95 Civic EX Coupe - Opportunity or avoid?

[StephenW13]

Greetings,

Obviously I am new here and I am very new to Hondas. I have the opportunity to get a 95 Civic EX Coupe. I was told that it needs a new engine, that the mechanic said the plugs are melted.

I was able to look at it, briefly in the dark, but because it is dead from overheating I figure it means an engine swap.

Based on what I have been able to Google, I think it is a D16Z6, but how can I correctly identify what is currently in there?

If I go for a direct swap, I should be able to reuse a lot of what's there now like the Alternator, AC Compressor, and fuel system, I figure I would replace the radiator and water pump.

Is this something that I can do for a reasonable amount of money or should I avoid it and look for something that is running?

Is it worth doing on this vehicle, 95 Civic EX Coupe?

Is this vehicle a good platform to maybe build a performance vehicle with overtime?

Thx in advance
StephenW13

 

[Jeef]

Whats the condition of the car? You could throw another d16 in it with a turbo for a budget build.

 

[StephenW13]

Whats the condition of the car? You could throw another d16 in it with a turbo for a budget build.

It had about 181k miles on it, body and interior looked decent.

 

[SlushboxTeggy]

It's a great platform, but they are also a dime a dozen. If they are saying the motor is toast, I wouldn't pay more than a few hundred bucks for it. What are they asking for it?

 

[StephenW13]

They just want to get it off their property at this point, so they are willing to give it to me.

 

[SlushboxTeggy]

They just want to get it off their property at this point, so they are willing to give it to me.

Sounds like a no loss situation. Although if it's been sitting awhile, it may have developed other issues. I still say go for it.

 

[BrutalB83]

It's a great platform, and if it's free, go for it. As far as determining that the engine is a D16Z6, look down near where the transmission meets the block on the passenger side of the car. There should be a stamp there with the engine code.

Manual or automatic?

 

[awptickes]

I have $3300 into my 99 civic EX/Si, including $300 for the car, rebuilding the front end, body work, paint, registration costs, and spare parts. It ought to make somewhere just south of 400whp once I get it to a tuner, last time I ran it, it ran a 14.7 with a huge exhaust leak pre-turbo.

Definitely get it towed if it won't run, it'll still be worth it. D-series engines are cheap, you can often times pick up a running engine and transmission for about $300 on facebook marketplace.

If you can weld or have a friend who can, you can probably build a 200whp car for under 2k. The platform is easy to work on and probably your best bet.