i just bought a 90 civic hb not too long ago.. i have got it through state inspection.. i need some ideas of what to improve on it first as far as performance, and where i could get the best deals on parts.
thanks.

 

I think you should do brakes/tires/suspension 1st.
What is your goal?

 

my goal is to gradually improve the hb due to low funds.. i am thinking about getting some si or gsr rims for it. brakes are in good cond. suspension is something i am debating.. if i want to lower it, and how much i should.

 

intake, exhaust

 

i am thinking of buying a hi-flo cat and muffler off of ebay for cheap, and go to a muffler shop around here to make a custom piping.. or should i order a set out of a catalog? as far as an intake i am hopefully getting my hands on a cold air int. so that will be taken care of.

 

you should be able to purchase a cat, and a cat-back exhaust online. You can put it on yourself. Trust me, you really can.

I suggest buying a 2.25" catback.

You're on your own with the high flow cat. I either run a normal cat, or no cat. Usually a hollowed out cat.

 

so i could hollow out the existing cat to 2.25" instead of going hi flow then?

 

Ebay "high flow cat's" are accually short resonators with cat flanges on them (the one I got was anyway) and will not pass smog!! It will sound better than a gutted cat though.

Personally, If I were you, I wouldn't bother doing anything engine-wise until you've done at least an MPFI swap! the tiny throttle body on the STD Civic is a MAJOR bottleneck and until you get rid of that bottle neck anything else you do to the car won't do squat for power!! Also, If you get a CAI now, and decide to do an MPFI swap later (trust me you will), that CAI won't fit on the new manifold.

for power:
start researching MPFI swaps (lots of info if you search this site)
start looking for an Si transaxle (IMO, made just as much of a difference in my old hatch as the MPFI swap did)

for handling:
a popular lowering height is 1.5-2". My hatch was lowered 2" with 195/50-15 tires and worked out really well. My CRX is lowered 1.5" with 205/50-15. If you're going to drop, get some good quality springs such as Eibach and definately replace the old, worn shocks!!! suspension is definately a place where you don't want to save a buck by using cheap parts. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Keep reading threads on this board, you'll learn a lot from these guys!!! I know I did!

 

I completely agree. You can save your self money/time by getting better oem parts from a junk yard than trying to use ebay parts that won't do anything at all.
1.MPFI
2.SI tranny
3. D16A6 cam/cam gear
4. go nuts

 

what would be the best engine swap for my car? anything better then b16?

 

i dont even know whyyou bought one. i have one and its clean *** ride but that shyt prolly couldnt beat a geo metro. just drive it around for a year and save.

 

i bought it because it was affordable and because i can do a lot with it.. its not my prob u cant deal with yours..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nomotor &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i dont even know whyyou bought one. i have one and its clean *** ride but that shyt prolly couldnt beat a geo metro. just drive it around for a year and save.</TD></TR></TABLE>

because they are excellent Project, weigh next to nothing, just to name a few

 

amen to hybrid.

 

the std's are actually the lightest of the hb's. the first thing i did was a cluster swap so i could have a tach, then si tranny, mpfi, dropped in a z6. actually won class champion in autox with the d15b2 still in it. now i run csp and am not doing bad. definately get an si tranny and the the mpfi swap. i just saw an si tranny on ebay for 50$. it's a great platform to build on and parts are plentiful. the guys in this forum are very helpful. good luck and use search.