[671blaze_it71]

Im thinking of swaping my a6 head on my si with a z6 head from a 95 civic. What would i need to do i know theres been a lot of threads about this but i just want your guys is opinion and what about the conversion from obd 0 to obd 1 is that necessary? and woul i have to change the ecu's out and would the harnesses differ if the the cars trans is auto??? sorry to sound stupid but just need help thank you

 

[downest]

Ah... another mini-me...

First off I am hosting my write up for a high compression mini-me here. You obviously don't need everything in there, but everything you need is there, if you get me.

Are you saying your car is an auto, or the one the motor is coming from is?

I consider the OBD1 conversion necessary, as the RPM switch or ghetto-rigged VTEC switches are not the safe or right way to run the motor. It's really not hard, I can make you an OBD0-1 conversion harness for less than RyWire if you want (that's a standing offer to anyone, /shameless plug). The only rewiring you need to do is the ECU conversion harness, the distributor conversion harness, and the 2.5 wires for VTEC. I also recommend using at the minimum a 4-wire O2 sensor, but preferably a wideband like the Innovate LC-1.

Realistically, the mini-me is (or at least can be) the cheapest/easiest swap, and can be a nice little motor. On the other hand if you don't do it right it's going to be a pain in the ass that's hardly faster than your Si. It's cheap enough that there's no need to skimp on things for it.

Let me know if you want any more help, I have one, jmart just finished one, ollie has one on boost, and I'm sure there are plenty of others on here with them that are willing to help out.

 

[671blaze_it71]

thanks really appreciate it how hard will it be to do this swap? i've never messed with hondas before.

 

[downest]

Read my write up and decide how hard it is for you. Really you will just be doing a simple head swap, can be done in an afternoon.

 

[Dren]

It will be an all day event at least if you haven't done it before. It will take three times as long as you think it will.

Is your car an automatic?

I highly recommend converting over to OBD1 if you want to put a Z6 head on your car. It will solve lots of problems. Also, I recommend buying a harness rather than making your own. You can make your own and save a few bucks, but the possible headaches and time it takes to make your own is worth the $100 or so the harness costs.

 

[jmart]

I agree, convert to obd1 and do it right. However, if you have access to some plugs, go ahead and make your own harness. Follow Tom's writeup, its 100% good, and it will only take ayou a couple of hours. Seeing as how the harness costs over $100 to buy, its like paying yourself over $50 per hour for your labor. Thats pretty damn profitable in my book.
However, i think that if you do a head swap it is critical to tune your engines fuel and ignition timing maps. This setup did not come from the factory, and factory maps will never run the engine as well as a custom map will. That said, you can either spend a few hundred more dollars on parts and software to datalog or you can find someone to tune it for you, like downest and i have had mattminer do for us.

 

[Dren]

The only reason why I say buy it...is because I know of quite a few people that had hours of wiring nightmares going back and double and tripple checking their wiring job.

 

[ollie]

The only reason why I say buy it...is because I know of quite a few people that had hours of wiring nightmares going back and double and tripple checking their wiring job.

Agreed...what Dren said.
We don't know this guys level of wiring competency.
Its wayyy easier to buy one if your not sure,but on the other hand if he has the time and is willing to read it can be done.

If you decide to buy give Ryan over at Rywire a call.
Rywire
This guys work is TOP NOTCH!
I also know of other on this site that can vouch for Ryan.
GL mang!

 

[downest]

I can build you one for a bit less than Rywire, I've done it before, and I can verify it works on my car. I know Rywire does good stuff, but IMHO they are probably one of the most profitable companies in the Honda scene.

Dren! You're still alive man?!

 

[damnitman!]

Hello All,

I am about to Start the Z6 Head Swap (Mini-Me) onto a stock 1990 Crx DX (D15 block i think) but first have a few questions.

I have already converted the car from DPFI to MPFI, So alot of the wiring is already taken care of, my question is, if i am going to run the Apexi VAFC VTEC controller would i still need to install a OBD1 ECU? The ECU that is in it is out of a JDM Civic wagon with a ZC engine (automatic).

I was curious about the distributor, i am currently running a OBDO SI distributor, will this be fine for the swap?

What about the water pump and timing belt? D15? Z6?

Is one head gasket better then another? if so what is the best?

I plan on turbo charging this motor as soon as the swap is complete (and the bank account has replenished) anything i should do now in preperation for running boost?

If there is anything else that anyone has done, advice would be much appreciated

Will