Tacoma747

My wife's car is totaled (rearended), she is OK which is the main thing though. I am thinking about buying it back (depending on how much it is, etc), plan to part it out as it was in excellent shape, all the doors are still perfect, as well as the engine. It has 123,000 miles on it and still runs great.

I am building a 4x4 rockcrawler buggy, it has a d15b8 in it now with a turbo, the d15 has been rebuilt, but is not wired up yet and has not been run. I figured since the engine in her car has 148hp VS. the 70hp the d15 has it would be a good upgrade. I know the d15 would have probably around +-120hp w/ the turbo (was rebuilt 'stock', not upgraded) @ ~8psi.

SOOOO, I want to swap, but am I wasting my time? I figure since I will have all the wiring and computer, etc it is a no brainer to swap instead of searching for parts for a much weaker engine. How much heavier is the F23A4, should not matter much for the buggy though cause it's still alot lighter than most truck 4cyls.

How hard (and expensive) would it be to put the turbo I have on the F23? It is a T25 turbo off a 300ZX. 150hp will be plenty, but if I can add a little to it and keep it reliable that would be great. I do not want to tear apart the engine at all, and am not looking for a ton more power, just some (I'd be VERY happy with 200+).

Are there and CABLE SHIFTED and HYDRAULIC CLUTCH 5 speeds that bolt up the this engine? I can convert a cable clutch to hydraulic, but figuring out linkages for a shifter that is not cable would be a pain.

Where can I find the gear ratios for the auto transmission?

A link to my current build-up: http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthre...=35756&page=13

Also, about how much is a d15b8 rebuilt, powdercoated block/valve cover/oilpan worth?

What is a 6 speed manual out of the civic 4wd worth? (spider gears are welded though)

I'm sure I will have many more questions, I just hate not to use the engine because it's in such good shape, and will double my horsepower.

Bwill9886

You can use the turbo you have. You will of course need to piece together the rest of the kit (piping, various lines, intercooler, manifold, etc.). You can find what all you will need in various threads here on HT if you search. If you look carefully, you could probably piece together a system for your power goals in the few hundred to several hundred dollar range.

You will definitely want to get rid of that auto because its not going to stand up to your usage OR the turbo...

H22/H23 trans will work better for you than the F23 trans because of their shorter gearing.

Tacoma747

is the H transmission you are talking about an automatic or manual? Auto would be easier to work with I think (figuring up shifter cables), but I'd prefer a stick shift. The gear ratio in the axles should take alot of the strain off the Honda transmission, will the factory auto just not hold up to a turbo or much higher power than stock?

I already have some 2" piping I had got for the d15, as well as an intercooler.

hondamark35

the F23 manual transmission has a cable type shift linkage and a hydraulic clutch.

the low end torque is with the F23 is worlds appart compared to the D15. 200hp all day long shouldn't be hard to get with the F23 and a turbo. i think for your application a smaller turbo would be ideal.

get some pics up if you get around to doing this

Bwill9886

There are H automatics, but I'd go with the manual DEFINITELY.

If you wanna see what happens to a lot of Honda automatics, just do a search of the forums... even without a lot of abuse they can fail. So you most definitely should not test one of them with a turbo. Wouldn't be much fun either!

I'm with Hondamark35 on wanting to see how you build this beast!

Tacoma747

Clcik the link above to see current pics: http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthre...=35756&page=13

So what transmission should I search for? A 5 speed with cable shifters would work perfect (assuming it is similar to the shifter setup on the 4wd transmission). Is there a specific # I need to look for, or just F23 manual transmission?

Thanks

hondamark35

any F-series or H-series trans should work. i'm no specialist on which is best as far as ratios, but the turbo and your axle gearing should make up for anything you get.

hondamark35

check that link you posted.. it's not working.

Tacoma747

fixed it, thanks

Bwill9886

Nice, can't wait to see it when its done.

I agree with you though Hondamark35 that even though the gearing in the F23 is long it probably won't make too much of a difference with your total setup.

I like my F23 trans, but if you can I'd try to find an H series one.