Hey everyone,

This is my first post I ever made and I should’ve done this years ago but here we go. I started learning everything about Hondas about 3 to 4 years ago out of high school. I got into them because I was under the impression that you could buy a Honda or Acura (civic or teg) and it would be the cheapest and easiest thing in the world to build and that classic American cars like Chevys are too expensive to own. I got hooked by watching old JDM videos and civics beating cars that shouldn’t be beaten like v8s and even v12s.

Years pass after I’ve dealt with them and I’ll save yall the time I didn’t enjoy them that much other than the MPG. I don’t believe they’re as straightforward as other cars and I don’t think they’re as cheap as ppl make them out to be especially if you wanted to go
k series.

Why am I here then? I want to give them another shot and I want to start flipping them for profit. I’ve been procrastinating for awhile and finally bought all the necessary tools (engine hoist and engine stand was the last recent purchase) that I need to work on the fall on project. I want to work on one as practice but also cause the classic car guys want more upfront. I found a cheap civic and integra near me in north Texas.

There’s a guy selling a b18b for dirt cheap on marketplace and I’m looking at this as an opportunity. Now here’s the MAIN reason why I’ve kinda moved on from them as I learned more… it’s the ECUs. THIS is the reason why I don’t like them. The ECU is literally the brain of the car and if that’s not working or isn’t compatible then it won’t work.

89-00 Hondas and Acuras are getting older by the year and it’s getting harder to find obd1 ECUs. On top of that you have to drop $500 (assuming you have an obd1) for a Hondata. OBD2 is even worse and if you’re doing any other kind of swap like going K series you’ll need to drop even more money JUST to get it running. I’m not sure if anyone else while they were learning about Hondas was scratching their heads the same way I was when you found out you can’t just use any ECU for it to work… that gets so annoying and makes me frustrated.

Idk… I’m on here trying to see if someone can help me get over this hump. Cause I don’t want to have the headache of trying to work on or flip these cars and I have to worry that I can’t find an ecu to get it running or if I do for cheap. I should’ve tried years ago but I’m still young and want to get my hands dirty but that’s the REAL reason I haven’t started or tried.

thank yall for reading. I would like to hear y’all’s tips, opinions, reasonings and recommendations on this topic. Just keep it real with me in a respectful manner.

This is the engine I’m buying for $150