Turbo Mini-Me?I have a '99 Civic CX with a D16Y7 motor and recently got a Z6 head from a friend. I plan on turbocharging early next year and decided to do the Mini-Me swap for the extra power in the meantime. The head has the distributor and I could probably get the ECU and the intake manifold. I also figured that I'd need to switch to OBD-I. What else do I need or have to modify in order for the head to fit and work properly on this non-VTEC block?Adrian
You've got the right idea by putting the VTEC head on your Y7. It's a pretty straightforward swap. You'll need a timing belt from a D16Y8 and a two-wire IACV plug to use in place of the stock three-wire. The OBD-II/OBD-I swap is nothing more then a jumper harness, available everywhere. Use the head gasket for a Y8, head bolts from a Z6, and the Z6 distributor. You'll need to re-pin the distributor to match the wiring from your car. Don't forget to pull out the oil jet in the block before you set the head down.
You might also want to pick up an adjustable cam gear, as the Z6 head on top of a Y7 block will be about half a tooth off in cam timing. Check out the March and April issues of Honda Tuning for a full tech feature on the Mini-Me. - DB
Find Your BearingsMy '93 stock hatch (133,000 miles, five-speed, and not a drop of oil anywhere) was noisy when driving, generated by what I diagnosed as worn out front wheel bearings. I had the bearings replaced, but the noise continues. I also changed the front driveshafts. Now I think that the bearing housing was also worn out or that the shop pressed in the bearings crooked. I plan to buy the hub assemblies and need to know which assemblies fit my car besides the '92-95 Civics. I obviously need to get hub assemblies with as little mileage as possible, hopefully from a newer car.V. Rodriguez
Probably the best thing about building Hondas is the "cross-platforming" [that's not a freakin' word! - DF] of pretty much every part that ever left the factory floor. Motors obviously swap, but interiors, suspension, brakes, etc. can also be used across the model range.
The front knuckles on your hatch are one of two possible parts. The Si hatches (and EX coupe/four-doors) had larger knuckles with Nissin calipers. These and the hubs in them are swappable with any '92-'00 Civic Si/EX any '94-and-up Integra. If your car was originally a CX/DX model, you'll need to swap with a '92-and-up Civic CX/DX/LX.
If you intend to keep your car stock just swap out the hubs, or even the whole knuckles, and call it a day. If you want to upgrade, maybe it is time to step up to some Civic EX/Si or Integra knuckles for a little extra braking power. Better yet, swap to the big knuckles and do the "All in the Family" brake swap from the June '05 issue of Honda Tuning. - DB
H22 OEM BuildThanks HT for keeping me up to speed on everything Honda while I rot in Domestic-ville! I own a '94 Accord EX coupe with an H22A4 swap and P13 ECU. I've added all the basic bolt-ons, but it's still lacking. I want to stay N/A while keeping to a tight budget, and I've read that I can swap in Prelude Type S pistons without having to sleeve the block and bringing compression to 11.0:1. Is this correct? Would I need to change rods while I'm at it? Also, can I rest a set of Type S cams in there without having to change valves, springs and retainers?Josh
We asked around and sounds like you'll be fine running Type-S pistons in your H22 without sleeving it. Make sure the piston-to-wall clearances are in spec though, as not all OEM pistons are alike. You can use your stock or Type-S rods, but if you opt for Type-S you won't have to press the pins out and back in, which makes life way easier. You can also use Type-S cams with no additional mods. Just stick 'em in, tune and go. While you're at it, add an Accord Euro-R intake manifold and pick up a few ponies while staying OEM. Check Web sites such as Honda-Tech's new classifieds page, Honda-marketplace.com, to find parts. - DB
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