Hello. I might need some help from you guys.


Captain Hat

New Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2017
Messages
16
Car(s)
Mk3 Civic, 2x Clio RS172 Cup
I've recently picked up the idea for a project. A deeply, deeply stupid project. I think it's a pretty awesome one too though.

See, I've always been weirdly enamoured of the old Civics. Not really the new ones so much, and even the Mk5 is mostly just pretty good in terms of looks. The Mk4, though, starts to get interesting and the Mk3 well, it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie doesn't it? It's like a little starfighter, somewhere between an X-Wing and a Colonial Viper.

Only problem is it doesn't really go like a starfighter. Even the larger engines didn't really make it much more than "a bit nippy" and you sort of have to wait for the Mk4 to get any real movement out of one.

So.

A couple of weeks ago I took delivery of a Mk3 Civic 1.3 hatchback. Styling wise, it's a Countach's little brother. Power-wise, it's knee-high to a Fiat 500. The bodywork needs a little bit of work (the usual rust) but is in most ways in very good condition. The interior is pristine. The engine runs, and runs smoothly, although it doesn't like sharp throttle inputs at all. The rear brakes, which were completely seized when I got it (it'd been garaged for nearly 7 years) now make an awful clacking noise when I drive it around the car park.

Not that it matters. I don't plan to be keeping those brakes for long.

See, what I want to do is to get ahold of a B18C4 engine and the suspension and brakes from a Mk5 Type R (or similar)* and build a car that both looks and goes like a rocket ship. Lots of work? Yep. I'll probably wind up needing to reinforce the whole body shell, might need to widen the track (along with commensurate wheel-arch modifications), there'll be custom fabrication on the engine bay and all of the suspension mounts, lots and lots of welding and cutting and compromises to be made (battery and possibly radiator in the boot, for example). Deeply daft? You betcha. It might even be a sort of heresy to resto-mod a car that's in a starting condition this good. Thing is, it might be in good condition but it's not really a car I want to drive as it is right now.

Completely awesome? I think so. What do you guys think? Should I go ahead with this, and turn one of the best lookers of the 1980s into one of the best drivers of any era? Can you point me in the right direction for a good quality drivetrain that won't break the bank? Or am I completely barkers? Let me know.



*I guess what I'm really looking for is a rolling shell with an engine, ideally a rolling shell that's rotted to hell and not gonna be useful for anything else. That way I can look at the mounting geometry for the suspension and figure things out a bit more easily. Possibly even nick a few bits.
 
Sounds like an interesting project, although im sure the engine swap has been done numerous times.
 
Probably. It seems like a logical move to me, although quite a tricky one and I personally haven't seen it done before. If anyone HAS done something like this before I'd love to hear from you because this is by some margin the most complex automotive project I've started. I'm working with a couple of friends, one of whom has rebuilt an Octavia VRS and an S2000 before and the other one is a South African former amateur rally mechanic, so I've got some useful experience with me.

My other projects, while complicated by the fact that the cars I was working on have been Italian and French (and thus very weirdly designed and laid out) have been relatively simple and nowhere near as interesting.
 
Its an EF chassis you have? There may even be a Bseries mount set available for those
 
No, the EF was I believe the Mark 4; mine is a Mark 3, an AG I think.
 
There has been B series motors put in the mk3 before. Pretty sure you do get engine mounts.
 
That's excellent news: Do you have any idea where I might find them?
 
@jesse888 just so I don't embarass myself, am I allowed to post in the marketplace to buy items with less than 250 posts, or is all commercial activity against the rules until I reach that milestone? It's a fair enough rule either way, I would just like to know.
 
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