Has anyone been successful installing a 4-1 header into a B swapped EF chassis? I like the "Hytech" style but it states that I will not clear the stock crossmember. I have cut off the front trans bracket to fit a 4-2-1 header, but am I stuck having to settle for one? I see that the SPfab header will clear but will a regular 4-1 header fit into the car?

I took some pics with my cell phone of the "Hytech" style on a motor we had sitting on a stand:






Hard to tell if this will work! Not sure if I will have to cut away at the actual crossmember and not just the bracket.

 

As long as you run a traction bar you should be fine. otherwise it might hit the OEM crossmember

 

Not going to happen without major crossmember mods or traction bar.

 

So basically i'm stuck with an eBay 4-2-1 header? Sucky!

 

Here is what I did....It takes an angle grinder and welding skills, but hey, it saved me a few hundred dollars. Boxed it in with steel and welded and painted.






happy car

 

u need traction bar for sure!!! to able to run n for clearance

 

SIred91: Crossmember looks very good!

Just make sure that the stock has reinforcements like SIred's does and you will be fine. When I bought my car it had a LoveFab 4-1 header, they had to cut it slightly, but I found out shortly it started to crack where they notched the xmember and I'm lucky it didn't break on me. I just bought a traction bar as I needed it for the turbo setup I was going for.

 

I don't know... that crossmember cut-out looks like it needs more. I know you covered the holes, but you lost about 1/2 the material still.

 

If your willing to spend the money on a hytech header you know whats worth the money. dont be cheap and hack up a stock one. You can get traction bars for like $150

 

Thats some nice work, SIred! Kudos to you and your welding skills!

Cidone - cheapest traction bar I've found so far is $269. To need to buy that makes putting on a 4-1 header pointless. I would spend $269 plus shipping for a crossmember and another $200+ for the header. Now I don't mind spending the money on the header if it would clear, or if I had SIred's welding skills (and tools), but if you take into consideration the fact you would spend upwards of $500, either to get the SPfab header, or to get the Hytech + crossmember, its really not worth gaining an extra 5 hp over the $50 eBay header! With that kind of difference in price I could probably get a used JRSC or a Type R intake manifold with some cams!

 

$150 look in to it http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CIVIC...Q5fAccessories

 

Ya that seller has them all day.

 

It looks good and I would definitely consider it. 2 things are holding me back:

1) I know somebody with one of these on his CRX. He always complained to me that he wished he had bought a better one.

2) I could get a Type R manifold locally, right now for $100. Is it really worth the extra $150 for this? The car will be getting tuned, and I really doubt this header will make more than an extra 5 hp over the 4-2-1. For the extra cost I will have to say

I have had some bad luck already with this car with welded nuts inside the frame coming free. I don't think I want to even take any chances taking the old one off!

 

Will the JDM ITR 4-1 fit in the bay?

 

not without cutting or traction bar. Any header that stacks all four tubes will not fit.

 

Trust me, that area is stronger than the rest of teh crossmember put together.
Its 1/8th steel plate, the crossmember is 1/16th steel, PLUS its why you box it in, it creates a part of the crossmember that will NEVER bend, unlike the rest of it, lol.

 

And FYI .. the "cheap" crossmembers on ebay are HORRIBLE. They break welds very often at the ends where the bar will then come apart and pole vault you to the next county.

I also changed out the bushings for some new ones and NO wheel hop now whatsoever.

 

if you really want to get what you pay for and quality work go with the full race traction bars and front crossmember setup...thats what i got and you wont regret it

 

Ya i had one on my K swap CRX. The one and only thing i dont like about it is ground clearance but other then that its worth ever penny. Not alot of people want to spend that kinda money on a traction bar when they dont even make 200whp

 

I've got to agree with you, I notched mine the same way that you did, and that part of the crossmember is stronger than any other part of it.

To the OP, I knew a guy running the hytech he had to run an aftermarket front crossmember. I'm running 4-1's on my LS with a stock notched front crossmember. If you were close by, I'd sell you a stock notched front crossmember for cheap.

 

unfortunately, i live on the opposite coast! interested in shipping it? pics?

cidone - i completely agree with the 200whp statement. for what i'm doing, its definitely not worth dropping the $$$. for the money, SPfab's header is the cheapest way to go for 4-1 in an EF!

 

I know that's why, I would have done it for cheap if you traded me your stock crossmember, I don't have pics of the SPECIFIC crossmember but I have pics of the one on my car, basically the same thing, but if you were willing to pay shipping then yea I don't mind.





I am also in the process of making my own "traction bar" with a square tube instead of the round tube like you see on the ebay version, and the mount points for the radius rods will be cut so that it slips onto the square tube and not just a welded "Tab" as I like to call it, this will give it extra strength and prevent premature failure. I'm also going to add tabs to the bottom to be able to mount a radiator and ac condenser from an EK as I plan on keeping my car fully loaded besides power steering.

 

i have the dc4-1 and i had to notch a little peice out of the crossmember, but it also depends on your mounts. i had oem crx sir and it cleared fine, but then i got solid mounts and i had to cut a little bit off to make it fit