Mikelly Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 Well the time has come and we've had no fun putting this motor in... I've had to fabricate two motor mounts and have had to buy some new parts for the motor since some from the old setup (LIke the Starter) weren't compatible, and the 02 Sensor would not come out... On top of that, the fitting I welded into the oil pan for his turbo oil return is now damp with oil... Nice... On top of that we snapped the TPS off the intake while lowering the motor into the car... got hooked on a mount on the fuel filter bracket... My older stepson has no patience, so he has been relegated to parts bitch, and since he is broke, I'm spending money like water to get this project over with... On top of that, I just got a phone call from him. Seems that someone like the stereo in our little civic that he is driving while we do this swap, and they broke into the car... DId I mention I hate thieves? All this for MAYBE 150HP at the cost of about $3200 and counting... I have NO idea what in gods name these kids are thinking in doing these swaps... For the money he has in body paint and motor mods, he could have bought a really serious contendor. This project, Without the Turbo kit is still gonna put the total for this car well over $10,000.... For a 1994 Civic... Why? On the plus side, Craig, My younger son, is a real joy to work with and he has been the calming factor when he isn't at work. 8) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brianglawson Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 The stereo, now thats awful, and 3200 for the honda motor, thats even worse, im picking up an sr20det today(Yesss) and it wont go over $3000 and that includes a FMIC and the wiring harness....i cant beleive the price of a honda motor being that high, But i will say one thing to you, if you have the big bucks to do it, that honda mtor can handle alot of power abuse.........and at least he will get good gas mileage:) good luck ~Brian~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 it seems that the $$$ your spending on your honda swap in not unheard of, thats why I just cant figure out why the honda guys do what they do! (I am thankful however that they have not been buying Z cars, hopefully they stay in the "dark" on this one. Dont know what I would do if the first gens became the what the Civic is for this group. ) anywho... I supose the trend is shifting slightly to cheaper faster cars, I know that the 240SX has been getting alot more attention lately, and with the new drifting trend, its only going to get worse. I hate thieves as well im lucky enough to only experiance one small incedent just last week, Somebody in my neighborhood went into my car while the windows where down and went through my 50CD wallet, Taking only what they liked! its really kinda funny, at least I know this guy had good taste... anywho...good luck with the project.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 I've had to fabricate two motor mounts and have had to buy some new parts for the motor since some from the old setup (LIke the Starter) weren't compatible, and the 02 Sensor would not come out... On top of that, the fitting I welded into the oil pan for his turbo oil return is now damp with oil... Nice... On top of that we snapped the TPS off the intake while lowering the motor into the car... got hooked on a mount on the fuel filter bracket... Soooo, sounds like a normal swap day for me! I had thieves break into my laundrymat, do $400 in damage to the door, door frames locks, and all of this for $16 in quarters i left on the coin tray. I hate freakin thieves too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 28, 2003 Author Share Posted November 28, 2003 Well the build cost a lot more because we built it for turbo application... Forged pistons alone were $580... We ARP studded the complete motor, had the rods race prepped and shotpeened, and upgraded the fuel, cam gears, intake and exhausts, as well as the 5 speed trans, and ACT clutch/ Flywheel kit. We didn't scrimp on the build... AND you Honda kids are getting screwed, no ifs ands or buts... I've got less money spent on my 500+hp small block chevy... The aftermarket sees an opportunity... and they are gouding big time... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 I've had everything stolen from me countless times. And I have always locked my doors and lived in a nice little safe county town back in Connecticut. Now that I am in Oakland I have had no problems. I HATE THIEVES TOO. Well at least the Honda motor only has 4 cylinders to pay for. Could you imagine the price if you had to buy 8 of everything. He is truelly one lucky son to have a dad like you. Good luck and lets hope he doesn't drive it into a ditch or something. We all learned the hard way with cars I think when we were young. I at least had a slower car. Might not be here otherwise. Happy Hollidays and good luck, Kyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 28, 2003 Author Share Posted November 28, 2003 JUst got done fabricating and welding up the two motor mounts that we didn't have... Three hours... JEEZ... Next I'll work on some of the wiring and water line issues... Must get food... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 But i will say one thing to you' date=' if you have the big bucks to do it, that honda mtor can handle alot of power abuse......... Actually, most honda engines (the B series engines, which are the most common and popular of the honda engines for any kind of performance swap) are quite well known for their weak bottom ends. If by saying "if you have the big bucks to do it" you mean, tearing the motor completely down and investing in better rods, crank, pistons, THEN the motor will handle a lot of power abuse (of course it would be true at that point)... hell... you could take almost ANY motor and say the same thing is true, and many could be built up for less than what it costs these days to do that to a honda and be stronger and put down more power. Everything I've ever heard about the B series in a turbo application says they just CAN NOT withstand more than 9-10psi, no matter WHAT you do... the rods will surely give up in short order. Talking stock of course, Mikelly's approach has already covered these bases and I'm sure he'll have a reliable, strong motor when all is said and done. But it sure seems a waste of $$$ for the price.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 All this for MAYBE 150HP at the cost of about $3200 and counting.. Makes those $2900, 400HP GM-sourced crate engines sound like a bargain. But, once you are commited, another modification, repair or enhancement is more sensibly justified. For the money he has in body paint Before I rebuilt the engine, straightened the fenders, and re-painted my $400 '66 Mustang, I was happy with used blue shag carpet.....after all that 'dirty work', nothing but a new interior would do it justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brianglawson Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 But i will say one thing to you' date=' if you have the big bucks to do it' date=' that honda mtor can handle alot of power abuse......... Actually, most honda engines (the B series engines, which are the most common and popular of the honda engines for any kind of performance swap) are quite well known for their weak bottom ends. If by saying "if you have the big bucks to do it" you mean, tearing the motor completely down and investing in better rods, crank, pistons, THEN the motor will handle a lot of power abuse (of course it would be true at that point)... hell... you could take almost ANY motor and say the same thing is true, and many could be built up for less than what it costs these days to do that to a honda and be stronger and put down more power. Everything I've ever heard about the B series in a turbo application says they just CAN NOT withstand more than 9-10psi, no matter WHAT you do... the rods will surely give up in short order. Talking stock of course, Mikelly's approach has already covered these bases and I'm sure he'll have a reliable, strong motor when all is said and done. But it sure seems a waste of $$$ for the price.... yes i ment building the bottom ends and such..I have heard of people with 450 streetable horsepower on low psi........I too have also heard about the honda boost problems as well, so no wonder they were on low psi:), i think any honda motor should stay naturally aspirated...... my .02 ~Brian~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 Ah but here is where the rubber doesn't meet the road... My 383 stroker has forged Hbeam rods, forged pistons, is fully balanced internally, and is set up as a roller block. The complete short block BUILT with new SCAT 9000 crank, cost me a total $1400 including the flywheel and fluidamper. We have more in his pistons, rods and machine work. I finished wiring everything except for the TPS and the 02 sensor last night. I have to glue the TPS back on, as they are made into the Tbody... Stupid design... If the TPS goes bad, you must replace the whole Tbody... And I have to wire the plug on the end of the new 02 Sensor. Then it's onto the plumbing, which is NOT matching up so far. The key to doing one of the swaps would be to have the donor car, not just the engine... THe axles Pepboys gave us are the wrong ones, so they need to go back, and the shifter countershaft is too short... If I had the car with all this stuff, I could have referenced and cannabalized the parts, as well as reference the water line routing... So Tuesday afternoon we started.. About 4PM... He drove the car up from his house and we put it on the lift and started. After removing wiring, axles, water lines and radiator, and the motor was out by 7PM. Wednesday we swapped over the needed parts from the civic drivetrain. Thursday late afternoon Craig and I bolted the tranny to the motor and dropped it in for a test fit. Yesterday I made the two mounts we didn't have... Firewall mount and the lower right hand mount. Then I installed the wiring harness and the radiator. I've still got to weld in the 02 sensor bung and weld up a full exhaust plus install the integra computer. On top of everything else, the starter that came with the motor won't work... It is offset for an automatic. New one is $190. The hits just keep coming. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 My Honda just sucks. No two ways about it. I am thinking of turboing it just for S&G (shatz and giggles) and see how much it will hold before it puts the pistons in the oil pan or the cylinder head into orbit Actually, I guess it's not THAT bad, I just beat it up too much because it doesnt have enough power for me. I run those hamsters pretty hard. BTW, was this: All this for MAYBE 150HP Additionaly HP, or total? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 Well my gameplan is to actually turbo my 1990 Civic Hatch for one reason... To learn about turboing... We'll have 5 tagged and legal cars in the family when the Vette arrives... and I've got a motorcycle, so I'm not pressed if it grenades. However, I'm not doing the turbo on his motor for the reason listed... He has no backup car and I want his to be reliable... So I'm gonna experiment on mine with the first kit we bought for his car... It is a small TD25 with a Mustang SVO intercooler... Should be enough for my double overhead 1.5 motor... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Annoyed Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Well, if the thing is so crappy, I wouldn't waste any more time on it. It sounds like it is more trouble than it is worth. Just get rid of it. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 Lets put it this way, The boy has been brow beaten so much over this turd of a car, that he knows what I think of it. However, it is his car, in his name, and he lives elsewhere... It isn't on my insurance policy and I have no say in the matter. However, He is starting to see the complexity involved in motor swaps and custom mechanical work... He is rethinking the whole "TURBO Swap" fast and furious scam that Sport Compact and others have been preaching... He is slowly coming towards the light... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Annoyed Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Um, ok...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinked_Chrome Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 You can take off those TPS sensors. The same thing happend on my friends honda. We just ground off the rivets and replaced it then just bought some new bolts that fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Honda's, swap from hell! Heck, I thought Honda's were from Hell Possessed with massive fart pipes to haunt you Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 Hallafreakinluya! I started it tonight. Got gas leaks, and a few other issues to resolve, but god that thing sounded wicked as hell running out the header... B18B1 might just be quick! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTenneZ Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 As the proud owner of a 94 Civic with a built 95 Integra GSR motor I know exactly what you have gone through (minus the turbo). When I did my swap 3 years ago the motor form CA had the wrong water passage on the back of the block to start with . After finally getting it in and firing it up (6 months later) coolant blew out the back of the head…the cod-bags where I got it from (mechanics checked it out my butt) had put the head gasket on backwards and upside down. Then after less than a month of driving coolant started leaking again, this time the water pump which under normal circumstances is held on by 3 bolts NOT SILICONE . And as if that was not enough this supposedly non-abused motor burnt a piston . Needless to say the motor came out and got fully built for a mild N/A setup. This whole time the dill-holes in CA would not help at all. So I can kinda sympathize with you. Now the Honda takes a back seat to the 73 240 rust bucket in the garage . Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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