Here's a few shots of the original engine. It was a D16Y8, (1.6 16V SOHC VTECII PGM-FI 1590, 127hp@6600rpm, 107tq@5500rpm).

Back in December 2006, I decided that I would open it up a little on the highway. I dropped it into 3rd, revved it up to 7000rpm, shifted to 4th, but the car just wasn't pulling. Then BANG!! Crazy noises started to come from under the hood. Turns out I spun rod bearing and 4 the piston arm smashed into the block. Oops... Guess I shouldn't have tried that with a motor that had close to 250,000 km's and low on oil.

So, since I was in desperate need for a motor, I decided to just pick up another d16y8. I know, I know... I could have gone bigger, but I'm a fan of the SOHC. Just check out some vids on YouTube and see what kind of power you can make with one cam. I ended up getting a motor off a local guy from a 2000 Acura 1.6EL (only sold in Canada, basically a 4 door Civic EX but modded with Acura upgrades).

Update (March 2008):

So I did it again... Somehow, I managed to spin rod bearing #4, and this time I wasn't even going fast!?!? I know what the problem is. On an older motor with an oil pump that is known not to flow as well, something like this was bound to happen again. For the record, the d16y8 oil pump does not flow as well as the older d16z6. I'm not the only y8 owner that's had this problem....

This time though I rebuilt it. Just like the 6 million dollar man, this motor is better, stronger, faster... Completely rebuilt from the inside out and with a shimmed oil pump, a little break-in time is all I need before I open it up again.

I painted the valve cover blue to go with the intake tube couplers and the NGK wires. I added a Bomz Cold Air Intake with a K&N cone filter charger to feed in the air. I also added a DC Sport ceramic 4-2-1 header. The exhaust fumes end up making there way from the header through a Magnaflow High-Flow catalytic converter, and through 2.5" stainless steel mandrel bent piping courtesy of Tsudo, and out the EVOII style muffler.

I haven't had the car dyno'd, but from what I've been told by some experienced tuners, this litle I/H/E setup should be getting me close to 150hp at the crank, so probably around 125-130hp at the wheels.