EK hatch/ K20a2 Need some advice/opinions

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lastlegwarrior

Junior Member
Hello,
I'm new to the forums. My situation is just like the topic title stated, i'm kind of at a crossroads with my decision making on what to do. I've done a decent amount of reading on this topic and i am learning some of the in's and out's of the swap. Also sorry for the re-post, i realize this has probably already been brought up, if not already been beaten to death. I tried to search first off, but i didn't have much luck, i varied my search terms many times. But anyways, here is my situation, i just picked up a black 1996 5spd. civic hatch with 205,xxx miles on it for a $500 bucks. The car runs great and doesn't burn a drop of oil, the body is not perfect but no significant damage (dent in the hatch, paint fading in a couple of spots, etc..) Of course the engine is the original d-series. I need a project, and i'm sick of watching my friends in thier dsm's have all the fun. So i'm thinking i need a swap if i'm gonna hang with thier gsx's and gst's. I've looked into the b-series swap and it sounds good and easy, but at the same time it seems like a thing of the past. (don't get me wrong the b-series is amazing.) Then i realized that the k-series swap is becoming more and more popular, it makes good power and it's not so much of a thing of the past. From doing some reading on the k-series engines i think a K20a2 would be my best choice because of budget and i will hopefully turbo the engine later on down the road. So here are my questions....First off, do you guys think i should attempt this swap even though the car has so many miles? (the car looks pretty good, interior is also good.) Secondly, is this swap possible for $6k, assuming i do all the work except for the wiring? (i heard hasport will do it for like $400, just not a whiz with electrical) And lastly, where would i purchase the engine, cause i've found tons of K20a's but no K20a2's? Thanks for the help, and once again sorry for the re-post.
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I recommend reading up on this at K-series.com and K20a.org as well.

Motor and Trans can be found for around $3500 shipped (K20a2)

That being said, it'll be closer to $7k doing it yourself.

Check out Hybrid-Racing.com for their conversion harness ($350) and Mounts as well as Hasport.

You'll need a FPR, Fuel Lines, axles (new or hybrid b/RSX), Hondata K-Pro or JDM ECU, intake, radiator hoses (upper and lower), relocate your radiator from the passenger to the driver side, and a few other things I'm forgetting...

It's a great swap and you should be able to do all of it. I recommend Hybrid-Racing.com because if you have wiring woes, they'll talk you through it over the phone. Great customer support.

Steve
 
i love k-series motors, so dont' get me wrong. but if you are on a budget, and doing it yourself, i would strongly suggest a b-series swap. maybe an ls motor and turbo it later. it would be a lot easier on you, more parts in your budget, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

if you are dead set on k-series, good luck. have fun, and post a ton of pics.
 
I wouldn't let the mileage stop you from doing this swap if you are set on a K-series. If you can do the engine swap, you should be able to fix most anything else on the car when it goes bad.
I wouldn't say the b-series swap is the hot new thing by any means, but it is nothing to turn your nose up at, especially if you are wanting to turbo down the road. You'll get more for the same amount of money from a B.
 
Ok so basically what i need to know now is....is the k-series swap worth the extra cash later on down the road over a b-series swap? Also i've been tossing around the idea of picking up a dsm since they come turbo out of the box and awd, downside is they're leadsleds compared to a stripped down hatch would be. So another question i have is would a swap into my civic whether it be b-series or k-series be worth my time over a dsm? Once again thanks for the replies.
 
HELL YES IT WOULD. Eclipses weigh quite a bit. I don't know of a single eclipse in my area that is worth talking about. Well, actually there is one, but it is a full drag car with a ton of money in it. It's crazy fast. But overall, Honda engines are superior.
I can't say for sure if a K is worth the extra money. I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. I make decent money and I am happy with a B for what it cost. Might go K if I get some big raise in the near future.:D
 
k-series said:
Like the new ClubRSX T-shirt says....

k > b

;)


Steve
Click to expand...

$$$$>novelty of k series

you could do a lot more with a b series than a k series. I would personally rather have a k series, but i know i would be able to build a monster turbo'd b series for half the price.

first, you need to set your goals, then your budget, then analyze your personal mechanic ability (i.e. swap/wiring/building abilities) then pick the route you want to go.
 
Power potential of a K > B. It's being shown daily on the local drag courses...it's not a novelty by a long shot.

Steve
 
k-series said:
Power potential of a K > B. It's being shown daily on the local drag courses...it's not a novelty by a long shot.

Steve
Click to expand...

ok, so it's not a novelty in reality, but it's a novelty to those of us who A)have a tight budget, B) aren't sponsored, or C)don't have the mechanical abilities to do a lot of labor themselves.

for the noob to the honda world, i would suggest against k-series. Like I said before, i would prefer the K, but the B is still the logical choice for the novice honda builder.
 
I'm not sponsored and if you're mechanicially inclined, you'll be screwed on any swap. The only difference is $.

It costs $ to go fast....how fast do you want to go?


That's what it always comes down to.


Steve
 
k-series said:
I'm not sponsored and if you're mechanicially inclined, you'll be screwed on any swap. The only difference is $.

It costs $ to go fast....how fast do you want to go?


That's what it always comes down to.


Steve
Click to expand...

you aren't sponsored? hmmmm, i thought a lot of those stickers were from sponsors.what about the tires and all that? is it homey hook up type stuff or what? but it does come down to money. find an hp goal, set your budget, then all of us on hondaswap will help you find the best way to get there.
 
I have a few "sponsors" for my RACE CAR. But if I was building a street car, no sponsors at all...I also wouldn't be running slicks and NA cams that are going to make V8's cringe. :)

Steve
 
thanks for all the info and replies. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and if i can't figure it out i've got some buddies with some pretty in depth knowledge. Also with all the info you can find on the internet about doing swaps and such, i would think you would have to be pretty mechanically declined not to figure out what is going on. (yes, i realize there is always that one little thing, or a couple for that matter, that will make you scratch your head for awhile and sit and think...wtf?) Now for the good stuff as far as horsepower goals go i would love to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400hp:D , indeed i will need to go F/I obviously, but that's the number i'm shooting for later on down the road. (also hopefully lighten up the car with aftermarket goodies, and just getting rid of some useless stuff like the back seat and other excess junk.) I figure that's a decent number, and i would like to think with 400hp i could make a few kills. Also with the budget thing, not sure yet because i'm gonna try to pick up some decent school loans with some good interest rates. I know i should really save up the money and do this instead of taking out a loan, but i wonder if i will really get to enjoy it later on like i can now, plus i'm sick of all my buddies talking about thier cars and what they're doing to them and what not, in addition to that my buddy just picked up a '94 Supra TT last weekend, so i need something. So what do i need to do, and what do you reccomend? Thanks.
 
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have you ever been in a 400hp civic? it's a little overkill if you plan on using this for a daily driver for a while. if you get a B (i.e. b16/b18c) and slap a turbo kit on it, with good traction you will beat a hell of a lot of street legal cars. you could bump that up to nearly 300 hp on stock internals if the tuning is done right. that would be the budget way to go.

if you are looking for 400 hp, you are going to need to fully build both motors. this is why the amount of money you are going to spend is important. if you do a k-series turbo, you are looking at well over $10k after parts/labor/tuning. you could get relatively the same numbers for about $5k if you go b-series.

if you want to reach a lot higher numbers than that (which i don't recommend) and budget is not an issue, get the k-series.

but since you are in school and this is your daily driver, i suggest you just be patient and go crazy when you are done with school and have the money.

if you are taking out school loans to pay for the swap, or just to pay for school because you use your extra cash on your car, you are retarded. don't have fun today and pay extra tomorrow. just be patient and enjoy it later. trust me on this one.
 
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