Civic noob + cheap civic w/ bad motor = What engine to get?

[Lurch]

Hopefully this is in the right section. I've been looking for a project car for a few months now to complement my daily driver (Taurus SHO, 3.0V6 DOHC, 220hp, 200tq). The SHO's weight + FWD and the rather high torque peak (4600rpm I believe) limit it's potential as a drag racer or canyon carver. It really shines on the highway however, 143mph tops stock. My point: looking for a lightweight, RWD, stick shift, Japanese car for as cheap as I can get it. About the only other requirement is that it has no structural rust/unrepairable cosmetic rust. Anything else goes.

Well, today I came across a 1988 Civic in the paper: Bad engine, 5-speed, $250. At first I dismissed it because it was FWD, and (sorry, I know it's a Civic board, and I mean no offense, but) Civics are very over-done around here. 3/4ths of them are all in primer with incredibly heavy wheels and subs, 4-inch coffee can exhaust, and no engine mods, i.e., slower than molasses left in the freezer all night. You can hear them buzzing all over the place, sounding like a weed-whacker going 100mph and looking more like they got attacked by a weed-whacker going 100mph.

But, I have seen some pretty cool Civics on TV or online forums, so I know they can be done correctly. And I've seen the Summit Import Drag Racing series, where they have racing modded civics running 9-seconds on FWD drivetrains. So I decided that I may give this a shot as my project car, depending on what information I can find about them. So far this site has provided me with a lot of basic information (the V-TEC info was cool, so is the big chart explaining the various engines) but I need to know what engines I could feasibly drop into an '88 and the cost involved. And I can't seem to find any links to aftermarket engine builders: where do you guys find these motors? Junkyards? Local speed shops? The Civic aftermarket is envied by all other auto aftermarkets by default, but when I really got to looking I didn't find that much. Maybe I'm just looking wrong.

I'm not sure what sort of summer job I'll be landing (or how much I might be willing to spend) so I don't really have a cash requirement. I'm not so much interested in looks and sound as flat-out SPEED. I want a lightning quick smile generator, not a rolling dance club.

In short: Where can I find new/rebuilt engines that will fit into an '88 Civic with minimal hassle, and which of these engines do you Honda gurus recommend?

Thanks!

PS Sorry about my rather harsh judgement of Civics in my area, I'm sure I'll take ribbing for driving a Taurus . Rest assured that the cars I've seen in the 4th gen picture forum have renewed my faith in import tuners.

 

[Ace$nyper]

well you can get 4gs really fast and handling like gods if you know how and got the $$$
Easy swaps that are quick probbly bout same as stock SHO DOHC ZC theres also the big B motors a bit of work but boy do they pay off.

you want fast cheap? Boost LS motor a b18a/b

 

[importlegions]

get a 240 sx, then get the sr20det swap..nice

 

[Ace$nyper]

get a 240 sx, then get the sr20det swap..nice

240s are going up in price all time due to wanta be drifters and SR20s also anyone knowing the 240 well would either go for RB or KAT heck CA18T would work too. SRs are a rip off right now.
Cheap and fast foxbody stang 351W melt rubber in 5th gear

 

[teevee247]

Its VTEC not V-TEC...

 

[Beelzebubba]

Should be able to get a RWD mid to late 80's 200SX hella cheap. VG30 swap and turbo and you're there. 200SX's don't get the same price as RWD Corolla GT because they are not featured in Initial D. Hell, you might even turbo the stock Z20 or L20 Nissan.

I'm not bagging on the SHO. It's got a Yamaha motor...that's pretty cool. Just should have used a more substantial clutch on that thing. That little Escort clutch gets ate up.

 

[Viperlude69]

Ls/vtec conversion or just go with a gsr motor......the b series engines are the easiest to swap.....you could also do an h22 swap.......but lots of mods....although stock 200 hp!

 

[Lurch]

Sorry, VTEC. I wasn't sure.

As far as the SHO goes: Weak stock clutch and a weak open differential HAVE to be changed before you considering bumping the power for dragging, and just the diff itself is $1100. In addition, so many random parts are being discontinued: for example, the two most common failing synchros in the tranny have been discontinued, but you can still get the others. Random shims for the valve lash adjustment (yeah, like a motorcycle engine) have been discontinued, as have some shims used in aligning the diff inside the tranny. I really like the car and want to keep it, so I don't want to break anything that I can't replace (and that list is growing). For example, I know of a guy who supercharged his SHO, among other things, and got it up to about 400hp at the wheels. He tried dragging it twice at that level of power: the first time he ran a 15 at 115mph because he couldn't hook up till third gear at half track. The second run he got traction on the line and snapped a half-shaft. Since then he only races from 50mph rolls. Basically, a ton of money and work into something that, in the end, still won't be what I want. Except a highway monster :-).

And the 240s and 200s: I don't see them around here. I check all the classified papers and all the local places around here, but they are just plain scarce. An older 240sx would be awesome, as would an RX-7 (first gen), MKIII Supra, 300ZX (first gen), or a 280Z. I'm starting to accept the idea that lightweight FWDs can be good handlers/draggers as well, so I'm opening up to the idea of a late 80's/early 90's Integra, Prelude, or Civic. Mustangs and Camarobirds are rubber melting monsters in their own right, but I'm looking for something as lightweight and nimble as can be, and they don't quite fit that profile.

I see the Osaka JDM Motors link in your sig, lude, but where else can you order these things online? I notice the B16A1 is only a grand, which seems very reasonable for the power. How well would this fit in an '88, and how much hassle would it be to get it there? I really know very little about Civics, so don't assume I know anything :-).

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Also, is Initial D just a cartoon about drifting Japanese cars? I've never seen it, and I never hear about it from anyone locally, so maybe it only affects prices on the West Coast. Hopefully.

 

[long gone]

ok

lets see 4th gen car, if u want a quick car. fwd. i say if ur reall indulging yourself and have money to blow just an idea for the ultimate race car. take a 88 crx hf, aroun 1780 pounds and take that and drop a b series into it, but i have always wanted to get an f20c(s2000 motor) and try and find an all wheel drive accord which i heard there were some made not sure, take the drive train(trans and all that from the accord and buid it up) and take the f20c and drop it in a rex, awd 245 horse and flying down the track that should put in the 12s right there, as a 300 horse wrx does a 12.89. ne ways w/e it is u choose to do go for it hard and dont stop till its done.