Putting a b20a into an '83 Lude????

So here's the story: My brother owns an UGLY rusted black '88 si that has a b20a engine in it, and the timing belt recently snapped. So we think it will be a high-quality idea to put the b20a engine into my buddy's good-looking silver '83 Lude that has a blown head gasket (FYI-the '83 Lude's engine lasted 172k miles).

Would this be a direct swap/bolt in?
We would also like to transfer the Tranny and Clutch to the good old '83. Are there many problems that we may encounter while doing so? What cheap mods should be put on the b20a prior to installment? I'm in Idaho, where there are NO emissions laws, so dirty mods with great gains would interest me :biggrin: .

@2300 lbs this '83 lude could be a quick car!!

If you are looking for a faster car your best bet is to shop around for a new one. Im sure the 3rd to first gen swap has been tried but not alot of people have it. You can try asking around at www.preludepower.com. Somebody there can help you.

heh... like sofast said, its probably been done, but I personally own a 91 prelude si with the b21a1 motor, although i have been tempted to just swap it with a decent b20a5 since they are essentially the same motor, only the b21 is 2.05L and b20a5 is the 2.0L. bolts in exact same and everything, but only a direct bolt in if ur swappin the b20 into a same gen car, like 3rd gen to 3rd gen, etc. try preludepower.com if you wanna look for sum instructions and help with such swaps... they are usually really good at helpin people out with tough stuff like that. peace!