Big Plans!!!!need Some Help

[cody_stl]

A month ago i purchased a '91 Civic dx/si not sure.title says dx,car says si,has a d15b2 in it,i assume it HAD a d16 cause i know the morons put a different engine iin it.Only 119000 miles on the car,90000 on engine,traded my hand me down 98neon for it,so not bad.I live in the middle of nowhere,the idiot hicks that lowered it did it with 3.00" drop springs(prolly $30 shit ones too) and did not change the shocks,nor fix the camber.i am gettin some Neuspeed .75" softsport springs for X-Mas,cause the roads out here SUCK too bad for a slammed ride and I plan on buying some KYB shocks.
I live an hour from Saint Louis and my home town where i spend most of my time is about 40 minutes from the Lou as well.Population 20000,no real badass cars,but like a PLAGUE more and more SRT-4's are showing up with punkass kids who barely know how to drive a manual,cause mommy and daddy thought,it has four doors,cant kill himself in that.HAH.

So,my point being stated you know what my oposition is.Before spending my nights in STL with the STL Street Race club that meets on Lindburg every saturday,i think i need to be able to at least dominate this shit ass town.
I am putting my system in it,so weight reduction is a dead issue.lol.
I am a rookie at complex auto custom operations,i have 6months training under my belt as Auto Tech,and i am Re-enrolling is school for a 2year in the same.I have a job that pays well but this car will be built slowly,paycheck by paycheck.it is reliable right now,but looks like hell(stock rims,hail damge,partially painted plastic body trim,etc.)First i am gonna Sand,bondo/fiberglass all body trim,meaning i am ripping it of,i like smooth lines,and a body kit,lookin at some silver mettallic paints.
First of all,painting on my own with no experience it it,making a temp painting boooth of plastic tarp,with a decent spray gun...could it turn out descent?if i take some practice runs,and do my research?any tips?i wanna save money.With the body kit,nesassary bondo/fiberglass,and paint,i wanna keep it under 1k.this possible?any polyurethyne body kit recommendations?i heard that fiberglass kits break easy,and poly is nearly in-destructible.i want a kit that doesnt have a bunch of points and looks like it should be on a spaceship.lol.simple,durable,under 500 bucks.
PERFORMANCE: i need something that will eat up these damn NEONS,and for those SRT-4 fanatics.....THEY ARE NEONS....period.i hear that argument alot.I am interested mainly in putting out some high torque,around the neighborhood of 200ftlbs.i was thinking of a b18b1 engine.i would like to stay naturally aspirated if possible.I also wanna keep this whole engine under 6k....or am i dreaming?Porting,polishing and all this other lingo....is this exspensive?if nessasary i can go turbo,and N2O,but...and this is a big but....with all this power i want,and all that.....it has to be RELIABLE,this ride has to KEEP getting me to work and school.i cant have a turbo or n20 blowin shit up,and causing breakdowns.it is a daily driver.So,can i put up these power goals,with reliability,and under 6k(including engine,trans,mods)?
i am mainly interested in being able to hold my head up when a srt4 rolls by.NOT TO MEANTION,my city has 2 i have seen,but prolly 3 or 4 EVO's runnin round.those would be a big goal,but i wanna keep this whole project under 10k,8k hopefully.Right now my first concern is the paint,and body work,bodykit selction and what not,i want it to look good first.then,it will be BAD.Hit me with some suggestions,and ideas.
thanks guys

[turtlecrxsi]

You have a long road ahead of you. The only way you can dream of hanging with SRT-4 is with a fully built turbo b-series engine. My advice is to read a lot in the "forced induction" section of the forum. I think Honda even has a subforum for it alone.

As far as body kits, the poly-urethane WW kit is the smoothest IMO. Bondo is easy to work with but tough as hell to make nice and smooth unless you have all the tools of the trade (which I did not).

If you do decide to make your own paint booth remember to wear a mask specifically designed for using actual paint (not primer) or you'll end up dead.

[clawhammer]

I would look into a K20 swap. With boltons, ECU reflash, cams you are looking at 230-250 fwhp which will even hang with an evo. Cost: 5-6k for the engine, 2-3k for the rest of the engine work.

[civicdemon91]

u don't have't to go all out i have a friend with a hatch with a b16a swap with a little work an he's keepin with srt4's no lie

[cody_stl]

WOW....that was some quick replies.Thanks guys.I figured building a engine to keep with srt4's would be a pain.The k20 option is out of thee question,too much money.and i am a novice when it somes to engine swaps,which is why i have to stick with B series stuff,cause i heard they are easiest. Anyone work with fiberglass strips,instead of bondo? Plus,ummmmm,i really shouldnt need as much power as a SRT4 does to go as fast should i,when you compare the weight of the two vehicles?i should need significantly less power,you would think so anyway.i have heard the B18B LS engine is a good one for boosting,true?But i have also heard something about LS blocks dont have oil squirters,what is this?With the SRT4 goal aside,what is a list of stuff i could do to a b-series engine to keep it naturally aspirated and fast and torquey?I can only think of,exhaust,chip,ecu,intake,and thats about it,but there must be more. Is it true body kits never quite fit right?what is the WW body kit?where can i find it online?Thanks guys

[civicdemon91]

If i were you just go ls zc stay no vtec go for torgue an go either ls vtec or even better get a b20block an go for a b16a head stronger than a gsr head an do crvtec or just do whatever you want it all depends of what you wanna go for as for me i wish i just went zc an went the turbo route

[turtlecrxsi]

To stay NA, you should probably investigate light weight crank and alternator pulleys and a light weight flywheel.

[cody_stl]

Originally Posted by civicdemon91

If i were you just go ls zc stay no vtec go for torgue an go either ls vtec or even better get a b20block an go for a b16a head stronger than a gsr head an do crvtec or just do whatever you want it all depends of what you wanna go for as for me i wish i just went zc an went the turbo route

I thought ZC's were 2nd rate motors?Never hear much about em,unless they are being swapped for b series engines.thanks for your reply.I have looked into the LSVtec and CRVtec and from what i gather they arent exactly meant for reliability or daily driving.correct me if i'm wrong.

[clawhammer]

Originally Posted by cody_stl

I thought ZC's were 2nd rate motors?Never hear much about em,unless they are being swapped for b series engines.thanks for your reply.I have looked into the LSVtec and CRVtec and from what i gather they arent exactly meant for reliability or daily driving.correct me if i'm wrong.

You're right on that point. They're hard to build so they're done right. A B20 was never meant to spin up to 8-9k, rpms where the b16 vtec head shines.
IMO k20 is still the best there is. I mean just after the swap which will cost $6k you will be able to keep up with the srt-4, and you still have lots of potential left in that engine for later on when you have the money. I can't tell you how to build your car, because that's really your business. If I were you though I'd worry a little bit less on how the car looks on the outside (no body kits), and spend the money on making it fast.

[cody_stl]

Correct me if i am wrong....BUT....isnt vtec pretty much good gas mileage at low rpm,and high power at high RPM??? So persay if one wanted a car that produced a lot of torque at 4500 rpm or less,vtec really isnt his thing?am i right?it seems to me,the way i am looking at it,vtec would be better for pullin away from the guy after a slow takeoff,but a low end torque block would be gettin the holeshot?sound right?i guess either way is a strength,both have powerbands.Lemme hear some input and opinions.Thanks

[turtlecrxsi]

Honda engines (pre-K... I have no experience to comment) lack power below 3k rpms and generally make the most power as you said after 4500 rpms. Vtec does work as you said but with tuning and parts you can get to 4500 rpms faster. It takes tuning. Let's look at my little d16a6 real quick. Everybody says that without vtec it ain't worth shit. Then why do I keep right up with z6 and y8 cars? I have a mild cam and bolt-on parts that get me into my power band quick. And since I have no rev limit, I can push it passed 7200rpms making power. The only way I can get torque down low in the rpms to match the power on up would be to go turbo. It would be interesting to say the least using an Si tranny with close gears. What would normally be 80mph at 4200 rpms in 5th gear N/A would be fully boosted and perhaps much faster with turbo...

[clawhammer]

If low-end torque is what you're looking for, then the car you bought is missing 4 pistons. Hondas make good power up on top, but you'll have to wind it out, and keep it up there. It's much easier to get a different car than to change your car to make low-end torque. Think of it this way. A woman has huge boobs, but no butt. Sure, with lots of money you could change her to have a big butt and small boobs, but it would be much easier to find one that already has the big butt with the small boobs.

[superbluecivicsi]

my old t3/t4e b16 rex track times.

11.9@117mph. 295whp with slicks. low 13s on street tires.

if your going to be going up against SRT4s and EVOs, something nothing short of boost will only do it. a lightly modified SRT4 or EVO uping their boost is still going to give you a run for your money. your main enemy is you are FWD with serious traction issues compared to those others. the boosting part is easy, the traction control sucks.

as for fixing the exterior of my old rex................all it took was some sanding, bundling, and primering. a little over $150 for the supplies, some time and good detailed eyes, and took it to maaco for a $250 special (wait for their coupons) paint job. cheap paint and good clearcoat. nice finish. just dont expect it to survive acid rain or anything.

the info is out there. do a search.

[cody_stl]

Thanks for the replies guys really,i appreciate the input.I have been on the internet since i posted this thing this morning,my head hurts,and i have banged my head on the wall a couple times weighing out these engine pros and cons all damn day.
As far as looks go,they are important to me,this is my first used car,i am used to brand new cars,the look and the feel,so you can guess how steppin into this car felt for me. Its a balance for me,someone shows me their tricked out ride with every bell and whistle imaginable on it,but a clunker under the hood,it aint nuthin.Show me a rust bucket,sqeakin,rattling piece of junk with a k20 turboed under the hood,aint nuthin.Gotta hve both for me.SO,i think i have decided with a b18c1.Puts up some descent number outta the box,definately better than my d15b2.lol.
MY big question of the day is....
i have been reading everything and everything on these cars,and what i cant descipher from these endless rants people go on is this.
At what point in boosting and nitrous do i HAVE to start doing engine work to build the engine durability against these increases in power.
Can i take a b18c1,throw in some skunk 2 valves and cam stage 1?what about these aftermarket pistons that are 12.5:1 comp ratio,is this too much for a street application?Can the engine handle 5 or 6psi boost and a cheater shot of NOS without re-sleaving and all this other crap i have been scanning over ALL DAY?what is the best transmission to get for OR with this engine considering my cable tranny setup?with the compression being stock 10:1 could i put some JE 11.5:1 pistons in it with no problems,and without having to run race fuel?Could i throw in some Eagle GSR connecting rods?and when i throw all these components into the stock engine,this is a big question....do i have to take to a race shop or tuner,and spend an assload of money,just so they are tuned,or are these kinda bolt in aftermarket internals? thanks again,now i will go beat myself in the head with a hammer to keep everything i've mashed into my head this morning.

[clawhammer]

Are you planning on turboing that engine? If yes, than you want to look at 8.5:1 or 9:1 compression ratios. If you plan on staying na, than you can probably (not 100% sure) run 12:1 compression on 93 octane safely. The more power you make, the more important your tune becomes, so you don't want to skimp out on that. Yes, aftermarket internals bolt in :