so i found a 97 civic chell for pretty cheap and was wondering what motor i could easily swap into it. By far the cheapest motor to buy to start with is the ls so i figured with another 2-300 bucks i could have it ls vtec which ive heard is stronger than a GSR?

what would be needed to mount the ls in the 97 civic...and would it realy be worth it power wise?

or should i scratch the ls.vtec idea and wait to find a cheap gsr?

 

2-300 bucks for LS/Vtec if you can find a Vtec head for less then that. which would be hard to come by then having your bottom end built for the power from the vtec head your bottom end will not take 8 grand all day unless its built. i would just save up and buy a GSR and not worry bout LS vtec.

 

Yeah, $2-300 is a VERY low estimate for the cost of an ls/vtec conversion. If you really need VTEC, I would wait for the GSR. If all you're looking for is some good power, a boosted LS might be the way to go. My recommendation: swap the LS (which is incredibly easy, btw), then save up for a turbo. The LS swap alone will make your car significantly faster, and by the time you grow tired of that power increase, you'll have enough saved for boosting it. The B18B can handle turbocharging better than it can handle ls/vtec, simply because if you want decent power from VTEC you have to rev the crap out of your engine. Not the case with turbocharging. Like I said, though, this plan is no good if you really want people to see the VTEC valve cover when you pop your hood. Personally, I'd rather show off a turbo than a valve cover.

 

well i already have a a 300whp turbo car that eats gas so i really wanted to go with a mildly modded all motor car to keep gas consumption down but still have some suprising power out of it...what would have to be done to the ls bottom end? its not all about the vtc valce cover...prolly wouldnt even have it lol

 

Keep your foot out of it! I'm not talking down the ls/vtec setup but i havnt heard too many good things about them unless its getting built. If you already have a fast car then just swap in a ls or save for the gsr. I think you need em1 shift linkage, em1 mounts just for starters. I dont know what harness you would use for the ls.

 

If you want an ls/vtec setup to be reliable you need a few things. The poor rod/stroke ratio of the LS is not conducive to high revs, so basically anything inside the block that moves should be replaced with stronger parts. Mainly, some good rod bolts (like ARP), because the stock ls rod bolts are not made to handle high rpm. You also need a GSR or ITR water pump, oil pump, oil pan, and windage tray. Also a block girdle would be highly recommended. See how all of this adds up?

I still think a mild turbo setup would be your best option. There are several guys on HAN that have built a full turbo kit for their cars for around $1000. You can run 220-230whp without putting much stress on your engine if you don't rev it to 8,000rpm all day. And if tuned properly, you can still get over 30mpg.

 

Yea, you can get good power of a turbo D and still get decent mileage, and if the engine is in good shape, it can be done dirt cheap. But personally, I'd go with a stock H22A for the win. Power, mileage, stock reliability (once everything is squared away), cheaper than a B18C to boot, and certainly easier than a well done LS/VTEC (not that there's anything wrong with it!). :hi5: