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supermex56 · 08-24-2009, 01:30 AM

alright, idk a whole lot about juicing up imports so i kind of need a starting point. i got a 1990 honda crx dx recently for $1200 with 180xxx mi., a decent aftermarket exhaust, and no problems. i was wondering what route you guys thought i should go if i want to pump it up as a street racer type fairly cheap for now.

EF4Life · 08-24-2009, 07:04 PM

if your handy enough with cars, i'd say swap in a d16z6.

hooligan · 08-24-2009, 07:25 PM

If you want to make it descently fast you should swap the motor with just about any model d16. If you have never swaped a motor before you should probably pay someone to make sure its done right. $$$ if you don't want to spend the money for a swap yet beef up the suspension to your liking.

blasterman87 · 08-24-2009, 10:05 PM

a d-series swap will be niticable power gain, like a z6, and there pretty much drop in except converting the wiring to mpfi and theres several write ups on here for that.you wont need special mounts for a d series.a diffrent option is a b series, the least expencive b series is an interga ls engine, and youll need special mounts and shift linkage along with the the mpfi wiring. the dohc zc has about 115hp and the ls has around 140..

Fernpatch · 08-25-2009, 01:20 PM

Lets start with the basics. How much money are you willing to spend and how fast do you want it to be? If you have all the money in the world to play around I would say go b series with a turbo. If you want reasonable power on a budget I would say start with a d16 swap and than save for either forced induction or nitrous. A crx with 120-130 hp is a fun DD that really can surprise a lot of people if you know how to drive it. Also are you looking for a reliable easy to drive car or are you looking to build a angry little track machine that does not have to be civilized in traffic?

Calesta · 08-25-2009, 02:01 PM

Seconding Fern's comment... budget and goals are everything. You can get decent amounts of power with less than $1000 and a bunch of DIY know-how, or you could go crazy like I have in the past and drop tens of thousands on a nice setup. Since you bought the car for $1200, I'm going to assume that your goals are pretty modest.

For a street racer (which we don't really condone around here), you could drop in a D16A6 or any other non-VTEC D16 from 88-00 and wire it up with an MPFI conversion (search the terms) and a PM6 ECU for just a few hundred bucks, then junkyard turbo the engine with an HF/STD manifold and one of the zillions of DSM TD05H-14b or TD04H-13g turbochargers laying around.

Doing all the installation and tuning by yourself (not super simple, but still easy with this setup in comparison to quite a few other paths you could take) can easily put you close to 200whp on pump gas. The whole setup- engine, turbo and tuning- could all be done for under $1000 if you know where to look for parts and are willing to put in the time and effort.

supermex56 · 08-28-2009, 02:08 AM

well i got a couple grand for the car. i was thinking about dropping in a si tranny but would that really make a difference in the timing and acceleration? thanks a lot, this is really helping me out.

Fernpatch · 08-28-2009, 11:38 AM

with a couple grand to play with I would start small and easy. Si trans and a d16 engine swap with a mpfi conversion. The least wiring would be with a d16a6 or a zc dohc. You could run a d16y or other variant but I would recommend staying obd 0 or 1. after you have a fresher motor and trans it will be a little faster, I am not talking stomp on every car you come by fast but enough to maybe put a smile on your face. Next up would be suspension, brakes, and tires. After you have it set up to stop and turn on a dime than you can worry about saving more money and getting more power.

08-24-2009, 01:30 AM	#1
supermex56 Greenhorn Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Des Moines, Iowa Age: 18 Posts: 5 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 1990 Honda CRX Rep Power: 0	need some help with my '90 crx alright, idk a whole lot about juicing up imports so i kind of need a starting point. i got a 1990 honda crx dx recently for $1200 with 180xxx mi., a decent aftermarket exhaust, and no problems. i was wondering what route you guys thought i should go if i want to pump it up as a street racer type fairly cheap for now.

08-25-2009, 01:20 PM	#5
Fernpatch Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bellingham,WA Age: 24 Posts: 149 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 90 crx w/zc dohc Rep Power: 8	Lets start with the basics. How much money are you willing to spend and how fast do you want it to be? If you have all the money in the world to play around I would say go b series with a turbo. If you want reasonable power on a budget I would say start with a d16 swap and than save for either forced induction or nitrous. A crx with 120-130 hp is a fun DD that really can surprise a lot of people if you know how to drive it. Also are you looking for a reliable easy to drive car or are you looking to build a angry little track machine that does not have to be civilized in traffic? __________________ What I write is my own opinion based on what I have done. Your own results may vary... "Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car and oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you take the wall with you." --Anonymous

08-25-2009, 02:01 PM	#6
Calesta Admin with a big stick Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Dallas / Fort Worth, TX Age: 32 Posts: 24,525 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 2003 S2000 Rep Power: 291	Seconding Fern's comment... budget and goals are everything. You can get decent amounts of power with less than $1000 and a bunch of DIY know-how, or you could go crazy like I have in the past and drop tens of thousands on a nice setup. Since you bought the car for $1200, I'm going to assume that your goals are pretty modest. For a street racer (which we don't really condone around here), you could drop in a D16A6 or any other non-VTEC D16 from 88-00 and wire it up with an MPFI conversion (search the terms) and a PM6 ECU for just a few hundred bucks, then junkyard turbo the engine with an HF/STD manifold and one of the zillions of DSM TD05H-14b or TD04H-13g turbochargers laying around. Doing all the installation and tuning by yourself (not super simple, but still easy with this setup in comparison to quite a few other paths you could take) can easily put you close to 200whp on pump gas. The whole setup- engine, turbo and tuning- could all be done for under $1000 if you know where to look for parts and are willing to put in the time and effort. __________________ DO NOT PM me with tech questions! Use the forums! Intercrew Auto Salon - (972) 485-8688

08-28-2009, 11:38 AM	#8
Fernpatch Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bellingham,WA Age: 24 Posts: 149 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 90 crx w/zc dohc Rep Power: 8	with a couple grand to play with I would start small and easy. Si trans and a d16 engine swap with a mpfi conversion. The least wiring would be with a d16a6 or a zc dohc. You could run a d16y or other variant but I would recommend staying obd 0 or 1. after you have a fresher motor and trans it will be a little faster, I am not talking stomp on every car you come by fast but enough to maybe put a smile on your face. Next up would be suspension, brakes, and tires. After you have it set up to stop and turn on a dime than you can worry about saving more money and getting more power. __________________ What I write is my own opinion based on what I have done. Your own results may vary... "Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car and oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you take the wall with you." --Anonymous


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08-24-2009, 07:04 PM	#2
EF4Life Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Age: 19 Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: Smashed to shit 91 Civic Si :( Rep Power: 1	if your handy enough with cars, i'd say swap in a d16z6.

08-24-2009, 07:25 PM	#3
hooligan Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: ATL Age: 19 Posts: 69 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: CIVIC Rep Power: 0	If you want to make it descently fast you should swap the motor with just about any model d16. If you have never swaped a motor before you should probably pay someone to make sure its done right. $$$ if you don't want to spend the money for a swap yet beef up the suspension to your liking.

08-24-2009, 10:05 PM	#4
blasterman87 Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Age: 22 Posts: 340 iTrader: 0 / 0% Rep Power: 5	a d-series swap will be niticable power gain, like a z6, and there pretty much drop in except converting the wiring to mpfi and theres several write ups on here for that.you wont need special mounts for a d series.a diffrent option is a b series, the least expencive b series is an interga ls engine, and youll need special mounts and shift linkage along with the the mpfi wiring. the dohc zc has about 115hp and the ls has around 140..

08-28-2009, 02:08 AM	#7
supermex56 Greenhorn Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Des Moines, Iowa Age: 18 Posts: 5 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 1990 Honda CRX Rep Power: 0	well i got a couple grand for the car. i was thinking about dropping in a si tranny but would that really make a difference in the timing and acceleration? thanks a lot, this is really helping me out.

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need some help with my '90 crx