Civette: LS-Swapped Honda Civic with Corvette Drivetrain
Question: I want to build an all-conquering dragster, should I build a Civic or a Corvette? Answer: Yes.
If you want to up the power and performance of your Honda Civic there are a number of ways to go about it. You can start off with some bolt on mods of course. If you want a bit more bang, you can swap in a more powerful Honda engine. If that is still not enough, you can always drop an LS engine in there for big fun. However, if you are serious, and looking to actually compete with the car, you can take things a step further. As reported by the folks over at Dragzine. A man named Thomas West not only did the LS swap, but also transplanted an entire Corvette drivetrain under his Civic. West is building this car to compete at TX2K in March. Looking at his build, he should do quite well.
The humble Honda Civic EK Hatchback is now expected to put out a whopping 1,650 horsepower. All that power doesn’t have much to move as the car tips the scales at only 2,600 pounds. That is a better power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Divo. So, what did it take to build a 1996 Honda Civic into a car like this that West now calls his Civette? In not so technical terms, it took a lot. For the technical terms continuing reading.
The drivetrain West decided to use was from the C5 generation Corvette. The Honda has a full tube chassis built around the C5 Corvette torque tube and transaxle. A company called Top End Fabrication reworked the suspension and rear cradle so it could handle all the power. The power is serious. A stock LS 6.0-liter block was used but it was not left stock for long. It was enlarged to 427 cubic inches. The engine has a set of Haymaker Heads, twin Precision 76/78 ball bearing turbos, Nitrous Outlet direct port nitrous system, Holley modular intake, Dominator ECU, 7-inch dash, and 102mm throttle body. That all should do quite nicely.
The clutch, brakes, wheels, and seats we all modified or replaced for this application. To the owner’s credit, West intends to compete in the stick shift class. The clutch and shifter were also upgraded. In the name of safety an 8.50 certified Chrome-moly cage was also installed. That should give you an indication as the to ETs that are expected with this car. Despite all of these modifications in the name of speed the car will still have a full interior and glass.
This is a unique Civic build that you don’t see every day. We are hoping it performs well at the track and that West is rewarded for all the work that went into his car. The question is, when is a Civic no longer a Civic? The vehicle should still be entered as a Honda Civic in competition but there is not much Honda left.
If you were going to build a Honda dragster, how would you approach it? Would you go with the proven LS engine to make your power? Or would you try to keep things a little more Honda and use a Honda power unit? Let us know your thoughts in the Honda-Tech forums.
Photos: Top End Fabrication
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