So, Hi, I'm new here and to building cars in general. I recently bought a 2000 Civic EX and would love to get it really running. I read a post here, several actually, that said "Always have a plan and goals" so I wrote mine down. If you guys could check it out and give me some feedback, I'ld really appreciate it. Sorry it's so long, but y'all don't seem to have issues with long posts...lol. Thanks in advance!

2000 Honda Civic EX Build Plan
“Megatron”
My goal is to have a naturally aspirated 140 -150 WHP daily driver. I’m sure tuning won’t be a problem, but I don’t want to get into induction on my first build.
This car will be my DD for a 25 mile, one way, commute. Living in the picturesque Ozark Mountains, I want to be able to cruise the good to great quality winding mountain roads. The roads in town are mostly junk, but we have great highways. This D16Y8 currently has ~164K miles on it. I’m not sure what all had been done to it aside from the stereo system that was already installed when I bought it. I just put new struts in the front, which was dumb, I could have spent a couple hundred $ more, got a Koni suspension kit and installed myself. Oh well, live and learn. Being a working father of 3, I’m definitely on a budget. That being said, I would rather wait for the money to get quality parts than rush into some crappy ones. My experience has always been that you get what you pay for.
Here is the rough draft of my build plan with costs, when possible. Since I’ve never built a car before and I don’t really know anyone who has/does, I’ll really be relying on the community for cost management. Please, let me know what you think and I definitely open to suggestions from those with more experience than me, i.e. everyone.

Engine: I’m not 100% on whether I need to upgrade to a Z6 head with P29 pistons or just use the Pistons. Either head will need to be ported, right?
Z6 Head ~$300
P29’s ~$100
Blox Racing BXCM-20100-Y2 Stage-2 Camshaft $225
Intake: Edelbrock 4756 Performer X Intake Manifold $298
Not sure on Throttle Body, maybe Edelbrock that too ~$300
AEM 22-401P Polished Short Ram Intake System $103
Fuel: Walbro GSL392 255LPH Universal Inline External High Pressure Fuel Pump ~$100
Stock injectors
Exhaust: SMSP Header D16 1 Piece Mild Steel 4-1 Staggered Collector, Jet Hot Ceramic Coating $715


Transmission: Exedy 08801A Stage 1- Organic Clutch $ 247
EXEDY HF501 Chromoly Racing Flywheel $240
B&M 45047 Precision Sport Shifter $51


Suspension: Koni STR.T- Street (Orange) $360.00


Brakes: Conversion: Rear disc conversion. I’m not 100% sure about everything I need for this one, so we’ll have to revisit.


Wheels & Tires: Gotta go with 17’s


Cosmetics: Body is in great shape, a few scratches in the paint, nothing serious. Interior is excellent.

Audio: Just needs a sub. Not a priority.
So, total parts cost as is, $3,039. Obviously, machining and tuning will significantly increase the cost, as well as the rear brake conversion. If I stay with the Y8 head, I’ll save some. Anyway, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

seems sick but i personally never liked rims bigger then 15s may be 16s

 

OP I believe the z6 head has 1 more oil port in the head than a y8 does. Let us know how the build goes. Love Honda SOHC

 

lol 140-150whp N/A d-series will cost you ALOT more then what's listed N/A d-series has come up so many times and got shot down even more. that will 100% need to be tuned if you were to spend money on that 17's no pls don't contribute to giving 90's Honda an already worse name. Since you say this is your first build I don't think you'll have mastered the art of checking clearances with the bottom end bearings.

 

any reason for not wanting to go b series? it'll do that stock, plus you'll have a better geared transmission if you go b16/gsr.

Machining is going to cost you a bit, as you're gonna at the very least need a hone and have the pins pressed out of your stock pistons. Tuning is going to be 400-500 from a reputable tuner.

 

I won't be able to give you good advice on your list so I won't waste your time. Sorry.

What I can say, from experience, is don't forget to include the price of tools, replacement nuts/washers/bolts, and consumables. Add ~5% for consumables like assembly lube, loctite, gasket maker, various greases, shop towels, oil dry, oil, and coolant. Add another ~5-10% to your budget for replacement bolts/washers/nuts. Tools, that depends entirely on what you've already got. Tools can be a huge cost but many can be rented.

Rear disk conversion - there are TONS of threads on this. Check the FAQ section.

What about security?

 

This more then ever ^^ my recent suspension setup cost alot more then I though cause I had to shell out an additional 350$ just for OEM Honda bolts/washers etc. granted 90% of the bolts on my car are new now and with under 2,xxx KM's.

 

OP make sure to install a quality alarm, along with a kill switch or immobilizer of some sort. It will buy you some piece of mind, and that's worth more than any performance parts. Should be the first thing on your to do list.

 

IMHO, you don't need anything more than an OEM flywheel (or Exedy equiv.), and you can probably do much better on the price of the clutch if you shop around.

The Exedy clutch is good though.

The B&M shifter is good but is known to rattle if you follow the mfgr's instructions -- You can mitigate this by using a very heavy grease (something like caliper grease) on the bolt that connects the shifter to the linkage. The directions only specify grease on the outer part of bushing which can cause rattle.

 

I'm hesitant about doing an engine swap for a couple of reasons. 1) I have no idea what I'm doing. 2) I have no place to do it. Apartment living sucks.

That being said, if I could do a b16/gsr swap would worrying about pistons and machining even come into play?

Also would upgraded IM and TB be necessary?

 

Yes, security is on the list, thanks for reminding me.Any recommendations?

 

Ok wait you don't want to remove the engine but somehow you're planning on swapping pistons and rods . pls read more I can't even imagine trying that with the engine still in the car a b-series in more "drop in" then what you're planning and will net more gain to dollar then a a N/A D-series. not on a d-series you'll be hard pressed to see 125whp let along 150.

 

if you don't have a place to swap an engine, how do you think you're going to swap pistons?

a completely stock b16 puts down around 140whp.

 

SMH... this thread fails like all other all motor D series ....if u got money for that just buy a turbo kit much easier to do then a swap...unless u got money to blow and never want to get any back u can try building a N/A d series. most of us do not...

 

Thanks for all the input guys.

After more reading, it seems like going with a turbo is going to be the most cost/time effective way to get what I'm looking for. I would still like to get the P29 pistons though. According to the CR calculators, those alone should get my CR to ~11.2:1. I just need to find a place where I can do the work. I live in NW Arkansas, so if anyone wants to drink beers and work on cars, let me know. I don't really know much, but I've got hands and a strong back.

Also, it seems that the rods are a weak point in the Y8. Would shot peening help this, like I've read or should I just get new rods too?

 

are you planning on going turbo with that compression? not saying it isn't possible just wondering, since they are cast pistons. i think 10:1 would be a better compression ratio.

 

if u use stock pistons to bump compression you will be limited to only using stock rods as they are a press pin setup vs aftermarket floating pin style pistons

 

I know that I could bring the compression down with the head gasket, maybe not that much though. If I do a turbo it's a long way off, so I want to focus on what I can do in the nearer future.

I think that if I stay with the Y8 w/ P29's and then intake/exhaust with turbo in mind, I should see some reasonable gains as long as I got Hondata or something and got it tuned. That should be fine until turbo time, right?

I wonder if getting on a dyno now might help me figure out the best place to start.

Obviously at some point I'll have the engine apart for at least a couple of days, so figuring out the logistics of doing that with my DD is another high priority.

 

11:2:1 isn't going to let you run too much boost you're still thinking in terms of all motor d-series which is futile in terms of cost to power. stock d-series internals are ok to the 200hp area. just save till you can afford to turbo it yes Hondata s300's are great tools for tuning 600$ tho all said and done, plus 4-500 for a good tune.

 

Don't do a "In the meantime" build.

Figure out exactly what you want to do, then do that. Don't buy parts now that you won't be able to use later. Take the time you have now to build up your dream build parts collection. Shop around. Find stuff on sale or used. Save money. If you try and get any improvement in power now, all it will net you is worse gas mileage and a few parts you'll have to scrap when you do turbo. So, it's a double loss. This is, of course, if they're engine parts. Brakes, suspension, etc... are more universal.

Getting on the dyno now won't help you.

You've got a good concept. Now refine it and act on it. If you've got the itch to work on your car, just do tune ups and scheduled maintenance. You'll be a lot happier in the long run.

I look forward to seeing a good build thread out of you.

 

Yes.

 

Definitely a noob build....its okay they will learn about security after they lose it all.

 

OP dont listen to this discouraging mongrel.

Go out right now, and I don't care if you don't have the funds, pull your american express out and get a quality Viper alarm. Believe me, the piece of mind is worth every penny. And while your at it, get a nice Momo or Sparco detachable steering wheel. That way you can take it inside with you when you park.

 

@ tony: Yeah, I know I need some security. I've been looking around and Viper seems to be they way to go ( thanks crazyhouse ). Now, I gotta find one on the cheap.

Build Update: My first part(s) will be new radiator hose(s)!

Pulling in to my parking lot last night after work, I heard a pop. I thought it might have just been a rock under my tire. I head off to work today, look down and I was running hot. So, back to the mini-van till this weekend. Oh well.

 

Alright, my hoses won't be here till tomorrow, but I have to be at work at 8am, so I got some hose tape and new clamps and got to it. Unfortunately, it's 18 degrees and sleeting. Thank God for insulated coveralls and Carhart! I really need those new hoses though. I went with the Skunk2 hoses $101 from Amazon. I'll put some pics up when they're on.