95 Civic EX Coupe - Opportunity or avoid?

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StephenW13

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