I am looking to buy a honda or acura sometime soon and have high interest in buliding an engine that will meet moderate to heavy street use. I want something that I can enjoy both to cruise in and race on occasion. In other words im looking for immediate power on demand without spending over 7 to 8 grand if it can be helped. i also would like it to look good in turn. any suggestions would suit me fine since im new in the game and would someday like to become an advanced tuning tech. tips on which series engine and parts i should consider for a 1988 to 1992 honda civic or prelude. i am more into handling and how well it will perform on tight turns at comfortable high speeds and have the power to give me more after im already cruisin at 70+mph. thank you all for your help it is greatly appreciated.

 

What engine are you thinking of building? How much power do you want exactly? N/A or small, quick response turbo setup?

The 92-95 Prelude comes with a closed deck H22 motor but the chassis is fairly heavy. An early model Civic or CRX with a swapped B series/H series motor will easily accomplish what you want. Even a small rebuild of the D series they come with and a small turbo setup would yield great results.

 

like you said, a quick response (turbo) setup would be great im new in the honda game so engine types are something i am yet to get into..anything in particular that i should be looking for....like maybe cutting the costs of getting a fast rig together....i just need something to go from and ill be using this from time to time to get suggestions but my power range would likely be around 300-400 hp and my issue of great handling outweighs my likeness of high power but both would make me even happier with my setup..so if possible i want to go to a scrapyard and find what i would need to start my project or maybe even an auction. luxury isnt a standard for what i am looking for in my car....just moderate power and excellent vette-like handling. i had a discussion with someone about baring an engine to the block...sleeving the cylinders and putting high performance components crank...cam(s) heads i also read that a stock crank out of a 1988 to a 1992 1.6L civic dx engine hold up to 600hp reliably so could that be a start to just use the stock 1.6 and build from that since i wouldnt have to swap? and those civics meet my standard for the type of body i would like to use 4 or 2 door....if u were me what would u suggest? (((((((how about a B20A5))))))????

 

Check out the yellow Hasport CRX. It has a supercharged k24, read an article in modified mag that said it had a little over 300whp. I dont know if that is going to fall in your budget though.

 

You can do 300-400 whp on any D or B series Honda engine with just rods and pistons. Sleeves and crank aren't necessary. Both engines have a ton of aftermarket support, so you can't go wrong with either. Piece together a turbo kit based around a T3/T4 50 or 57 trim with quality parts and decent engine management and you can make that power very reliably.

The B20A5 is junk. It isn't like the other B series motors and has very little aftermarket support. You don't want that engine if you are looking to build something.

 

I have found an Acura Integra 1994 4 Door it has the B18B1 engine in it.....Any suggetions on what I should Mod first? BTW I paid $2400 for it and it's in VGC and it runs sweet.

 

As long as it is in good running order (a compression and leakdown test have been done), start piecing together a turbo kit for it. I would start with suspension upgrades and a good set of tires first.

 

do u mean gasket leaks and vacuum leaks? i know how to do compression tests and check for vacuum leaks...check for oil leaks and trans fluid leaks right? thanks for lookin out bud

 

A compression test will determine the health of the upper piston ring by making sure the air inside is being compressed within a certain specification. Your specification should be around 180 psi across all cylinders. A leakdown test compresses the cylinder with air and measures how much air (as a percentage) leaks through either the piston rings, valves, or head gasket. The smaller the leakdown numbers, the better, obviously. These are both tests to ensure the engine is healthy.

 

I need to know where I can get all the performance parts I want to complete my setup at. Suspension, Rims and Tires, Internal Engine, Exhaust, Ecu, Fuel Management, Turbo And An Intercooler setup. Any suggestions?