J Dog

What's up everyone. I have never owned a Honda car (do own a Honda motorcycle) anyways I am not new to cars as a whole but I am new to building a turbo engine. Anyways I am purchasing my first home so will finally have a garage to do work anytime I want and take my time. I want to get a project car to do a turbo build on. Thinking direction of civic coupe or integra as possible starting platforms. My ultimate goal is to hit around 300whp boosted. What engine and turbo setup would you all recommend for ease of build as a beginner in the category while also budget friendly. I'm not trying to cheap out by any means but also not break the bank. So ultimately I am hoping for recommendations to build a reliable basically daily driven once finished that has plenty of power to have fun. Even the platform is up for discussion in regards to year trim and model if anything is a bit easier to work on than others. Sorry for this long winded post but thanks for any insight.

J Dog

Follow up looking platform suggestion. Need back seats for kids. Easiest engine to build properly on a budget for 300whp. Tranny suggestions. Parts crucial to be upgraded internally. Good companies to go with for parts. I will be at least at first trying my hand at tuning. My goal is to use this project as a complete teaching tool into building and tuning and just fun in general and also as a platform to get my kids into learning about cars like my dad did with me.

I do have a decently extensive knowledge of vehicle workings in general from engine to wiring, internal and external so I'm not a noob by any means. Certified YouTube mechanic. Lol but turbos while I have done lots of research into how they work are still completely new to me.

2x0

All of your questions can and will only be answered based upon your own goals, budget, and use of the car. It will be up to you to research and decide what platform, engine, transmission, and parts to use based on all of this, nobody else can do this for you.

Autoworks

This thread will more than likely be locked.

In short, IMO, the "Easiest/Best/intro/most economical/etc" chassis/motor combination to build is the 92-00 Civic w/a 5 speed trans. Start from there and begin to research usage/fuel/kits (there are only a handful of "LEGITIMATE" turbo kit manufacturers for that app), tuning, etc to meet your goals.When you get specific questions, start a post on it.

J Dog

Thank you. All I need is a place to start looking. In that category of civic which engine would you recommend to slap a turbo on. After looking the two that jumped out at me was the B18A2 and D16Z6/9. Can you point me in that direction by chance?

J Dog

Thank you but I did answer all those questions because I've seen that exact statement on other threads so I made sure to be specific. I want a 300whp daily capable direction to build that also happens to be beginner friendly for modification. I can search everything else but need specifically an engine direction to give me an actual direction to go in for total build.

Txdragon

The EG civic would be the easiest/cost friendly grocery getter you'll get that can easily meet and even exceed your goals. A few of us here are working on current Z6 projects, and you'll find many from the past to look upon.
But..
1- Pick your platform
2- list goals
3- lay out budget
4- search for parts
5- build
6- enjoy

**You may repeat step 4 as many times as necessary if step 3 is exceeded or step 2 is not satisfied**

J Dog

Thank you very much. All I needed was a direction to go in since I am completely new to the Honda car game. I actually do like the look of the EG Hatch so that may be what I go for. I'll look up your build threads for the Z6. From what I'm reading the 92-95 EX came with the Z6 engine? Does that include all body styles (hatch, coupe, and sedan)?

Txdragon

The coupe was the EX. Sedan was the DX. Hatch was... Ummm.. A hatch? I forget. Lol! I originally bought a DX, then swapped a D16Z6 into it. I **think** there were some sedans with the Z6 option, I hadn't looked much into the chassis and available options as I did the engines themselves.

J Dog

I was looking at wikipedia for each engine and what they came in and all it said was EX so I wasn't sure if that meant all body styles or not. After looking some more I think the EX was the sedan maybe according to Edmunds with the Z6 and also the hatch SI also came with the Z6. It's so hard to distinguish when looking around online and everything showing every option for various styles. If the Z6 is a great engine to build I'd try to get one with it already in it first and second option just buy one to swap at a later date. I'm so lost on the trims and engines I know I sound dumb but I'm gonna try to learn as fast as possible, I'm always hungry to learn about things I don't know.


Edit...guess the EX coupe came in thr 93 models and up

Txdragon

Look for 92-95

J Dog

that's the plan. Gonna try for an SI Hatch or just an EX if not. Any specific problem areas to look for on these years either mechanically or with the body or anything that are common?

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

research the engine options, look at the FAQs highlighted in grey above the thread titles. All those highlighted in blue are MUST VIEWS that are essential for understanding.

it's all there.. close than toy think. Good luck to you.

Txdragon

Bodywise, depending on your area; snowy winters, etc.. You may find the usual degree of body trouble due to the vehicle's age. Mechanical issues, be weary of the owner(s). Try to find as few owners as possible to a vehicle. The fewer, the better. Age matters too. The younger, the more prone to being violated it is. Watch the price. You see a 95 civic 5 speed for sale for 300 dollars, there's a reason it's so cheap: if it looks good, I can near guarantee there's an unmentiuned issue.
Electrical gremlins, watch for them. Other than that, pretty standard used car etiquette should be exercised.

J Dog

thank you. Now that I have an idea of a direction I will definitely do that.

J Dog

yeah I'll just use standard used car buying practices just wasn't sure if there was something extra common with these cars. I'll just keep researching.

Any recommendations on turbo size to efficiently and consistently run 300whp?

Txdragon

There are others here with better info than I have for ya on this. I'm guessing it'll be a "grocery getter from hell" setup? A family daily driver with a set of ***** when needed? I went in a similar direction but you would want a better kit than I got. Lol

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

all depends on which engine you choose. The b-series engine can do that with 93octane more easily than the d-series engines when comparing stock to stock.

J Dog

well from my reading on this forum so far I'm definitely going to heavily fall into the budget build category....BUT....i will absolutely try not to sacrifice much quality if possible even if that's one part a month or two. So that being said I believe b-series is way out of my long term price range. So I'm thinking the D16Z6 for my first build. Try to find a 95 hatch si or an EX that already has the motor in it if possible to avoid extra expense.

J Dog

Basically exactly what I'm going for. Lol my wife's car is the family car 99% of the time so it will be pretty much just for all fun for me to daily. Maybe even look into going to car meets again for the hell of it. About to turn 30 and haven't gone out into the wild in a good many years and now I'm itching again after so long. Lol and on top of all that I'm a couple weeks from closing on my first home purchase so I want to make great use of finally having a garage and space to do work and leave it unlike that apartment life of have one day to do something start to finish.

extremeracer

Get a B-series swapped EG chassis (Coupe, Hatch or Sedan) or just pay the extra for an Integra which comes with either VTEC or Non-VTEC B-series engines. The B-series engines can make 300whp on stock internals on 93 Octane or E85 provided the engine is healthy and it has been tuned by knowledgeable tuner.

A Go Autoworks turbo kit will be a bolt-on affair and come with high-quality brand name components. Read the FAQ's and plan your build before pulling the trigger on parts.
GO-AUTOWORKS Street Turbo Kit Honda Civic Acura Integra Del Sol CRX D16 B16 B18

In terms of turbo size - anything rated for 350 - 400hp would be good. The Go Autoworks street kit comes with 3 turbo options with the power ratings for each - I'd go for the Turbonetics TNX 20 Billet option. There's also a Ball-Bearing package for $600 more.

Other basics you'll need:

• Walboro 255 Fuel pump
• 750cc EV14 injectors
• AEM Honda fuel pressure regulator
• Neptune or Hondata S300 ecu
• Upgraded clutch

NVturbo

D16z6 (USDM) came factory in...
'92 - 95 Civic EX sedans
'93 - 95 Civic EX coupes
'92 - 95 Civic Si hatchbacks
'93 - 95 Del Sol Si

DaX

iTrader: (1)

Make a plan and stick with it - these types of projects take some time to put together, and the longer that time is, the more susceptible your project is to scope creep, or drifting from your original plans. The small stuff adds up and kills you when on a tight budget. I'm somewhat limited on money for my build right now (also a D16Z6), so I've got a 3-stage plan to make this happen. Stage 1 is to build the engine and transmission to handle high horsepower, then get it back in the car and run it as an otherwise stock engine. This way I'm doing all the work that requires major disassembly only once. Stage 2 will be to buy and add on supporting components while the car is driveable - stuff like a catch can, radiator / slim fan, fuel upgrades, exhaust, etc. These are things that will need to be done before adding the turbo, but are also things that can be done before then. Stage 3 will be to buy and install the turbo kit, which will hopefully be a mostly bolt-on affair at that point. My project has already suffered from pretty big scope creep, but I was kidding myself when I first thought I'd do this as cheap as possible with an eBay turbo kit and a block guard - that's just not me...I'm a 'buy-once cry-once' kind of guy, so I'm doing an all out build. My estimate is this will cost between $8K - $10K to complete. It can be done cheaper, but I'm looking for reliability this time.

Read other build threads - I can't remember where, but The Shodan had posted some links relatively recently to some great turbo build threads. This will expose you to concepts, parts, requirements, opinions, etc. that you didn't know about before. You'll start to gain knowledge and know what the right questions are to ask.

NVturbo

^^^ agreed. People have a tendency of buying parts and assuming it's an easy task. Halfway through, they either run out of money, patience and knowledge/drive to complete it. That's why you see so many HALF-*** turbocharged cars on Craigslist and FB Marketplace. They're so cheap, they can't even afford a decent tune by their local tuner.

J Dog

Yeah I will have to kind of follow that mantra but I know I won't be able to at the level you are unfortunately. In a couple years or so I will be able to throw that kind of money at something but won't be able to until then. Ill be shooting for half your cost if I can manage. Thank you very much for all the recommendations to get me headed in the right direction. Also I love your stepped approach and will most likely do mine in a very similar fashion.

My knowledge ran out before I even registered with this forum. Lol I know how a turbo works and basic understanding of engine components and internals but not remotely close to the level I will need. Which is why I ended up here so I can do massive amounts of research before I even start a project at all. The first big step i will be for sure doing is making sure in not trying to project a daily, so I won't be out a vehicle while I'm building an engine. that would be number one reason to half *** something when you need that something to run asap. I'm thinking of buying an engine to put up on a stand and build in my garage before even buying the car itself so I have no excuse to not finish it properly. I will have to admit while I knew it was a daunting task I was incredibly naive to the full scope of work. You watch these guys on YouTube slap things together bc they already know exactly what they are doing and are capable of doing it. This will be a big teaching and learning project for me which will take a significant amount of time to complete but once I start I will refuse to stop until it's done regardless of how long it takes me. You guys have already proved indispensible with just the little spats of knowledge here and there then mixed with my creeping all over the forum I know I can definitely get it done eventually with everyone's help and direction mixed with my own searching and thoughts. Thankfully I'm no novice mechanic by any means so the full scope of work doesn't scare me in the least. The obvious stop factor here will be funding but that's cool I'll just take longer to buy things and no worries.