TimsCivic04

I'm not much of a mechanic, and nor do I know a ton about cars. But I detail them, and have a heart for sexy, and we'll performed cars.

I didn't want a civic, but I totaled my mazda3 and wasn't given much from the insurance to replace it.

From what I hear, civics are very reliable. And very easy to mod. I want to have some fun, but over time since my wallet lacks.

I want to start on the outside, and work my way inside. Has anyone done any awesome setups in the name of body kits, rims, lights, etc. As of right now, my civic is plain as all ever, and I plan to purchase a kit, paint it orange, smoke it so it looks burnt, and then clear coat it.

I haven't decided what kind of kit I would like, or rims to match. Show me what you have got! Note I live in Ontario, and snow is sadly a must. Lowering the car isn't to much of a option, so keep that in mind when looking at kits.


After I get a kit on it, I plan to swap out the head lights and tail lights. Preferably black housing on the inside or whatever the term is. I have been looking at a ton of lights, and can't really get ones that really seem to go with each other. Show me some ideas if you have some.


Now that I'm done with the outside, I would move on into the inside. First tint. Then a new bucket seat in the back, and both passenger and drivers seat. Carpet and all fabric will be torn out and replaced with black. New seats will be leather or something black to match. The rest I will leave until after I add some performance parts, as I don't want to ruin new pieces I have put in with new lines etc.

Now what I really internally need help with. I want to turbo charge my civic. I have a nasty love for a blow off valve sound. But from what I have been told, I will literally blow the crap out of my engine. So I'm assuming a engine swap will be needed. What kind of stuff and I going to need for that? Plus cost? And to further increase performance, and reliability/safety of my parts, cooling is essential. What kind of stuff can I get for that?

Basically I want to build a crazy awesome civic. BUT, still 100% legal to drive. I know I am asking for alot of information, but if there are some of you out there that don't mind helping with a car mod journey, I will be posting everything as my quest to civic awesomeness progresses! And my wallet empties.

Let me know what you think I could do with this civic! Body is in perfect condition, again, 2001 civic coupe lx, rust proofed every year, oil change every 5,000 kms. Taking crazy good care of this car, and the last guy babied it. But I want to have a little fun, because apparently civics are great for that. Note this would be my first car mod adventure. I didn't get the chance to before someone ran a stop sign and totalled my Mazda 3. Now's my chance.


Again, I apologize for my crazy banter. Hope some of you can help get me started! Feel free to ask any questions!

( am willing to save up for a winter car rather than driving this in the snow, but it would have to go through this winter for sure. )

Thanks!
Photos attached of the current car state.

mac25

Here's my custom fiberglass wide body em2 (work in progress).


I hated all the body kits online so I decided to build my own.

You can build/boost that engine just fine, it will need to be built right though.
Forged rods should do the trick, and if you want to push past 10psi a metal intake manifold might be a good idea (either d16 swap or custom).

TimsCivic04

That looks sweet! How did you make the kit?

As for the engine, I can boost this one? I was told by quite a few of my buddy's that turboing this engine will blow it.

What's the back of your car look like? If you have pictures. I'm intrigued by your build. Can't wait to see the finished product!

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

Depending on boost levels, sure, but what really kills engines is cheaping out in fuel management. Need good tuning.

Most aftermarket projector lights sucks in light output and illuminating wrong places. Look instead into morimoto retrofitting.

Recommend having spare engine, rebuild it out of the car and the swap in.
Do all maintenance items with engine out.

Mac have a build thread on the member's rides section, just search for threads he started

TimsCivic04

The engine in my car is high kms, does this make a huge difference? From the majority of what I have heard, I was told to take out my engine and throw a new one in. Probably best idea?

PMI

I would work on the body, suspension, brakes, etc., while researching engines and looking for the one that will meet your goals. Since your car is running, you can take your time, do the build outside of the car starting with a stock motor, and drop it in when you are ready. Or, save up and have someone else build one for you while you work on the rest.

Then, keep/store your old engine as a spare, or rebuild the old one after learning what you can from the first build. A spare engine can come in handy when on a limited budget (been there, done that...) Personally, I would not do extensive engine mods to a daily driver without a spare in storage.

As far as turbo goes, what sdaidoji said... cheap "strapon" turbos will kill any engine, not just a Honda, LOL.

Best of luck!

TimsCivic04

Will a 2001 Honda civic coupe SI engine fit into my none so model engine bay? Perhaps that's the step I would like to go. More horsepower to play with, and probably a better engine in general to have than mine.

Mad Dog Tannen

Welcome!

I would work form the inside out. Make sure the engine is well maintained and all preventative maintenance is done, so that it is reliable. Then I would do suspension, then engine, then interior, then exterior last. But it is subjective, and we all have different priorities.

Cosmetics are nice, but if you spend all of your money making it look good, and something functional breaks you won't have $ to fix it. Plus cosmetics can attract unwanted police attention. I would rather have a car that looks slow and goes fast, than a car that looks fast and moves slow.

mac25

There are those who use cheap ebay turbo setups with low boost (6-8psi), stock injectors, fuel pump and internals, and everything goes well. ...there are also those who try pushing higher numbers until something breaks.

I would say if you go cheap keep some cash on hand for a year in case you need a new engine or temp car. After that maybe keep half the amount to buy a used car, then if you're stable after pounding on her for two years you're probably in the clear.

or you could build her tough in the beginning and not have to worry (aftermarket rods, d16/custom intake manifold, proper tune with pricey engine management).

Mad Dog Tannen

I have to disagree, EBay turbos are garbage. I wouldn't put one of those on my car, if someone payed me.

If you are building/modding an engine that only lasts a year or two, then you are doing it wrong.

Civics are not fast. A engine swap will make it peppy at best. Other than that I don't see a lot of bang for buck with bolt ons.

If you just want a little more pep, then a intake and a dyne tune would probably be the best bang for buck. And preventative maintenance will keep the factory horsepower up to par.

mac25

You could still buy ebay parts for the most part then pick up an old vw turbo and rebuild it.