The Road To Super Lap, Part 4 — Heart Transplant

Smog-legal B18C Type-R engine swap.

By Sean Klingelhoefer, Photography by Neill Bachand

1 This is the last time Leroy’s engine bay will be occupied by a single-cam. The motor served me well and will be going to a new loving home soon.

1 This is the last time Leroy’s engine bay will be occupied by a single-cam. The motor se

Up to this point, Leroy’s progress has been moving fairly slowly, but with the footwork and cabin fairly well-sorted it’s time to add some power! “Finally” I can hear you thinking. Keeping in mind this car is being built on a measly editor’s salary and the car needs to remain street-legal, a killer K-Swap was out the question, and so I opted for the next best thing—the legendary B18C from a JDM Integra Type-R.

Putting out around 200hp at the flywheel the ITR swap should provide roughly double the power of the worn-out single cam. After doing some shopping around I eventually picked up a clean ’96-Spec swap from Moshi Moshi Motors in Gardena, CA. So without further delay, follow along as I transform the JDM motor to CA smog compliancy and stuff it in Leroy!

2 With the SOHC out of the way it was time for a little clean up. Some deagreaser and a little elbowgreaser did the job.

2 With the SOHC out of the way it was time for a little clean up. Some deagreaser and a l
Not show quality, but good enough for me.
3 Feast your eyes on this! With its red valve cover and two hundred powers of horse, it will be a welcomed addition. Jorge at Moshi Moshi cut me an even better deal by giving me the engine without a harness and mounts, since I knew I’d be running aftermarket items anyway. 3

3 Feast your eyes on this! With its red valve cover and two hundred powers of horse, it w

4 The first thing I had to do was remove the ancillaries (A/C, PS) and the transmission, clutch and flywheel to put the engine up on a stand.

4 The first thing I had to do was remove the ancillaries (A/C, PS) and the transmission,
5 Once on the stand I removed most of the normal wear-and-tear items like the water pump, oil pump and miscellaneous seals and gaskets and replaced them with new items.

5 Once on the stand I removed most of the normal wear-and-tear items like the water pump,
6 Aside from being a generally good idea on any engine seeing sustained high-RPM usage (road course track cars), I replaced the oil pump because the JDM version doesn’t have the provisions for the crank fluctuation sensor (CKF), which is required for US-spec OBD2 ECUs, like the one I’ll be using for smog.

6 Aside from being a generally good idea on any engine seeing sustained high-RPM usage (r

7 Here we see the CKF sensor and the mounting bracket.
8 This shot shows the new USDM OBD2 compliant crank sprocket with provisions for the CKF (left) vs the OBD1 style sprocket that came on the JDM motor.

8 This shot shows the new USDM OBD2 compliant crank sprocket with provisions for the CKF
9 Once installed you can see how the magnetic face of the CKF picks up a signal from the lobes of the crank sprocket.

9 Once installed you can see how the magnetic face of the CKF picks up a signal from the

10 Another good idea for anyone whose engine will see high-RPM frequently is an up-rated timing belt. I decided to get one from TODA since I’ve had excellent experience with their components in the past and they have a great reputation.

10 Another good idea for anyone whose engine will see high-RPM frequently is an up-rated
The last thing you want is a tooth skipping or breaking off, on an interference motor like the B18C that can spell disaster for the engine and costly repairs later.

The last thing you want is a tooth skipping or breaking off, on an interference motor like
11 I also found out the hard way that you’ll need an extra key for the crank since the new crank sprocket requires a key of its own rather than having the key cast-into it like the one it replaced. Make sure to pick one up from your local dealer or you’ll be dead in the water.

11 I also found out the hard way that you’ll need an extra key for the crank since the ne

12 With most of the prep out of the way it was time to set valve-lash before putting all the covers back on. Follow the FSM for the procedure.

12 With most of the prep out of the way it was time to set valve-lash before putting all
13 Since the JDM DC2 harness is entirely different from the USDM EK harness the one that originally comes with the B18C is useless so I decided to order a custom smog-legal unit from Chasebays.

13 Since the JDM DC2 harness is entirely different from the USDM EK harness the one that
The harness is plug-n-play and uses all new wire making the bay look better while offering a hassle-free install. I also opted to run their ground kit as well.

The harness is plug-n-play and uses all new wire making the bay look better while offering