Our April 2000 cover Civic sports a B20B under the hood. The engine is available in the CRV and JDM Honda micro vans.
It is no secret Japan has given us the short end of the stick for years when it comes to performance cars. It keeps all the good ones on its shores: Nissan Skyline GT-R, Nissan Silvias S-13 to S-15, Honda Accord Type-Rs, Mitsubishi Evolution models I through VII, the Mitsu GTO, Subaru's previous WRX, not to mention a grip of cool micro vans like the Honda MD-X and Step Wagon and the list goes on.
Well, Japan blew it-it made the underpowered piles we got too similar to their Rising Sun brethren and savvy enthusiasts have been shoehorning the big power engines into U.S models for nearly a decade. Yep, getting your kicks on Route 66 has never been so good, thanks to a multitude of intrepid entrepreneurs hauling over Japan-spec power.
In fact, things may be getting out of hand, with people swapping in Type-R engines without exploring other possibilities. "Even if you have all the bolt-ons, consider swapping to a ported head and get the same output as a Type-R for a fraction of the cost," says Brian Dunshie of Mantaray Motrosports.
This JDM front clip was spied at a NHRA drag race at Englishtown, NJ. The advantage of buying a clip is obvious: You get the engine still in the car, so nothing has been cut or taken off to facilitate a quick removal. You also get the JDM headlights and grille to convert the look of your Honda/Acura. Or if you're possessed, you can take all the sub systems and convert your car to right-hand drive.
"We sell a head package that makes 58 hp to the wheels on a SOHC 1.6-liter. If they want JDM, we have it all. Now a Type-R into a CRX makes sense on a number of fronts and anything with a DX emblem on it is also a prime swap candidate. The way we look at it, it's all about VTEC and turbos. If you can upgrade to a VTEC powerplant or turbocharged variant then you are on to something."
The power benefits of VTEC are obvious, but the parts support of the B18C is far greater than any DX engine. Also, the beauty of a turbo is it can be tuned to "make and take"-make more power and take more abuse. The kings of the power swap are Honda's B-Series in Civics and CRXs and Nissan's SR20DET in 240SXs or anywhere they'll fit.
But where there is a powerful engine, there is a way. The 2JZ-GTE is the most potent powerplant in import drag racing. Three of the five 6-second Pro cars run the Supra engine and the 2JZ brought home the class championship in Pro and Street Tire in the 2002 NHRA SC series. A trend we have seen is Lexus owners who are happy with the refinements of their cars, but a bit disappointed when they depress the gas pedal. The 2JZ in U.S. trim and in Japanese VVTi trim are popular power options. It should be noted that the VVTi swap works best with 1998-and-up cars originally outfitted with a six-cylinder engine. Other hot mods include dropping STi EJ20s into the American 2.5RS and even the WRX, as well as wedging a three-rotor 20B in a Mazda RX-7. The aforementioned swaps are relatively straightforward, either bolting directly in place or secured via aftermarket swap kits.
The SP Engineering Supra 7, a Mazda RX-7 motivated by a Supra 2JZ-GTE, is an extreme example of power swapping.
Whether you plan to turn the wrenches your self or hire out a shop for the transplant, there is a lot to consider when swapping; doing it correctly will cost money.
Once the engine is in the car, you're not home free. Truth is, the trip is just beginning. What about the tranny? We contacted Place Racing and quizzed technician Gilbert Garcia on some of the general rules of thumb regarding Honda engine swaps.
He says anyone swapping a Prelude H22A into any year Civic will need to include the Prelude gearbox. He also wanted to point out that the Prelude transmission is a cable shifted, hydraulic clutch proposition. A DOHC engine destined to be dropped into a Civic will also need the DOHC tranny. All B-series engines are compatible with all 1990-up Integra gearboxes.
When it comes to transmission configuration, manual is superior to an automatic. The automatics run an AP Controller that oversees shifts in the gearbox. Getting this interface to work with an engine swap is a wiring nightmare. If you're after performance, a manual tranny is the way to go. Place Racing makes kits for the conversion and pedal parts and other bits and pieces are easily attainable at a parts recycler for about $75.
This CRX flexes the popular B16A transplant that delivers the power of VTEC and along with endless turbocharging possibilities. It should be noted that 1988 to '91 HF-model CRXs have smaller axle splines than B-series transmissions. Swapping hubs is a must for this application. | 
The 2JZ-GTE VVTi engine is from a 1999-and-up JDM Aristo. This powerplant is growing in popularity, finding its way into Lexus cars that need a performance boost. because of issues with the gauge cluster, this swap works best in Lexus made from 1998 and on. | 
Here we see a 20B three-rotor in a Mazda RX-7. This car graced the cover of our July 2002 Body & Soul 2 issue. Most 20B powerplants come from JDM Mazda Cosmos. |