'98 Hatch: LSV?

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eb122333

Member
Unmolested hatches are a rarity in my area, but one finally popped up for sale with only 100k miles and I snagged it. It's a factory manual coming from the south, so there's virtually no rust. So far as I can tell, for the money within my price range (3k for the swap), my best option is a LsV build with spray or a turbo down the line. For now, I just want to figure out what I should do about the motor- rear disc conversion, coilovers, a suspension bushing refresh, and fresh rims and tires are all on my list.

I've got the stock y7 in there still- if I understand correctly, all I need is a mount kit and then my engine and trans will bolt right in- fuel lines, exhaust, and everything else will not need to be modified. I'll need a shift linkage, harness, ecu, and axles, but that's about it, right?

But, if I want the car to pass inspection (by swapping out a hondata ecu for a stock one when the time comes), won't I need a OBD2 block and head? If anyone could clear this up for me, and maybe give me their input on what route to go, that would be great.
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where are you located? every state has different laws.

If i were you, i'd do a k20.
 
where are you located? every state has different laws.

If i were you, i'd do a k20.
New Jersey. If I was able to find a EG that wasn't beat to shit I wouldn't have this issue to deal with- '95 and older don't require inspection.

I've found plenty of base model RSX partouts on FB- motor, trans, half shaft, harness, shifter, and cables for 1k or less most of the time- I think that might be my best option for a drivetrain.
Tack on 500 for mounts, another 500 for axles, 1k for kpro (or less for a reflash + ecu), and maybe another 1000 incidentals and it seems realistic that I could pull this swap off for 3-4k, and have plenty of room to upgrade later.

There's plenty of other stuff to do while I'm pricing out the swap itself- gotta get tires and a rear disc conversion first!
 
Picking up a rear disc conversion from a teggy on Friday. Gonna get cracking on that soon, hopefully.

So far as the swap itself goes, there's a few ways to go about mounts- simplest is going with a k20, keeping the stock subframe, and buying the appropriate mounts. If I want more ground clearance and/or want the torque of a k24, I'll need to grab an EG subframe, and go with EKK2 mounts or the like.

Anyone here ever swap out their subframe for one from an eg/dc? How much of a PITA was it? I'd rather spend the money and time elsewhere, but if it seems to be worthwhile I'll start my hunt for a subframe this week.
 
Crashed it, lol. Hit a barrier on a 95 on ramp in the rain and bent the hell out of two wheels - it still runs and drives. Not sure if there’s any structural damage, but the car is 100% cosmetically. K swap is on hold until I can sort things out
 
Holy shit, I forgot about this thread! A lot has happened since my last post:

Front end rebuild finished, just need to get an alignment
Bought a shitton of parts, including
EX cluster
EG subframe and manual rack
z3 head complete $300
CRV a1 short block turns freely, plenty of crosshatching in cylinders, unknown mileage $200
tons of spare parts and sensors
and the cherry on top: Accord Euro R trans w/$80k for $500

As for now, I'm at college, so I can't pour all my time into the car as is. The z3 head definitely needs a refresh- the valves def aren't seated properly. I'm debating sending everything to a machine shop and building the head fully (dual springs, new valves, bronze guides, etc), or just lapping the valves and sending it with the block and head as is, and waiting to build after I inevitably blow this thing up. Leaning towards my second option tbh. Anybody got any good machine shops in the Philly area, so I can get an idea of pricing?
 
Holy shit, I forgot about this thread! A lot has happened since my last post:

Front end rebuild finished, just need to get an alignment
Bought a shitton of parts, including
EX cluster
EG subframe and manual rack
z3 head complete $300
CRV a1 short block turns freely, plenty of crosshatching in cylinders, unknown mileage $200
tons of spare parts and sensors
and the cherry on top: Accord Euro R trans w/$80k for $500

As for now, I'm at college, so I can't pour all my time into the car as is. The z3 head definitely needs a refresh- the valves def aren't seated properly. I'm debating sending everything to a machine shop and building the head fully (dual springs, new valves, bronze guides, etc), or just lapping the valves and sending it with the block and head as is, and waiting to build after I inevitably blow this thing up. Leaning towards my second option tbh. Anybody got any good machine shops in the Philly area, so I can get an idea of pricing?

Care to share a recent photo of this beautiful hatch?
 
Care to share a recent photo of this beautiful hatch?
Photos above are how it still looks currently- I've literally done nothing with the car since the front end rebuild, I only really have time here and there to get parts together since I'm in school. I hope to have more progress to show and tell about this winter, though.
 
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