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Sorry @iamdub, I got distracted starting on the Civic suspension work I’ve been putting off. I was pleased to have the trailing arm bushing taken care of, did the upper, and compensator arms, and then got hungup on one of the lower arm bolts.. it’s welded itself onto the bushing, so I’ve quit for the night, and will be headed to the Honda dealership in the am for some new bolts, so I can cut through, and replace them. I’ll get the throttle body outside diameter measured ASAP.
Yeah, it was making me cringe every time I drove it.pretty much every bushing under there was near the same condition. And now that I’m in there, I definitely want to do some coilovers. Should have just bought those as well..Lawd. That suspension slop would irritate the hell outta me. You're gonna love zipping through turns when you get it all finished.
You gonna fix up a D16Z? I know you said a K swap isn't in the cards at the moment. What about a B16? B20? Ooh! How 'bout a B18B LS/VTEC Frankenstein?
I have a guy I asked about an engine, and I believe the pic he took is a D16Z6.. other than tuning, I’m confident that would bolt right up.. I don’t know Jack about that swap though, other than the rev-limit and redline go from 7200 / 6800, to 7400 / 7200, with a slightly lower compression ratio: 9.6:1, to 9.2:1… ripe for the turbos.. he may also have a lead on a 6.0.. really hoping for that as well.Lawd. That suspension slop would irritate the hell outta me. You're gonna love zipping through turns when you get it all finished.
You gonna fix up a D16Z? I know you said a K swap isn't in the cards at the moment. What about a B16? B20? Ooh! How 'bout a B18B LS/VTEC Frankenstein?
It’s on the table.. thing is all the things I’d need to swap over. I have exactly zero parts right now, so need to determine everything I’d need for different swaps and prices. K-swap would be the ultimate, but all the adapting is pricey. The guys who make that stuff know what they’ve got!
All good ideas… I was looking at the Frankenstein years ago… IIRC, the LS block would bolt in fairly easily, and the VTEC head bolts right up.. of course, ANY of this will require either a 100% standalone ECU, like Fueltech, or a piggyback, like Hondata.. and I’ve been completely unable to locate a Hondata. Wondering if the EPA has successfully shut them down already.![]()
Wow! Sounds like that was a pretty awesome swap setup, doing a one-man job like that. Pretty sweet! Yeah, I have more research to do. The engines (other than the K-series), are getting harder to find, so that may dictate what I’m able to do as well. I may indeed be able to make use of that a/c bracket.. definitely prefer to retain it.. this isn’t going to be a racecar, and it’s hot in Texas.My cousin worked for Hybrid back when the K first came out. He helped develop the swap parts and then ran a CNC machine to make 'em. As proof of concept for a one man, all-inclusive swap kit, he locked himself in the shop one Friday after close of business. When the guys opened up Monday morning, there he was with a running K-swapped hatch.
I don't recall ever putting much thought into the ECU side of things back when I was planning to B-swap my EJ. But I didn't think it was any more than adding an extra wire for the second VTEC solenoid and reflashing the stock ECU for the B16 maps. I'm not sure how this compares to your EK. I have an OE Del Sol A/C compressor bracket, BNIB, if you're interested.
I have a guy I asked about an engine, and I believe the pic he took is a D16Z6.. other than tuning, I’m confident that would bolt right up.. I don’t know Jack about that swap though, other than the rev-limit and redline go from 7200 / 6800, to 7400 / 7200, with a slightly lower compression ratio: 9.6:1, to 9.2:1… ripe for the turbos.. he may also have a lead on a 6.0.. really hoping for that as well.
I may be able to use that P28… if I end up with the D16Z.. yes, it’s an EX. D16Y8. Pretty decent engine. I’m not really sure if it’s much gain to go to a D16Z or not.. seems like you have a good bit of knowledge on this I may glean.. (as with many things! Lol).. would going to an OBD 1 make tuning easier? I lost most of my Honda knowledge back in the early 2000’sIs your car an EX? I know the D16Z6 was in the '92-'95s, which are OBD1. I think the D16 in the '96-'00 (OBDII) is pretty much the same and may just have a few minor differences in the fueling and emissions components (EVAP, MAP, etc.) that are easily resolved by swapping over your current intake manifold. Hell, you can run an OBDII car on an OBDI ECU with a $20 adapter harness. This reminds me- I have a super rare Dinan-chipped P28 ECU. I should test it and put it on ebay.
Oh, and the lower control arm bolt is not available from the dealership.. so Monday before I get that. Argh.. I just ordered 6, as I don’t yet know what the other side is going to look like, and might as well replace them.Is your car an EX? I know the D16Z6 was in the '92-'95s, which are OBD1. I think the D16 in the '96-'00 (OBDII) is pretty much the same and may just have a few minor differences in the fueling and emissions components (EVAP, MAP, etc.) that are easily resolved by swapping over your current intake manifold. Hell, you can run an OBDII car on an OBDI ECU with a $20 adapter harness. This reminds me- I have a super rare Dinan-chipped P28 ECU. I should test it and put it on ebay.
Found a great place to ground the amp. There’s a turned up end of floorboard under the seat just forward of the inboard driver’s side rear seat mount. So I could drill thru it to the other side, and screw in a big ole’ sheet metal screw w flat washer and lock washer. Seems good purchase and secure conductivity. Then I just passed the 8 AWG wire into the console box to the amp. Once the trim piece is reinstalled, the ground strap attachment point is hidden. And I found a pair of Craftsman mini-needle nose pliers and a ‘92 heads-up penny while I was down under the seat. No telling how many years (…decades?) been there!Working on a 1-Channel amplifier install for the subwoofer I installed in the back box of my 2001 Yukon. I’m pretty happy with the new sound system running off the legacy OEM amp under the glove box. It runs cool and …. It’s pre-wired, right? But an honest 300W mono-block for the 8” SVC Polk Audio sub should really add some punch. I found a good location for the Crutchfield store brand amp under the cup holder and in front of the console box, screwed into the console box mounting frame so don’t have to drill the floorboard.
Found a great place to ground the amp. There’s a turned up end of floorboard under the seat just forward of the inboard driver’s side rear seat mount. So I could drill thru it to the other side, and screw in a big ole’ sheet metal screw w flat washer and lock washer. Seems good purchase and secure conductivity. Then I just passed the 8 AWG wire into the console box to the amp. Once the trim piece is reinstalled, the ground strap attachment point is hidden. And I found a pair of Craftsman mini-needle nose pliers and a ‘92 heads-up penny while I was down under the seat. No telling how many years (…decades?) been there!
I may be able to use that P28… if I end up with the D16Z.. yes, it’s an EX. D16Y8. Pretty decent engine. I’m not really sure if it’s much gain to go to a D16Z or not.. seems like you have a good bit of knowledge on this I may glean.. (as with many things! Lol).. would going to an OBD 1 make tuning easier? I lost most of my Honda knowledge back in the early 2000’s
I got zero.zero ohms on the ground …. But I’ll do both. I’ll run a secondary 10AWG to the frame. Good ground = good sound.I know it's relatively low wattage, but you might be shorting yourself (no pun intended) with that sheet metal ground. You would've been better off tapping it to the seat bracket immediately next to it. With paint removed, of course. Also, if you have any of that 8 AWG left, I'd recommend making a ground for the body to the frame, if even piggybacking off a stud on the firewall.
BTW, do you have a link for the amp you're using?
I got zero.zero ohms on the ground …. But I’ll do both. I’ll run a secondary 10AWG to the frame. Good ground = good sound.
I was tempted to use the 4 X 75 watts bridgeable 2/3/4 channel version of the amp, with rear RCA cable sound to the pillars (2 X 75 watts) and subwoofer RCA cable bridged to the sub (1 X 150 watts), but I’m trying to over-design the upgrades from here on in. I was concerned 3 amplified channels might run hot on the amp. So I’m using the mono-amp.