Chopped550

I'm not going to even pretend I know anything about these cars, so I'm hoping some of you can chime in and tell me a little about this set-up. My major concerns are obviously reliability, but I'd also like to know if this combo is common, strong, and not stupid. Where are it's weak links? What should I focus on when I look at it and drive it? According to the owner, who seems like a nice guy, the engine/trans combo have about 1,000 miles on them. I'm not a stranger to performance, but I'm coming from the domestic side and want something that gets decent fuel economy and is fun to drive. I also like that this car is very stock appearing. I would appreciate your advice, good and bad. Thanks in advance.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/2684062036.html

jdmadam

iTrader: (2)

Looks like a decent deal. If it was done right it can be a very reliable car. It says it runs on E85 so that might be something to think about.

Chopped550

Thanks for the response. "IF" I buy it, it will be retuned for 93. I'm about an hour from the seller, and he's got a ton of e85 stations near him, I don't have any.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

It looks clean. Looks being the operative word. If I've learned anything from this forum is NEVER buy anyone else's project because they are NEVER upfront with you or you don't know what to look for. I would need compression and leakdown tests at the minimum.

Chopped550

ya, that's why I'm here. I'm looking for things to check out that might be common with these. I'm a GM tech for a living, so I'm mechanically inclined. If you asked me what kind of problems a 01 Tahoe might have, I can steer you in the right direction. That's sort of what I'm looking for here. You guys drive these things every day, and if you say "hey, make sure the right front CV boot isn't torn, it's common on that particular car", then that's what I'll check for.

ssbpd

One thing I've came across is these "modded cars" need basic work. like a torn boot on the cv or improperly bled brakes or rusted rotors or ripped bushings in the shifter like mine.
My car was someone elses project who ran out of money and was only interested in "racing the car."
I've ended up with a car with a very good motor and trans but with a crappy brake system, crappy pedal and shifter(I already bled the clutch and replaced the slave cylinder and master cylinder. The shifter will be worked on sunday)
I like the "sleeper" aspect of it.

Chopped550

ahh, thanks for the advice.

mrpeabody

I would say check every part of the car. EVERYTHING!! I was so into getting a already installed engine swap that I was blinded to all the other issues the car was trying to tell me before I bought it. Now I still have this car that is more of a money pit then anything. I already swapped out the engine that came with the car because it started smoking, the right front bumper was cracked, I'm on my second trans from the B16 swap I had to put in, I am having over heating issue on a VERY Hot day in stop and go traffic and I have replaced every cooling system part that is attached to this motor. Now I have a steering wheel shaking issue that is NOT the tires. I have balanced the tires 4 times, replaced tires per the stupid f**k that told me it was the back tires that were worn out. I think it's the rack system, but still need to figure that out also. So not to scare you, but PLEASE PLEASE check everything and if the car does not feel right to you. Not just the car mechanically, but feel right to you, then walk away. You will be better off in the long run. Good luck in your car search.

JDM'dinMD

^^^hes right check EVERYTHING lol. make sure the shifter feels smooth through shifts an def check the axels, exhaust(theres nothing like haven to put on a exaughst as soon as you get the thing...) rad. and fan work, and that all the bushings arent blown out which they prolly will be lol... theres much more but just be thurough in ur investigation. seein as its turbo'd def check comp. and how well she sounds

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Everything above should be checked BUT a boosted Civic is unlike any other. Quality of parts, TUNE, condition of engine and anything pertaining to the turbo is not run of the mill. It's not a factory option so there's no way to tell you to look out for "X" when inspecting a boosted car because there's too many ways these can get thrown together.

So it may look clean but be ready to detonate when you drive it home.

Wrona

i would pass on it honestly if you want to turbo a civic buy your own and rebuild it the right way you will know what parts you put into it and it will give you that peice of mind like grumblemarc said dont ever buy anyone elses project

AOBrien

I'm going to agree with Wrona, I was in your position (and from your area) about 3 weeks ago going from GM to Honda. The biggest thing I was looking for was a reliable quick daily driver and ended up buying a 99 Si with a JDM B18C swap done. The only reason I was ok with buying it was because the owner has a LOT of other Honda's so he knew how to take car of them, and there was NOTHING that was keeping the car from running day in and day out. I would avoid this strictly due to how many variables come into play with the turbo kit.

If you're dead set on this car, see if you can take it to your work and do a full PPI on it, and check everything. Also ask who tuned the car, if he has any paperwork for the work done to it, and when you test drive it listen for any noises that may hit future problems.

Good luck man.

Kohen

D16y7 block - good d16 motor for boost (compared to the d16y8, which isn't AS good for boost because of VTEC)
Z6 crank - good
Z6 head port and polished - good
Crane cam/ zex cam
Adjustable cam gear - not really needed on sohc motors
All new bearings and oil pump
Vitara pistons - great and popular pistons. even better if they are 75.5mm or bigger.
Eagle rods - great and popular rods
Wrx turbo
Custom log style manifold
3 in downpipe - good
2-1/2 catback exhaust - good. could defintitely go bigger
1000cc precision injectors - good
3 bar map - good
Skunk 2 coilovers - on stock struts/shocks? bad. skunk2 coilovers haven't been rated the best but they're decent.
Currently tuned on crome and e85 with 10psi of boost - 10psi is pretty safe, especially for this built motor. some run 8-10psi on there stock d16s

other things:
stock apperance - great. especially for keeping the cops away.
being a four door - something different.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Uh. Actually VTEC looooves boost. Don't know where you're getting your info from.
PSI don't mean dick. Power breaks things not PSI.
Cam gears are OFTEN needed on boosted cars with aftermarket cams.
Just because you have a good looking list of parts really doesn't tell you the quality of the build or the condition of the engine. It doesn't tell you if the owner maintained it well of beat the crap out of it.

Wrona

wtf r u talking about psi 8-10 psi on what turbo if you dont know what youre talking about don't say anything makes yourself seem dumb

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

It says it a WRX turbo (which is kinda vague since I don't know anything about Subarus) but here's another thing to think about.

How do you KNOW the engine has been built? And built with the part he claims?

If it was tuned properly, where are the dyno charts?

What is it even tuned on?

flmzero13

X2

Wrona

thats right

but it says its tuned on chrome

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Missed that. Even still, where are the dyno charts?

Wrona

yeah thats what i would be wondering i can post a cl post like that with ahalf assed build and probably sell it to some ricer for 5k and not give 2 craps if there is no proof or videos or anything like that dont buy somebodys project

94EG8

The car *looks* good and the parts list for the most part looks good, as was already said the WRX turbo is kind of vague. YCP Vitara pistons and eagle rods are very, very common for a D-series turbo build. Point to note, it says Z6 crank, that's generally a sign someone involved with the build knew something. The Z6 crank is identical to the Y7 crank other than it has twice the oiling holes per journal. I would look it over very, very closely.

NotAJDMFanBoy

Drive it and let it idle a while to make sure it doesn't overheat.
Since the car was left pretty stock looking and from the parts list, it sounds like the person knew what they were doing. So from that, I'd say it's worth considering, but definitely check the brakes, steering, wiring under the dash (I've seen a lot of cobbled wiring on Hondas), see how electrical and plumbing connections were made.

The car will likely be a dog out of boost, but I know the WRX turbos are small, so it should spool quick especially with a log manifold and higher volumes of exhaust from running E85. 10lbs of boost on a little turbo like that (TD05 or something similar), with the low compression pistons, should be quick but nothing insane. I know a guy who ran 17lbs and others have run more on similar setups.
Keep in mind that Chrome is one of the free tuning softwares out. It works alright, but there are known issues with it. It has fewer load points, so drivability can suffer. Also, I've read it's recommended not to use 2 step...not exactly sure why. If you plan to daily drive a boosted car, Hondata S300 is nice to have.

I see a common pattern in peoples setups, they use much larger injectors than their setup needs. 1000cc injectors are capable of supporting much more power than that motor will make. That's not a bad thing, but anything over the 800-900cc size in peak and hold injectors can start having idling issues from injectors not wanting to run that low and maintain an appropriate air fuel ratio with a smooth idle. Injector drivers are available, but they are somewhat cost prohibitive since peak and hold injectors plus the driver will cost about the same as saturated injectors and the saturated will idle smoother since the Honda ecu is set up to control saturated injectors.

Lugzilla

Ask to see the receipts to all those parts that he says he has installed in the engine.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

I used to think receipts meant something but they don't mean anything. He could give you receipts for parts on another car.

speedjunkie_g35

It looks ok but I won't buy a modded car because of the hack job some of these ricers do. I bought my running completely stock 94 vx (other than the radio) hatch with 270,000 miles for a grand. I am in the process of replacing all of the suspension components and I just threw a GSR swap in it. I have build thread that I will be able to use as a reference to show everything was done right and no expense spared in case I sell it. It is all about documentation when you mod a car!!!