[lowandbechromed]

I live in Georgia and am getting ready to embark on my mission of finding a honda and getting an engine and someone doing some swapping and other things to it.

Im looking for a good shop that is in the state. The closest one to me is called Mahdavi Motorsports. Has anyone done business with these guys, or hear of they're work performance??


thanks

 

[klungemonger]

I've heard of them, they have a website I think. Do a search on the web for them. I saw a tech article of them cramming an NSX drivetrain into a CRX! So it seems to me they obviously have some skills in the tech, mod, & swap dept.

 

[lowandbechromed]

well,,,the only thing is,,, i asked them an est. on putting a B series motor in a 95 civic,,and they told me it would be well over 6 THOUSAND dollars,,,i just dont think that is a good price...please someone enlighten me,,it may be a good price but I dont think so....

 

[klungemonger]

Ah, I see. Apparently they think they are so good they can charge anything they want. $6000 is a huge ripoff for a B18C1 swap. It's close to the cost of a Type R swap installed, but for a GSR which you can get for $3000-$3500, that means they are charging nearly 3g's for labor. Pass on that.

 

[Hustler904]

dont have any experience with them cuz I'm in florida,but I heard of people on another thought got ripped off from them,and they also overcharge

 

[lowandbechromed]

yeah,, i asked a bunch of questions,,and i mentioned i didnt want to spend 6k on the engine, and they're like,,whoa,,i would have answered all your questions,,but i stopped since you dont want to spend 6k on the engine.... he says any b series swap in a civic is going to be well over 4 plus labor and "other" parts..?????? So thats where he said the whole project would be well over 6k not counting the car....

Isnt it true,,with a B18c1 swap in a civic with bolts ons,, can possibly run in the 14's??

Can anyone PLEASE recommend someone for me to go to in the south?? thanks!

 

[klungemonger]

Yes you should run 14's with a GSR and bolt-ons. The "other" stuff they are talking about should only be bolt-ons like intake, header and exhaust. Your Civic exhaust is too small unless you already have an aftermarket exhaust. Everything you need to do the swap should be included in the swap kit (engine, mounts, trans, axles, ECU, all sensors etc.) There's no reason to be charged for anything else if you buy a good motor from a reputable place that gives you what you are supposed to get.

Sounds like Mahdavi is actually a bunch of scheisters. Too bad, it seems many shops are trying to take advantage of people. for example, I just bought a Y8 head package from a guy who paid $1200 in labor for a swap to a shop, and they were supposed to box up his Y8 stuff to send to me. But when he went to ship it to me FedEX said he had to open the box to secure the contents better and he found that most of the stuff was missing!!! The shop stole it and sold it to other people. At least I got my money back on it.

 

[lowandbechromed]

Why would they tell me that!! Granted I am new to this,,but I half assed know what im talking about. kinda,,hehe,,

anyway,, all i want is someone to help me figure out the right path to take,, and NOT try to screw me. I want to find a reputable place somewhere in the south, to do a swap and a few bolt ons for me,,it doesnt seem that big of a deal..

I still havent figured out the path so I need to actually talk to someone first,,then go about getting the right car and parts.

 

[klungemonger]

Why would they tell me that!! Granted I am new to this,,but I half assed know what im talking about. kinda,,hehe,,

They hope they find an idiot with money to burn and no knowledge to take advantage of. Look at it this way: If they can find one sucker to rip off, they can make as much off one swap as an honest shop makes off 3 swaps.

Stick with folks here on the board, the knowledge is here. Look in the hybrid forum and around here, do searches. Whatever you want to do, it's all been done before, so the info is here.

You might try a B16 swap if you are looking to save money but still ahve high-revving DOHC fun.

 

[lowandbechromed]

that all makes since,,

Can i ask a ?,,,, I see a ton of people doing a B16 swap..but arent those motors kind of old?? I mean,,arent they like 92-97 years? I would rather do that instead of the pricey GSR motor,,but can u find a good B16 with low miles?? Also,,say I get a 95 civic,,with a B16 engine,,do i keep the tranny thats in it,,or does it come with the engine when i buy it??

I just want to be in the 14's and be happy,,,id rather do the B16 and use the money i save on the GSR and do up grades like I/H/E

thanks

 

[klungemonger]

The B16 has been in production for many years, in various forms. It came on CRX's overseas in the late 80's early 90's. It was available here first in the del Sol VTEC, and it is also the same motor in the 99-00 Civic Si, so there are newer ones available with lower miles on them. But be careful you don't get suckered into buying a B16 that is too old, some had cable-operated trannies but you will want a hydraulic trans version.

Civics came stock with D-series motors, the trannies are not compatible with B-series motors so you will need the B16 tranny. The B16 is only 10hp less than the GSR but less torquey so it will be harder to get 14's, but with a lightweight mid-90's Civic you just might do it. With bolt-ons no doubt you will.

 

[lowandbechromed]

Cool,,,thanks for helping me out...I appreciate you doing so..and not flaming me to look in the past threads,,

Yeah,,so if I buy a B16 motor,, It will come with a tranny? And since I am getting a 92-95,,whats the deal with the OBD1 or 2 ecu deal? Do i need to get a new ecu? are the ones from like Mugen better?

When I go out to search for my civic,,I need to get a v-tec one right,cause it is already wired for v-tec correct?

Is all EX civics v-tec?

thanks alot!!!

sorry for the dumb newbie ?'s

 

[klungemonger]

Yes, all Civic EX from 92-00 & Si from 92-95 are sohc VTEC, and 99-00 Si are dohc VTEC which is the same B16 you are looking for.

It's not a guarantee that the motor will come with a tranny, you need to look for someone who advertises "complete swap". For instance if you see someone selling a B16 longblock, there is no tranny. Always write asking for complete details if there is something you are concerned about. Ask about axles, ECU, harness, tranny, motor, engine mounts, shift linkage, all that stuff you will need.

If you buy a VTEC equipped car you should be able to use your harness.

OBD2 ECU's can't just be chipped they have to be reprogrammed if you want them modified, that's big money. OBD1 ECU's will accept chips which is much cheaper. OBD1 is all cars from 92-95, OBD2 is all cars from 96-00. If you have an OBD1 car it's a bad idea to go up to OBD2. Even guys with stock OBD2 get special harnesses to convert their cars back to OBD1 so they can use older ECUs.

You don't have to get a VTEC equipped car to do the swap but then you will need to either modify your harness and add wires, or swap for the harness that came with your new engine. But if you like teh nice stuff in a car like cruise, sunroof, and power stuff you need to get the VTEC model since it had that stuff too and the lesser models missed alot of those things.

 

[lowandbechromed]

so,,if i go after a 99-00 SI VTEC,,, But have a 92-95 civic,,cant i use the ecu on the SI motor and use my harness? is that what u r saying? Sorry,,im a little confused...

if i get a 92-95 civic and get a 99-00 si motor what do i do?

if i get a 92-95 civic and get a pre ODB2 DOHC VTEC engine, what do i do?

ecu wise??

So, if i get a 92-95 civic,,,and get a 99-00 si engine,,i have to do what?? to go back to ODB1,,and whats bad about using a ODB2 ecu in a 92-95 civic?



Once again,,isnt it hard to find a pre ODB2 engine,,B16 DOHC VTEC with low miles, besides the 99-00 si?? Isnt that last year they made them is like 97? Im worried about putting in a engine with like 70k miles on it,,i dont want to do that....

thanks

 

[klungemonger]

Well, look at it this way: they made them through 97 model, stopped only for 98 then started again in 99, so only a 1-year lapse.

You definitely can use the 99-00 Si motor in a 92-95, but you do NOT want to use the 99-00 ECU (code P2T). If you have a VTEC Civic you can keep your harness and even your P28 ECU but have it chipped for the B16A motor. OR...get a Field's Vtec/air/fuel controller so youcan choose the correct VTEC crossover point and add fuel across the board for the more powerful engine.

Whatever you do, do NOT use an OBD2 ecu! It's not really that the engine is OBD2, it's the electronics that control it. So if you take a 99 engine it's basically still the same as a 95, the ECUs just process info differently. For instance, the OBD2 requires a knock sensor and a second O2 sensor after the catalytic converter. You don't want that!

What are your plans for the car? Swap in a stock motor and just keep it that way? build a turbo car, or maybe an all-motor beast? As a long-time Honda driver I can tell you the 70K well-maintained miles is nota big deal at all on a stock engine from Honda, they are good for far in excess of that, like 3 or 4 times if maintained well.

 

[lowandbechromed]

oh,,ok that makes more since,,Do i should be able to find a B16 DOHC VTEC with low miles,,,

Ok,,that makes since about the ecu,,,,who chips them? Do you tell them what youve done to you car? or is it just a basic chip?

I want to build a show/race/daily driver,,,,I dont think i plan to turbo it,,,I may go NOS one day. I dont want a all motor beast. I would like to find a 92-95 civic for like 3k and then put about 4k into the motor..is that reasonable??

Thanks for all your help,,,you ve been most helpful.... got AOL IM?

 

[klungemonger]

Yeah you should be able to do it for $7K total. In fact I bet you can find an early 5g Civic with the B16 motor already in it for that or less, but watch out for rebuilt/salvage titles.

If you are good with wrenching and have the time/space, $4K on a motor will do you good. A good NOS kit for like $600, Forged pistons for around $400, swap for around $2500-2700, header, exhaust, your getting there.

You could also just find an ECU from del-sol VTEC up to 1995, then no hassles. Otherwise I'm the wrong guy to ask for good chips for that situation since I haven't personally performed that manuever you are doing. Good luck, and welcome to the world of honda. Or are you a previous Honda owner?

 

[lowandbechromed]

so,,,your suggesting i replace the pistons? Id rather not go that deep,,,but then again,,im not going to be doing the swap,,HOPEFULLY i can find someone around that can do it..

I was thinking of replacing the cams, and gears,,maybe a diff intake manifold too..If i do this,,should i replace the pistons?

Id like to get a Vtec controller AFC or whatever

is a diff intake manifold gonna help any??

I just dont want to get the damn engine and there, and look back a year from now,,and say,,damn i wish i had done this or that,,i want to do it right the first time,,thats why im not rushing into it..

so is a 96 and 97 del sol ODBII??

yes,,ive had several hondas (me and the wife just bought a 2002 V6 accord) but never built them up any... i used to be a minitrucker,,,hehe

 

[klungemonger]

EVERY car sold in the US from 96-up is OBD2 per Federal Govt mandate, mostly emissions control purposes.

You don't have to change pistons, the B16A has 10.2:1 compression stock so that's pretty good. If yo are paying for labor on the install that's going to eat most of what you have left for the motor, maybe you can pick up a header with what's left...

Integra or Civic Type-R cams would be good, even maybe a Teg Type R manifold. not huge gains but the CTR B16B does have according to HOnda 25-hp more than the standard B16A so the cams have something to do with that. It does have slightly higher compression pistons though. But you can change cams and manifold and whatever with teh engine installed, no need to break it apart and do pistons at the same time or anything.

If you got time, maybe get the whole swap and build it up the way you want until it's all ready to go, then hunt for a body to drop it in...