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like the title says. At 32 I finally got my first Honda. Anyways I joined and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jeff and I live in Kansas. I picked up a 2000 Civic EX from my youngest brother. It needed some work and out of my moms yard. It's definitely not pretty but I got it as a project car. I've never modified import. I however have lots of experience building and modifying small and big block Chevys. Never in a million years did I ever expect to build a civic yet here I am. Anyways the car is bone stock and just Rolled 272k miles. I just replaced the clutch and lower ball joints. My plan is to modify and make the car run with my V8 buddies. I hope to build it piece by piece over the next couple years while still driving it. I have a ton to learn, but it should be an experience. I'm gonna start with a rear disk brake swap and go from there. The plan is to keep it as stock looking as possible. Steel wheels and all. I really need a new muffler any suggestions on a better flowing one that maintains a stock like sound?

 
Rep Power: 173

Since you replaced the clutch I'm assuming you're not going to get another engine. The only way you can keep up with V8s in a straight line is a with a big ol' turbocharger with upgraded engine internals (cam, valves, springs etc.) and a new ECU. The good news is that the turbo will muffle some of the sound from your exhaust on its own. It prevents a direct opening the engine to the outside, you see. Did you upgrade the flwheel while you were doing the clutch?
If you want to beat those V8s in the CORNERS... it's a lot easier and cheaper. Coilovers, sway/tower bars, tires, rims. Kind of defeats the sleeper look you're aiming for, though.

 
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Honestly I didn't upgrade the flywheel. I just patched to back together to get it running as cheap as possible. My plan was to get some new shocks and brakes first. I wanna make sure everything is solid before I get to deep. My next plan was to get another motor and transaxle from the junkyard to build. The local boneyards have em all day for around $300. After that I was gonna build the short block with forged internals, possibly sleeve it. Then get the head work all done before finding a turbo kit to match. Before I even start the engine I figured it's best to get the supporting upgrades done first. If I want anything with serious power I realize an LSD is a must. My wife's old SRT4 would about put ya in the ditch. I'm still trying to decipher all the info out there, but I figure it's probably not unlike any other car. If I wanna go fast it's gonna cost me. I figure it's gonna end up running 15-20k to do it right. I told the old lady 10k so she would agree. I learned from my 12 years keeping reef tanks every coral or fish I didn't want the old lady to know how much I spent on it I'd always tell her $20. Lol

 
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My first project will probably be finding the rear disks. I know the Tegs work and some of the del sols and civic si. Not an expert on the subject, but I've seen plenty of info on it doing searches. Looks pretty straight forward and not to difficult.

 
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I figure I would probably budget $2000 for brakes and suspension work. $2500-3000 for transaxle, clutch and driveshafts. Then another $10-15k for fuel, ignition, ECU and engine. The cars probably got $5k worth of work before it gets any engine work started. I own 3 other cars so it's not necessarily a primary vehicle.

 
Rep Power: 210

People put 10-15k into these cars and when they sell them only get half or less of that back. You might want to consider buying one with a J35a (V6 ) or K24 (4 cylinder) naturally aspirated engine.

For the kind of money you're talking about putting into it..you might want to consider a Honda S2000 or Acura RSX type R.
At least those will hold value.

 
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I may actually consider it. I'm just in the planning stage at the moment. Nothing has been upgraded yet. I think I have around $700 in it total including purchase price and parts to make it run. As far as resale value if I build it I will probably keep it.

 
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I hadn't really looked into doing a motor swap. How difficult is a K24 swap? I'm pretty mechanically inclined, just not real familiar with Honda swaps.

 
Rep Power: 210

Your car is a 6th generation ('96-'00) and they are well known for engine swaps. Plenty of info to be found online: https://www.google.com/#q=Honda+civic+k24+engine+swap .You're doing it right by starting with the suspension first. Where american muscle cars are good for straightline speed ..Honda's suspension can be setup for fun on twist and turns. Picture a glorified go-kart that allows the driver to feel apart of the road.

k24vids: https://www.google.com/#q=Honda+civi...e+swap&tbm=vid

IMO this is a lot more fun than going fast in a straight line: