surfmac

Whats up guys, I need help deciding what to do with a 93 civic 1.5L hatchback DX that i recently got for free from a family member. The car is in good condition and was wanting to do some performance modifications with it. I was wondering what anyone recommended to start doing first to help get some horses and speed up. I'm kinda on a budget right now so i was looking for some quick easy tips, but also ones i can start seeing some decent progressions with. Thanks alot.

krisfnbs

gonna need to post some more information to get a good response around here... probably headers should be one of your first things to do if you plan on keeping that motor.

slomofo

iTrader: (1)

Get a cam and a K&N drop in filter, it's like a hundred bucks and some change, but you'll feel a much more noticeable difference than if you did the standard intake/header/exhaust that only adds like 1-5hp and costs around $500.

Ruben19

waste of money with that motor.

gc4x4

cold air intake and header is about all you should do... you can do a lot more buy why?

slomofo

iTrader: (1)

1hp increase for $300.

Romo Pyro

X2

What kind of budget are we talkin about? mini me swaps are pretty cheap and relatively simple. find a used y8 head and pop that sucker on. lol. here https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=554053 The pic. links are broken but read through it and you'll be happy you did. more horsepower than any bolt on. this guys spent a total of 550 bucks. thats like a single paycheck +/- aaaand seems like ur pretty new to honda's so here https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/1998336 Civic FAQ its on the front page.

pinks11

X3 lol. true that, try to if possible, save up some cash for a nice swap with a low mileage engine. but it depends if you plan on keeping the car for a while. I hear a mini me is a good and simple swap. just make sure you get a good clean transmission and a decent clutch and you should be fine with the way it will run.
Depends on how much cash you are willing to spend and how your budget is.
Good luck

naRIPSTA

Sounds like your pockets are shallow. Real shallow lol. If anything, you could always save up and do a DIY turbo setup.

But still, wouldn't really recommend much.

surfmac

Well When I said I'm on budget I really ment i wasn't looking to send $1000 anytime soon. Sorry i should have specified that. Thanks alot for the info guys. I think im going to look into that mini me swap.

The_Honda_Guy

For the people on a budget and are new to working on cars, Project Car is a very good magazine to pick up and read. They build all different kinds of cars from mild to wild, but they build for cheap and come up with some nice DIY's and such.

SOHCpoorguy

I did my mini-me swap for less that $300 it was a very noticeable gain in pick up, although the standard bolt ons help, Get the K&N filter, itll cost you less in the long run, as will just getting a cheap ebay intake pipe. OBX makes exhausts, they arent great (at all) and fitment issues are abundant, but typicaly minor. DO NOT invest in an OBX Intake Maniflold unless you are prepared to do more work than should be required, the welds on the flange forced me to remove all of my head studs on the backside and replace them with M8 x 1.25 Allen bolts...but it does look and sound really nice. Another cheap gain is a Throttle body spacer, makes a really cool noise when you crack the throttle, but this requires some mods to your throttle cable bracket. Dont lose faith in the Single Cam yet, most of the time its all you need unless your dragging the car.

surfmac

I herd y8's and z6's are so cheap now it wouldn't even be worth it to do a mini swap. Is this true should i just invest in a full out swap or is the mini a better bet?

94EG8

Yeah its true, invest in a complete swap. JDM D15B Vtec is my prefered way to go, that way you've got something with only 50,000 ish miles on it. Stay away from the Y8 unless someone pretty much gives it to you, it will leave you with a little extra wiring, require a chipped ECU to run right and even when your all said and done they still like to spin bearings. Z6s are very acceptable though.

94EG8

Yeah its true, invest in a complete swap. JDM D15B Vtec is my prefered way to go, that way you've got something with only 50,000 ish miles on it. Stay away from the Y8 unless someone pretty much gives it to you, it will leave you with a little extra wiring, require a chipped ECU to run right and even when your all said and done they still like to spin bearings. Z6s are very acceptable though.

Civic_4life

or a stock ls swap would make a world of diference compare to that motor. just go junk yard see wat u find, if u can piece up a ls swap cheap then DO IT! or just buy a 94-95 integra obd1 hit from rear and swap in the drivetrain. u can use other years but then u have to get the obd conversion kit.

blueg6

save your money. go b-series.

naRIPSTA

For $1000, you can find yourself a LS swap. If you save up some more, pick up a B16 tranny to go with it. You'll love the way it pulls.

LUiS010606

yea dropp the jdm d15b i just did on my 93 cx hatch n it cost me a little over $800 n it was worth it... :]

bpkmrtoes

i vote for save up some more and do ls swap. totally worth it if you spend some time and shop around.

instructor74

I hate to be the ony one thinking of this if your pockets are so shallow you might want to think of first getting the mechanics of the car up to snuff. nothing like dumping 300 to 600 hundred into a car in mods and then finding out you need exhaust and ball joints to pass inspection. Remember your car is almost 15years old. Get the suspention, brakes, sorted out. then look at what you have left

MiMiK

iTrader: (1)

if it's automatic, leave it as is and enjoy the gas mileage.
if not there are a couple cheaper things you can that will make the car a little more fun to drive.
1) weight reduction - free
2) suspension - a basic set of springs and shocks will cost you like $300-$400
3) SOHC EX or Si transmission(shorter gear ratios). can be had for under $200. not too hard to swap. makes a big difference.

there are other ways to make a car quicker than to add power.