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Got a 97 ex car for only $1500

663 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  boostfreak0885 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I'm new to the forum so hey. Not for sale, But I recently ran into a 97 civic ex w/ a y8 motor. It has 192k miles with no problems whatsoever, it doesnt burn oil or use it. I was wanting some tips for you all, the pro d series people haha. I got the car and it was low oil i mean BIG time. It only had 1 quart in it, I changed it with castrol syntec and i'm going to change it again in a few days to wash out all of that old sludge that it had in it. It was babied and drove by a teacher but of course she didnt know anything but to take it to a "service" station. I have a few questions for you all.

1.) Do you think this motor still has any life in it? It hasnt been ran hard you can tell, so do you think it is still a reliable car as far as me doing the little mods as of right now (ex: c/a/i, header, catback). The clutch doesnt slip or anything, it does have a little play in the peddle though.

2.) I want to run 8 pounds and it still be a daily driver. I heard vitara pistons worked really well, but I'd rather have some CP or JE low comps for it. What do you all suggest? I know I want some good sturdy rods, so my questions for the boost part:
a.) would I need a high volume oil pump?
b.) What rods/pistons do you all suggest for a daily driver?
c.) Who, what, or where could I get it tuned? I know I could get a nice e-man for it. I'm a transfer from the v8 world (old school) to the honda world, smart move right?
d.) I know I could probably use the stock head with only 8 pounds, but I know some good arp head studs with a copper head gasket, right?
e.) Is a d motor pretty simple to build? I have some experience building some gm cars (etc, s10's, cavaliers, camaros).



I'm not sure what I want to do, I would love to keep a good daily dependable car because I cant afford for it to blow up and me be stuck with no way to work. Would you suggest boost for a daily driver? Or should I overhaul it and just do bolt ons? I do want about 8 pounds though but if its too risky I couldnt even attempt it.

But again, Do you think this car has any life left with 200k miles? It still has good torque and power you can feel it. It doesnt smoke or use any oil, any suggestions?
 
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#2 ·
there is massive amounts of very goods information to be found on this site, a quick search would answer most of your questions. but i'll help ya a bit.

I want to run 8 pounds and it still be a daily driver. I heard vitara pistons worked really well, but I'd rather have some CP or JE low comps for it. What do you all suggest? I know I want some good sturdy rods, so my questions for the boost part: psi means absolutly nothing! psi wont break things whp will. as for pistons, vitaras are very reliable up to about 400 whp and there are some who have pushed them well over the 450 mark. second you dont need to lower compression if you have a good tune, so it needs to be professionally tuned. third, go with fj spec r rods he is a site sponsor here and they really resonably priced.


a.) would I need a high volume oil pump?yes!!!! or a ported and shimed oem oil pump, the y8 has a problem with its oem oil pumps not giving enough pressure
b.) What rods/pistons do you all suggest for a daily driver? again fj distrabutors rods (h-beam or custom lenght i-beam) and vitaras
c.) Who, what, or where could I get it tuned? I know I could get a nice e-man for it. I'm a transfer from the v8 world (old school) to the honda world, smart move right?very smart move but the e-manage is junk, well its great for some vehicles but there are so many cheaper and better tuning programs for us honda guys.
d.) I know I could probably use the stock head with only 8 pounds, but I know some good arp head studs with a copper head gasket, right? oem head gasket and arp head studs are all you need. oem head gasket and arps
e.) Is a d motor pretty simple to build? I have some experience building some gm cars (etc, s10's, cavaliers, camaros). why do you think we build em.....cheap and easy with lots of power to be had.

one other little peice of info is your stock block and head is good to about 220whp many have pushed them father but between 200-220whp is a pretty reliable w/ a good tune. if you only want 8psi i'll just assume your looking at a 57 trim, you dont need to build it you would be fine, but with you burning oil as bad as you are im assuming the rings are fried. the first step would be to do a compression test, see how the motor is holding up after 200,000 miles. then go from there
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info man, I need all the help I can get.

It's not burning any oil though, I guess you may have read that wrong. It's not burning any, it leaks a little around the oil pan gasket. I saw the oil light flash for about a second and I pulled over immediately and didnt move it. I literally changed it on the spot once I saw how low and dirty it was. ( I was driving it home when I noticed this).

I have about a $1500 to $2000 budget to spend on this, so any help from you all is very appreciated!

Do you think its reliable right now though? I just got the car, i'll put up pictures soon of it on photobucket.

So is there a site I can go to that I can look for those vitara pistons and/or those rods? Also, are they pretty simple to rebuild? I dont want to tear into something and not get it done right.

Thanks again, you dont know how much I appreciate the help.
 
#4 ·
really you have to ask yourself how much power you want? what are your goals? is there a quarter mile time your shooting for? if you only want 180-200hp i wouldnt even bother building the block. if you'll be happy with a low 14 to high 13 sec car dont bother building the block. if you want more then by all means build it up.

if you look under site sponsors or affiliates....somthing like that, find fjt (fj distrobutors)

also with a 1500-2000 budget i'd say dont build it, you'll likly end up running out of money and going way over budget. just get yourself somthing like a greddy kit w/ fmic or look around on local forums and craiglist for maybe a used kit.
 
#5 ·
So you think a kit would be safe with that many miles on that motor? Or should I do a OEM overhaul for abotu $500 and then run a greddy kit

I'm looking for about 200 whp, none the less a mustang eater.
 
#6 ·
Hey all,

I'm new to the forum so hey. Not for sale, But I recently ran into a 97 civic ex w/ a y8 motor. It has 192k miles with no problems whatsoever, it doesnt burn oil or use it. I was wanting some tips for you all, the pro d series people haha. I got the car and it was low oil i mean BIG time. It only had 1 quart in it, I changed it with castrol syntec and i'm going to change it again in a few days to wash out all of that old sludge that it had in it. It was babied and drove by a teacher but of course she didnt know anything but to take it to a "service" station. I have a few questions for you all.

1.) Do you think this motor still has any life in it? It hasnt been ran hard you can tell, so do you think it is still a reliable car as far as me doing the little mods as of right now (ex: c/a/i, header, catback). The clutch doesnt slip or anything, it does have a little play in the peddle though.

2.) I want to run 8 pounds and it still be a daily driver. I heard vitara pistons worked really well, but I'd rather have some CP or JE low comps for it. What do you all suggest? I know I want some good sturdy rods, so my questions for the boost part:
a.) would I need a high volume oil pump?
b.) What rods/pistons do you all suggest for a daily driver?
c.) Who, what, or where could I get it tuned? I know I could get a nice e-man for it. I'm a transfer from the v8 world (old school) to the honda world, smart move right?
d.) I know I could probably use the stock head with only 8 pounds, but I know some good arp head studs with a copper head gasket, right?
e.) Is a d motor pretty simple to build? I have some experience building some gm cars (etc, s10's, cavaliers, camaros).





I'm not sure what I want to do, I would love to keep a good daily dependable car because I cant afford for it to blow up and me be stuck with no way to work. Would you suggest boost for a daily driver? Or should I overhaul it and just do bolt ons? I do want about 8 pounds though but if its too risky I couldnt even attempt it.

But again, Do you think this car has any life left with 200k miles? It still has good torque and power you can feel it. It doesnt smoke or use any oil, any suggestions?

the bold stuff doesnt make sence.. lol you say it doesnt burn or use oil, but then you say it only had a quart in it... 2.5 quarts dont just dissapear. its going somewhere... so that first comment that you said it doesnt use or burn oil is false.

you need to do a compression and leakdown test to find out if its still worthy of holding anymore power other then stock. also, you could skip these steps, and just do a engine overhaul, and get vitaras, h beams, bearings/seals, and new gaskets.. then itl be good for 400hp or more or less whatever you choose
 
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