The 1997 Honda Civic EX came from the factory with a 1.6 liter, single overhead cam engine that produced a meager 126 horsepower and a mere 107 foot pounds of torque. While more than sufficient for the average daily driver or grocery fetcher, the engine may leave something to be desired in the power department. However, the factory didn't include any options for a more powerful engine for those seeking a bit more excitement from their Civics. Those with a bit of automotive expertise could replace this pedestrian stock engine for something with significantly more grunt, however.
Although available in several configurations, the B16A was a hugely popular upgrade from the standard engine found in the Civic EX, primarily because the engine was made for the 1999 Civic Si, which shared the same body and frame of the Civic EX. It was a simple plug-and-play replacement job and even used the same engine mount points, with minor modification, as the stock engine. The B16A produced 160 HP and 111 foot pounds of torque using a then-newish V-tech valve timing technology. While it would certainly bolt up to the stock transmission, a beefier transmission is recommended, as the stock one wasn't built to handle the extra power.
The B20Z became a very popular choice, especially after it was found that by bolting on the head of the popular K series performance engines, these beefy blocks could produce serious power. In the U.S. market Honda CR-V, they produced 146 horsepower and 133 foot pounds of torque. With the K series heads, they could easily push past the 200 horsepower mark. While not a direct fit, the sub frame of the Civic and the CR-V share many similarities, so the engine isn't too difficult to fit in the engine bay despite the much larger size. Supplying the transmission of either a Civic Si or an Acura RSX would be wise.
Found in the storied Honda Prelude sports car in the last generation before it was discontinued, this powerful four-cylinder is an odd, but popular choice for the Civic Ex as well. Because the Prelude and the Civic share little to no similarities in frame and engine bay construction, this swap requires some creative mounting and potentially even some cutting. However, the 200 horsepower and 156 foot pounds of torque make it worth it. A transmission upgrade in this case isn't even an option. The increased power delivery would be far too much for the stock Civic EX transmission to handle.
