So I have a '97 Accord with an F22B2 engine. I am looking to do some kind of build. My budget is not that high I am trying to keep it under $2,000. Any suggestions on what I can do would be greatly appreciated. I know I can do a turbo build but what would I exactly need to change or do I just need a turbo kit? Also I wanted to go NA but I know that would be very expensive. Also if I did go NA what kind of numbers would I be pushing out? My goal is to get to at least maybe 250-300hp overall. The more detailed the replies the better! I want to gain more knowledge.

 

If your looking for 250-300whp. Boost is the only way to get even close to that on a $2k budget. Even that would take some major shopping abilities to piece together a reliable setup and get it tuned.

• Turbo and related parts
• Tunable Engine management system (stand alone EMS or OBD1 chipped ECU)
and the most important part of a good build,
• A proper tune.

To gain more knowledge you should take what I have given you and do some research. The more you research the more you will be able to make your own decision. If you don't know about something, search. Google and reading are your best friends if you are looking to gain knowledge. Or go down to your local tuning shop and talk to them about your goals. Your in SoCal there should be two or three shops around.

Whatever you do, please do not go anywhere near Gen5alive! His prices may sound good, but he is far from a tuner or a mechanic.

 

Before I even start my car is an automatic would it make any sense or be ok to turbo it? I wanted a manual but this is what I had to work with. I don't want to do a swap as that alone is a lot of money. If I do keep it I might do a 5 speed swap later on.
Well I have been researching plenty it's just that some of the things I am completely lost. Looks like I will be doing a turbo build. I have seen builds with less than my budget if I find the parts used such as an intercooler or manifold would that be ok? I am looking to not spend that much money.

So far I have gathered that I would need a
turbo manifold
turbo
injectors
wastegate
intercooler
blow off valve
charge piping(would it be rubber or aluminum?)

Also as you can see I live in California with our rigorous smog tests and what not. Building a turbo would not let me pass smog emissions correct? What can I do to still be able to legally drive it?

 

You'll probably blow up an auto F22 tranny with that much power.

 

Running a turbo at a 7 psi I would? Well I don't really want to do a 5 speed swap because of the cost of the parts. If I can find them for under maybe $300 or $400 from a junkyard then why not.

 

With 250-300 horsepower you would. If you don't mind swapping out a tranny once a month then go for it. But that's not how I like to spend my weekends. If you don't mind then by all means do it.

 

parts alone for a 5spd swap would set you back about $400-500 (thats how much I sold my package off a parts car for). And judging by your posts your gonna need some one to do it which will set you back alot...

for the turbo $2k is a tight but managable budget If you do all the work yourself (except for the tune and downpipe fabrication) but its gonna take a hell of alot of searching for good deals. Ive been pieceing together a kit for the past couple of months and you need to be patient if you have a tight budget. tune and ecu alone could easily cost you close to $1000.

 

unless you have a satation wagon, it would prob be cheaper to just find a manual car. i just did the 5spd swap conversion on my wagon. very time consuming. by time you source all the parts, invest time, and hope everything works you prob could of found a nice cheap ex 5spd for short money.

 

Well the thing is that I just bought this car because I needed something as a DD. It was the cleanest car overall for the money but I was looking for something manual, but I settle for this even though it was auto because of the low miles and it had been taken care of. So I doubt I would keep the car for more than a year I don't really see a point in selling it and buying something else. I guess I will just either find a trade or drive this.

 

Not really much sense in sinking a couple grand into a turbo build if your just going to get rid of the car in a few months. Might as well save up for a year and make your next one a faster car off the hop.

Low budget and you want to keep it a reliable daily driver = leave it as is or do a simple SR/CA intake, header and exhaust build. Then enjoy a reliable and cheap ride for a year!

 

Well it would be exactly one year, and not specifically get rid of it just not drive it as often as I do now.

Also think of it from my position. I wanted to drop money in so I could gain the knowledge and know what to do with my next car. It's pretty useless having money sit in a bank account because you gain nothing other than the money which is a material possession. Spending money on building my car I can have practice, experience and knowledge. But I will get a SR intake, and exhaust. I will see about which header is the best. I've read that the EX's header is similar to the one by DC, so I will look into that.

 

Not quite sure what to say to that.

Good luck making your decision. Hopefully you can stick to it longer than a day!

 

Sounds exactly like me. The main reason I am going turbo in my accord is for the experience and knowledge I gain. I am only doing 8psi boost to try to keep it as reliable as possible and get some nice gains. But Im hoping this will be good experience so when I graduate and get a good job I can pick up a nice project car and do a really serious build (mkIII supra or something).

If you really enjoy working on cars you can't go a full year without moding it. I bought my accord as a reliable transition car but now I am sticking a turbo in it. lol.

also if you every get the chance, I picked up a wrecked car for parts and completely tore it apart and parted it out. Its a really good experience and you will learn alot from it. good luck with whatever you do.