torn... cant decide

[4g638u]

so i have an ep3 bone stock minus some tein springs. as everyone knows its tax time and i have some cash ...about 2500 or so to put into it.

I have found a k20a2 swap (engine, trans,) no ecu, no harness, for 1500, which is no biggie b/c i would need kpro and i'd just kpro my stock ecu, and use my stock harness, just not have the reverse lockout, i think i can manage not to throw it in reverse at highway speeds... but this would be all i could do for a couple months. but the k20a2 swap has 110xxx on it and would put me basically where i want to be power wise but the car will have to have stock intake and exhaust etc...which i kinda like that idea, basically like starting off stock with a k20a2 and as time goes do bolt ons.

or....

just do alot of bolt ons, ie: intake, kidd racing header, exhaust, kpro, wheels, poly bushings... etc.. i know even with all the bolt ons for a a3 it still will not be comparable to a a2 as far as fun factor, it may keep up, but put those same bolt ons on the a2 and its a wash

my car has 120xxx on it so the 110xxx on the a2 doesnt really bother me, i have compression numbers etc...

help me IA!

[5speed]

The swap would be cool. If you know anything about the modifying world you know not everything comes quick. Figure out how patient you are and what type of numbers you want to get out of each setup. Then figure out the cost to get it there. In the end I think the swap would be best. If you say only a couple months in between more mods after the swap then that isnt bad at all.

[4g638u]

yeah i mean every month i have a good bit of extra dough, but not 2500 extra a month, im not that ballin lol... just wish the ep3 was less of pig as far as weight goes so the a2 would really make it fun...its a big change from my ef to the ep3. i love the ep3 but to get it to a decent weight i have to loose all comforts of the car...not diggin it, my ef had a/c etc... and full interior and was still fun as shit with a built single cam....it was sad, but faster than the ep3 by leaps and bounds lol.

guess my goals are about 225ish... i believe that is manageable with the k20a2 stock longblock, kpro, intake exhaust commonly makes those numbers if i remember correctly

i guess im answering my own question here, but i figure i need reassurance to put money into the engine and not suspension...not normally how i do it

[blown_ss]

the swap is a good idea but have you thought about a turbo? you could do one for that price im sure. check into that before you make your mind up.

[Bacon]

I'd keep the stock motor and throw part at it. Aren't these equipped with K motors anyways?

[Cynical 1]

head swap?

[4g638u]

ahh yeah they are k series, but the weak sauce k series, the k20a3 160 hp... back when they could bloat the hp ratings. and they do not have vtec as most would think, its the vtec e crap.

as far as an a2 head swap, you wind up with a head that makes most its power revving really high, and the a3 shortblock just wont do it, its factory redline is 6800, pretty low, increasing that another 2000 rpms = carnage. it will be a boost in power but not sensible. and you will also fall out of vtec every shift because of the dumb a3 transmission..

i am thinking also about the k20z3 swap from the 2006+ civic si. 200hp with 6 speed lsd.... the biggest attraction is the lsd. there are a few differences as far as the swap goes but im still researching that. but the mileage on one of these would be much less that an a2 swap.

[Bacon]

In a nutshell, the LS of the K series. Fuck it. Use what you got and go from there.

[5speed]

head swap?

This too. I think I would recommend this more.

[4g638u]

well i finally made the plunge and decided...drumroll... k20z3 swap. picked up the 30,XXX miles engine/transmission yesterday, im super excited about having lsd and 200hp!

there are a few things needed to make the swap work but its not terribly difficult, just cost more.

so far im in 2500 and all i need now is just fluids/oil etc..

i paid 1500 for swap
760 for kpro
160 for hybrid-racing's speed converter (needed because vss sensor works on different voltage on 05 and up trannies)
60 for obx throttle body adaper (needed because the z3 is dbw and you have to put a cable tb on it and it doesn't quite line up)

this is a pretty affordable swap... especially seeing b series swaps still going for this amount plus some sometimes. you would be paying ALOT to get a b-series with 200 hp and lsd... think type-r swap=$$$

i will post pics of install if people want me to, i will be putting a whole DIY thread on h-t but could also put it here if it was requested.

thanks for the input IA!

[4g638u]

ok so i thought i would update with some pictures of what i have collected so far, the only thing i am waiting for now is an open bay in the shop lol. i already have the kpro, its installed already so no pictures there.

the first picture is of the throttle body adapter, needed because the throttle body on the k20ze is dbw, and i need to put my cable throttle body on. also the speed converter, that is needed because of the vss on the z3 reads differently, it is a magnetic pickup instead of traditional electronic gear types honda had used for quite a while. oh and amsoil FTW

[deondre]

shit thats steal... 20 more bhp than a type R swap an extra gear, and half the price! hell a type R tranny alone goes for 1600 new,lol.
you gonna go the build for boost or all motor later down the line?
nice car bro!

[iamdallas]

I'm jealous.



...and yes! We want a build thread too. Good luck with it.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[4g638u]

no boost for me, at least not with this car. from my experience i tend to stick with the aspiration that the factory designed the car with. i know that there is a ton of power to be made with turbo honda's , just isnt me. i have had plenty of experience with turbos, dsm's, gti, 400whp subaru as well. this is my real first time with n/a and i think the k series has alot going for it.

thanks for the compliments on the car. it does need some wheels, but im even thinking of keeping the stock wheels and just putting some sticky tires on. my goals are to make this swap as oem as possible, i really want the car to drive and look like it was the original engine for the car, the only thing that will stick out is the reverse lockout switch i am going to have to wire. i may hide that somewhere though.

if anyone is considering just buying kpro for a completely stock car... DO IT! i hooked up my kpro to my stock a3, it is completely stock intake , exhaust etc. and it woke the car up a ton. its not by any means fast, but it really did wake it up. raised the rev limit to like 7500 from 6700, that really helped when gear change occurred.

[deondre]

not even bolt ons and a tune?

[4g638u]

oh yeah, i will do that, but i wont be swapping cams or any internal work... i say that but will more than likely not stick to it. im probably going to get the obx race header and a nice intake. i will go to an exhaust shop and get some 2.5 inch pipe ran from the header to my stock muffler. hopefully that wont be too loud , if it is i'll add a resonator. but im thinking the stock muffler will quiet it down quite a bit. definitely not looking for a raspy ricer sound, as that sound makes me cringe lol.

any reccomendations on wheel choice?

[deondre]

i have a header back exhaust, not cat, 22 inch resonator, and a aftermarket muffler, all 2.5 inch piping( all done by previous owner). and it sounds nice! hard to tell i have an exhaust when im not on the throttle, no rasp at all! ( hard to believe i know,lol) pm if you interested in the brand. dont want some of my friends to kno which combo i have...lol.
heres a sound clip on the dyno....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrgVX-KULzE

[4g638u]

that's not too bad man, sounds good, what did you put down btw? im probably gonna go with an internet tune at first, then just do a dyno pull or two, then im gonna get a retune after bolt ons, and another pull just to see what it'll do , im guessing 185 or so stock and prolly 220ish with bolt ons, maybe more im hoping.

[allout13]

oh yeah, i will do that, but i wont be swapping cams or any internal work... i say that but will more than likely not stick to it. im probably going to get the obx race header and a nice intake. i will go to an exhaust shop and get some 2.5 inch pipe ran from the header to my stock muffler. hopefully that wont be too loud , if it is i'll add a resonator. but im thinking the stock muffler will quiet it down quite a bit. definitely not looking for a raspy ricer sound, as that sound makes me cringe lol.

any reccomendations on wheel choice?

wheel choice?

what's your budget?

[4g638u]

well im extremely cheap, as you can tell, but less than 1k and that's pushing it lol. will probably be getting used wheels just to save even more $

[j0nbunklah0m]

sick, can't wait to see the build. gl with it