Mink7

Hey everyone, I'm new to the site and looking for some advice on a long term build on my hatch.

Here is my situation:

I bought my civic about a year ago and I really found a gem. It only had one owner, 70k original miles, completely stock and lightly driven. I plan on keeping the car for a long time, but when the engine goes I want do a performance swap on it. This is where I need help with what kind of engine to be looking at along with parts. Here is a list of conditions that will probably help you... help me!

-Looking to be around 250 bhp
-including the engine and labor, I don't want to spend more than 5k
-I will most likely have someone else do the work, but I have car friend back in Portland that could help cut labor costs
-Not interested in boost if it can be avoided
-This will remain a daily driver and likely turn into a show-car. That said, I want it to be fun to drive, but reliable.

I'm assuming the first choice needs to be what kind of engine to go with.. maybe we start there?

Thank you everyone.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Not gonna lie, those stipulations kinda makes it a tall order, especially with shop labor costs (despite you having a friend that can cut that cost down).

You have a few choices for engine, however. I'll include factory rated horsepower and general cost of the engine itself (more or less average selling price on eBay, really). Bear in mind that you'd also need the respective transmission as well as motor mounts. Motor mounts alone will probably run you $500
B16A2 from a 99-00 Civic Si: 160bhp, $3k
B18C5 from a 97-01 ITR: 195hp, $4k
K20A3 from a 02-05 Civic Si/RSX base: 160hp, $500-750 (holy crap these things got cheap)
K20A2 from an RSX-S: 200hp, $1000-3000 (no idea why there's such a price variance on eBay)
K20A from an RSX-R: 217hp, $4500k

The k-swap will likely yield you the best results, but the intricacies of the swap may end up more expensive. Quick google search said people ran a bill of about $10k back in 08, and they did the labor themselves. There are frankenstein swaps out there, too (LS/VTEC -- B18B with a -C5 head, Franken-K-swap -- K24 with a K20 head) and those yield good results, but can be pricey. A member here a while back did a franken k-swap and pulled something like 218whp before tuning and 232whp after.

Truth be told, you're likely going to have to up your budget and/or make it more of a DIY job. Here in Vegas, shop labor costs are about $120/hr, probably more for a shop that can do swap work into an EK because it's more specialized. That, or change your mind on the boost part.

Found this link. I think it'll be a good read for you to start your research
https://www.civicforumz.com/civic-di...-guide-167670/

Wankenstein

OP: with the many potential years left on the original engine take that time to learn to do the swap yourself. Doing so will save you money as well as provide you working knowledge of your car.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Truth. If you do the work yourself (at least getting your hands dirty as much as you feasibly can with regards to the swap), once the swap is completed, you'll be able to diagnose any unforseen issues down the road. Working on my 2002 (no swap, but doing 97% of the work that was done to it), I could pinpoint issues by sound, feel, and how the car was behaving. I'd advise you to do the same