Log in

View Full Version : Near-mint 4th gen Civie what can I do with this puppy?


HondaNewbie
10-06-2002, 05:09 PM
My neighbors (northern New Jersey) have a 4th gen Civic hatch for sale. It's a base model, red, 5 speed, grey plastic upholstery, black bumpers. I don't know the exact year, I couldn't see the mileage (probably mid 100s), but it is in superb condition. There's a rip in the driver's seat, otherwise the interior appears near-mint, as does the paint, the silver-painted steelies look mint, and the car shows extremely minimal wear. The car looks 3 years old, not 11-14 years old. They're asking $2000.

I'm probably not in the market for this car right now, but it might be an intriguing second car.

I figure sport springs, shocks, sway bars, would cost about ~$1200, so I'm wonderin' how much more would it cost to bring the 0-60 time down to, say, 7-8 seconds, and I dunno, a 1/4 mile in the high 15s? Something reasonably fast for daily driving but not too crazy. :bandit: Could this be done for a reasonable price without sacrificing too much reliability?

How much does a clutch/tranny re-do run on one of these puppies? (anticipating the end of the tranny sometime after the perf. mods)

I'm interested in creating a minor sleeper, not too interested in swapping the rims or changing much of the appearance.

Sorry if this is annoying super newbie stuff.

ChrisCantSkate
10-06-2002, 05:56 PM
buy a b16a... you can probobly get in the 14's

HondaNewbie
10-06-2002, 05:59 PM
This car weighs <2200 pounds!! That's crazy, that's like, as light as an original GTI.

:drooling....:

Assuming it's a base 1.5 liter, how hard/$ to crank it up to around 120hp/120lb-ft torque?

Does anyone know the stock performance stats? I couldn't find them, but I'm guessing: 0-60 in ~11 seconds, 1/4 mile in ~18. Hmm...maybe 0-60 in <8 and 1/4 <15 is a little optimistic?...:crazy:

ChrisCantSkate
10-06-2002, 06:01 PM
yank the engine... its the cheapest easyest way to get some extra HP. look at www.jdmclub.com for a old b16a engine. they have 160hp 110~ish tq i belive in stock trim. that alone will push your car kinda quick

HondaNewbie
10-06-2002, 06:20 PM
Cool. So, for around $2600 it looks like I could get a 160HP B16A with tranny, ECU, and LSD...put ~$1200 into the suspension...get the car for $1600...get the engine installed...pull the power steering, AC, and seats...looks like a pretty fast sleeper for around $6000. Hmm...not great, but could be sorta interesting...mmm probably not worth it. But it's cool to think about.

ChrisCantSkate
10-06-2002, 06:31 PM
well, if you can do install yourself, its pretty strait forward i belive as long as you get a harness.you dont need 1200 into the suspension unless you are planing on going all out. ground control coilovers and koni yellow shocks will kick ass and only cost you around 7-900 for the setup

HondaNewbie
10-06-2002, 10:08 PM
OK, now I'm getting carried away...and I'm starting to lose the sleeper aspect:
Car: $1600
B16A transplant: $3000 (includes tranny, ECU, LSD)
Ground controls + yellow Konis: $900
15x6 SSR Competitions with RE730s: $1531
SI paintable bumper covers, stock spoilers, valances: $400
custom paint job: $1000
some other random crap I haven't thought of yet: $1000

OK that's between $7200-$9200. Any other important mods before I start going off the deep end into complete disassembly, stripping the paint, steering wheels, seats, roll cages, racing dash? :rolleyes:

Anyway, what I've got already would be fun and could kick some ass here and there, right? I realize at this rate I could probably buy someone else's already set up, but then it wouldn't be a project.

It wouldn't have uncontrollable wheel hop or torque-steer problems or anything?

BTW this appears to be a good site for psyching-out part costs: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/

ChrisCantSkate
10-06-2002, 10:17 PM
polyurathane mount will take car of wheel hop. if your spending 3g's on the b16, might as well go with a b18c1