Humankind has made a habit of one-upping the creator when it can benefit in some material sense. We figured out early on that playing match-maker to an ass and a horse produced a creature with the strength and stamina of a horse, but the nimble sure-footedness of an ass. (That would be a donkey for those of you not up on your cross-breeding techniques.) Given that as enthusiasts, we all want our cars to run like a thoroughbred and handle like, well... an ass, the notion of installing a larger engine in a lighter chassis is appealing. The same rules that apply in nature pertain to the automotive world as well: The more closely related the parent forms, the more likely they are to produce a viable hybrid. Dropping a B16A from a Japanese domestic market Civic Type R into a US-spec Civic will be a whole lot easier, cheaper and more successful than dropping an NSX engine into the same car—though this has not stopped people from trying.
Unlike many manufacturers who often use a small number of different engines for their entire vehicle line, and do so for decades (ala Chevy and the 350), Honda has produced just a few four-banger engine series, but a dizzying number of variants. Combine Japanese domestic market engine choices with the same engine designation but higher output, as well as European market Hondas, and owners have a smorgasboard of engine variants to choose from. Some engines, of course, are scarcer and more desired than others, leading to an unfortunate amount of Honda theft, though there are always engines with papers available (the only kind you want). Cars are not given the option of signing a donor card; should a Lincoln Navigator decide to back-half an Integra Type R, enthusiasts will arrive on the scene to strip the carcass of the engine faster than "1-800-SUE-4-YOU" lawyers can find whiplash victims.
Encouraged by the number of serious, performance-minded enthusiasts that comprise the Honda hybrid community, we are beginning a quest to comprehensively catalog every one of the reasonably feasible engine swaps. This quest begins in this issue, as we show the relatively easy swap of a B18B1 into a fifth-generation Civic hatchback (starting on page 136). Our engine swapping madness will not be confined to Hondas, either, as there are some very successful and well-tested hybrids with something other than H on the valve cover.
The following tables are our first stab at untangling the complex web of engines, chassis, parts and kits that comprise the brave new hybrid world. The chart above will help you decide which swap to attempt, while the table on the next page will help you find the donor engine. Look forward to more parts guides and other technical info for engine swaps in upcoming issues. The charts published in this issue can help render you a more educated buyer when selecting a engine, chassis, or transmission for your project (look for an upcoming Honda tranny guide to help better negotiate that particular quagmire)
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