New '92 Civic DX (soon to be VX)

[first350]

Hello all! I joined a few weeks ago...I just bought a '92 civic HB DX (couldn't find any non-riced VXs in the area) w/ 155K miles for $2,500 - still runs great!

*I commute 70 miles RT daily...so this should pay for itself in 3 yrs w/ the gas $$ I'll be saving.

first full tank of gas:
381 miles on 9.855 gallons --> 38.7 MPG (90% freeway, going around 70 MPH)

plans:
-VX engine swap w/ modified head?? (engine is on the way)
-VX rims (on the way)
-aero stuff (front air dam, under body paneling, wheel skirts,...)
-I'm planning 50 MPG and hoping/aiming for 60!

pic:


I've picked up a lot of great info here...hope I can continue to learn and possibly give back some too.

*I'm mainly into racing/autoXing cars, so this car project is a little different, but still loads of fun for me.

[GasSavers_TomO]

May I ask, what are you planning for head modifications on the d15z1?

And congrats on picking up the DX, you'll like it.

[first350]

Originally Posted by TomO

May I ask, what are you planning for head modifications on the d15z1?

And congrats on picking up the DX, you'll like it.

I plan to shave it to increase compression for FE...I'm having a little trouble finding good info on what kind of compression ratio to aim for that will still allow me to run 87 octane, but at least 1 person is saying 10.5...so I'll probably aim for 10 to be a bit conservative.
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/18...on-ratios.html

I'll do all the other easy stuff too: smooth out casting lines, port match,...I had thought of increasing compression by going w/ longer rods (you can usually get a higher compression ratio w/out detonation this way), but opted not to b/c I'm trying to keep costs low.

-Peter

[93dagsr]

Originally Posted by first350

I plan to shave it to increase compression for FE...I'm having a little trouble finding good info on what kind of compression ratio to aim for that will still allow me to run 87 octane, but at least 1 person is saying 10.5...so I'll probably aim for 10 to be a bit conservative.
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/18...on-ratios.html

I'll do all the other easy stuff too: smooth out casting lines, port match,...I had thought of increasing compression by going w/ longer rods (you can usually get a higher compression ratio w/out detonation this way), but opted not to b/c I'm trying to keep costs low.

-Peter

nice i might have to copy you when i do my swap! lol where did you get your motor from?

[first350]

Originally Posted by 93dagsr

nice i might have to copy you when i do my swap! lol where did you get your motor from?

$400 shipped to my door from:

JDMSOURCE
www.jdmsource.ca
1 866 717 4252

[Danronian]

I don't know how a VX would react to higher compression. With it already burning lean, and higher compression that it has, I'd imagine the motor wouldn't last very long. Though I really don't know.

I'll have to check out your other thread you linked to.

Welcome to the board!

[smccall]

Good luck on the swap and congrats on your new whip!!

[GasSavers_vxhatch]

Welcome another new VXer to the boards. I believe for the EG Civic, the CX/VX had the same gear ratios with a very tall final drive ratio, the LX/DX had shorter gearing and the EX/SI had the shortest, sportiest gearing. I think in order to truly have a VX, you need the motor, ECU, 5-wire Oxygen sensor and correct tranny. All these parts should be available, tho.... good luck!

Doug

[first350]

Originally Posted by vxhatch

Welcome another new VXer to the boards. I believe for the EG Civic, the CX/VX had the same gear ratios with a very tall final drive ratio, the LX/DX had shorter gearing and the EX/SI had the shortest, sportiest gearing. I think in order to truly have a VX, you need the motor, ECU, 5-wire Oxygen sensor and correct tranny. All these parts should be available, tho.... good luck!

Doug

thanks for the list - I have the same list of "to buy" parts for the DX--> VX conversion...at this point, I'm only missing the tranny:
-Engine is being shipped and has the header/O2 sensor/EGR
-wheels are on their way (i plan to run taller/thinner tire if I can find one...so the final ratio will be even taller!)
-ECU will be picked up this Sat (I'll need to add a few extra wires for the Vtec/O2)
...now I just need to find a 5 sp VX tranny.

I"ll probably have a load of questions once I start getting all the parts and begin the swap

[Danronian]

Originally Posted by first350

thanks for the list - I have the same list of "to buy" parts for the DX--> VX conversion...at this point, I'm only missing the tranny:
-Engine is being shipped and has the header/O2 sensor/EGR
-wheels are on their way (i plan to run taller/thinner tire if I can find one...so the final ratio will be even taller!)
-ECU will be picked up this Sat (I'll need to add a few extra wires for the Vtec/O2)
...now I just need to find a 5 sp VX tranny.

I"ll probably have a load of questions once I start getting all the parts and begin the swap

Out of everything in the VX swap, the tranny (which either shoudl come from a cx or vx) will make the biggest difference in MPG. Make sure you find one with a good input shaft bearing (you can somewhat check it by seeing if it has any up/down play) or plan on getting it replaced before installing it.