Levin

Im buying a used 1997 civic ex sedan. The engine has 403,000 kilometers and the guy said it doesnt run (not a surprise). I want to bore out the engine and put in some high compression pistons and do some other things like maybe adding a turbo kit. Replacing the transmission etc. Maybe i could get some pointers or tips from experienced people to help me do this. Its my first project and im not too experienced with taking apart the engine. Thanks in advance

mac25

Generally you would not run bore, high compression and boost together.

-bore/stroke kits can work with custom pistons if you can find them.

-high compression pistons are for naturally aspirated setups. (No boost)

-low compression pistons are for boost, turbo/super/pro charger.

.........

I wouldn't recommend a bore/stroke job, it's too expensive for minimal gains. In these engines you cant take out too much area between cylinders because the cylinders are spaced together so tight.

if you want to be different you could try high compression with an NA build, but again the power you will make per dollar spent won't make much sense.

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turbocharged builds are the most common because they don't cost much relatively, they make massive gains in power and they're usually safe for long term use.

mac25

Before you start I would recommend keeping the civic if you can as a daily and buying a better platform for your project car.

the reason is that your going to end up spending $2-5k in parts plus a lot of time on labor, probably a few years for your first build. So you better LOVE your car.

I'm about $14k into a 9 year build, honestly it would have been better if I started with an FR platform like a

-brz
-240
-e36
-miata
-s2000
-corvette

Levin

Im not too experienced like i said but if i wanted a turbocharged build what would i need to do to the engine in terms of making it handle that boost. And the transmission. Ive heard that they dont handle anything more than the stock engine

Levin

like i said the motor isnt running thats why i bought it. And it was very cheap. Im not looking to completely rebuild the engine. Just add a decent amount of power to "show off" and have some fun you know. I just need some professional advice on how to do it.