Im going to post pics of the car first but please read the rest of the post because:

a) Ive never owned a DPFI car.

b) Ive never owned an EF hatch.

Ok, heres the car:









The brief history

-I basically got this hatch for 50 bux. Its an 89 DX 5 speed. No motor / transmission.

-Interior removed a while back ( except the dash ).

-Have purchased a fuel cell and racing seat.

-Car has no motor / transmission / engine wiring harness.

Ok, the questions:

How light can I get this thing? Im wanting to get it down to at MOST 2000lbs.
What are your thoughts on this idea:
- Taking the gas tank, and cutting out the bottom of hte rear interior. Not all, but at least the part where a spare tire would generally go.

I also plan on cutting everything in the door out except the door skin itself.

How much lighter would Plexiglas / lex-an be for the rear windows?

What alternatives are there to lightening up the rear hatch?

The motor

Im not going B series! Sorry DOHC guys. I SOHC and have my reasons.

The real question, is D16A6, or D16Z6. I personally have never seen a Z6 run like my past A6's have yet all of hondas specs claim the Z6 produces more power.

What would you guys suggest?

I would like the Z6 for its low mileage and availability, but the A6 is always my favorite unless someone here can say they prefer the Z6 for a good reason.

Depending on which engine I do decide to go with, would be my best wiring option?

Stick with the DX and add wires?


Thanks for your time! Any imput will be appreciated!

-Steve


<FONT COLOR="red">DONT LAUGH AT MY FRONT BUMPER INSTALL! </FONT>

 

Hey,

Looks like you have a nice project car, gotta love the color...
A stock civic weights less than 2000lbs stock, since you staying with a SOHC you shouldn't have any problems staying under it.

 

If you're going for N/A, then I would stick with the A6 which you hold so dearly. I have heard of some pretty mean Z6's, but those are turbocharged. There's a few people on here which can vouch for the power of a turbocharge z6, hopefully they'll find this post, and explain. I don't own one, so I'm no source.

Onto the lexan windows...there is Flexlite, that MMRUSA.com sells..and they claim that you can remove 20-50 lbs from your car. I thought it would have been a bigger number, but I suppose if they sell them, they are the experts. But keep in mind this is "Flexlite" not real lexan (I am assuming), so with real lexan, the difference is probably larger. Here is the link, for you to begin with...

http://www.mmrusa.com/windows.htm

 

Ow ya... sorry i forgot,
With the A6 you will have to do a MPFI swap or anything else for that matter. Much better than your stock DX wiring.
Use the search and look up MPFI, it will have all the information you need you need.

 

First, you want to start out with Si wiring...the entire car (A friend of mine ran into probles mixing and matching, but he was not that smart ). If ou go with a Z6 you could run a Z6 OBD1 harnes, or do an OBD1 coversion on your Si harnes. Either way you want to run OBD1.

Replacing the rear windows is a good idea, You can save alot of wieght. You can also go with either a CF or fiberglass hood, and perhaps fenders. And build a custom dash if you want to.

 

Use a SI wiring harness. Rock the D16a6. I am guessing that a fuel cell is illegal for street use, most states anyways. Look into some suspension upgrades.

 

A fuel cell is just a safety precaution, nothing more, I doubt it's illegal. I think a lot of the old Mustang guys convert over to that since it's considerably safer.... but anyway, go with the A6, but you'll be hard pressed to make too much power without forced induction. Convert to Si wiring, not too hard I belive, and be easy on the car, it looks like you'll get it there.

 

Im located in SC where no one really cares. I could run slicks on the street and they wouldnt give a ****.

The A6 is actually more expensive but my best bet imo. As far as the " si " wiring, would I need to re wire the whole car? theres not going to be any interrior so this really wouldnt be that hard but, where would I find a MPFI wiring harness for the interrrior? will a MPFI CRX interior wiring harness work?

I cant wait to get this thing ready for winter. I really cant stand working on cars in this hot *** humid state but the winter pays off :D