wranglertj

ok i'm new to the import world was raise on muscle cars and figured i'd give it a try on building a civic i've seen some pretty fast ones out there and thought i'd attempt a build myself now like i said i'm new so forgive me if i'm off on anything... ok so here is what i've got and my thinking on what i wana get i've gotten my hands on a 92 dx hatch in fair condition the d15 motor is crap so i already know i'm pulling that lil thing out of there might repair the "supposed" rod the guy claims that busted in the engine so i can drive it for a while while i wait to get the goodies... speaking of which these are the plans... i know the d15 that is in it is a waist of time and i want a pretty retarded fast car pretty much a sleeper. any how i've been doin a bit of research and from what i've found k20z3 with a 6 speed is what i want to go with for motor and tranny combo turbo kit will kinda be pieced together as i know i want to run a turbonetics t3 with ceramic bearings haven't done much research on turbo manifolds just yet as far as best flowing to feed the turbo head is gonna be pulled and worked, new valves springs retainers and so on, block will stay pretty much stock except internals. now i dunno as far as the absolute best compression to go with altho i have seen around that a k20 stock is some where about 11:1 compression and can handle around 30lbs of boost safely but i know that 30 lbs is quite a bit for any motor in which is why the internals will be upgraded... motors before that i've built best compression for a forced induction is around 9.5:1 not to sure about this motor haven't found this information yet but knowing that there have been people have put 30 lbs of boost on the stock compression but i'm not quite clear if its actually 11:1...... any suggestions comments and corrections are more than welcome thanks

Former User

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wranglertj

thanks ron will do

jdmh22eg2

welcome to the honda world-- hope u have tough skin, and can dish **** that will thrown ur way at certain times. Now that being said i WOULD NOT start with a K swap

start with a STOCK ls turbo ITR tranny will runs 12's and wont DRAIN ur bank account stock ls will hold 400whp if u TUNE(crower 404's, and 67mm NOT a 67 trim) it properly not a base map ****, and dont over rev it 7.5k TOPS but u prob wont want to with a ITR tranny. it will be a fun car and u can learn on it and if u hurt a part on a LS they are bout as common a sohc motor so prices are good and everywere

hope the advise helps

wranglertj

do keep in mind i'm a mechanic in the real world and know my way around engine in general pretty well... i'm not worried about costs involved with swaps or headaches involved they happen and are a worry with any vehicle that is involved with an engine swap

wranglertj

i would have to ask tho what your reason would be behind not doing a k swap

Former User

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jdmh22eg2

yes i understand that however the time and effort saved and learning that can be had from a basic LS turbo is worth it then move on to the real game IMO.

but in the end it is ur choice i am just giving my honest opinion

type s k swap+built motor+quality turbo parts = around 10k
LS+quality turbo parts = 3k there about

By the way plz buy REAL parts not ebay kock off ****. OEM also cant go wrong with them they do it right

honda ppl get bad wrap from ppl who dont buy good **** and half *** things

jdmh22eg2

and i just ment in general streets/forums

wranglertj

i know a t3 from turbonetics is definitly not a knock off part but i've of course never put anything knock off into a car i've built lol but i'm not into bs parts... pretty much the learning i'm speaking of is just the differance in size of motor and building the same horsepower out of them... i've done and helped with a few forced induction builds before so i'm not new to that

Former User

jdmh22eg2

right but my point is 6k for a k(stock) turbo or 3.5k for ls turbo 400whp hmmm not a hard choice, now are they able to do more yes but stock for stock 400whp will save u thousands in a LS turbo swap

plus yes k is the wow factor how ever they still make 1000 whp with b series so IDK why change to something that is capable of same HP but cost THOUSANDS more

hell h2b turbo will rap k's also

k is only as good as ur wallet is deep

wranglertj

i know already i'm not gonna be spending 10k for a turbo k i've found a k motor and trans for between 700 upto 4000 depending where i purchase from and the turbo will cost me around 900 but thats just for the turbo and the plumming i can build myself and all but cost affective isn't so much of an issue mainly cause i'm not planning on having it all done at one time motor and trans is gonna be first and i i've found several for between 1500 to 2000 that are supposed to run but if they don't then i'll fix it and then it will

jdmh22eg2

ok good luck mark my words if u buy any quality turbo parts/ k20z? type s swap/ k pro+ tune/ any other little things for swap u WILL SPEND 8k or more

wranglertj

well its like i was sayin before if i'm wrong tell me i might debate the topic a bit just cause of what i've found so far but... one thing i didn't mention that minus a turbo and tune i can get a turn key k20 with ecu power stearing alternator wiring harness... pretty much everything i'd need to install start and drive away for 3500 of course that doesn't include what it will cost me to build the motor after now... in any motor i'm expecting to dump in the naborhood of around 10k over a period of time in the purchase of the motor build of the motor machine work to be done dyno time turbo and supporting parts but thats nearly any motor keep in mind i'm looking for high hp numbers

jdmh22eg2

well good luck with ur build but IMHO u WILL NOT buy, drop in, and drive a type s k swap for 3500 but if u can more power to ya

wranglertj

what i've found says otherwise

cleansi

9.5:1 is decent compression

anything higher then 9.8:1 is pushing the amount of power possible.

do not think in terms of boost (psi) this is has not meaning. as 30 lbs in a t/3 48trim and a gt42101r are at 5 lbs have completely different power bands and hp ratings.

what type of fuel will you be using pump ,93, c17. e85 is what i would reccomend if you have it in your area.

as for the motor you will be spending alot more to boost a k series then to boost a b series the swap alone will put you about 3k more. you can safely turbo a b series to aabout 300-350 whp with just a set of arp head studs and a oem headgasket. with aset of itr cams with help extremely. its all in the tune. and if you plan on making great reliable power with 900 bucks for the turbo and plumbing you are in for a wake up call, i am on my 3rd manifold and turbo and each one cost at least twice that, and i ve never seen a k20z3 LEGIT full swap for under 5k so go for it.
check out these sites for a reliable setup starter.

full-race.com
spoolingperformance
synapseturbo's
tuning software / phearable.net , xenocron


i would suggest you post in the FI forum...... good luck

wranglertj

thanks for the help as far as the turbo price that price was just for the turbo its self no pluming or anything else to come with it i do understand that it will in the long run be more pricey than a b series swap but its the old rule no replacement for displacement i'd much rather build a bigger engine than settle but as far as cost its gonna be done over time and i have found a couple of site that have motor tranny and all for between 3500 to 3800 and claim its a turn key swap for a k20 now i will admit i haven't called to verify just yet but when the time comes to order i will be calling

wranglertj

oh and i do understand the power differences in turbos i was just putting numbers i've seen out there for referance

wranglertj

any other input from anyone

EG1PJT

K swap for 3500 to 3800 is a good deal but you cant forget the extra hundreds for misc stuff that are always needed in swaps so you might end up spending like 4k or more. The k20a2/ type s swap is a little more than the k20z3 you are talking about but they are both decent starting blocks if you you really want some torque go with a k24.