Owner states that it's a 1993 hatch with a b18c swap, both motor and transmission. He has no paperwork available and his friend helped him do the swap. Chassis has about 185k on it, allegedly the motor has ~110k.

What should I look for when I inspect the car?
What is a fair price on it?
I'm a little concerned about the lack of paperwork, so what can I do to verify that the transmission is a true GSR 5spd?

I'm planning on finding a local shop to do a compression test on it, obviously drive it around and listen for strange noises, inspect the oil, and do a basic walkaround. This will be my sole daily driver--is picking up a swapped Civic not a good idea to have as my only means of transportation? Or if it's been done right, should I have no concerns?

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

seems like your getting into a lot here. not sure how much ur paying for this or what other mods are done to it. you could search for pics of both tranny's to figure out any visual differences.

i would look for rust. mainly the rear quarters. get the owner to take you for a spin. i'm sure it would be more comfortable for them to drive the car in a spirited fashion then you. look for smoke and grinds.

i'm not sure what the local laws are in your area regarding swaps. but no paperwork could be a problem if you have to have it inspected or not.

a gsr swapped hatch can be a fun thing. i hope everything works out

 

look for new bolts on the trans, newer bolts take a light magnet with you not one that you cant take off with out one hand just a light mag. any problem areas that look suspicious hold th emag over it and see if it grabs or just tap with your finger tips and listen to the sound of metal hollow sound. if it is thick sounding its filled or might be quesitonable the only spot i have found rust on my honda when i bought it was the 1/4 so look there also look inder the rear and front where the bumper mounts are mounted those bend easily and if it was in a accident more than 15 miles per hour will show distorted metal. this will all be easier if its a stripeed interior to see problem areas of weled patch panels on the rear. if it is a true gsr... the engine code will be b18c1 or b18c5 depending on yeah 94-97 is b18c1 and 97-01 will be b18c5 " dont qutoe me but thats correect i think..

if it is a usdm gsr tranny it will be a sticker on the trans long and thin. with numbers and letters...
if it is a jdm or itr gsr trans it will be a green tab that is rivted on. if there is no sticker then use caution becuase i ran into a problem trying to buy a used trans to mod for drag racing the guy said gsr but i cracked the internals out and it was a ls teg internals

 

look for new bolts on the trans, newer bolts take a light magnet with you not one that you cant take off with out one hand just a light mag. any problem areas that look suspicious hold th emag over it and see if it grabs or just tap with your finger tips and listen to the sound of metal hollow sound. if it is thick sounding its filled or might be quesitonable the only spot i have found rust on my honda when i bought it was the 1/4 so look there also look inder the rear and front where the bumper mounts are mounted those bend easily and if it was in a accident more than 15 miles per hour will show distorted metal. this will all be easier if its a stripeed interior to see problem areas of weled patch panels on the rear. if it is a true gsr... the engine code will be b18c1 or b18c5 depending on yeah 94-97 is b18c1 and 97-01 will be b18c5 " dont qutoe me but thats correect i think..
good luck
if it is a usdm gsr tranny it will be a sticker on the trans long and thin. with numbers and letters...
if it is a jdm or itr gsr trans it will be a green tab that is rivted on. if there is no sticker then use caution becuase i ran into a problem trying to buy a used trans to mod for drag racing the guy said gsr but i cracked the internals out and it was a ls teg internals

good luck with your search

 

Dude, B18C1 is a GSR B18C5 is a Type R

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16EJ1EG6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dude, B18C1 is a GSR B18C5 is a Type R </TD></TR></TABLE>
X2.... plus im glad you read all of that because i really didnt feel like doing that..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nicks-eg6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
X2.... plus im glad you read all of that because i really didnt feel like doing that..

</TD></TR></TABLE>Me neither just the years stuck out to me!

 

but i havent found a b18c5 in existance from 94-97. thats what im stating i know they are both a gsr i have a b18c1. and know that the c5 is a type r. just was stating the differentyear class.

 

Hey thanks for the great replies guys!

The guy's asking $4900, but I'll see how much I can talk him down. I'm in MI, so there are no inspections whatsoever.

The car's got a full exhaust and is lowered. Has some usual Honda rot, but I'm planning on having the whole thing painted and filled anyway.

How've you guys been getting along with swapped EG's? What kind of reliability issues come up?

 

isnt a b18c a jdm type r motor?...

 

lets just put it this way.. i knew the kid that wrecked his 94 gsr b18c1, he had 179000 on it. that was a year before i picked it up out of the junkyard that it was hiding.... he was planning on buying it back, this particular junkyard doesnt have many imports so therefore nooone looks for them there so i got a hell of a good deal and i bought it cause he didnt want it i guess, i just put new oil in it and new plugs same wires alt and starter and new filter. and it was a dream..i ran the **** out of it for miles and miles i got like 25000 out of it. it was like around 200000 when i tore her down recently to rebuild.
its a great motor swap very strong and with proper care and maintanecne... cant go wrong.

GOOD luck

 

Haha thanks for the reply

NEW question!

Found another car: H22a EK Hatch, 80k on motor 110k on car. Clean! Asking $6k.

Now I'm stuck between the two

Pros to H22:
-Torque!
-MUCH easier to make 190-200whp n/a
-Newer car
-Cleaner
-Not...teal

Cons
-Quirky trans
-Extra 35-85 (Not sure which, searches were contradictory) lbs up front, so nose heavy
-Torque...In the rain, light fwd car, not so good
-Thirstier than a b18c
-Man alive I hate the butts of EK's

I'm checking both out today, what do you guys think?

 

Meh, I wouldnt go for the H22 EK HB. Like you said, those hb butts on the ek arnt very good looking Also, there are ALOT more ppl that have knowledge about B series motors and also there are alot of parts out there for them. I feel there is alot more potential in a B series then an H series.

 

what paperwork is required if you're in california for a swapped car? just receipts or full VIN documentation from DMV? i'm looking at a car that's kinda similar just to commute as a beater. i'll do more searching i just thought i'd ask.

 

I drive a GS-R swapped EG hatch on a daily basis and I have no problems with it. It's more fuel efficient than the stock automatic D15 that I had in it and has plenty of get up and go for spirited driving and for getting around town.

If everything was done right with the swap and it's up to date on the maintenance (timing belt/water pump, etc.) then I would say go for it. But if it hasn't had the timing belt/water pump you could definitely talk him down a bit on it, just because that's something that it NEEDS to have done in the 100K range.

 

Good point on the belt/pump.

On a separate note, what needs to be done to a GSR eg to get it into low 13's high 12's?

Are we talking i/h/e tune? Or do we actually have to build the bottom end and/or get cams?

I know this has probably been covered a MILLION times, but man there's so much garbage that comes up in my searches and while hours of poring over irrelevant threads has given me a lot of great info, it's usually not exactly what I'm looking for.

 

The easiest way to crack low 13's/high 12's and still keep it a comfortable, streetable car would be a turbo.

 

Jeez, really? What do you guys think a mild build like i/h/e/cams tune would run?

Otherwise, how much--altogether, ALL parts, tune-- realistically would it run to turbo a b18c or even a d16?

 

I'm running I/H/E, low comp. pistons (going turbo later), lighweight flywheel, and an Exedy clutch and my best time so far is a 14.90, but then again I'm not the best driver in the world and I could definitely use better tires (2.3-2.4 60' times, just to give you an idea ).

Realistically, with the basic parts you listed, some good tires, and a bit of traction, you could possibly crack 13's...and if you start to get desperate, start gutting your car out because weight does slow you down, but you're talking about taking just about everything out of your car.

I've heard of people piecing together kits for $1,000-$1,500, but I'd rather just buy a full kit and get it right the first time. Depending on the turbo you choose and everything like that I'd look at spending at least 3 grand on a good, dependable turbo set-up.

 

go check out prices on yoparts.com. he can get alot of low comp pistons, rings, h bean rods, packages supertech weisco ect for 699-799 shipped
good turbo cams for 352-500 shipped all brands some more than others , and i am getting a garret dual ball bearing turbo, for baout 1250 shipped, piping for 200-250, and the fmic for like 300
he has very cheap prices as a member and can get you most everyhting you can find used one ebay for cheaper new.


with that turbo set up a hondata ecu and a good tune im gonna be hitting in the 10 second area with some good trac bars from fullrace and some beefy tires.

you can peice togheter cheaper kits for 250 350 hp for alot less. hes the best placeto shop from where i have found. good luck

 

i say, dont buy a swapped car. I dont think i ever would after swapping my own civic...

I swapped a b16 into my EH3 this summer, i had a ton of fun doing it, and now i know every nook and cranny of my car.

If i knew what i know now, i would most likely buy a GSR swap, but, seeing as i payed the money to get a b16a from hmotors, im keeping it, and im going to make a highway monster.

Ill be spending more than 3000 on a kit and tune... Im looking at the peakboost kit... 60 trim..

Goin to DD the b16 at 275 till i build the block.

But the peakboost kit runs around 2900 (here on HT) then you need injectors and fuel pump (another 300ish dollars) so theres 3200, without having the car tuned. A good tune is spendy i hear.

 

Well guys, I'm definitely not going for anything extreme. To be quite honest I think I'd be happy with a regular old 200ish whp.

UPDATE:

So I checked out the car, and as a testament to my n00bishness, I discovered the following:

-A/C is important. I must have it.
-No power steering = wtf turning in parking lots
-Honda rot...sucks.
-No OEM tach on EG's?! Wtf how are people supposed to know when to shift

How easy/difficult is it to fix these qualms?

 

Bump!

HOW do you guys live with A/C in the summer? It's ludicrous!

 

gs have oem tachs, atleast the 92-95 si's did. not a hard swap to do either if you dont have one.
honda rot does suck but if fixed right can last another 15 yrs,

no power steering does suck but is better for racing i think i deleted my cruise my ps and a/c and interior. love it .
all about personal preference

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Gunmetal Grey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well guys, I'm definitely not going for anything extreme. To be quite honest I think I'd be happy with a regular old 200ish whp.
UPDATE:

So I checked out the car, and as a testament to my n00bishness, I discovered the following:

-A/C is important. I must have it.
-No power steering = wtf turning in parking lots
-Honda rot...sucks.
-No OEM tach on EG's?! Wtf how are people supposed to know when to shift

How easy/difficult is it to fix these qualms?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

-I'll agree with you, A/C is important and you can definitely have it on a swapped Civic...I have A/C on mine.
-Honestly dude, power steering isn't a necessity. I thought it would be at first, but then I drove mine without power steering (originally came with it) and you can't tell a difference unless you're at a complete stand still (and even then, it's not THAT bad).
-Not much experience with the Honda rot.
-Some of them came with tachs...you can pick up a used EX/Si cluster for ~$100 and it's plug and play.