gonna get a swap soon but ...

[h22sparkle]

Everyone send to be out since there's a shortage of swaps where I'm located

[deevergote]

Wut?

Are you back in a CB7?

The old engines are getting harder and harder to find. Remember, the F and H engines haven't been in production for well over a decade now. OBD1 swaps are even harder to find, because those suckers are over 20 years old. HMO still says they can get OBD1 H22As, but there's usually a wait.
I wouldn't risk going to shady shops, as they've been screwing people left and right. More than ever. Some dude on Facebook ordered an OBD1 JDM H22A from TigerJDM, and he got an OBD2 Australian H22. Tiger said "Just install it, it'll be fine". Australians drive about as much as Americans do, so the "35,000 mile" thing was bullshit.

Go with HMO, and either get OBD2 and convert, or wait for OBD1. OR just do a K swap. I'm not a fan... but K engines are plentiful, and there's lots of support for them.

[lbus9168]

Overall the mileage I see here is less than American cars..

Just if you want an Australians perspective haha

[deevergote]

I'm surprised, actually. To my knowledge, your roads are similar to the roads in the US (good for driving, unlike tiny European roads). Properties have space for car storage (outside of the big cities, at least... as it is here.) Laws are lenient enough to allow for old cars and high performance cars. Fuel prices are higher than the US, but not unreasonably so (you guys are currently paying about what we were paying a few years ago, before our prices dropped... in US terms, you're paying about $4 USD per gallon of gasoline... a little less, depending on where... that's going on an average price of 125 cents per litre... and it appears that you're actually well below that at the moment.)

I just looked up statistics... Australian drivers average a little under 10,000 miles per year (about 16,000 km). US drivers average about 15,000 miles per year (24,000km).

[lbus9168]

Yeah petrol is around $1.20 for 91 (same as 87 in the u.s., different rating system).

Cars are in much better condition here too, no snowy winter so not much rust, unless you live coastal. I live somewhat inland, about an hour from the coast, so no rust on my wagon. It's just an average condition car here, but compared to most stock American wagons it's super clean.

I hated living on the coast. Used to live in Jervis bay (whitest sands in the world yo!) Super bogan, and tourists are just the worst. 0 respect for the area. Sea air is super humid.

Pretty glad to not live there. Feels like your walking around with a wet towel on

Well that went off topic lol.

What swap you going for, "sparkle"?

[sonikaccord]

ls1 swap?
2JZ swap?
Gender swap?

I disagree with the H swaps being hard to find. Maybe hard-er, but definitely easy to find a Prelude with a slipping automatic transmission and a good engine for about 1k here in Georgia. Pull the engine, sell the shell and boom...you have a $500 engine from a vehicle that was probably driven by a person that doesn't even know what that DOHC VTEC is on the valve cover. Do an OBD1 conversion, and that's it.

[lbus9168]

They used to do that alot with nsx's in Japan too, auto cars with blown transmissions were sought after as the motor were always less worn.

[deevergote]

ls1 swap?
2JZ swap?
Gender swap?

I disagree with the H swaps being hard to find. Maybe hard-er, but definitely easy to find a Prelude with a slipping automatic transmission and a good engine for about 1k here in Georgia. Pull the engine, sell the shell and boom...you have a $500 engine from a vehicle that was probably driven by a person that doesn't even know what that DOHC VTEC is on the valve cover. Do an OBD1 conversion, and that's it.

OBD1 H22A swaps are getting harder to find... and you won't find any OBD1 H22A engines in automatic USDM Preludes. OBD2 engines are still fairly easy to find, but they're getting less common. Those that are still around are either high mileage, beat on, or have been sitting unused for years. Those that have been cared for are often found in cars that are still in good condition... and good Preludes sell for good money these days!

That's not to say a $500 windfall isn't possible, but it will require some effort and luck to find it. They're out there... but they're not as readily available as they were 13+ years ago when sprinkles and I first did our original swaps!

[AccordWarrior]

OBD1 H22A swaps are getting harder to find... and you won't find any OBD1 H22A engines in USDM Preludes. OBD2 engines are still fairly easy to find, but they're getting less common. Those that are still around are either high mileage, beat on, or have been sitting unused for years. Those that have been cared for are often found in cars that are still in good condition... and good Preludes sell for good money these days!

That's not to say a $500 windfall isn't possible, but it will require some effort and luck to find it. They're out there... but they're not as readily available as they were 13+ years ago when sprinkles and I first did our original swaps!

You won't find a JDM H22, but isn't the H22a1 from the 93-95 Prelude VTEC ODB1? I'm assuming it went OBD2 in 96, but my memory's a bit fuzzy. Ultimately any 93-95 Prelude that has a decent motor is going to be in a car that isn't worth cutting up for a swap, but still...

[deevergote]

Bah... I meant to say OBD1 H22As in automatic Preludes. Edited.

[CyborgGT]

Go with HMO, and either get OBD2 and convert, or wait for OBD1. OR just do a K swap. I'm not a fan... but K engines are plentiful, and there's lots of support for them.

Really depends on what the end goal is. A K20A/A2/Z1/Z3 or K24A/A2 can make 220 at the wheels with full bolt-ons and KPro. Closer to mid-200s with cams. That same power (done the right way) would take a lot more work with an H so either way it's around the same price... unless you DSM-boost the F, but this topic's about a swap. The K will just be closer to stock and therefore much more reliable. So for about that power, I'd go K. Any more and stay F/H and boost.

... Or stock. If you're content with a stock engine, H22 all day, haha!

[deevergote]

The K is still fairly cost-prohibitive, though. For the cost of a K swap modded to make 220whp, you COULD do an H22A that makes 220whp, or reliably boost an F22A (with forged internals on stock sleeves) to make even more than that. The K also sits low in the CB7, putting the oil pan at risk.

The K is a great engine, for sure... but I'm still not convinced it's a great option for the CB just yet. I'm all for a K in a car that comes with it stock, but in an older chassis where clearance is an issue and mounts/electronics require an investment, it just doesn't seem practical to me. The novelty is gone from the K swap. The only reason the engine exists is to move the car, and I still think the F22A and H22A are the most practical applications for that purpose in a CB.

[CyborgGT]

Yeah, for practicality and ease (and I do love period-correctness), F/H wins hands down. The K's just really grown on me recently because of how well they respond to bolt-ons; you can make the perfect amount of power for an FF chassis while still pretty much retaining factory reliability. I'd trust that for a road trip much more than a built F/H. Just gotta think about what your priorities are, and how the car is to be used.

[deevergote]

That is true. And that's one reason I always loved the H22A. Once I got my head out of the clouds, I realized that a 200hp engine with mild bolt-ons was absolutely PERFECT for the CB7. It wasn't "fast". It would never be "fast". But it was quick enough to be fun, and stock enough to be perfectly reliable. The H22A fit in the bay as if it belonged there. To me, the K series looks way out of place in the bay of a CB. It LOOKS like a swap. For many, that's the point... but for me, it takes away from the whole thing.
Someday, the K will be the better option. F and H engines are still common, but not quite what they once were. In a decade, they'll be quite rare (as will the CB.) The few CB enthusiasts that emerge at that time will likely choose a K series engine over trying to find good parts for an F or H.

I've never owned a K, but I absolutely love my L15A, which incorporates some of the K's engineering (it's like comparing the B series to the D series.)

[owequitit]

The K is still fairly cost-prohibitive, though. For the cost of a K swap modded to make 220whp, you COULD do an H22A that makes 220whp, or reliably boost an F22A (with forged internals on stock sleeves) to make even more than that. The K also sits low in the CB7, putting the oil pan at risk.

The K is a great engine, for sure... but I'm still not convinced it's a great option for the CB just yet. I'm all for a K in a car that comes with it stock, but in an older chassis where clearance is an issue and mounts/electronics require an investment, it just doesn't seem practical to me. The novelty is gone from the K swap. The only reason the engine exists is to move the car, and I still think the F22A and H22A are the most practical applications for that purpose in a CB.

Don't agree with your economics. The K will be initially more for just the engine (newer, better condition, more in demand), but the rest of it is cheaper than the H/F.

You can get a K20Z to 220WHP with intake, exhaust, header, a good tune and a few other basic mods. You can even use many OEM parts if you are so inclined.

The best headers are about the same as Bisijunk but actually exist and actually work properly.

A set of Drop in Cams (no springs or retainer changes required) costs about $600 new and will add between 20-30HP. Basically, for what it would cost you to put decent bolt-ons on an H, you will be further ahead on the K. The K will also have a more flexible power band, better bottom end, more top end, a flatter curve, and more tuning options.

I love the H, but the K is superior in every way but price. You can also get them into a CB without really putting the oil pan at risk. Keep in mind the K24 (the more common swap) is taller than the K20.