potential Honda build..questions for the pros.

[hellraiser456]

So..i have officially decided to sell my supra and replace it with a 1990 or 1991 honda Prelude with the 4ws. I want a car cheaper to drive than the supra.

So i am thinking of fixing selling the supra. all it needs is a clutch. I have the parts just need to put them in.

Now the prelude i am going to try my hardest to complete a h22a swap. I feel that this motor will provide the best performance and it is easy to get parts/help for.

My goal is 300 fwhp. Through my research the motor should be able to handle this with ease in good shape...but i do plan for a partial bottom end rebuild with new bearings and pistons...hopefully lower compression a bit...though i knwo there is a h22a with a 9:1 compression which i may be able to work with.

For fuel management i want to go with mega squirt. I know lots about it and heard nothing but things from it ONCE you get it working. what do you guys think about this. Will this be able to control the vtec?

Now...one thing that has been bugging me is cams and timing. Im not very familiar with na-t ordeals and thus have some questions.

Im not all there when it comes to tuning vtec. I know what it does and why its there...just not making it do what you want in aftermarket setups.
So...say i buy a turbo that will have full boost at 4000 rpm. The vtec cams they design for turbos...are both the low and high side designed for boost or is the low side designed for less boost and the high side designed for more? Ultimately i would like a nice smooth high end seeing my max power well before the red line. I guess for me i would like a turbo that uses less boost (bigger turbo) to create my power. So even if it has a really slow spool...i don't mind. but i would like to build it so that the car will perform well in the low end but once the turbo is spooled it will flip over to the high side which would be optimum for the turbo. so basically...i want the car to perform like stock on the low side. Can i just get regrinds to accommodate this? and then just set the point switching point?

another thing bugging me about the swap is the 4ws itself. Simply put...is there anything i should be worried about as i will be using the power steering (i know about the clearance issues). i assume there isn't anything..but i just want to make sure as it isn't mentioned in any of my research and most guys just delete the PS anyway.

Also recommended turbos...what works well for the h22 and i would like some feedback about cams and top end mods as well. i want specs..and brands.

Lastly i am a big fan on having a stock appearance.
Can i get the stock rpm gauge to work with a h22a and mega squirt?

Will the temp gauge work as well?

If not i HATE useless gauges on the dash. So are there other alternatives (like gauges from another car) that will go in?

I know im just skimming the surface...but i know electrical very well and i am very mechanically inclined.

Also any feedback/suggestions/questions/comments...please feel free to tell me as i do need to learn as much as i can before i go ahead with it. ANd i know ther are tons of honda guys here.

Thanks in advance

[Mr_ET]

I don't know about the prelude 4ws man it will require more fabrication to get an h22 in and custom wiring and such. Why not get a newer model that is easy to use the h23 or an h22

[dimi]

B20 ?

http://hondaswap.com/hybrid-ba-bb-ca-cd/jdm-b20-3rd-gen-prelude-20447/

[Team_Mclaren]

1. get a 4th gen prelude instead, H22 is not a drop in for a 90-01 prelude
2. i think your goal is pretty unrealistic, you need some deep pocket to accomplish that on a h22.
3. Educate yourself and read more about the build, seem like you dont really have a clue what you are talking about.

[buh_buh]

you definitely don't need a built bottom end to make 300whp in a H22. You can do with with a stock bottom end/stock head.

[Primer_Drift]

1. Stay well away from the 4ws preludes.. the system is junk and very very difficult to get a good wheel alignment on.

2. New pistons for an H22 will mean having the block sleeved.. not many places can do this because they are made from FRM.

3. There is no H22 with 9:1 compression, closest is an F-series ranging 8.8:1, 9.3:1 and 11:1 depending on model. F-series motors are mechanically similar to H, sharing casting and basic design but have different rod/stroke ratios and displacements. The non-vtec USDM H23's are 9.8:1 CR, perhaps you were thinking of them.

4. Megasquirt sounds good, but at $400+ for the setup there are cheaper and just as effective honda ECU's running crome which will do the job just fine.

5. Stock cams are fine, but if you choose to upgrade them you must upgrade your valvetrain too.

6.Your description of a "big turbo" is more like a small turbo. A T3/T4 hybrid will do you just fine..

Shameless plug..
7. I've got a 92 prelude for sale.. save yourself the trouble of wiring up a 3rd gen prelude for the simplicity of a 4th gen ;)

[gpomp]

Originally posted by Primer_Drift
2. New pistons for an H22 will mean having the block sleeved.. not many places can do this because they are made from FRM.
not true... http://www.importperformanceparts.net/imports/mahlegold-honda.html

[Primer_Drift]

haha yeah everyone brings up those damn pistons.. its a coating.. how long do you think it can last?

[dimi]

What I don't understand is how this will be cheaper than your supra?

[hellraiser456]

i ment a big turbo for the motor...


i know how the 4ws system works but i don't know much more other than that. i seem to remember hearing issues about it. the reason i was attracted to it because i hear the car will outrun almost anything stock for stock.

i fancy the 3rd gen ludes because i used to own one. they are very fun to drive and i think with 300hp they will be fun booting around town and and some for the highway.

and for the record...i am well aware of what needs to be done...too the last wire...to complete a h22a swap. it has been done numerous times and it is far easier than all of you are thinking. the hardest part is modifying the mounts and they don't need to be modified that much. the biggest issue is clearance but it does go in.

i must have been mistaken about the 9:! compression ratio h22a..i guess i mixed it up with the million other honda motors. and there is quite a few. A lot more than im used to dealing with int he supra world. or Toyota for that matter.

my old prelude had a b20a1 in it. now i know there are better ones to turbo in the b20 series...but i know the b20a1 has limited aftermarket support and was not the best choice. However...that said..i am after 300hp...and no more torque than 300ft/lbs. infacti would like a fair amount less than that iff possible.

I will look into forth gens...but they seem to be overpriced like most hondas to me...i can get two supras for the price of one prelude it seems. Mind you the car market in calgary is f**king stupid. i am seriously considering importing anyway. because it still ends up being cheaper to drive...get the car..pay duites and taxes and get the car back here..or get it shipped for 1000 bucks.

The reason i want a prelude...is because the one i used to own i have tried very very very hard to kill and it won't die. The car was involved in a pretty serious accident and i threw it back together before buying a new car and in that time i tired to kill it. i drove the piss out of it and it still...to this day...drive runs and starts like it did when i bought it...my buddy uses it as a winter beater currently. That is why i insist on a 3rd gen. Plus they are small and a ball to drive. i love the car.

So that said....i do know quite a bit about engines but i have never modified a honda...i have done dsm's and toyotas (lots of Toyota experience). So i was asking fo the small tricks of the trade about the h22a. what other people have liked....disliked...and other possible swaps that WILL attain my goal. lastly the supra is just impractical. they are a sports car housing a 7M and and 7M's have there issues. they are not the most bulletproof motor out there and i am sick of worrying about it especially since im going to be on a school budget and possibly living on my own for that time. My schooling is at the airport and i currently live in the SW. so the car needs to get me to the airport everyday....and though the supra can..its a bit of a pig on gas (450km to a tank...60l tank and that is with no boost) it drops significantly with boost. Now at tis current form i could probably lean out the mixture a bit with a safc or something but it still won't come close to a trusty honda four banger. I know some of you guys can get 600km in the city.

[narou]

I bought my 4th gen for $2200 :P