D16Fiend

anyone know a relatively inexpensive conversion kit for the ex civic? i have a 2000 with rear drums. what is a good aftermarket kit i can buy?

considering the junkyard swap but i have all the info on that already please dont suggest it.

but the aftermarket kit doesnt have to be race-oriented. just affordable and about stock performance

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Whats wrong with the junk yard conversion? If you want something with about stock performance why not stay oem? You'll be paying an arm and a leg by going completely aftermarket and I doubt you would find an aftermarket kit that isn't race oriented.

lilmidget08

I have a rear conversion out of a 96 integra on my 99 civic ex..perfect fit works amazing and i put the 99 civic si brake proportining valve in. great way to improve your brakes. for around or under 300 bucks

ScottDR

Agreed from above posts. Stay with OEM or you will spend many times the amount. Also above, be sure to change the proportioning valve!

D16Fiend

ok well thats what i was wanting to know. the price range for the conversion brakes. sounds like its more money than its worth. just gotta go through the junk yard hassle. lol. ok thanks guys

ScottDR

You can usually find people who sell the whole setup. Be sure you get the e-brake cables still on too.

Hastle? Nah, it's worth it to have disc all the way around! Plus changing pads is a lot simpler than shoes.

lilmidget08

i agree to that. i hate changing drum brakes

D16Fiend

and at least disc's work when wet. and dont look stupid

(remembers pics of ricers with painted drums) *sigh*

lilmidget08

gotta love the ricers with the painted drums.......of you are gonna rock drums just paint them black so they disapperar behind the wheels..

dangle2134

painted drums are sooo rice! dont do it.

i would just go to a junk yard! and get the conversion its cheap and works

Jarrod164

I've found a guide here on how to do the conversion and such:
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=641639

It's a really old thread and this one seems fresh so maybe people have some answers to my questions.

1. I have a 99 Civic Si (Canadian model), so is that an EX for the US model?

2. If it is in fact an EX model then I understand the need for getting all of the Si parts as these are set up already for the disc brakes already. I was just wondering if my car has maybe the correct e-brake cables and brake lines and master cylinder and proportional valve in this case (though I'm assuming I'll need to get the 99-00 Si versionds of all this stuff).

3. He says he uses the 97 del sol Si, so does that mean all USA Si models will work between 1996 and 2000?

4. Guess I'm also wondering if I just pick up the whole rear package, would my e-brake lines not work by attaching them to the new corresponding spot on the disc brakes?

Thanks a lot for all the help!

ScottDR

Jarrod,

1: Yes, the Canadian Si was the US EX. Just for your reference the Acura EL for those years was also an EX (with leather if memory serves).

2. Yes, you will need disc e-brake cables as the drum cables are a completely different mechanism. And yes the prop. valve will be incorrect as it's for drum, meaning it is set at a much higher bias to the rear. Leaving the stock valve would eat up rear brake pads within 15,000KM each set.

3. The most common swap is from integra's 94-01 (non-abs models, or abs if your car is equipped). This is due to the shear number of those cars that are in wrecking yards.

4. No the lines would not work, see #2 above.

Hope that clears things up!

lilmidget08

this is exactly what i did on my car.

Stock 99 coupe ex

bought 96 integra rear disc with e brake cables
bought 00 si prop valve
bought new 00 si rear brake hoses
bought new 00 si brake pads.

the master cylnder on the ex and si is the same so there is no need to replace that.'

its a very easy and good swap to do. hope this clears it up even more for ya.

not saying what scottdr said was wrong just adding another post for you to see.

Jarrod164

My buddy has a 98 Acura EL and it has the same engine sound (never looked under the hood), but he doesn't have leather interior. Slightly different console setup as well.

That was a huge help though guys thanks a lot.

I guess I would still like to see a list of the cars that have rear disc brakes.
Or can I grab the discs and calipers from the front of cars?
The guide also says you need trailing arms and upper control arms... will the ones I have in my EX work or should I look around at getting all of this as a whole from an Integra or Si?

jweb42055

I recently did the rear disc sway, along with all the other hardware i also replaced my rear trailing bushings (the big ones) this makes a huge difference in handleing however i didn't do the proportioning valve, it seems to brake just fine. So i'm wondering how big of difference it would make to install the SI proportioning valve and will i even notice the difference.

Appreciate any feedback

ScottDR

You will be lucky to get 20,000 miles or so out of each set of rear pads without changing the proportioning valve. Plus, it could be a bit dangerous in the snow/ice (I see you are from MN) if you do any trail-braking at all. Be careful!

icrashhondas

i have an extra rear disk setup out of a 92... but idk if that would fit???

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Do you have a source for the 20000 mile rear pad life?

ScottDR

Yes, well not a source but a personal experience. I'd have to look through my records to find the exact mileage but it snuck up on me awfully fast. Including many road course events my factory front pads on the car lasted 100,000 miles, so I'm not hard on brakes.

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

You don't have to look through your records. I just swapped so I'll find out soon enough for myself. I have just been curious about pad life. Thanks!

ScottDR

No problem. Seriously, I can look it up if you want. It was about 10 years ago and I thought it was down around 14,000 or 17,000 miles.

crayzd

I did mine with junkyard parts from a 97 Integra. Best advice I can give is to freshen/clean up the parts before you put them on the car. That is what I did and it worked great. Everything bolted up and has been on the car for over a year now.

Mavrick272

Bear with me, I'm a car n00b...

I have an 98 LX and if I do this swap I'll need the trailing arm assembly, Si proportioning valve and M.C. and brake lines from the Si
Am I going to have to run all new lines from the master cylinder or by new lines do you mean just the flexible rubber ones that go to the calipers?

Also, what should I look for when hunting around junkyards?
By this I mean what constituents all the parts of a trailing arm assembly?

crayzd

Here is what I did on my 96 DX.

1. Read up online about what needed to be done. This is a great example from the DIY network: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ab_bra...275324,00.html. I followed this and it worked on my 96 Coupe.
2. Called around trying to find a wrecked 99-00 Si without any luck. So, I called a junkyard that was recommeded to me by a shop and they had a side impacted 97 Integra. Unfortunately, one of the trailing arms was bent (I found out after installing it and then going to the alignment shop). So, they replaced it, for free, with a trailing arm from a 94 Integra.
3. The trailing arm is essentially the big arm with the disc and brake assembly built into it and then 2 or 3 smaller arms that attach it to the car.
4. Refresh your parts while they are off the car. That is the best advice I ever got from my shop. I went online and bought new arms (the little ones), rotors, pads, g-stop brakeline kit (make sure whatever you get is for the car that the trailing arms are from), etc.
5. Take your time. The first side takes the longest, the second side is a breeze because you have figured it out by the time you get there.
6. Make sure you know or know someone who knows how to bleed brake lines properly.
7. After all was installed I was driving around the neighborhood (gingerly) and the rear brakes locked up the first few times I stopped. Once they settled in it has been great.
8. Make sure you get the e-brake lines from whatever car you get the trailing arms from. The Civic Si ones fit better than the Integra ones but both work. I have the Integra ones on my car right now.

You don't need to run lines from the master cylinder, just replace the lines that go to the caliper. That is what the G-Stop kit I bought was for.

I also replaced my shocks with adjustable KYB AGXs, Tein S-Tech springs and installed the Eibach Anti-Roll kit while I was doing the conversion, since the car was apart anyway. That was were I found out that the DX doesn't have the holes in the lower front arms for a sway bar so I had to get those arms from a 97 LX at the same junk yard.

I did all that work myself, so, if you have questions or want advice let me know.

Mavrick272

Awesome, thanks for the advice!
I'm headin' out to the junkyard sometime this week

Mavrick272

Question: are the EX M.C. and Civic Si M.C. the same or not?

Also, will the Si M.C. and/or the EX M.C. bolt to the LX brake booster?

ScottDR

No, they are not the same. Yes, they are interchangeable on the booster.

Mavrick272

So is there much difference between the Si MC and the EX MC?
Would I be ok with an EX MC?
cause I found a refurbished one for 25 bucks
I know for sure I need to upgrade it though, cause I only have the puny little LX one

Glad to hear it, cause changing out the booster looks like it'd be kind of a pain

thanks

ScottDR

The difference is slight, but I can't remember the actual size difference, sorry...been way too many years. I left my EX one on and went only with the SI proportioning valve.

Mavrick272

haha, thanks anyways

From my research I'm pretty sure that the

LX - 13/16
EX - 14/16
Si - 15/16

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong