Building a Civic

[eddyR]

So after having my eye on a few cars and seeing them sold before I got my money, I've been thinking about building my own.

Admittedly, I do not have much know how on the technical side of things (as much as I wish I did), but certainly love cars and Honda's enough to see it through.

Anyhow, just a thought for the time being, but wanted to know a couple things:

1. I've had a look at engines in the US and they appear to be a decent amount cheaper than local ones. Of course there is the factor of shipping, but is there anything stopping me from bringing one in?

2. Several sources vary, so from past experience, what would labour costs be for swapping a B18CR into a EFI D series shell for example, assuming they did most of the work due to my lack of knowledge for the time being.

3. Lastly, are many of you self taught in regards to the mechanical side of things? Pretty keen to do that myself.

Any other words of wisdom would be great!

Thanks guys!

[trism]

1. Nothing to stop you, however, by the time you factor in freight, it works out to be about the same

2. It all depends on who does it, what needs to be done, if it is a swap from carby to injected etc. If you doany of teh work yourself. But if you palm it all off, then youd be looking at a few grand

3. Correct. by reading up, researching, using the internet to your advantage.

[amant02]

If i was spending that much on a civic i wouldnt do it myself, spending 4grand on a car thats only worth 3grand seem unlogical to me. But i wanted to go down a motor swap when I was younger, I would reccomend save all that money and try to knock prices down on type R's they are fairly cheap these days. Eg's and ek's are getting too old, i think even my em1 is waay too old.

Each to their own, just my 2cents.

[jdm_b16a]

So after having my eye on a few cars and seeing them sold before I got my money, I've been thinking about building my own.

That's a good start. You will get greater satisfaction, learn a lot and have something you can enjoy. On the other hand, you could end up with a giant headache too, but that is all part of the learning process.


Admittedly, I do not have much know how on the technical side of things (as much as I wish I did), but certainly love cars and Honda's enough to see it through.

Oh oh not good but determination is definitely required, and patience. Did I mention patience?


Anyhow, just a thought for the time being, but wanted to know a couple things:

1. I've had a look at engines in the US and they appear to be a decent amount cheaper than local ones. Of course there is the factor of shipping, but is there anything stopping me from bringing one in?

2. Several sources vary, so from past experience, what would labour costs be for swapping a B18CR into a EFI D series shell for example, assuming they did most of the work due to my lack of knowledge for the time being.

3. Lastly, are many of you self taught in regards to the mechanical side of things? Pretty keen to do that myself.

Any other words of wisdom would be great!

Thanks guys!

Don't bother. The Yanks get them from Japan just like our guys do. See a local importer. You can at least see what you are getting before you hand over your $$$. Are you in Sydney? Try SSS Automotive in Girraween. Engine swap is a lot of work especially combined with EFI conversion and wiring upgrade. Expect to spend a lot of $$$ especially at a workshop. Your biggest headache is finding a reputable shop.

I'm all self-taught, mainly due to necessity and my distrust of workshops. My motto is something along the lines of, "If it can be done by a human, it can be done by me!" It'll just take a little longer.

Your welcome.

Peter

[jdm_b16a]

... spending 4 grand on a car that's only worth 3 grand seem [il]logical to me.

Yet people do it all the time. Thousands of dollars on what started out as a very cheap car. Get over it. It's NOT an investment! You will never get your money back. You do it for the love of it.

Peter

[eddyR]

Expect to spend a lot of $$$ especially at a workshop. Your biggest headache is finding a reputable shop.


Would you consider 1k - 2k, assuming everything went well, a lot of money? Finding it hard to get a ball park figure.

Thanks for all the help!

[TheSaint]

If i was spending that much on a civic i wouldnt do it myself, spending 4grand on a car thats only worth 3grand seem unlogical to me. But i wanted to go down a motor swap when I was younger, I would reccomend save all that money and try to knock prices down on type R's they are fairly cheap these days. Eg's and ek's are getting too old, i think even my em1 is waay too old.

Each to their own, just my 2cents.

i half agree and half not

newer cars are no where near as good as older cars these days
im hard pressed to find a car above the year 2003 that has as much personality as most mid 80s to mid 90s hondas
i do agree that the EG civic is starting to date a bit - but i think the EK/EM/EJ is a great compromise between old and new
also the Dc2-R is a great base for the price these days - they are amazing cars stock and even better with a few mods

if you are looking to build something cheap and learn a bit - i would suggest getting a D series
they are really underated in australia - but have a look at what the americans are doing with them lol

and EG Civic Gli (D15b7) can be greatly improved with about $300
the D16a6 cam bolts in, the D16z6/y1 intake manifold bolts on, and intake and headers are less than $200 on ebay
it can be improved further with a D16y1 or D15b gearbox

or you might consider the EG Vti is a step up with the D16y1 engine
with a bit of work these can be made to be just as good/fast as a B16a but at half the cost

have a look at my build thread for inspiration at what you can do with little experience and a small budget =)

[vtecing]

To give you an idea, the guys are hipower racing in qld charge about 4k i think, to drive in with your d series and drive out with a b series motor.

TBH, I think u'd be better off buying a fuel injected civic and spending your time and money on brakes/suspension first before worrying about engines. You will learn much about cars along the way and then you will have a chassis all set up and ready to go for an engine swap. Plus a car with good handling is usually more rewarding to drive.

[eddyR]

4k...wow that's a fair bit. On top of the motor huh?

Well I'm pretty keen on getting a B series then modding/working that considering I'm going to be on my P's for a while to come. I figure I don't really want to mod a D and then swap it out for a B down the road as it would have been money that could have got me the new motor sooner. I understand what you mean though, about the knowledge and what not that comes hand in hand with the modding.

Ah so confusing...

I will have roughly $10,000 to play with to give you guys an idea. I love EK4's but think they are too dear for what they are in my opinion.

Keep the advice coming!

[kraiye]

eddyR: vtecing said "to drive in with your d series and drive out with a b series motor". to me that means the price includes the motor etc.
IMO you'd be better off buying a pre-modded car and building on it.

[egb16b]

I wouldn't bother trying to import an engine from the U.S, it'll end up costing the same. Either import a motor from Japan yourself or buy one already imported locally.

DIY man. It's not that hard at all to do an engine swap. I haven't done a swap myself yet but I'm 100% confident that i can do it myself. and I'm no mechanic.

You can actually purchase a dvd from the US that shows you step by step how to swap a b or k series into an eg or ek. good stuff! I've bought a couple and are very informative.

www.artofspeed.com - check it out.

[mugen_ctr]

eddyR: vtecing said "to drive in with your d series and drive out with a b series motor". to me that means the price includes the motor etc.
IMO you'd be better off buying a pre-modded car and building on it.

If ur lazy, than yea, better off getting a mild modded car, if ur like most of us, u would get a clean base, an work from there, that way u know all the in's and out of the car..

Yes a modded car will be the cheaper alternative, an work out much cheaper in the long run, providing the modifications are done correctly, but working with a clean car, an goin from there, u get so much more satisfaction, pride an joy from it :)

[amant02]

If its idea's in prices you were looking for... i have been quoted 5.8k drive in drive out in my stock em1 for a B18cr Motor. I keep my old motor. If you have 10g's to play with. ek1 would be nice and it will fit in your budget. Again personally i think saving extra couple grand, maybe 1-2 month delay will get you a good type R. Just think about factory reliability, and its a TYPE R top of what honda has to offer.


On the side note: Only guys will look at you if you got an ek, DC2R on the other hand will be more impressive to drive around in, if you get what I mean.

[eddyR]

Oh, if it includes the motor, that's not so bad.

Yeah that's true about the Type R, but not many good examples up that aren't quite a lot more than I can afford.

Most B18CR's I've seen here in Aus are going for 5k whereas US sites suggest I can get one ever here for 4k. Correct me if I'm mistaking but I think that's worth the savings?

[mocchi]

Oh, if it includes the motor, that's not so bad.

Yeah that's true about the Type R, but not many good examples up that aren't quite a lot more than I can afford.

Most B18CR's I've seen here in Aus are going for 5k whereas US sites suggest I can get one ever here for 4k. Correct me if I'm mistaking but I think that's worth the savings?

probably add 1-1.5k for custom tax and freight charges. did you include them?
this is a separate cost from shipping from USA to AU.

[quangsuke]

u can always save urself the headache and sell the car and buy a car that has been converted already.
once u sum up the cost it will be close to what u would already spend.

also remember most converted cars have extras too :D

[eddyR]

probably add 1-1.5k for custom tax and freight charges. did you include them?
this is a separate cost from shipping from USA to AU.

Ah didn't know about that hefty tax. Now everyone's comments add up. Thanks!


u can always save urself the headache and sell the car and buy a car that has been converted already.
once u sum up the cost it will be close to what u would already spend.

also remember most converted cars have extras too :D

Yeah I found a real nice EH9 with a B18CR on 80,000kms but money fell through :( I would be happy to but doesn't seem like there is much on the market atm!

[impossi13le]

Also with the US engines, im pretty sure that the wiring harness on them are the wrong way around, since they're all LHD over there, the plugs wont line up to our jdm/audm cars. My best bet is to try and source out an engine locally, as stated before, you can see what you're about to buy. but im doubting the prices are going to be dirt cheap.

I came accross a site for a wrecking yard in malaysia, has all types of honda motors (even b16b!). never tried to contact them myself but it says on the website that they do ship worldwide, and prices are super cheap too! here's the link http://shop.munleeauto.com/index.php?cPath=68

imo, the best base to start off with would be an ek gli, as it comes with discs all round and a front swaybar, saves you some of the work you'd have to do with a cxi base. A stock base would be a great experience for you if you have little knowledge of cars, because, although there will be headaches along the way, the end result will not only leave you satisfied, but also give you a thorough knowledge and understanding of your car and cars in general.

Hope that helps mate, goodluck with this project, and keep us updated! :)

-Josh

[eddyR]

Also with the US engines, im pretty sure that the wiring harness on them are the wrong way around, since they're all LHD over there, the plugs wont line up to our jdm/audm cars. My best bet is to try and source out an engine locally, as stated before, you can see what you're about to buy. but im doubting the prices are going to be dirt cheap.

I came accross a site for a wrecking yard in malaysia, has all types of honda motors (even b16b!). never tried to contact them myself but it says on the website that they do ship worldwide, and prices are super cheap too! here's the link http://shop.munleeauto.com/index.php?cPath=68

imo, the best base to start off with would be an ek gli, as it comes with discs all round and a front swaybar, saves you some of the work you'd have to do with a cxi base. A stock base would be a great experience for you if you have little knowledge of cars, because, although there will be headaches along the way, the end result will not only leave you satisfied, but also give you a thorough knowledge and understanding of your car and cars in general.

Hope that helps mate, goodluck with this project, and keep us updated! :)

-Josh

Great help. Thanks Josh.

That site looks good, and they are cheap! AU $3k for a DC2R half cut :O

As keen as I am to do it myself, I won't have a spare car, and I imagine it would take me a while. Not a fan of being car-less. If I was to do it properly and put a fair few hours into it with some assistance from my uncle (Doctor of Physics and knows his way around a car, and anything mechanical), could it be done over a weekend?

[waix]

buying a motor from the U.S is not as great as it seems. They will send the motor to your nearest port in your state and you will get ass raped hard for fees. Tax and all that other BS. If you claim the motor to be $900 to avoid tax when it was actually $5000 and get caught for it, you will get ass raped also.

[tripleuse]

i think if ur buying the parts/engine and then paying for someone to do the labour theres no point..you would get the same outcome from buying a already modified car, as u have no experience and dont plan to put the car together urself, and it will be cheaper.

2 MAIN reasons that people build a car is 1 low on cash( cant afford the labour) and 2 enjoy working on there own car and have satisfaction from doing so..

[mocchi]

i think if ur buying the parts/engine and then paying for someone to do the labour theres no point..you would get the same outcome from buying a already modified car, as u have no experience and dont plan to put the car together urself, and it will be cheaper.

2 MAIN reasons that people build a car is 1 low on cash( cant afford the labour) and 2 enjoy working on there own car and have satisfaction from doing so..

i agree to that. i dont have money to pay labour.

[eddyR]

Suppose I did decide to do it myself, that would mean I need an Engineering Cert.

What does that set you back?

[trism]

you need an engineers cert even if you pay someone else to do it.

depending on what mods you need certified, the cost will range from a few hundo to a few grand

[eddyR]

Geez. Well thanks for all the help everyone, we'll see how things unfold!

[amant02]

Buy a Type R and save the headaches lol, Or you could buy my em1 lolol. I only joke, but on the serious note. Its alot better to buy an already converted car they are in your price range. Always try to hassle down prices, its your money.

[eddyR]

Yeah don't worry mate, That's my preference so I can learn a thing or two. Finding one is another story...