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I just bought a 1989 Civic hatch for $200, has the 1.5 liter with the 4 speed tranny. Car runs great but body won't last much longer. It will last me threw the winter here in Michigan but after that i wanna find a shell but need to know what years this engine will bolt up to. I would also like to get a 5 speed tranny for it too, if possible? Cuz it sucks goin down the highway screamin at 3ish grand when i had a mustang that was at about 2 grand. Any info will help me as this is my first Honda.

 
Rep Power: 285

You can't compare a mustang engine and a civic engine with a 1.5L displacement, that's pointless, all low displacement Honda engines will have very near the same RPMs on the highway regardless of gearing. Unless you are interested in doing a lot of work, just swap the engine into another ED shell.

 
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Not comparing at all i'm just sayin i would like to have that 1 extra gear cuz as of right now my old 5.0 got better mpg on the highway lol.

 
Rep Power: 285

It won't make a difference, you'll still be at 3k rpm with the extra gear, the super low displacement is what raises it not the gear ratio in this case. That said, if you're getting mileage that poor, something is wrong. You should be over 40mpg on the highway, no problem, the engine is probably in dire need of a tune up. The only transmission I would consider worth the effort and expense to swap on would be one out of a VX, they hit over 50mpg on the highway, but good luck finding one..

 
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Engine has a fresh tune up, new plugs and wires, oil change, fluids all topped off, etc.

 
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you could put that engine into a crx, then you would get more speed and mpg