look a 92-95 civic, add anothe ******* car to the list, im up to 7 now! good luck with your swap

 

if he has the stock ZC bottom half it fits, hugs the oil pan AND fits to the stock exhaust system. I just took mine off after 2 years of using it to put a stainles steel 4-2-1 header. And my car has a 2.5 inch drop ant it never hit the road. Only if he doesn't get his with the motor does he need to bother with that. ANd oh, I did this myself too, have helped sever others with the same swap so I do know of what I speak.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecKiDD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can use the top part of the zc header but you need a 92-95 civic downpipe. it hangs low though so i hope your car isnt slammed. OH look a 92-95 civic, add anothe ******* car to the list, im up to 7 now! good luck with your swap</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

DUDE, IF HE WANTS A LIGHTENED FLYWHEEL NOT THE STOCK FLYWHEEL, HE NEEDS TO GET THE 90-91 CRX FLYWHEEL AN THE 87 PRELUDE clutch DISK IF HE HAS THE 88 TRANNY. damn, i guess you just dont get it. read my posts before you start trying to correct them. the zc flywheel is the same as a 90-91 crx si, but hey , he was asking about performance, an if you want a flywheel, id hate to see him get a 90-91 crx si ACT lightened flywheel, an bu a 88-89 clutch. also, if he has the 88 zc tranny, he CANNOT USE THE 90-91 CRX PRESSURE PLATE, IT WILL NOT WORK.

 

thats what i meant you can use the ZC downpipe, the 92-95 civic HANGS LOW
READ
http://thezcr.com/index.php?na...=3860

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecKiDD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">DUDE, IF HE WANTS A LIGHTENED FLYWHEEL NOT THE STOCK FLYWHEEL, HE NEEDS TO GET THE 90-91 CRX FLYWHEEL AN THE 87 PRELUDE clutch DISK. damn, i guess you just dont get it. read my posts before you start trying to correct them. the zc flywheel is the same as a 90-91 crx si, but hey , he was asking about performance, an if you want a flywheel, id hate to see him get a 90-91 crx si ACT lightened flywheel, an bu a 88-89 clutch. also, if he has the 88 zc tranny, he CANNOT USE THE 90-91 CRX PRESSURE PLATE, IT WILL NOT WORK. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Why in the hell does he need a prelude clutch disk. Nowhere did he say he has a 1988. the clutch and pressure plate for 89-91 ZC are identical, they are 90-91 civic, wheather he goes stock or not. look at the block stamp for day code. if its an assy then and only then will he know what year it is for sure.

 

"youll also need to find out whatyear tranny you have, if its an 88 you need a 87 honda prelude clutch disk if your going to upgrade to the bigger 90-91 crx flywheel an pressure plate"

thats my original post man. if HE HAS A 1988 ZC TRANNY, then, if he wishes to go to the BIGGER DIAMETER 90-91 CLUTCH he will need the foloowing things
90-91 CRX SI FLYWHEEL which is 212mm
90-91 CRX SI PRESSURE PLATE which is 212mm
87 honda prelude CLUTCH DISK which is 212mm

now if he has an 88 tranny, he cannot use the 89-91 clutch disk due to the spline count. why doesnt he just use a 88 clutch disk with the matching spline count you ask, cause its smaller, i beleive only 202mm. so whats the point in having a oversized flywheel an pressure plate an a smaller cutch disk?? you tell me.
im trying to save him the problem my friend just ran into, he bought a ZC motor an tranny, an he bought a new clutch for it an lightened flywheel. he got a 90-91 crx si centerforce clutch disk an pressure plate an bought a act 12 lb flywheel. now when i went to install them for him, EVERYTHING fit except the clutch disk because wonder of all wonders , you guessed it, it was the 88 zc tranny. so after some research,bam, 87 prelude is the one you want to keep everything 212mm.