is it worth it?
 

ok so im looking to build up my b20. first off im running a jdm b20b i picked up from jdmengineland in the summer. still havent gotten it tuned running on stock ls ecu with stock ls tranny. thinking of going b20v. been researching and all. not looking to go crazy just trying to get a little more power out of the b20. so far ive gotten a price for a b16 head, conversion kit, and arp head studs for 500, not sure if its worth it. still need to get the IM TB,headgasket, rod bolts, water pump im guessing and timing belt and ECU. ill also be picking up a tranny along the way. most likely a b16 or gsr. now how long does it take to assemble this whole thing with all parts collected considering this is a dd? im no mechanic but im not mechanically retarded. i have done the swap myself in my driveway and a lot of other general work on my car. so to sum it all up:

1. is 500 for the b16 head, conversion kit and head studs worth it?
2. how much more will i be needing to spend for the rest?
3. how difficult is it to assemble the head on the b20? will i need to pull the motor?
4. should i just get my ls ecu tuned with b20 software?
5. should i just get somebody to assemble the head for me?

ive done a lot of research but still kind of on the fence. hopefully someone can help

Firstly, I'm glad to hear you've done your research, so any answers you get will make sense to you. I've done countless hours of research on the subject, and priced out everything myself (for a b18, though).

I think the price you've gotten is quite decent, the head bolts being the biggest plus here as they do go up there in price. As for a total figure, im assuming you'll be doing most of the work yourself, so it wont be ridiculous, but i would say another $2000 is not unreasonable. But it does depend on deals you come by and how used the parts you pieced together are. If you get a garage to do it, factor at least $1000 for the job. A mechanically adept friend, thats for you two to decide :)

From my understanding of the conversion, and anyone feel free to correct me here, the non-vtec blocks require some machining to properly mate to vtec heads, namely with the dowel pins that the vtec heads have in a different location, and a tap for the oil sender line from the oil pan to the head.

Your new timing belt/pump will be the difference between adequate cooling and an unreliable conversion. Any water pump off a vtec b-series, to my understanding, will work.

The ECU Im reasonably certain you will need vtec software, so different than b18b and b20 altogether.

You seem to have good direction, but, like i was, need some sway either way from the fence. Here's my take. Depending on what you already have done to the car and (think long and hard about this one) your power goals, the amount of money ot involves may not be worth it.

You also have to balance the money spent vs. Reliability issue.. Essentially the more you build, the more reliable as a dd but also the more expensive this whole project gets. Nizmo once told me he priced out the build at $2800. I came up with a figure of about $2500 building a milder setup.

This is about all my tired mind can conjure up for tonight, but im sure the honda gurus on the forum will pitch in soon.

I leave with one thing though, that transmission, be it gsr or b16, will make a difference like you wouldnt beleive. I just did one, going from the LS to an SiR with an LS 5th gear... Look for my review on that soon. If you want to see what i mean lets go out for a spin one day and you might find that the transmission swap alone will suit your needs. B20 torque + i/h/e and a short gearbox makes for a quick car.

1) $500 sounds like a reasonable price for what you are getting the head bolts alone brand new cost $200 if not a bit more.

2) depends have much you want to put into the motor and what you think will be enough. As for what else you can change while doing this well look into the seals and see if anything needs replacement.

3) assembling the head is not too difficult, you sound much like me I did my own swap without any experiance and I did the head myself and found it reasonably mild lol. The B16 should be fairly easy to put on the b20 block can't imagine it being much different then any other b-series motor.

4)not sure about this one. Since it will be half b16 and b20 don't know which software would work better, but I would say b16 but wait for a Better answer on that one.

5) I think you can be capable doing it just make sure you leave your self extra time just in case something doesn't go right. Just get all the questions answered before you attempt on doing it.

Hope this helps somewhat. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.

I think the most probable case of the build taking longer than you accounted for is giving yourself a timeframe and then realizing you're missing a certain part and until you hunt for it and find one OR have one shipped, that'll be the downtime.

I hope you have another car to drive in the meantime!

i will be looking forward to this review! i have been wanting to swap in a ls 5th gear.

from what i know its better to use a vtec oil pump and waterpump. make sure the water pump has 22teeth on it. vtec software is highly recomended

The conversion kit includes the dowel pins that are made to work with a vtec head on a non vtec block. The difference and the reason for machining back in the day was because the dowel pins are different size...but now the conversion kit has the dowel pins that are reduced in size half way for proper mating. Now you should check the b16 head to make sure its flat in surface. There is no assembling really other than throwing cams on and tightening the head down properly. Everything can be done in one day no problem. Hell ive pulled out my engine, swapped trannies and re-installed and had it on the road in 5h. If you know what you are doing it will not take any longer than 1 day.

Price for the conversion kit is reasonable. For software, just wait till you have the b20v ready to go, then get proper tune for it. Dont run a b16/gsr ecu since it is NOT the same. Many people say this setup isnt reliable while they run wrong software. For time being the ls ecu is fine. Its not most optimal choice but it will not do it any harm.

For buying parts, well i think you got it all down. You need the conversion kit which should include an oil line with a T fitting, dowel pins and a block off cap for oil galley, head bolts, rod bolts, gsr water pump and timing belt. And most importantly the software. All set and done, you are looking at around $1500.

I have the same build going on, well its actually gonna go into my buddies car, but i got b20z pistons, new bearings, rings and few more skunk 2 goodies. With a basic b20v seeing 170-175whp shouldnt be a problem at all. If you decide to spend few more bucks on the setup, go for gsr head and skunk2 intake manifold, you'll make a bit more power and it will be there for a bit longer than b16, but thats just an idea

You'll definitely want to pull the motor to do this job...lol.

VERY IMPORTANT: Use a b-series VTEC water pump and oil pump!!! There is a way to easily mod the stock b20/LS oil pump to perform as good as a vtec oil pump so you won't need to swap that. But both of these things are essential.

Have the head and block decked to ensure proper flatness. While you're at it, have the head shaved .030 thou or so for a bit more compression.

If you want to spin it to 8 grand, ARP rod bolts are a must.

For a really good, detailed walk-through for this whole procedure with pics, click here: http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/b20vtec/b20vtec.php

Heres another link to LS/B20 Vtec. Good to know you researched your info. If possible keep up the updates on this thread and we'll sticky it to give people with similar questions a direct Toronto Integras link on how to do it from a guy whos doing it .

How to build a Reliable LsVtec-B20Vtec

thanks for all the help everyone. ive read the c-speed write up a couple times as well as the honda tech one. all good sources of info. ill keep everyone up to date on what happens. im just collecting parts right now until the summer when i can ride my motorcycle and not have worry about how long the car is out of commission.