Swap Engine or Buy New Car?

[thefooshmeister]

you can swap a d series in a weekend..it really isnt hard..after my motor blew in my hatch i had all the hoses and wires disconnected, the exhaust off, radiator out, and all i had left to do was remove the axles (which can be a pain sometimes depending on if they havent been changed, the ball joints sometimes give ppl the runaround) and loosen the motor mounts all on the first night i got it. you can take it apart (tranny, block, head) but itll take longer and you might as well pull it out as one unit. i put a b series in the crx but it takes a little while to sit right since its bigger. i dont think youll have much of a problem doing it with it all the help threads. have you looked at hondatech's removal guide? i think ami might have one on her site but i just used internet guides with pictures and the handy dandy haynes manual. just keep your nuts and bolts organized since its your first time. then if you get another honda down the road youll be able to do it pretty much from memory. im lucky i didnt have to do the mpfi wiring tho. the only problem is now since i didnt work on my b16 when it was out i now have to change the clutch, so id definately change gaskets, and replace anything else like belts that have been sitting for a while

[skate1968]

Update: My car is no longer a candidate for an engine swap. I'd be better off buying another Civic than trying to salvage my own.

I've received some really sad news. Based on the my conversation with three different mechanics (1) i've concluded that my EF is no longer a good candidate for an engine swap.

About six or seven months ago little rust spots that appeared on the rocker panels. I didn't think they were that big of a deal. They got worse. (the car was totaled many years ago and the rust slowly developed in the area which was once repaired -- it did hold together well for approximately 14 years)

Yesterday a body shop guy -- a friend of a friend who is decent -- told me that it be from 300 to 450 to fix. He said he'd have to weld steel to it. There wasn't enough good metal for it to be a 'bondo' job.

This rocker panel by itself isn't terribly significant. But i've also got a new oil leak. Mechanics said it looks like a rear main seal. The car as other issues also.

(1) Years ago i met up with these wonderful Puerto Rican guys. They've been a great help to me and saved me oodles over the years. And I'm quick to recommend them to anyone.

But now they're advising me to hang it up.

Now, when two Puerto Rican mechanics from North Philly tell you that your 4rth generation civic isn't worth salvaging -- that's really bad! Whereas if this advice came from some white guy from the burbs I wouldn't be concerned.


Thanks to all on this forum for providing me with a lot of good info over the years.