Frankenstein Hybrid Honda Power

In the world of boxing, the bout between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield brought two well-trained fighters with opposing styles into the ring.

Tyson, known as "The Knockout Artist" had the power to drop his opponent in less than two rounds, maybe two seconds, but often does not have the stamina to last 12 rounds.

In the world of Honda performance, this situation is paralleled with the DOHC non-VTEC Integra motor, assuming the role of Tyson and the DOHC VTEC engine portraying Holyfield. The non-VTEC 1.8-liter has brute Tyson-like torque, but lacks the ability to venture forth into the higher reaches of the power band, due to it's unstable valvetrain. The 1.8- and 1.6-liter DOHC VTEC motors have the stamina of Holyfield, climbing long and deep to stratospheric engine speeds, but lacking the torque necessary to fire down the 1320 effectively. If we could apply our hybrid "Tyson-Holyfield" theory to our motor, we would have the best of both worlds--brute torque force and extended high-rev stamina. It exists and it's called the Frankenstein engine.

Frankenstein Facts
The Integra B18A1 and B18B1 engines displace 1834cc and have an 81mm x 89mm bore and stroke configuration. In the case of the two B-series DOHC VTEC engines, the Integra B18C1 (GSR) moves 1797cc with an 81mm x 87.2mm bore and stroke combo and the Del Sol B16A1 combusts 1595cc with an 81mm x 77.4mm bore and stroke. Basically, this shows that the B18A1 in stock trim has 35cc more displacement than the B18C1 and 239cc more than the B16A1! This is the primary reason why the non-VTEC motor exhibits more of the bottom and mid-range torque than each of the VTEC models. Since none of the Honda engines have the sheer volume of V8 iron, the need to extract as many ccs as possible is necessary to create the low-end power needed to propel a vehicle down the quarter-mile effectively.

The Transformation
We happened to stop by Pann Auto Performance in San Diego and visited Carl Batac, the company's resident auto surgeon who was about to perform this miracle surgery by putting a B16A1 head on a B18A1 block. Although our pictures show the transplant taking place off the car, this procedure can be done without removing the motor in cars that are motivated by the B18A powerplant since most of the modifications will be done to the head rather than the block. Naturally, this comes in handy if you ever have the urge to return to "blandness" and reinstall a non-VTEC head.

Since this particular transplant is going the all-motor route, Carl decided to replace the 9.2:1 pistons with the 10.0:1 compression GS-R factory slugs. One point that should be taken into consideration is that the VTEC piston will fit in the non-VTEC block and this will create more torque to get you down the 1320. The 10.0:1 GS-R piston is a great street replacement piston however for a race application we would suggest either trying the B16A 10.5:1, B16B 10.6:1 or B18C5 10.8:1 piston to increase the torque for a race motor.

The tools required for the modification are: 1/8-inch tap and driver, 9/16-inch drill bit, 10mm hex wrench, 24mm socket with ratchet and wrenches for AN fittings. The parts you will need to scrounge up include: 1/8-inch NPT T (two female sides and one male side), 1/8-inch brass plug, 1/8-inch male NPT to 4AN male, 3/8 NPT male to 4AN male, no less than 18 inches of four steel-braided hoses with 4AN female sides and the necessary electrical wire for activating VTEC (this depends on the year of the vehicle and your application.)

Conclusion
Horsepower, torque and rpm are the keys to molding our Frankenstein motor. We extracted our torque from the LS, pulled out the rpm from the VTEC and horsepower came from the combination of the two. People say, "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk." so with the Dynojet as our referee the proof is now on paper. Frankenstein lives.

The Honda factory parts that you need include the head gasket, LS timing belt, VTEC head bolts (most preferably the B18C bolts), the correct VTEC intake manifold for your head, and of course the VTEC head of your choice (B16, B17, B18C).	To bolt the head onto the block the dowel pin holes on the opposite aide of the head have to be widened so the dowels can be moved (see arrow). This makes it possible to line up on the LS block. Send the to a machine shop to have the head drilled for the dowel pins or use a 9/16-inch drill bit if downtime is a concern.
With the head off the vehicle, tap the VTEC oil supply hole located near the corner of the number four cylinder intake side (arrow). An 1/8-inch brass plug will fit firm to assure that no oil can squeeze between it. Once the plug is in place, it may be necessary to resurface the head if the plug protrudes out of the head's deck surface.	Dyno (1)This dyno graph charts the power of a conventional LS engine (blue) and a VTEC Frankenstein engine. The dramatic jump in performance is easy to spot at 5300 rpm where the VTEC effect kicks in. Both engines were outfitted with an intake, exhaust, header and cam, gears.	It is best for the oil fitting for the VTEC oil pressure line to be tapped off of the 3/8-inch plugon the distributor side of the head (arrow). The 1/8-inch plug will work as well; either one will access the main VTEC oil supply system.
With the head off the vehicle, tap the VTEC oil supply hole located near the corner of the number four cylinder intake side (arrow). An 1/8-inch brass plug will fit firmly to ensure that no oil will leak. Once the plug is in place, it may be necessary to resurface the head if the plug protrudes out of the head's deck surface.
It is best for the oil fitting for the VTEC oil pressure line to be tapped off of the 3/8-inch plug on the distributor side of the head (arrow). The 1/8-inch plug will work as well; either one will access the main VTEC oil supply system. The 3/8-inch plug will make it easier to remove the head in the future. Use a 4AN male to 3/8 NPT (arrow) to replace the original factory plug. This will be your new VTEC oil supply into the head.	Dyno (2)Here we see turbocharged variants of the same combination. At 10 psi of boost the VTEC-headed Integra LS engine generated 58 horsepower more than that the same block running a LS head.	With the new 4AN fitting in place run a steel-braided line (arrow) no shorter than 18-inches from the head to the back of the block.
With the original VTEC oil pressure source tapped and plugged, run the new VTEC oil feed off of the factory oil sending unit on the back of the engine block. This is located on the right hand side of the oil filter and has one wire connected to the oil pressure sensor. An 1/8inch brass T with one male side and two female sides will give access to the oil source. A 4AN male to 1/8inch NPT male fitting is used to transfer the oil from the head to the block. Use the steel braided line from the 4AN fitting off the head to connect the oil to the block.	On the top left corner of Gasket B you will notice an extra hole on the VTEC head gasket that was for the original VTEC oil supply from the block. The head gasket you will use is the LS model.