Originally Posted by
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jafro:
when u swapped on the dx head, did u have to do anything special? or was it as simple as replaing the headgasket then bolting her on there?
im basically looking for something that will get me around with a litle more power, until i can manage to get a decent engine. when u did this didnt you end up with a performance almost = stock 91 civic si? without all those mentioned mods?
Actually, I found 2 d15b7's in the dirt behind my friend's machine shop, took the best halves of both, hot tanked them all, honed the block, freshened up the head and decked it .018", replaced all the gaskets, new pistons, bearings, seals, water pump, etc... and basically had a brand new d15b7 when I was done. I didn't use any parts of the CX block despite its similarities.
If you were to do the head swap on a CX, you need everything that bolts to the head from the throttle body to the exhaust tip at the back of the car, plus the ECU. The exhaust parts are NOT compatible. Neither are the sensors. The manifolds are all different. The distributor is different. A DX engine wiring harness could make life easier, but you can tap the heated o2 sensor wires through the CX harness if you know how to use a volt meter and read an engine wiring diagram.
The dx motor I built pushed the same hatchback through the 1/4 mile almost 4 seconds faster at around 17 seconds... which is basically what a Celica GT-S does. The CX gearbox was a kick in the pants (to me) only having to shift once in the 1/4 mile, but it would piss off all the roadrace and autocross guys. The 6-speed gearbox in the GT-S is why it sucks so bad at the dragstrip because you're not accelerating when you're shifting.
Seriously, swap a B18B engine and trans out of a 94+ Integra and call it a day. You'll be making less horsepower than a Celica, sure... but as light as a CX hatch is, the LS motor swap has all the power needed to send you careening over a cliff because you didn't upgrade your dinky CX brakes. It should run high-14's which will stomp a GT-S. But even if you swap that sucker there's so much more you'll need to do to a CX chassis before roadracing it safely (whether you're on a track or not). I'm a drag race guy, so that stuff doesn't concern what I built quite as much. You'll need to get opinions from the auto-x crowd on the suspension stuff. From what I understand, a 94+ integra suspension & brakes fit as well. See if you can find a salvaged 'teg for your budget so you can get all the parts at once.