K20 EG civic project
Discussion
Been working on an EG civic for a few months. The car is intended to be a daily driver and used on the occasional Track day. I've seen so many awesome projects over the years on internet threads I felt it was time I made a decent job of a car so I'm happy with it. Something to keep forever. I've had a K swapped Integra in about 2008 but never really got to finish it. Kind of just got the engine working and as soon as it was driveable drove without finishing everything off to a decent standard. It was awesome to drive, just needed a bit of tidying up. Ended up selling all the swap parts when I was skint but I've always missed it. No other car I've had is as fun so now it's time for K swap 2.
Bought a DC2 which was K20 swapped, stripped out and caged so too hardcore for me to use every day. Decided to take all the bits off and a few bit I have laid about and do an EG civic. Only options really these days for a rust free EG civic now is a fresh import and treat all the problem areas before they start rusting from the inside of the back arches. or one that's already been restored or protected properly which is pretty impossible. Other option is find one with as little rust as possible and do a proper job of putting in some new back arches. In the end I found a 2 owner 51k ESi auto for 300 quid by catching it as soon as it went on. I figured less miles it's done the less it's done on salty roads. Back arches looked bad on the pictures with the car being white but I took a gamble since it was so cheap. Train to Falkirk and drove back to Middlesbrough faultlessly. I even started using it for work for a few weeks. It looked horrendous and everyone thought I should be scrapping it rather than changing the engine. Don't have many pics because I wasn't planning on doing a thread but now the engine is nearly ready to go in I'm getting excited about it...feel like it's getting there.
The engine donor.
The project vehicle. A few shades of white. Looks cleaner than I remember there. Best pic I have, can't believe I don't have any proper before pics.
Engine out, bay de greased, surprisingly little rust and a lot cleaner than I was expecting. People were saying I'm mad to paint it but they don't know how good it's going to look when it's all done.
K20 comes out of DC2. What have I done? Looks like it's been living under the sea for 5 years.
Bought a DC2 which was K20 swapped, stripped out and caged so too hardcore for me to use every day. Decided to take all the bits off and a few bit I have laid about and do an EG civic. Only options really these days for a rust free EG civic now is a fresh import and treat all the problem areas before they start rusting from the inside of the back arches. or one that's already been restored or protected properly which is pretty impossible. Other option is find one with as little rust as possible and do a proper job of putting in some new back arches. In the end I found a 2 owner 51k ESi auto for 300 quid by catching it as soon as it went on. I figured less miles it's done the less it's done on salty roads. Back arches looked bad on the pictures with the car being white but I took a gamble since it was so cheap. Train to Falkirk and drove back to Middlesbrough faultlessly. I even started using it for work for a few weeks. It looked horrendous and everyone thought I should be scrapping it rather than changing the engine. Don't have many pics because I wasn't planning on doing a thread but now the engine is nearly ready to go in I'm getting excited about it...feel like it's getting there.
The engine donor.
The project vehicle. A few shades of white. Looks cleaner than I remember there. Best pic I have, can't believe I don't have any proper before pics.
Engine out, bay de greased, surprisingly little rust and a lot cleaner than I was expecting. People were saying I'm mad to paint it but they don't know how good it's going to look when it's all done.
K20 comes out of DC2. What have I done? Looks like it's been living under the sea for 5 years.
Continued
Engine had been recently rebuild so head and block are pretty clean anyway which is a bonus. (12.5 : 1 compression ratio, FD2 cams, I think it's been synod twice at 263 and 252 bhp. Went well in the Teg )
Everything needed hours of cleaning, sanding, degreasing, painting, polishing etc.
After plenty of hours things started to slowly come together
And eventually, now the engine and box are about ready to go in. Still a few parts to do but nothing that can't be fitted once the engines in.
Sump will be done once it's in the car
[U
Engine had been recently rebuild so head and block are pretty clean anyway which is a bonus. (12.5 : 1 compression ratio, FD2 cams, I think it's been synod twice at 263 and 252 bhp. Went well in the Teg )
Everything needed hours of cleaning, sanding, degreasing, painting, polishing etc.
After plenty of hours things started to slowly come together
And eventually, now the engine and box are about ready to go in. Still a few parts to do but nothing that can't be fitted once the engines in.
Sump will be done once it's in the car
[U
Meanwhile at my friends unit
Any bits of rust wire wheeled off, treated with rust converter, primed, sanded, was going to spray the bay with rattle cans but my mate who's unit I'm in and who's a spray painter stepped in at the last minute with his paint gun and sorted it properly for me
Started fitting a few parts on the firewall today like brake proportioning valve. Using a 98 Spec JDM Non ABS proportioning valve and the master cylinder as it will be running Accord type R front brakes and 98 spec Integra rears. Haven't got any pics, but I'll try and keep the thread updated from now on
Any bits of rust wire wheeled off, treated with rust converter, primed, sanded, was going to spray the bay with rattle cans but my mate who's unit I'm in and who's a spray painter stepped in at the last minute with his paint gun and sorted it properly for me
Started fitting a few parts on the firewall today like brake proportioning valve. Using a 98 Spec JDM Non ABS proportioning valve and the master cylinder as it will be running Accord type R front brakes and 98 spec Integra rears. Haven't got any pics, but I'll try and keep the thread updated from now on
Not really.... It's a lot lighter than the original car the engine lived in. but a DC2 and EG are based on same chassis so very similar. Civic may be 50 - 100 kilos in it I think matching spec although I'm sure a civic dx and fully loaded Integra may be quite far apart. I could have used the Integra but it's already been totally stripped and although rust free has had two colour change paint jobs (white to blue to yellow) so I'd have really had to get it back to a bare shell and source a full interior, remove the cage, sort out the mess that leaves. Plus the rolling shell is probably worth something to sell.. the front end parts of the Teg would sell for much more than I even paid for the Civic. I also currently have an Integra type R I use every day so I do love them.....maybe I'm using the civic as a practice run to building another K20 swap Integra in the future but ideally I'd have both. A K20 Civic and DC2, one track one road, one NA, one rotrex supercharged. So no real reason other than the civic was the quickest way to a completed car.
Other places to look for rust is along the sills. Along the seams under the engine bay. Tailgates rust from the inside but is a bolt off part. (Try finding a good one though) and same goes for sunroof. If you've got rust in many places other than these it's time to look for a better shell really. Once you cut out the back arches you should see most of the rust on the inner arches which lluckily is not too bad on mine.
Anyway, decided to fight the hangover this morning and get the engine and box together and bolted in. Happy times. Feel like I'm getting there now.
Anyway, decided to fight the hangover this morning and get the engine and box together and bolted in. Happy times. Feel like I'm getting there now.
Chunkychucky said:
Awesome, my flat mate had a red one and it's made me seriously think about a similar build 
keep up the updates please OP, good to see what's involved - is there anywhere else especially to look out for on a donor EG other than the rear arches?
Saw his Q&A video, didn't click that it was you until half way through. Small world... keep up the updates please OP, good to see what's involved - is there anywhere else especially to look out for on a donor EG other than the rear arches? Sorry, realise I've not really listed any spec.
DC5 standard box so has LSD, my last K swap had a U.K. EP3 box so had the longer 4th-6th but had a Spoon plated LSD which I'm gonna be missing this time around. Maybe something for the future. Engine is a K20A so from something Jap spec, probably a DC5. Wouldn't really make a difference as everything different between UK and JDM has been changed or uprated. 12.5:1 Omega pistons, FD2 cams, valve springs, RBC intake. I suppose it's nice that it has the K20A stamping as it probably makes it worth more just since it's missing that "2". I have a SSR manifold which are very expensive to import from USA, that's what I had on my last swap too which I sold on....I have a funny feeling I've ended up with my original one back as there must only be a few in the country. Don't think I've ever seen another myself over here. I'll be running a 3 inch exhaust since the K series responds so well, I've got one on the DC2 I can modify to fit for now but I'll buy one in the future. Hasport mounts, last time I had to weld something on my subframe for the mounts to fit since it was originally for LHD so I was missing a bolt hole. This time I have the V2 version which has a different rear mount which fits both RHD and LHD. Hybrid racing fuel setup. Exedy lightweight flywheel, uprated organic clutch. K tuned shifter and cables, I'll get a pic up, it's a work of art. AEM ECU, would have probably gone with hondata as that's what I had before and kinda know my way about it, but AEM came in the DC2 and is mapped for my setup so seems daft to change. Since it's the JDM lump it has the factory wideband which is useful for doing your own road tuning.
Think that's about it. Power steering will be done in the future maybe, deffinately if I go plated diff. Fairly easy using MR2 electro hydraulic pump. I'd like to fit Air conditioning in the future but the spot for the factory compressor has already been reserved by Rotrex hopefully.
DC5 standard box so has LSD, my last K swap had a U.K. EP3 box so had the longer 4th-6th but had a Spoon plated LSD which I'm gonna be missing this time around. Maybe something for the future. Engine is a K20A so from something Jap spec, probably a DC5. Wouldn't really make a difference as everything different between UK and JDM has been changed or uprated. 12.5:1 Omega pistons, FD2 cams, valve springs, RBC intake. I suppose it's nice that it has the K20A stamping as it probably makes it worth more just since it's missing that "2". I have a SSR manifold which are very expensive to import from USA, that's what I had on my last swap too which I sold on....I have a funny feeling I've ended up with my original one back as there must only be a few in the country. Don't think I've ever seen another myself over here. I'll be running a 3 inch exhaust since the K series responds so well, I've got one on the DC2 I can modify to fit for now but I'll buy one in the future. Hasport mounts, last time I had to weld something on my subframe for the mounts to fit since it was originally for LHD so I was missing a bolt hole. This time I have the V2 version which has a different rear mount which fits both RHD and LHD. Hybrid racing fuel setup. Exedy lightweight flywheel, uprated organic clutch. K tuned shifter and cables, I'll get a pic up, it's a work of art. AEM ECU, would have probably gone with hondata as that's what I had before and kinda know my way about it, but AEM came in the DC2 and is mapped for my setup so seems daft to change. Since it's the JDM lump it has the factory wideband which is useful for doing your own road tuning.
Think that's about it. Power steering will be done in the future maybe, deffinately if I go plated diff. Fairly easy using MR2 electro hydraulic pump. I'd like to fit Air conditioning in the future but the spot for the factory compressor has already been reserved by Rotrex hopefully.
dannyDC2 said:
Cool project mate! You wouldn't really want a plated diff on a daily driver. Pretty horrible on the road!
What are you doing with the DC2 shell?
You seem pretty clued up, but if you get stuck with anything give me a shout.
I've had plated LSD on 3 fwd road cars. (A 200hp Glanza, a 320ish GTi-R engined Sunny GTi, and a K20 DC2) hasn't really been a problem, as long as it's set up to be not too aggressive, so you can turn a tight corner without clunking, I've never really had problems. Last DC2 had no power steering though so could sometimes catch you out by trying to pull the wheel straight when you weren't expecting it....I won't do it unless I get some power steering sorted though. What are you doing with the DC2 shell?
You seem pretty clued up, but if you get stuck with anything give me a shout.
DC2 shell is up for grabs, or will be once I've took last couple of bits I need.
Thanks for the offer of help. I think I'm thoroughly researched up at the moment, if I can't work on it I'm reading up on it. ... I'll be needing a black interior, set of glass, and a passenger door for an EG at some point if you or anyone else knows anybody breaking one.
Not much progress last couple of days, been painting bottom arms etc and pressing in my new hardrace bushes. Also been modifying a brake master cylinder brace to fit as there's not much room with the K20 in. A bit of grinding, tapping, and painting, but again I forgot pics.
Butter Face said:
Nice. My EP3 is Rotrex'd. It's ace.
Great work so far. Was the DC2 shell no good then? Seems like it was a nice car/setup and a rare colour too!
It's not an original yellow car, it's a 96 spec which has been white, then blue, now yellow. Does seem totally rust free and nothing wrong with the shell. But since I'm putting all this time and effort, I'd have had to have give it a full bare shell respray really, and get rid of any evidence the cage has ever been in. I will restore a Teg one day, but for now the EG route seemed cheaper and easier. Fix the arches, get my mate to give it a quick blow over and it should look nice and clean. Great work so far. Was the DC2 shell no good then? Seems like it was a nice car/setup and a rare colour too!
I originally bought the black one to put the engine into but it's so perfect as it is it seemed a shame to to do anything with it other than drive it. Plus it would have stood me at a lot more than the civic does.
Unfortunately I'll be taking the RPF1's, ATR brakes, and Meister R suspension off it for the Civic and then selling it when the Civic is done.
Will be putting OEM 98 spec wheels, brakes, and shocks, along with Eibach lowering springs on it as I still have loads of bits left from my last K20 project.
Unfortunately I'll be taking the RPF1's, ATR brakes, and Meister R suspension off it for the Civic and then selling it when the Civic is done.
Will be putting OEM 98 spec wheels, brakes, and shocks, along with Eibach lowering springs on it as I still have loads of bits left from my last K20 project.
PorkFan said:
I've had plated LSD on 3 fwd road cars. (A 200hp Glanza, a 320ish GTi-R engined Sunny GTi, and a K20 DC2) hasn't really been a problem, as long as it's set up to be not too aggressive, so you can turn a tight corner without clunking, I've never really had problems. Last DC2 had no power steering though so could sometimes catch you out by trying to pull the wheel straight when you weren't expecting it....I won't do it unless I get some power steering sorted though.
DC2 shell is up for grabs, or will be once I've took last couple of bits I need.
Thanks for the offer of help. I think I'm thoroughly researched up at the moment, if I can't work on it I'm reading up on it. ... I'll be needing a black interior, set of glass, and a passenger door for an EG at some point if you or anyone else knows anybody breaking one.
Not much progress last couple of days, been painting bottom arms etc and pressing in my new hardrace bushes. Also been modifying a brake master cylinder brace to fit as there's not much room with the K20 in. A bit of grinding, tapping, and painting, but again I forgot pics.
That's what I hate about mine when driving on the road... it's really agressive, and likes to lock out on long corners which as you say, can pull the wheel straight when you aren't expecting it!DC2 shell is up for grabs, or will be once I've took last couple of bits I need.
Thanks for the offer of help. I think I'm thoroughly researched up at the moment, if I can't work on it I'm reading up on it. ... I'll be needing a black interior, set of glass, and a passenger door for an EG at some point if you or anyone else knows anybody breaking one.
Not much progress last couple of days, been painting bottom arms etc and pressing in my new hardrace bushes. Also been modifying a brake master cylinder brace to fit as there's not much room with the K20 in. A bit of grinding, tapping, and painting, but again I forgot pics.
Black interior is rare - I always wanted it for mine too. A lot of people resort to spraying the grey stuff black. I did it to my cupholders/handbrake cover. Came up really well with only modest preparation!
dannyDC2 said:
PorkFan said:
I've had plated LSD on 3 fwd road cars. (A 200hp Glanza, a 320ish GTi-R engined Sunny GTi, and a K20 DC2) hasn't really been a problem, as long as it's set up to be not too aggressive, so you can turn a tight corner without clunking, I've never really had problems. Last DC2 had no power steering though so could sometimes catch you out by trying to pull the wheel straight when you weren't expecting it....I won't do it unless I get some power steering sorted though.
DC2 shell is up for grabs, or will be once I've took last couple of bits I need.
Thanks for the offer of help. I think I'm thoroughly researched up at the moment, if I can't work on it I'm reading up on it. ... I'll be needing a black interior, set of glass, and a passenger door for an EG at some point if you or anyone else knows anybody breaking one.
Not much progress last couple of days, been painting bottom arms etc and pressing in my new hardrace bushes. Also been modifying a brake master cylinder brace to fit as there's not much room with the K20 in. A bit of grinding, tapping, and painting, but again I forgot pics.
That's what I hate about mine when driving on the road... it's really agressive, and likes to lock out on long corners which as you say, can pull the wheel straight when you aren't expecting it!DC2 shell is up for grabs, or will be once I've took last couple of bits I need.
Thanks for the offer of help. I think I'm thoroughly researched up at the moment, if I can't work on it I'm reading up on it. ... I'll be needing a black interior, set of glass, and a passenger door for an EG at some point if you or anyone else knows anybody breaking one.
Not much progress last couple of days, been painting bottom arms etc and pressing in my new hardrace bushes. Also been modifying a brake master cylinder brace to fit as there's not much room with the K20 in. A bit of grinding, tapping, and painting, but again I forgot pics.
Black interior is rare - I always wanted it for mine too. A lot of people resort to spraying the grey stuff black. I did it to my cupholders/handbrake cover. Came up really well with only modest preparation!
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