I want a VTEC daily driver.

[DM0407]

Get your reading glasses this is a long one......

This may shock alot of people here, but I have reasonable goals. I have yet to buy anything and I am going into this project with enough money to make sure i have a fun reliable car. Here are my (hopeful) ingredients: Being a daily driver is of the utmost importance.

96SE, Leather and the whole 9 yards - smoke grey if/when i paint it.
HB22
exhaust system that doesn't look god awful

I'm looking for a stealthy looking VTEC, I would like the exhaust to be as free flowing as possible without a coffee can on the back.

Here are my questions keep in mind I haven't bought anything yet.

I understand the prices that i would be paying for the engine, but what else would i need to do a swap assuming I start with a standard and have the tranny that came with the new motor?

Is it something that a person with no swap experience can preform with some time and patients? Are there any unusual tools that i would need to purchase of borrow or would it be better to have someone preform the swap and have that piece of mind.

Does the extra weight of the motor add severe understeer or could i stick with OEM suspension? I would like to eventually like to eventually slightly lower the car, nothing drastic though.

Is there any years (assuming i searched hard enough) that i would be better to start with?I like the 94-96 best
Most importantly how much would a swap cost if i payed to get it done?

My goal would be to get the car first and drive it as is to find out what needs to be replaced to make it ride like almost new. I would then take it off the road in the winter and do a swap. I would be happy with the base motor as is and would not go wild. If I still had money left over it would go toward cleaning the look of the car up with paint and generally making it look like new again. (IE NO BODY KITS or useless eye candy) Candy makes your teeth look like shit, so do body kits. 9 out of 10 doctors prefer you don't eat candy 9 out of 10 tuners suggest you don't add crap to your car.

I appreciate any help i can get anyone with pictures of a tasteful VTEC accord is always nice to see.

 

[BrutalB83]

How important are the leather seats? If they're important, then look for an SE, if they're not that important, then look towards an EX coupe instead, because you can get one that's already set up for a manual transmission, where as all of the SEs are automatic I believe.

The SE is usually listed as the highest trim level, but in actuality, the EX gets everything the SE has, plus a slightly better motor, and can be had in a 5-speed. Leather was an option too I believe, so if you're lucky you might be able to find one with leather.

Honestly, I would look for an EX with a 5-speed already in it; it will make things a lot easier. Auto-to-manual conversion is a hassle, and probably not something you can easily do yourself if you're inexperienced, so that means it's going to cost you some bucks at the tuner shop.

Let's see...

You said "HB22" for the motor...I assume you mean H22??

And also you said something about the 94-96 body style...it's actually 94-97. The 94-95 and the 96-97 look slightly different, but they're still the same chassis. And as far as one particular year being better than another, there's really not much difference. Just pick whichever version of the body style you prefer.

The H22 is definately the way to go if you want a clean reliable motor-swapped Accord. Keep in mind though, even with an H22, the Accord still isn't going to be a beast on the streets. It's a heavy car when compared to the smaller Civic, so don't expect super-car type performance after the swap. Don't get me wrong, it will definately make the car more fun, but just be realistic about it.

As for the weight difference, it's negligable at best. You're going from one 2.2 to another 2.2, so there's really not a lot of difference, nothing that will cause understeer or mess with the suspension geometry.

Another option is to assemble a turbo kit for the stock Accord motor. If done right, you can end up making more horsepower than the H22 swap for less money. The "stock motor reliability" factor goes out the window though, that would be the downside.

 

[DM0407]

tie-po's

I realized some of the mistakes I made after I wrote this(did it at work).

Thank you for all the information, Leather isnt that important it would just be nice. Are the rails on the leather seats the same as cloth. Would it be an easy swap if i could find leather of the same color? Im guessing the back seat would be difficult, but i dont sit back there, screw my passengers they just add wieght. As far as boosting the stock goes, i would like to stay away from that if possible. I would be looking at higher milage cars ( anything more then 10 years old and your lucky to find sub 100k) So I would like to have a lower milage engine and tranny as that would be the most expensive replacment if something were to fail down the line. As far as power goes im not looking for a rocket ship, just a high reving fun box.

Anyone have a ballpark figure for parts and labor?
Im in the New England area and would like to get something from down south to make sure there isnt any rust. Do you know of any shops up north that could do such a swap or is it something that is somewhat straight forward given the correct tools and time?

Thanks for the help, this site has taught me a ton!