I recently purchased a 1996 civic dx 5 speed, and wanted the know the best way to make more power. I heard my engine cant support much boast and i planned on installing a turbo on it. Would it be better for me to swap in a different motor, like an h22 or something, or build up the engine in it and boast it?

 

Click the link in my sig.

 

don't boast it its a D.

boosting it would be preferable.

 

haha....boasting is a crime in some counties.

 

Iv seen plenty of boosted stock D series. I'm pretty sure if you install everything right and get a good tune it will be fine.

 

be careful with boost though... they can be a money pit even on a good build make sure u invest into a 5 layer cosmetic head gasket arp head studs and rod bolts and everything else thats needed to keep your car in good running condition. how much are you trying to spend on the build?

 

How do you figure? Build it and keep it maintained. How is it a money pit?

 

Thanks, thats some great info.

 

I was hoping to spend between $1500 -$2000.

 

You're not going turbo with that small of a budget.

 

and if you want over 200hp, then an oil port will be needed for the D.

and youll need 3+ grand after kit, injectors,tune, misc stuff, clutch, mounts and anything else that might break

 

Here's an honest and blatant answer:
If you are on a budget and don't know much about fixing up Hondas, I would suggest keeping the car the way it is. Boosting a D-series non-VTEC motor and achieving that power you hope for is nearly impossible....especially for under $2000. Research and learn as much as you can....and get a b-series swap instead.

 

b swap will always get walked by a boosted D

and the Bswap will cost just about the same as boost (if not half ***'n it)

 

B series swaps can be done cheap, realistically it can be done for a grand or less for a B18 LS swap if you get used linkage, T bracket. Adding a few hundred more and doing maintenance would be very wise though. You should replace the timing belt and such on any swap though, it's the easiest and best time to do it before it goes in.

Boost is the best way to make power. A B18 LS makes 140 stock. A GSR makes 170 or so stock. It doesn't have to be super expensive, there are places you can cheap out safely. You don't need a Cometic head gasket, an OEM MLS gasket is fine. Most people who actually race, run OEM head gaskets since they hold the best. And all lowering the compression does is requires more boost to make the same power and makes it more of a dog out of boost. I have 9.5:1 compression on my GSR motor and wish I would have gone 10:1 if not a bit higher. You have to be a bit more careful, but it's advantageous especially if you may not boost for a while or have to go back to NA for some reason. You don't need huge injectors, a $50 set of DSM 450s will work for a lot of people. Smaller injectors will idle better also than huge injectors, around 880cc on peak and holds, they don't like to idle our motors very smoothly. I know because I monkeyed with some 880cc Precision injectors and could not get a smooth idle at 875rpm on my GSR motor. eBay intercooler piping is the cheapest option for piping, just crimp the ends of the piping to keep the couplers from blowing off, I did it by modifying a pair of channel locks with a grinder to put a ridge in the pipe. EBay intercoolers work for most people, just keep in mind they aren't the most efficient and heat soak, but they're fine for a DD. EBay wastegates and blow off valves are fine, plenty of people use them. There are some cast turbo manifolds that are fine. Read around, find one with the wastegate located by the turbo flange and you should be fine. Just don't get a tubular manifold. If you want a tubular manifold, get one from AFI Turbo. That's where I got mine, they make good stainless ramhorns and aren't as expensive as Full Race and such. For your clutch, OEM is fine to a point. Axles are fine to a point. OEM rods in most motors can handle some boost. A friend has a D17A1 bottom end in a 7th gen Civic and is pushing 10lbs on a Precision 6062 I think (I hate using pressures as a measurement here, but it's never been dyno'd).

I know people are going to say "but Crome works". A friend had Crome on his GSR turbo car and it ran, but not as smoothly and well as mine running Hondata does. Maybe Crome pro or Uberdata could work, but you have to spend money here. The engine management is where you get your reliability and drivability.

Head studs are not technically required. They are recommended and a wise investment because the cost of new head bolts is more after 2 times of taking the head off. You can reuse head bolts at least once, but let's not discuss this especially when talking boost.

For the turbo, get a used Garrett or some name brand at least, or a turbo used by an automaker. There are a lot of T3s off 2.3L Mustangs, as well as various other turbos floating around cheap. Just don't get a chinese made turbo. Some last and make alright power, but a lot grenade and blow up your engine.

Realistically, can be done for a couple to few thousand, but the bigger the budget, the better the quality parts and fewer problems you'll have.

 

I won't contest that a boosted D series can be quick. Having a reliable B series swap is cheaper than a reliable boosted D series though. I could piece a B swap together for $1k easily and a stock engine swap is going to be reliable, I could put a B18C1 together for under $1k. It's said you can turbo for $1k if you shop around for parts. That's not saying using top quality fittings and a new turbo and all that, that's a used turbo and almost every eBay or craigslist

 

Is this your dd

 

Yea it is my dd. These are plans i wouldnt go through with for a couple months so im gunna save alittle more to put towards it. The ls engine swap sounds promising. Theres a good junk yard near me i could check out.

 

I don't know why people are saying you can't boost for <$2k. My total setup, including tuning, came in just a ****hair under $2k, and the only thing that came off eBay was the piping.

Do a lot of searching around in the FS section, and try to find a regional forum with a good FS section. The manifold, turbo, and downpipe will be the most expensive part. Grand total I spent $500 for mani/turbo/dp, $150 on a mishimoto intercooler, $80 on piping with BOV, $120 on chipped P28 with basemap, $180 on injectors and resistor, about $100 on random misc. nuts, bolts, wires and ****, and $500 on a tune, and I'm putting down around 180WHP @ 10PSI with zero problems.

Its all about shopping around and buying smart. No impulse buys. It took me about a year to get all of the parts together.

 

How long ago was it done?
Parts + labor + a good tune are more expensive nowadays than they used to be due to inflation.

 

Turbo isn't a bad way to go. There's pros and cons with everything. I have a eg with a b16a engine but I'm not going to just build that up. I'm doing a ls/vtec all motor. Why? Cuz it's what I want. Regardless what people think. Do your research figure your funds and run with it.

 

I see in your sig you have a K24 motor for sale for $600....you think a K-swap with ECU, wiring, trans, mounts, and axles etc would run less than a turbo D16 if you hooked the OP up with this motor?
Which K24 motor is it?
Accord or TSX?

If it's the TSX, that's 200hp+ right there, just as good as a mild turbo (and more torque!) without boost needed.
Just sayin

 

It's a k24a4 out of a accord. Still a good motor I got it for 700 at the junkyard my buddy worked at that car was totaled. Motor has 64k on it. I was putting it in my eg till I got hit and had to total it out.

 

No. That would be the most expensive swap to perform.

 

KPro is still the big expense. Mounts are coming down. There are ways to reuse some oem parts. Wiring schematics are around to make your own harness. Engines really aren't that expensive. Finding a good tranny is still kind of expensive.

 

Well, nvm then XD;
Maybe in a few years...