Rep Power: 0

just skip to the bold part to get to the pont

I'm going into my 4th month as an automotive tech student. We just finished up our first mod in chassis and have moved on into engines starting this week.

Turns out that in our engines class, we have the opportunity to rebuild/overhaul our own engines for the duratioin of the mod.

immediately the first thought that struck me was that i had to get a chrysler conquest (my current obsession- mitsubishi 2.6l turbo/intercooled, rwd, 174hp, sub compact sports coupe) asap so that i could rebuild its engine... but i just dont think i wanna spend that much money right now on a car that will be at least 16 years old- they stopped making them in 89..

the thing is im gonna have to have this engine in 4 weeks, which means ill have to borrow the money from my parents (which all rides on wether or not i get this certain full time job, i should know this week).


for under $4000 (more or less is ok) which used engine should i work on this semester to overhaul/rebuild that i can swap into my 01 civic lx for maximum performance?

i know almost nothing about engines at this point. i do know that there are some direct swaps that i can consider- like the k20 swap thats so popular (actually, i guess thats the only one i know of). turbo/ super charger is an option that i may consider for now, or even out of budget as something i can do down the line. my primary concern is to maintain the reliableness of my current car- which has been flawless from 0-61k+ miles.

 
Rep Power: 0

If you want reliability I think youre stuck with your current engine. Maybe that k20 swap could be reliable if done right. Turbo sounds nice, how about some nitrous?

 
Rep Power: 280

I dont know what to say...
No supercharger available for d17
I'm giving you OK to do the following:
If you want to swap
If you want to turbo
If you want to NOS

Sounds like you need to do some research, make up your mind, do the job and show it to us all.
Turbo vs. Swap vs. NOS - oh well, if there is someone out there who isnt tired of typing same thing over and over again, they will do it, but I'm recommending you to fisit FAQ, its stiky'd to the top. That will help you to understand what involved into the process and you'll definately learn more about engines.

 
Rep Power: 396

screw that just put an a3 in there

 
Rep Power: 287

^^ yep, go w/ the a3. all i hear about is the k20a2 and how it has real vtec, more power, blah blah blah. go with the a3. with our lightweight cars, 160hp is a real kick in the *****, real vtec or not.

 
Rep Power: 387

a2 a3 swap either way its a nice kick to your vic

 
Rep Power: 323

on your budjet i would go a3 you can always supercharge it or turbo it later.

 
Rep Power: 0

Well since you'll be getting most of your parts through school you'll get at least 30% of lil misc parts for k swap that's a plus. If not you'll have an either time getting your hands on the parts the most others. You could possibly get away with a k20a2 but I would say it would end around 5,000 but maybe pull off 4,500~ if you get a steal on one. If not k20a3 n/a isn't all that bad but a turbo would be a nice 230whp rather easily.

 
Rep Power: 0

thanks for all the replies so far! yeah, guess i better do some research on these k20s.. figure out if itll bolt right on, and figure out transmission compatibility issues,, jdmcivicxx- theres one scentence i dont quite understand..

"If not you'll have an either time getting your hands on the parts the most others"

are you trying to say that ill have a harder time getting parts?? thx

 
Rep Power: 424

suggestion.... get a cheap car, and a cheap engine and do a cheap swap. EF hatch + D16A6, probably 1000-1500. Then just sell it again. Its simple w/o all the insane electronics, it drops in and you'll learn just as much.

 
Rep Power: 287

or you could boost a 6th gen civic. like those 93's. you can get those for under 1500 w/ less than 120,000. a bolt on turbo for them from most companies costs around 1500 also. 3g's for a car that produces 175whp isnt bad. but that extra g will go toward tuning and a new clutch though...

 
Rep Power: 329

buy a cheap car. like an xr4ti lol...

 
Rep Power: 310

once you take this class youll realize how easy it is to rebuild an engine if youve got time and tools. so dont rush yourself cus you could do this in a garage at home (you most likely wont need it to be machined in any way, unless you get one with tons of miles or your sleeving it) so just take your time finding a k20 thats cheap and build it in ur house and youl learn hopefully all the tools youll need. just to slap in new pistons and rods along with rings/bearings/seals will be easy and the head wont need to be overhauled just the rocker arms adjusted most likely.
this way you save some headaches and maybe money and taking your time youll learn more about it, plus youll have time to save for the rest of the swap parts.

 
Rep Power: 0

good advice... but man i wanna have something to work on in class.. im in there for 5.25 hours a day, 5 days a week!!

yeah, im considering getting an older car, and swaping it instead...

ahh ive got lots of thinking to do.

 
Rep Power: 310

get the boxy style civic (pre 92) or get a 92-95<----i think those are some of the nicest looking years for a hatchie.

 
Rep Power: 0

how about swapping something into a crx? ive always liked that style


much better than the EF hatch


any cheap swaps for the crx? prolly pretty cheap huh? just tough finding a decent crx

 
Rep Power: 310

yea thats what i meant was either a crx or civic, theyre only diff from the doors back frame wise. im sure you could get a nice one for about 1g then do a b16 swap or something and build that up for nitrous or turbo rather than spending a butt load on a k20 or sumthin.

 
Rep Power: 424

What ever you do with either one of those..... make sure you buy an engine with a CABLE transmission. The hydraulic conversion isn't hard, its just a pain and if you're doing it to just learn to do the swap, save yourself as much trouble as you can. Like was said, the early B16s are cable, some of the B17s are as well. There's also lots of D-series cable units

 
Rep Power: 310

^ what about the h22's? i forgot to even mention those, or the b20

 
Rep Power: 280

I think for his first swap B20 or H22 a bit expencive and complicated.
With 88-91 civic he is better with ZC or d16 vtec (I think, both dont need new engine mounts)...
Both OK engines with boltons, plus he will have some more left over for some interior and exterior parts...
At least this what I would of done..

 
Rep Power: 285

If u want to swap your 7th gen i would go with a k24 from an accord/element/crv. Cheaper than the a2/3 and more tq for a little extra work in the sawp.

 
Rep Power: 0

I would say the easiest swap for you would be the pre 92 civic hatch or a crx. A B series with a cable trans or a zc swap is your best bet. You dont have to mess with all the obd stuff which can be a pain in the ***. The early hatchs are great since they are so light that they are very fast for a car with not alot of hp. I would say from my experience is get a b16 and you will be very happy with the result then you can turbo it on the cheap.

 
Rep Power: 310

i know a guy in CT that has a crx down to about 1700-1800 pounds with a gsr motor worked over all NA and its making 255whp.......that is a freakin beast!

 
Rep Power: 0

bah.. i didnt end up getting the job... so im screwed.. if i can manage to get a job decent full time in the next couple weeks- i might be saved.


thinkin about just going to a salvage lot and grabbin some old engine with potential.

 
Rep Power: 334

I know I'm reviving this (and am sorry) but I just had to say it...

How about an ECOTEC engine? They are pretty cheap and readily available from your school counterparts.