Hey there I’m sort of new to the Honda scene and “big” projects like dropping a trans I have never dropped a trans but Im the kind that would like to learn about everything before I do a job so I can do it “smoothly” im not afraid of doing this job just I never done something like this so that is why ive come here for help from the community about getting what I need to do this project.

Now I can provide more information if needed but I have 2000 civic dx sedan with the d16y7 in it but I would like to put in a manual transmission because I’ve been seeing some for cheap in my area and I would like to put in a y8 VTEC head and I have heard them called as a mini me swap but I’m not to sure and I would just like to see if you guys can help me build up a list of parts and little odds and ends for me to complete the swap and I can provide info if that is needed.

Thank you for looking at my post and trying to help me out with this project.

 

buy yourself a copy of the factory service manual. many folks are fine with the PDF version, but I always preferred having a hard copy and I think they're well worth the price. $80-100 used on ebay. the electrical troubleshooting supplemental manual would be helpful too if you find a deal for both.

usually for a manual swap, finding a non-runner or wrecked parts car is the most cost effective way to get it done. And if it were me, I would look for a complete Y8 swap with matching 5 speed. So look for an EX parts car. You'll want more than just the VTEC head to make the mini-me worthwhile, all you're really saving is the cost of the short block. You would end up needing to resurface the block and head anyway to do it right so go all in and get a complete engine that you can freshen up and drop in.

if the search feature here in the forum isn't giving you the results you're looking for, try searching in google with "site:honda-tech.com/forums" in there. that usually works best for me.

everything you're talking about has been discussed ad nauseum for the past 25 years here. the posts will probably have broken links on most of the photos, but the info is there.

 

Thank you man I really appreciate it for you directing me to the place I should be looking for info on I know these things have been done before but the search wouldn’t really give me what I needed to know thank you once again.

 

I paid around the following prices for the stuff I pieced out, 350ish for a EX Transmission, 120ish OEM Transmission and rear mount, 100 for clutch, 50 for flywheel, 100 for pedals, 50 for linkage and 200ish for the MPC S2000 Clutch master/slave kit. I probably could have gotten the clutch master/slave cheaper. You might as well do the rear main seal and axle seals while you are in there too.

This was back in the summer of 2023 and had a friend's shop do it for me for 500 (the heavy lifting part) and have the bare minimum of it just moving again (My auto transmission died). The other stuff extra stuff like sealing the floor, wiring, and proper ECU was all done later by myself.