Colin's 78 Civic D16Z6 swap

farenheight101 · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: Colin's 78 Civic D16Z6 swap

Hey guys,
well after a couple years of building up my 81 Toyota 4x4, I got T-boned by a red runner and ICBC wrote her off Crying or Very sad

. So with the cash I got, I had a decision to make, Buy a cheap beater and save for something alittle nicer, or... Put a D16Z6 in my old motorless 78 civic! Already have some of the old mods already done (4x100 conversion, 4 wheel disc swap, etc) so why not!

I'm a month into the swap so far. Thanks once again to Justin for all the awesome help durring this!

Here's what I have done so far:

the heart

stock engine bay

Electric Speedometer swap, fits pretty nice!

These are all the pix I have so far...
right now I'm "Beefing" up the frame rails that I trimmed back. I cut alittle too much away from the crossmember mount so I'm rebuilding those with 17mm bolts instead of the 14mm. Alot of welding! More to come!

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Layspeed · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 6:41 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear about your truck man but that's cool you're getting to work on your Civic now Very Happy

I should be up in Richmond by the 18-19th with any luck so let me know if you need a hand. I'll probably have some time on my hands Laughing

And props to Justin also because really if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even tackled my first 1stgencivic swap either! Cool

Good luck with the project!

edit:
What is that speedometer from? Are you going to replace the tach as well?

Justin@work :) · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject:

Lookin good Colin!! I should have the axle inboards this week or next! I'll let u know...
btw Lay.. your not gonna make it for kelowna this weekend? We will be back on Monday... Smile

farenheight101 · Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 12:37 am Post subject:

more pix!
I kinda skipped taking pictures through alot of the work, just kept grinding through it, but here is where I am now...

If I keep up the momentum, it should be done in 2-3weeks.

Rising Sun · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:07 pm Post subject:

Nice....

jonathan_ed3 · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:53 am Post subject:

Looking good!

I have my battery in the exact same location as you do, using the exact same box!

What size fuse are you using right there near your battery?

farenheight101 · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject:

well, I want to use a 200A, but I have a 150A on there right now.

I'd rather use a circuit breaker but they're pricey and my funds are getting low.

The only time the fuse would blow is durring cranking, so hopefully the current draw from the normal vehicle operation with the additional current draw of cranking will be less than 150A.

Eventually, I'll get a circuit breaker forsure...I'll also need a battery cut off switch for track purposes.

farenheight101 · Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject:

More pix!
Pretty much finished, just waiting on one last part...

Layspeed · Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject:

Looks Awesome Colin! I was going to do something very similar to your radius rods on my wagon. I like how your crossmember came out..but are you still using a front sway bar? It would be cool to see a video once you get it up and running!

farenheight101 · Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:39 am Post subject:

Yea, I still have to install the swaybar, just waiting on the drivers inboard axle to install first.

runs soo nice! and the electric fan I used sounds cool when it starts up every cycle.

I took your idea about the return in the fuel tank drain plug. I'm kinda weary about it being soo low and vulnerable, a friend suggested I could run a Y-fitting on the filler bypass vent hose. should be ok underneath though...