I wanted to make a build thread for me to remember what I did to my car and to also get advice from this awesome forum as I build my car.

I started looking for a 4 cylinder for a daily because I drive a 4runner which gets me 15-17 to the gallon. The idea to get a civic hatch then came around. here's a photo of my 4runner.



ok enough of that gas guzzler!

After weeks of searching I finally found a virgin ej hatch. Long story short I did a deal with someone on craigslist that claimed their EM1 was clean (which was my first choice) turned out to be crap! Glad that deal went sour and I came home with a 98 civic hatchback DX, purchased for $2,600 with 20x,xxx miles. Really surprised at how clean the car was inside and out with the amount of miles on the body. I am now the proud 3rd owner of this hatch. ideas are now running through my head day in and day out, you guys know what I mean i'm on the net 24/7 reading and getting ideas.





Soon after I started ordering parts and needless to say I hate waiting for parts to arrive!







Then I started taking things apart. I went ahead and replaced the front brake disc because the car would shake when I brake. I went with koni yellow/ground control coilover setup which was highly recommended in this forum. I'm very impressed with the ride quality, its will be my daily so I went with 300/250 for now.

 

This is what it looked like after installing koni/gc coilover and 15x7 gt3 wheels. I also bought some crap ebay lips. Note to self stop buying crap from ebay!! lol





The car had little dings here and there and that was bothering me big time so I was on the market on getting it repainted, the paint was still in good shape but I wanted it clean. So the battle for white or a darker silver happened and my buddy's s2000 convinced me to the darker side.





here's the end result, I also added an SIR front lip because that ebay crap lip was just not going to cut it. Really loving the color, it gets lighter as the sun hits it.





Then I started really looking into the wheels, I didn't think the polished lip with gold spokes were hitting the spot so I plasti dipped them black.



Then recently I plasti dipped the other side in white, I think white gives it a better contrast with the darker color body.

 

So i'm getting my feet wet with the idea of doing an engine swap. I've been reading a whole lot regarding the swap and just can't make up my mind between going b16a sir or b18c type-r. There's a big price difference of $1,400-$1,800. I have been looking at HMO's site and JHS. If you guys have any input or ideas on the swap please let me have it While deciding on the swap I also ordered a type-r rear lip from someone here in the forum. Planning on learning how to paint so i'll be watching my buddy do the paint and hopefully pick up some pointers.

 

What model is it? What r u looking to use it 4? R u gonna race it?

 

Buys car. 1st purchase, Rotas.....

 

Rotas are actually a halfway decent fit for Hondas, in multiple ways. First off, they're made in the correct sizes and offsets. Second off, they're within the right price range - inexpensive wheels for an inexpensive car. Finally, they're reliable, as long as you don't go making them do something they aren't supposed to do.

 

It's a dx. I don't have racing in mind but I will not exclude it in the future. Maybe auto cross or drag 3-4 times a year. Though I don't plan to install any turbo but just basic bolt ons. It will be my daily driver.

As for the rotas they are an easy replacement for stock and when you don't want them someone will. I have work wheels on my is250, paid almost 2k for the set and just last week my wife bent a wheel and tore the sidewall of a tire. It was a rainy night and she thought it was just a puddle of water. Turned out to be a pothole. I do plan on getting a more aggressive setup for the future but for now the rotas will do just fine.

 

Honestly unless ur really gonna race a light turbo setup might b the best 4 u. U can gain good power, keep most of ur good mpg, wont have to scrap ur ac/ps or worry about any of the things u would with a swap like harnesses, ecu, mounts ect. I would suggest the d15b vtec or y8 though (with slight reinforcement), a lil more power plus vtec. Either way ur pumping premium and 4 less money u could b destroying type r's (if u wanted). And if u ever felt like u needed more power u could always boost more. With a good tune though and not a ridiculous amount of psi turbos really wont damage ur engine as long as u dont drive crazy.



PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE THIS POST. POST LEFT HERE FOR REFERENCE ONLY. HAS BEEN COPIED TO IT'S OWN THREAD FOR EVERYONE'S RESPONSES. THREAD CAN BE FOUND HERE.

 

Sub to see how this looks in the end

 

didn't want to turn this thread into a healthy debate I do value the advice given here. I have been doing my research and I have excluded a turbo d series and decided with a B series swap. Plus, the B series sits beautifully in the bay At the moment the idea of turbo has not crossed my mind, mainly because I want the car to be a NA daily that is fun to drive. I will not get too much into racing the car. My over all goal is a nice, clean enthusiastic vehicle to drive as my daily.

 

You will be much happier with the B18 than the B16. Both are extremely easy to retain power steering and a/c. Although, I've been hearing good things about H2B setups. Something worth looking into for sure...

 

I moved the D series turbo debate to it's own thread to clean up and unhijack your build thread.

 

nice love the colour where did you get the sir lip ?

 

Neat looking houses ! But on the car note no replacement for displacement when stsyimg N/A you'll enjoy the extra torque and 200/130 over 170/113. Guess swapping higher c/r pistons in isn't in your sighs yet ? 12:5:1‘s and pro 2's would meake some reall nice power.

 

thanks, purchased off ebay once again The fit was good after 2 people, 1 hour of installation and about 10 screws..lol. I'm scraping everywhere, The area I live in puts dips on major street crossings I don't want to risk breaking an OEM lip so this is a cheap option for the time being.

I haven't gotten into swapping pistons. To be honest I have very little knowledge when it comes to engines. I want to add more power to the hatch so its more fun to drive while keeping a good to decent MPG. Driving my friends b18 and b16 is nothing compared to driving my d16.

Ultimately I want to learn the mechanics though this will be in a long period of time because my schedule hardly allows it. I want something that is easy to maintain and reliable while I learn as I go grow with it.

 

That 4runner omg

 

As far as engine goes are you looking to do it yourself? i'd definitely go with a b18! have you considered doing a mini me swap or a z6 swap?

 

I will be doing the swap myself along side a friend who has successfully performed a b16a swap on his EG. I haven't really considered a mini me swap or a Z6. I will look into it though. People tell me that they eventually turn to a B series swap. here's a photo of the current setup. I feel the wheel offset or width needs a to be bit more aggressive.

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That's a beautiful picture! Kudos!

 

thanks! I recently replaced the cracked window molding. 16 years has taken its toll.



also took some photos in the garage.

 

Very nice house.and cars ,in what state do.you live ?

 

thanks, I live in texas. Doing a type-r lip install, I thought this was going to be an easy install. Had to take the entire bumper off to make sure I get a perfect fit. seems like I need to drill holes to use the mounts on the lip to get a tight fit, otherwise it will hang loose.

 

So clean! Love the white side wheels

 

cool window on your garage

 

Subd