2018 Civic Type R Engine Test Fit into 7th, 8th, 9th Gen Civic (Video)
This is one of the men who will make your K20C1 swap that much easier when the engines start showing up in junkyards.
If you’re not familiar with the name Brian Gillespie, let us introduce the Director of Product Development for Hasport. You know, purveyor of engine mounts to fit just almost any Honda engine into whatever model you have. He does a bunch of work via the VTEC Academy YouTube channel. Want to literally see a K20C1 get positioned in the engine bay of a 9th gen Civic? And not just some guy on Instagram with the engine popped in with a minimal explanation. Gillespie brings us the details of what needs to get trimmed to make it fit.
In this video, he does a test fit of the 2018 Honda Civic Type R motor, the K20C1, into a 7th, 8th, and 9th Gen Civic. He started with the newest, a 2012 model 9th gen Civic.
Fitting the turbocharged Type R mill into the 9th gen Civic is pretty easy. Why is that? Gillespie explains that in 2015 the 9th gen Civic came with this engine in the European market. Even the engine mounts look like they’ll need only minimal adjustment to fit properly. He also points out that the oil pan of the Accord features a place to bolt brackets. This allows the swap to use the factory rear engine mount position.
Fitting the engine into the 8th gen 2006 Civic is as smooth as the 9th gen. He notes that clearance is good all the way around. This is good news for all the 8th gen Civic owners who are pining for a swap.
CHECK OUT: Swapping the Civic Type R Engine into an Older Chassis
The final test-fit is a 2001 Honda Civic, 7th generation, which Gillespie says is a stand-in for the RSX and EP3 since all three have very similar engine bays. All does not go quite as smoothly as the newer platforms.
On this model of Civic, a sedan, the fuse box is on the right side of the engine bay, causing clearance issues. Gillespie notes that on EP3 (Civic Si hatchback) and RSX models, the fuse box is on the left side, and would not be in the way.
He then mentions something we’ll have to keep our eyes out for. Hasport is looking into making an adapter so the K20C1 engine can be used with the older K series transmissions. The reason? Folks swapping the turbocharged K20C1 will be scouring junkyards for 2018 Accords, which will likely be equipped with a 10-speed automatic. Definitely not what we’re about.
What would you swap the 2018 Civic Type R motor into? Let us know in the comments below.
