Hi to everyone. First off, I just want to let yous know a little about myself. I work as a Motorcycle Tech at a primarily race shop. We do other things as well, to pay the bills, but we love racing. We build motorcycles for the Moto America series, CCS, and Wera series as well. I am very well educated and experienced with engine building, suspension, and chassis setup for motorcycles. I regularly work with a Dynojet 250i (motorcycle chassis) Dyno, and tune as well. Maybe some of this might help with running issues on some of the Honda engines.

I joined this site after checking out a few Honda sites because there seems to be a wealth of knowledge, and a no BS feel. I will be picking up a 1997 Honda Accord LX Wagon with a 5 speed manual in about a week. It's my first Honda (I have been a mostly Toyota guy, with the odd Nissan Maxima that I loved...) and I have a little money to play with for some goodies. I know how to use, and will use, the search tool, but I may still have a few questions. Also, if anyone has a motorcycle (anything but a Harley), I can help you out with any issues you might have, or just some general advice if you want it.

Thanks and I hope to learn a bunch and maybe share some knowledge as well.

 

A little tip for ya.

Don't bother with the site search. The best way to search is hit google and if you want specifically honda-tech then add this to your search terms:

site:honda-tech.com "your search terms here without quotes"

Welcome to the site.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Yeah, I'm finding a shitload of information on the web about swaps and what not, though not quite as much on the wagon. For some reason, the F20b has caught my interest. Everyone says the h22 is a better option...more torque...but I like revs. I haven't built a Honda car engine yet, however, I have built lots of motorcycle engines, both for street and track, so I'm sure I can do a little of this, and a little of that and see a reliable 8500-8700 rpm.

 

If you're looking for a more solid (and far more supported) engine to work with, try the K-Series platform. It's a little more work up front to get it into the car (when comparing to H and F-series engines that are simple bolt-in situations), but after you get through the initial difficulties you'll be rewarded with a stronger drivetrain and higher potential.

Honda Accord Engine Swap - Tech - Honda Tuning Magazine

 

I have roughly $3k to play with immediately, and I plan on doing a lot of the labor myself with a friend. I'm thinking $2k in parts for an engine and trans, with parts to swap, leaving me a little room for unexpected things. Is this reasonable? I read the link to the K-series swap. Sounds nice, but I think I would prefer the F20b. A few more ponies, and from what I can tell, easier to drop in. Plus, I can get them for $1300-$1400 including a T2T4. The cheapest K I found was $1100. Does anyone know about how much a typical swap costs?

Edit: Anyone that knows a shop in the Atlanta area, let me know. I'm looking for someone knowledgeable, and I am definitely will to pay for their time (believe me, as a mechanic myself, I understand how important time is) Thanks in advance.

 

$3k might work for the F20B swap, if you do all the work yourself and utilize the stock transmission.

As for the F20 having more power, that's not strictly accurate.
F20B - 200whp / 145 lb/ft
K24A2 - 200whp (or 205, if you got the 06+) / 166 lb/ft (170 lb/ft for 06+)

 

The article stated that the "lesser" K series (160hp) goes for about $1000. The K24A2 goes for about $3000, making it a non option for me, plus it seems there are a lot more things I'd have to get to make it actually work. I don't think $3000 would get me even half way there, especially if I want to keep the A/C and P/S. Thanks anyways.

Don't get me wrong, I'm open to ideas. If you think $3000 is not enough, I can wait another 6 months and have more funds available, that is not a problem. However, I don't want to wind up spending $10k on this thing. I don't think the car is really worth the $3000 I was going to put into it, let alone adding in the price to buy it, and other maintenance stuff. But I though it might fun and somewhat unique, and I like the look of the wagon, especially with some fresh paint, nice wheels, and decent suspension.

 

In fairness, that article is quite dated for pricing terms. You can pick up an '06-'08 K24A2 longblock for around $1000 these days, in good shape.

However, I don't think $3,000 will be a comfortable amount to do the F20 swap properly. If you get around $4,000 - $5,000... you'll be in a very comfortable position in case any surprises crop up.

 

Hmmmm...this project might be something that I focus on the looks first, then figure out what is really out there engine wise. I've already got a place that can help out with the paint (trading services, I scratch your back, you scratch mine kinda thing) To redo the whole car, including shaving the antenna, and smoothing the left rear quarter, they want 2 months. I should be able to figure out suspension, wheels, and other cosmetic stuff in that time. Who knows, I might decide that it's not worth it either. Time will tell.

 

Finally got around to getting some pictures. I picked up this gem in Ohio about 2 weeks ago. It has a little rust here and there, but nothing major. I'm still undecided about what to really do with it. It is an LX 5 speed, 1997 wagon. So far, Ive have replaced the left inner and outer tie rods and boot, had the alignment done after that. Everything looked good there. The bushings for the front sway bar were completely destroyed, so I replaced them with Energy Suspension Urethane ones. One thing that has to be done real soon is the timing belt. It was done 110k miles ago. The water pump was done at the same time also. I have all the records, receipts, everything, from oil changes to wiper blade inserts, to replacing the hatch when it was in a minor fender-bender.