insane-one

I know sumone who's got an old school 1st gen CRX Si... its gonna need body work .... i could probly get it for around $500 .... i turn 16 in november ... i havnt done much research on it but if i were to buy it, would i be able to swap in B16's or B18's in it? plan for it is to make it stand out sleeper style. up here no one rocks 1st gen crx'z... i'd wanna keep it nice n klean JDM style but i wanna be able to get sum power out of it too...what do u guys think?? Rock a one of a kind old skool rex ? or jump in the crowd of jdm civic's?

GLI

If you don't mind a working on a car that's older than you and that has more problems then you then I say ok.

bebo408

Im got my 85 SI at 18 and ive been through some trouble (mainly wreck stuff) and the car has taught me alot of car basics. Its a good car to start off with. Except mines was 500 and clean body with no mechanical problems.

You should make sure the car is not really really trouble some, like expensive repairs.

I do plan to take it to the next level with a little turbo soon

insane-one

ive seen a couple rex's... the one that i might get its the 87? Si... i dont think its got much problems but if i do get it i want to be able to swap in sumthing like a b16... is that possible???or any other motor can get swaped in? because if not is there anything else i can do for HP?

bebo408

anything is possible, B16 has been done, even up to RSX/TYPER/CRV K and H series i think.. BUT you gotta have a big bank for a higher series motor. These swaps can cost from $2000 up to $10k even depending on your parts needed/available/do it yourself craftmanship.

The best you can do with out totally breaking your wallet is swapping in a DOHC ZC/D16a1 engine which will boltup with minor modifications. This swap can be from $500-$1500 depending on your resources, area, and parts.

3 factors play: money, time/labor,parts -----EASIEST TO WORK WITH is SI, other types require more work.

YOU DONT NEED HIGH SERIE ENGINES TO PERFORM EXCELLENT!

EW series have been put to the test, knowing stuff such as car cooling management, car tuning, and turbo setups can waken the beast inside that SOHC.

Check out : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZhQZ5z8opg

that vid gives me inspiration.


indepth forums/topics:
http://www.redpepperracing.com...um=27
http://www.automotiveforums.co...f=677

good reads


Modified by bebo408 at 6:59 PM 9/17/2007

cbstd

No, a 1st Gen CRX is not a good first car. And this is coming from a guy who owns a 1st Gen and loves it.

All Hondas builf before 1988 are VERY different cars from all Hondas built from 1988 and on. Standard parts are easy enough to find but perfromance parts are nearly impossible to find. Up in AK, your supply of old Honda parts is bound to be severly limited, down here in CA the junkyards are drying up for old Hondas after years of over flowing with 1st Gens.

Yes, you could do a B-series swap (or even a K-series swap) but it is a pretty involved job and more than a newb may be able to do.

Just because a car is cheap to buy does not mean it will stay cheap to own. I suggest spending more money on a newer/better car. In ther long run it will be cheaper and you will have a better car to drive.

Scott

Skunk.Werks

iTrader: (2)

Yeah at the age of 16, I would not recommend trying to pickup a 1st gen CRX and swapping anything into it.

insane-one

about that ZC ... what car does it come out of ? and u say its just a striaght bolt on?

insane-one

hey cbstd you think u can post some pics of your ride? or any information on it?

cbstd

Here is a gallery of pictures of my car. http://www.redpepperracing.com...62fe6

It is a '87 CRX Si with a bunch of mods. Long story short, if it can be changed... I have changed it. It runs well for an old car

As for a ZC, this is a little complicated so follow along: The 86-89 Integra is essentially a dressed up Civic and shares a bunch of parts with the Civic and CRX. In the USDM the Integra came with a D16A1 engine which is similar to, but NOT the same as a real ZC which is a D16A8 IIRC. You may be able to get a real ZC from Japan, but by now the supply may be exhausted. It is a lot easier to find a B-series. A B-series is not a simple "Bolt In" but rather a job that requires custom motor mounts.

Scott

allnaturalb16

Rebuild a D16Z6 and slap it in there. I regret the b16 it would have saved me soooooo much money had i just built the stock single cam. And i would have saved enough money I could have went crazy on the motor and made the same or most likely more power.

Find a good d16 or d16z6 motor. An si transmission. Get the block machined and rebuilt with some nice new compression pistons. Send the head out for a good 3 angle grind, maybe a little porting, pick a good cam and valve train. Then get some badass bolt-ons and some way of ecu tuning and you will be happy.

As far as the car. It is fairly simple to work on. I have not ran across anything yet I have not been able to do. The hardest thing to source would be body parts(not too hard). Or maybe upgraded suspension(still not too hard). Tein is coming out with suspension for the 1st gen crx, but its all about $$$$$.

I understand you want something a little different...so do it. Show us all some pics first and we can help you from there.

insane-one

i really want to get this car now .... the body to me look good its just the rear quarter pannels need to be replaced because of the crapy attempt to fix it ... the corner lights front and back have holes but not noticeable... i dont see any rust ..... the interior looks great ... anything specific i should look at befor buying it?

allnaturalb16

Look at shock towers for rust / welding(accident)
Look where the spare tire goes and inside where the 1/4 panel damage is to see how severe it was. If there is welding and crumpled metal then the car is probably totalled.
Check title on CARFAX $15.00
Get a quote on the body work; 1/4 panel on crx is pretty much the whole car.
you can get corner lights off of ebay
look inside the engine bay and look for the same type of damage to the chassis

that should get you started

cbstd

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allnaturalb16 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Rebuild a D16Z6 and slap it in there. </TD></TR></TABLE>

{BUZZZZ!} Sorry. Wrong Answer! The D16Z6 is a very different engine and does not go into a 1st Gen without a set of custom engine mounts (that no one makes so you will have to weld them up yourself) and can only be bolted to a 1988+ tranny. Of course you will need to tottally mod the wiring loom to make an OBD1 engine work in a 1st Gen.

It is well meaning, but uninformed, folks on the internet that will screw up a newb really badly.

Before you make a mistake that you will come to regret, do your homework. Check to see what parts are available for your car and how much they are going
to cost you.

And a final thought about Hondas and rust- If you can not find any rust, you are not looking hard enough. On the 1st Gen, get under the car and check for rust on the floorpan and in particular on the Panhard bar mount.

The best source for 1st Gen information is http://www.redpepperracing.com. HT is fun, but the info available is not always reliable.

Scott

allnaturalb16

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cbstd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
{BUZZZZ!} Sorry. Wrong Answer! The D16Z6 is a very different engine and does not go into a 1st Gen without a set of custom engine mounts (that no one makes so you will have to weld them up yourself) and can only be bolted to a 1988+ tranny. Of course you will need to tottally mod the wiring loom to make an OBD1 engine work in a 1st Gen.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

So is a b16. If he is willing to go b series then no problem vtec d series. All i was explaining to him was that it might be cheaper to build a sohc and get as much or more power as his wanted b16, then to go with the every popular b,k,or h series. I have also explained to him on other threads, that if he wants to install a motor that will not let him down on power(given the labor and $$ to do a swap) I recommend a b18c1(which i figured would cost more then a z6. maybe a d15b would be a better choice?).

If you think its too hard for him then he can make it very simple and do an obd0 sohc non vtec swap and build the **** out of it from the money he saved not doing something to make it a little more different then some of the 1st gens out there. I think hes kinda worried about how hard it is but its not that hard really once you jump into it. Its gonna cost moeny however you slice it but its all worth it in the end. My first car was a 1968 BMW 2002. I ripped the whole car apart put it back together with practically all new parts aftermarket and not. Rebuilt the block and sent the head out. I have spent more than 12k on this car in the last 7 years. I think a first car should be a project not something you just get in and drive, but we are all different. I think the hard work and money makes that car even that more special.

redpepperracing is a very good source and as far as my car goes, not my motor, i have found almost all of my info on that website.

I welded my own mounts and it was not hard. Who cares if he uses a newer tranny?
To Go OBD1; With a stock obd0 b16 wire harness: All you need is an ecu jumper, and distributor jumper from rywire.com

[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

Skunk.Werks

iTrader: (2)

You're really assuming that everyone knows how to fab or do swaps. Some people dont have any mechanical knowledge but just have a love for Hondas. You have to think to yourself and approach every situation from different angles.

The general consensus should be, that for a 16 year old, swapping a 1st gen Honda would not be the most cost/time effective project.

Jumping in and 'ripping' apart your first car, recomending that it be a project, will most likely end up not your first car, but a hunk of non moving metal stuck in the driveway with your parents yelling at you wanting to know when the tow truck is coming to take it away already.

insane-one

ive seen mounts on hasport

allnaturalb16

I just figured hes down to try. He is asking what can be done. So i figured id say what can be done.

Its not the "most" cost/time effective but it it IS what HE wants then it would be worth every penny.

Hondas around these years and models we speak of are relatively easy to work on. A manual and english skills can get anything done. I dont think he is trying to get to wild. The hardest fab would be the motor mounts, and hasport has bseries mounts. Maybe you guys can think of something harder to perform on the swap? and maybe he intends to have most of the big stuff paid for?

Its really up to him. My first car was a project and before that I had no idea of how cars worked or anything.

{Sigur-Ros}

lol i like how he got all that great advice and was like

ABOUT THAT ZC??!??

C8V6C

This was my first car...I got it when I was 16 also. It is very easy to swap in a b series motor with the know-how.

If you can afford to have someone else swap it in for you, it should only cost 2-3k for a b16 with a great price.

But not that many people know how to do it. It is not as easy as an ef or eg.

I could recommend it, since it is a great first car and will get your feet wet working on cars. Should be cheap, and is different than most cars out there right now. Plus it is not in as much danger getting stolen than the newer civics/crxs