Questions Answered By Honda Expert, Ryan Basseri Of Rywire Www.Rywire.com
I just finished reading the response to the guy who was asking about the all wheel drive Civic. I'm not sure when this was asked, but could some one rob one of the SH-AWD systems from an Acura and modify it to fit a 92-96 Civic (or possibly make the civic's body wider)? I was thinking about taking parts from an RDX turbo and doing some custom fabricating for the rear end; just wondering if you have any advice or suggestions for maybe another car to borrow parts from.
Josh Mac
PS: In no way, shape, or form, will I, or anyone I know, steal a car in order to do this conversion. I'm referring to just parts from wrecks.
Josh, the AWD system is all electronically controlled, making it a very challenging unit to install into another chassis. If you were serious about this conversion and willing to do a lot of fabrication work, I would use a rear end from a car that has plenty of aftermarket support. Also, use one that is old enough to not be too complex, and that's close in size and length. Surprisingly enough, a 240SX chassis might be your best shot.
My name's Kris and I'm 17 years old out of Chicago, Illinois. I love your magazine and anything Honda for that matter. I drive an '03 E, and recently purchased a beautiful '88 CRX Si. Anyways, down to business. I would love nothing more than to get involved in the professional drifting or racing scene, but unfortunately I don't have many connections or any idea how to do this...Please help!!!!
Kristopher W.
Well Kris, the drag or road racing scene is going to be your best bet since the CRX is a front wheel drive car. If I were you, I would start with the basics on local tracks in your area. A modified suspension and a good wheel and tire package would be a good foundation. If you enjoy how the CRX performs, an engine swap could be a great upgrade. The platform you chose is a good one because of its light weight and ease of swap options. Keep in mind that the race world is extremely competitive, and you won't be at a professional level overnight. It takes years of practice, learning, and experience to get to that level.
I have done two swaps so far: a k20a2 Type-S into an EK hatch, and a k20a2 Type-S engine and complete dash into a '03 sedan. Now both are great swaps and I was able to find a lot of info online for these. But now I've found myself a '97 hatchback that I would like to put a '97 H23A SiR (blue valve cover) with a 5-speed LSD tranny into. I cannot find any info or details on this swap. I hear a lot of things like you'll need to dent the firewall and the driver's side inner fender for it to fit. But then I was told that's not true. Would you know where I can find a site with some good info on this swap? Also, I was told that the H22, H23, and other H series engines have a problem with their timing belt tensioner, and that I should address that before I install the motor. Would you know anything about that? Thank you for all your help.
James Spero
Looks like you have some good experience with engine swaps, and this H swap should be no more difficult than the other two. The first decision you need to make is what brand mounts to go with. I suggest Hasport because of the R&D and overall quality they put into each kit. The mount kit is going to make all the difference on clearances and the modifications you will need to make to the engine bay. For the Hasport mounts, all you need to do is make a small dent on the frame rail to clear the transmission case. Another thing you will need is some sort of wire harness modification. Here at Rywire, we do these modifications every day. The questions we would ask you are: what ECU will you be using? What intake manifold do you plan to go with? And is your distributor going to be internal or external coil? We can make your harness based on these three questions. After that, everything is fairly straightforward and should fall right into place.