MY OWN THREAD !!!11

[Defiant]

Hell, I have so much stuff planned out for my car it's not funny.

So ...I figure rather than start 100 odd topics over time I may aswell just make ONE, and save on clutter. I'll post stuff as it pops up in my head over time. Hope this is okay. All feedback is appreciated, be it hints, tips, advice ...or even criticism and flames, lol. I'm a big boy now, I'm sure I can handle.

I'm mechanically retarded ( which will reflect in a lot my questions ), but hey, I'm more than keen to learn and that's the main thing. I know a little bit and I'm taking in more and more each day.

Before I let loose I'll try and let it be known that I kinda don't want to waste too much money on my current engine. Although a couple of hundred or whatever for some temp gains isn't out of the picture as I wont be doing an engine swap for a little while yet.

Okay well I guess I may aswell get the ball rolling. There's no doubt going to be some wierd shit so feel free to correct me on any wrong terms used, or point me in a better direction if I start getting any silly ideas ...

1. When I "sack" my ride, I sure as hell don't want my wheels/tyres preventing me from going down by hitting the arches. What sort of offset should I be looking at for my Civic ? I want the top of the tyres under.

2. Neuspeed race springs and Koni shocks ? Or height adjustable coilovers and shocks ? I want my car as low as possible but ...if I go to low I wanna be able to take it back up ( I have a wife and 2 kids ). I'm guessing height adjustables = t3h win ?

3. What kind of head should I whack on my D15b ? This would be called a "headswap" yes ? I'll be needing a new gasket but whatever I'll be needing will come down to the head I choose I guess.

4. Will any random B16A or B18C throttle body bolt up to my Civic ? Is it a waste of time doing this now ? Should I be looking at other things first ? What's involved ? How much would I be looking at to get the ports matched ? How much will a throttle body swap set me back roughly ?

5. Is lightening my current flywheel a good idea ? Should I just get an aftermarket one ? How much should I expect this to cost ? Is this a stupid idea all together ?

6. Rear drum to disc conversion ...take disks from a 92-95 Prelude ? What modifications need to be made ? Is this a cunt of a job ? Is there an easier way ?

7. 5 stub hub conversion ...how much would this set me back ? Also, what's the benefit of doing this ? Apart from the obvious.

8. What's the benefit of upgrading to a bigger coil ? A friend tried explaining to me but I don't think he was on the right track. What should I get ? How much will it cost ? Is this just another one of those things I should be looking at further down the line ?

9. Is it a good idea to advance my timing a little ? I'm not clear on this, I've read you can but from what I've been told you shouldn't. What's the guts ?

10. Should I be looking at getting a 2.25" straight through exhaust system ? Or a 2.5" ? I got the general idea that 2.25" is the way to go but I read about another person getting better results with a 2.5" system, he had a similar set up. I'm thinking 2.25" = t3h win though.

May aswell stop at 10 questions. If you actually managed to read through all that spiel I salute you ! And if you take the time to help me out with tips, advice etc ...hell, I'll have your baby. Dis me too much and I'll personally hunt you down and beat you, hahah, jokes.

Cheers for any help in advance.
Dylan ( aka self proclaimed honda newbie )

[UR2FAT]

1. When I "sack" my ride, I sure as hell don't want my wheels/tyres preventing me from going down by hitting the arches. What sort of offset should I be looking at for my Civic ? I want the top of the tyres under.

If you're going with a 15" wheel like you say you want too in your profile than a 38 or 40 offset wheel will be fine.

2. Neuspeed race springs and Koni shocks ? Or height adjustable coilovers and shocks ? I want my car as low as possible but ...if I go to low I wanna be able to take it back up ( I have a wife and 2 kids ). I'm guessing height adjustables = t3h win ?

Height adjustables teh win without a doubt.

3. What kind of head should I whack on my D15b ? This would be called a "headswap" yes ? I'll be needing a new gasket but whatever I'll be needing will come down to the head I choose I guess.

The only real gains you wil get with d15b head swap is if your current engine isn't VTEC. If it's already VTEC then don't bother. If it isnt VTEC then track yourself down a VTEC D15B head and get it put on by a pro.

4. Will any random B16A or B18C throttle body bolt up to my Civic ? Is it a waste of time doing this now ? Should I be looking at other things first ? What's involved ? How much would I be looking at to get the ports matched ? How much will a throttle body swap set me back roughly ?

It would be easier/cheaper to just get your current throttlebody bored out a few mm. This is a very cheap thing to do. Do a quick search on here and you should find most of what you need inc prices.

5. Is lightening my current flywheel a good idea ? Should I just get an aftermarket one ? How much should I expect this to cost ? Is this a stupid idea all together ?

Probably not worth forking out for if you are looking to do a B-series swap in the future. The cost to benefit ratio of doing it makes it not worth doing.

6. Rear drum to disc conversion ...take disks from a 92-95 Prelude ? What modifications need to be made ? Is this a cunt of a job ? Is there an easier way ?

I would be better to use a DC integra rear disk swap I would think... This should have most of the info needed. http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=641639

7. 5 stub hub conversion ...how much would this set me back ? Also, what's the benefit of doing this ? Apart from the obvious.

Bigger brakes is the main reason for doing this. I don't really think it's worth the hassle and cost. A decent rotor and pad upgrade should be sufficient.

8. What's the benefit of upgrading to a bigger coil ? A friend tried explaining to me but I don't think he was on the right track. What should I get ? How much will it cost ? Is this just another one of those things I should be looking at further down the line ?

Can't anwer that sorry.

9. Is it a good idea to advance my timing a little ? I'm not clear on this, I've read you can but from what I've been told you shouldn't. What's the guts ?

Probably best to stay with the factory specs on this one.

10. Should I be looking at getting a 2.25" straight through exhaust system ? Or a 2.5" ? I got the general idea that 2.25" is the way to go but I read about another person getting better results with a 2.5" system, he had a similar set up. I'm thinking 2.25" = t3h win though.

2.25" is the generally thought of as the best size for N/A applications. So yes 2.25 teh win here.

Hope this helps a little bit dude. Someone else is likely to come along and contradict everything I've just said but oh well. Hahah.

Anything else just ask.

[Bananaman]

8. What's the benefit of upgrading to a bigger coil ? A friend tried explaining to me but I don't think he was on the right track. What should I get ? How much will it cost ? Is this just another one of those things I should be looking at further down the line ?

The reason you get a bigger coil is to increase the voltage in each firing of the coil. You would need other ignition parts before this would be worth while.

On the B series engines the coil is part of the distributor cap, this is not an ideal situation for generating great spark. So the first thing to do is to remove the coil from within the distributor cap (usually changed for an MSD distributor cap) and use an external coil. Now that we have good spark you need bigger leads to transfer the spark to the plugs without loosing power along the way. This is why you increase the core of your lead so there is less resistance.

Like UR2FAT said just my take on things... Someone else may have something else to say

[Defiant]

^^ Cheers guys, that helps a lot.

Just wondering, three things I need to try and clear up ...

1. Wanted to find out exactly what kind of D15b ( oh yeah btw it's vtak y0! ) I have. Found out where to look thanks to this but it's only stamped D15b with some numbers. Will get the numbers.

2. I have an S40 gearbox, I have the feeling both wheels spin but I'm probably wrong. Just jack up the car and spin the wheels to see if it's LSD ? It probably isn't, I'm too hopefull heh.

3. I think my EK3's a late 95, and not a 96, how can I tell which of the two it is ?

[UR2FAT]

Here's specs on your car here...

http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/12302/

Doesnt say which version of the D15B it has though.

VTis were made from Sept 95 onwards so yes your car could be a 95 but if it says 96 on the rego then it probably is.

As for an LSD I wouldn't have thought they would have had an LSD option in the VTi but no doubt I'll be proved wrong.

[Defiant]

Hard to tell if mine's 95/96 by exterior pics, but I spotted this on that page ...



Was something that stood out. In the centre of the dash, my stereo's located above that little tray that springs out, also my air con dials etc are different and more 'snazzier' lol. Then again, different versions different dash dials etc I guess ?

The specs all match up though, hhmmm ...
Cheers for the link. :wink:

[Shadow Sol]

okay wow there was a fair few Q's!

ok for the suspension deal look at the D2 adjustables from FBI look pretty good for $1300

timing, i have my D15B set to 18 degrees advance i think and it runs very well

i wouldnt bother with the new coil for the D15 or the light wieght flywheel until you get your new engine.

rear barkes, dont use prelude rears unless you also use prelude front disc as it will throw out the brake bias, use civic rear disk (same size as integra)

5 stud conversions allow for different wheels obviously and a more secure wheel, the brakes can be just as big with a 4 stud, your current 4 stud hubs are fine though.

if you are planning on an engine swap only do light mods ie intake and exhaust, depending on what engine you want in the future as to what size exhaust you should buy, for a b16a a 2.25 will be sweet or if you want an H22a then get a 2.5" mandrel bent set up

hope ive been of some help

[spooned]

hey man,

im in the same sort of situation as you but just poor as im a student.
im thinking of doing minor stuff to the engine filter/intake/exhaust and maybe some extractors if they come my way cheep!!

but otherwise just run my orig engine until its about to blow and then by then i should have most of the rest done, exterior, sounds, susp etc.

i would say go for fully adjustable coilovers like the D2 set from FBI, i have heard some good stuff about them esp for the price they go for.

Airbags would be the go if you wanted to be SACKED and then raised when you need too but i've heard that some airbag setups go like shi* when just normally driving, some feel like buses but not all i dont know why.

Good luck anyways, will follow this thread closely.

[Horny_Devil]

right where do i start.

1. uses the normal civic offset. i think its either 36 or 38 from memory. u shouldnt have any problems if ur running 7in wide wheels. going any wider u may run into trouble. but from what i understand EK's have wider arches than the eg's.

2. if ur doing supension do it once and do it right. as others have said get a set of D2'S from FBI ull probably find that it works out cheaper than the Neuspeed's and Koni's. (remember to get a cert.) plus they give u a good drop and the handling is supose to be pretty good.

3. well if ur car is a late 95 EK civic then well u have a D15B (there is no number after it as it will be JDM) u kinda did lick out in the engine stakes as the 3 stage vtec's are a pain in the ass to modify due to thextra lobe in the cam. but seeing as u only wanna do minor mods then i wouldnt worry about this. leave the head as is as it will do the job fine.

4. yes a throttle body off one of those cars will fit. but unless ur gonna get serrious with ur mods (ie internals etc ) then i wouldnt waste ur money. they are pretty much a bolt on mod may require a few brackets moved etc. u arent gonna see much difference if u do do it so save ur money. it would work out cheaper to just swap te whole throttle body over instead of boring (do they change the butterfly when they bore the throttle bdoy?)

5. u could lghten ur current flywheel but the better option is to get a new lightened one. but as u said u wanna do an engine swap so its not worth it in the long run. ur car will probably rev a bit more freely but ur not gonna see much difference in speed.

6. well this one is a bit diferent. if u already have mags for ur car ull wanna stay 4 stud. the best option if u plan on doing a swap is to get a set of SI or SIR rear disc's of an EK and put them on ur car. then later if u really want bigger discs on the front u can get some off an SIR. if u do the swap get the whole trailing arm assembly as it makes life a wee bit easier. as was said u could just do a pad and fluid change and it will stop better than a rear disc swap with standard pads.

7. theres no reason to do a 5 stud conversion. its a waste of money unless u already have a set of 5 stud hubs lying around. u can buy adaptors from FBI?? that change from 4-5stud if u really want to. but there is really no benift from it.

8. the reason people get a bigger coil is when they start making more power there is more of a chance that the spark will get blown out causing a missfire. the more voltage that is produced makes it harder for the spark to be blown out. u wont realyl see any results on a near standard engine but it is piece of mind. cost well mine all cost me 160 from FBI (i got the coil bracket and power tip (u need the power tip)) pluss ull need to get a nother wire to connect the coil to the distributor.

9. i wouldnt play with ur timing unless u were on a dyno so that u can see if it works or not for all u know u could be loosing HP. my suggestion is get a VAFC and play with the Fuel maps etc (on a dyno of course) and also play with the timing. theres also a plus to this u can use the VAFC on ur new engine too

10. 2.5" is too big for a D15B i know cause i have one (does sound mean though) get a 2.25" one and it will also work fine on a swaped engine too.

right thats the 10 questions answered now on the the next few points.

if its an ek then its made from september 95 - aproximatly september 2000. but they did change a few things in 98.

the chances that u have a factory LSD are very slim as they didnt make many at all after 95. jack it up and find out

As for an LSD I wouldn't have thought they would have had an LSD option in the VTi but no doubt I'll be proved wrong.

As for an LSD I wouldn't have thought they would have had an LSD option in the VTi but no doubt I'll be proved wrong

it could have because the VTI is bascially the SIR of the D series modles.

hoped thats cleared a few things up for u. if u have any questions on D series stuff dont hesitate to ask as im always willing to help

[Defiant]

Woah, cheers all !

So ...I guess I'll flag doing the flywheel, throttle body and coil. A head swap will do nothing major for me, my D15b's already vtec ...although it doesn't have vtec written on it (curses) hahah. Will forget about upgrading the rear drums to discs for now, will just get some quality brakepads and fluid to tie me over until I actually get round to doing the swap. Regarding the D2's from FBI, I'm already half way there with my savings hehe, was just wondering about other options. I was told all that adjustability was uneccessary. Sounds like it's not worth me doing a 5 stud hub conversion either. The best thing is, it all boils down to more money to put towards other things, stoked.

Must admit, I was pretty keen on the idea of getting some better throttle response. I thought a lightened flywheel and a bored out TB would be the go, but doesn't sound the greatest price to benefit wise. Wouldn't mind looking at doing the TB though if it's cheap enough. Good headers and a half decent exhaust would give me better throttle response too eh ? My original thought was do everything I could (if it didn't work out too dear) and get it reving like a motherfucker, lol.

Still not sure if my EK's a late 95 or 96, so I will endevour to get to the bottom of this ! Horney Devil, the engine just has D15b stamped on it, no number after D15b just a whole bunch of numbers/letters underneath that ...I take it that's the engine serial number ? I'm thinking I have a late 95 JDM Civic, lol. Whadda ya reckon ?

Will jack up the car tomorrow and give the wheels a spin, fingers crossed.

Oh yeah and I may aswell throw this in here aswell ...

Get ready to jizzzm

Now IMO this Civic is sick ! Originally I wanted to lower my car onto some 17's, but since then I've wisened up and realised that 15" wheels are the shit lol. So, visually, there it is, my goal ...a black EK hatch sacked on some 15's with a 98 CTR front bumper ...a hundred thoughts race through my head, I'm so close ! damn that's hot ! got agressive stance ? hehe. Some may find that outright ugly but different strokes for different folks eh ? I originally wanted 96 CTR front and rear bumpers with lips (was put off hacking my ones up heh) but that just flows so much better. And it wont cost as much, bonus !

What price bracket am I looking at for a 98 CTR front bumper ?
Also, that front has light inserts eh ? looks like they just mould into the ugly vents, cool.

In any other colour IMO I think the 98 CTR front looks pretty rank, black seems to camoflage the uglyness, hahah ! Anyone else feel the same ?

Anyway, spiel over, probably about time I got to bed heh, try and get a little sleep or something. Been up all night studying up on honda tech, looking at civics and what not haha. Sunday's my sleep in day though so the mrs can't complain if I don't make it out of bed til' mid day or whatever.

As above, cheers for all the help lads, it's awesome. :wink:
/falls asleep on keyboard

[Horny_Devil]

Still not sure if my EK's a late 95 or 96, so I will endevour to get to the bottom of this ! Horney Devil, the engine just has D15b stamped on it, no number after D15b just a whole bunch of numbers/letters underneath that ...I take it that's the engine serial number ? I'm thinking I have a late 95 JDM Civic, lol. Whadda ya reckon ?

U dont need to find out what year it is u know its late 95 early 96 and its an EK. thats all u need.

as for the motor was just checking as some motors do have numbers after them. as urs is just a D15B it is a 1500cc SOHC 3 Stage VTEC.

u have a JDM CIVIC

as for mods just do the tired and true I/H/E and if u have the funds throw in a VAFC. that will make the car go 10x better.

[Defiant]

^^ Sweet, real McCoy JDM blank canvas y0 ! hehe, stoked

Will look into getting some decent headers, any ideas of where would be a good place to look ? Would prefer to get my grubby hands on a 2nd hand piece. Brand spanking I'd be looking at spending around $300 atleast eh ? And that'd be for some low end ones, may aswell spend around $500 or whatever and get some good headers. The other half wouldn't have a bar of that though.

Then there'd be a decent exhaust set up on top of that aswell .I don't believe in skimping out when it comes to this kinda stuff, may aswell go the whole distance or not at all.

Best I just take one on the chin, put my foot down and say something along the lines of "Honey, I NEED these parts ...honestly!" hahah, and just splash out. I'm pretty keen to do my exhaust and headers, just need to finish with the air intake. Will turn full focus towards completing the I/H/E combo for a bit of extra "oomph".

Also, was just still wondering about the 98 CTR front bumper.

That's all, cheers. :wink:

[UR2FAT]

98 CTR bumper won't fit as the 98 civics were facelifted and have a completely different front end. Lights, and bumper are different, and maybe bonnet and guards too even though they do look the same to the untrained eye.

You could get a CTR style front lip for the 96 shape and that would look good. Also Mugen and Spoon style lips will look great too.

The above black civic is a facelift model.

[Defiant]

Argh, gutted.

Aahhh well, on a positive note ...thank god I was outbid on Trademe last week for a 98 CTR front bumper, it wouldn't have fit anyway. Atleast I know now, cheers.

96 CTR front and rear bumpers will fit though eh ? If they don't I will no doubt smash my computer in a fit of furious rage.

Also, was wondering what sort of wheels they are in your avatar UR2FAT ?

[UR2FAT]

Yes 96 CTR bumper will fit dude.

Those wheels in my avatar are the coolest wheels on the planet. They're Rota GT3's available from www.maxim-wheels.com bloody good prices too. Full set of 15" for less than $1000 and a 10% discount for NZH members. I'll be getting a set soon!

[Defiant]

Removed my front bumper today. Took out the rest of the "unwanted factory plumbing" after removing my factory air intake system last week and replacing it with a Simota pipe and filter. Made a mock up ( out of cardboard ) of the airbox I'm gonna make. It's looking pretty good hehe, but, was just wondering about a few things ...

1. Which sort of metal is gonna be nice, soft and thin enough to bend and shape well, yet strong enough to resist the kinda tempretures it's gonna be exposed to ?

2. Will a 2 into 1 air catch set up i.e 2 pipes or "cool air sources" leading into the one main one before the box help improve/encourage air flow ?

3. Is 3" ducting or pipe for the cool air flow a good diamiater ? Is there any reason why I shouldn't go bigger at the air inlet/s ? Looks aside, lol. Also, ofcourse there'll be some sort of mesh or whatever blocking out all the bugs and nasties.

Tomorrow ...I've gotta get some raw steel ( lol ) and start cutting. I'll get some plastic piping and cut some bits and pieces to fit, flare the ends ( inlets/outlets ) with a heat gun and a funnel, then sand them nice and smooth to form somewhat of a "bellmouth" tip. This is supposed to help improve/encourage airflow by up to 30% or something so I may aswell just do it.

Looking foward to lowering my air intake temp quite a bit ( I hope ). Should I expect improved throttle response ? And maybe 1, 2 or a few more extra horsies ? hehe ( due to the drop in air intake temp ), if it's that great. Not expecting a lot bar the piece of mind that I aint sucking hot air hahah but any gains will be good.

boooooooooooooooooBAAAAAAAHHHHHH !!!

[Defiant]

/kicks