help establish my build (im new here)

tom baker

New Member
Hey everyone. Im new to all of this. Ive never joined a forum before, ive never owned a honda before, and this will be my first build ever.

Ok so first off i have a 1996 honda civic lx. It has a d15b bottom end and what i believe to be a d16y7 head. It does not have vtec. Short term i am looking at finding a p28 ecu, chipping and socketing it, and running neptune tuning software. Right now the only thing it has performance wise are cheap headers and exhaust. I want to practice tuning basics like advancing the timing to start out.

Long term id like to go forced induction. More than likely a cheap ebay turbo kit and forged pistons/rods. My freind has a shop with a dyno and he has tuning experience so he can help to an extent but he doesnt mess with hondas. He is best with LS motors...

My goal is to build the motor this winter.
Id like to see it somewhere around 200-300hp. Id like it to be somewhat reliable because i will be using this as a daily. (I do have another vehicle if something comes up tho)

What are things i should be looking for? What pistons/rods would be best? Will the p28 be the best ecu for my application? Has anyone used neptune before? Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:

Alonsotl05

Respected
If you want something cheap that's somewhat decent I'd say go for a vitara build. If done right it should be reliable for the power your looking to make. Definitely do some research though before going that route and consider all your options.


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ctag

fill it with wires!
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Welcome to ClubCivic @tom baker :hi:

I don't know anything about engine building, I'm just along for the ride :thumbs up Make sure to take lots of pictures for us!
 

Mr.Baker

Mr. Search
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5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Long term id like to go forced induction. More than likely a cheap ebay turbo kit and forged pistons/rods.

My goal is to build the motor this winter.
Id like to see it somewhere around 200-300hp. Id like it to be somewhat reliable because i will be using this as a daily.
Seems to be counterproductive and hypocritcal to go with a cheap, generic turbo, then say you need it to be reliable.
Spend the money, go with name brand quality parts.
The car will only be as reliable as the build quality.
 


tom baker

New Member
Yes i can see how it sounds contradicting but here is the deal. The internals will be name brand good quality parts. The turbo is realy the only thing im thinking of going cheap on. My buddy had a cheap ebay turbo on his 4.8L LS (not an LS) swapped 95 mustang. He had it for about a year before he sold it and his best run was high 9s 1/4 mile. The thing was a beast. And it held up. But he wasnt using that for driving for his job like i will try to do with my civic so im on the fence about it....

Has anyone on here used a ebay turbo kit and still used it as a daily?

Also has anyone done a turbo set up on a mini me and kept ac and powersteering?
 

tom baker

New Member
If you want something cheap that's somewhat decent I'd say go for a vitara build. If done right it should be reliable for the power your looking to make. Definitely do some research though before going that route and consider all your options.


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I have been looking at vitara pistons and eagle rods. But im a little unsure of what will work for my application. As ive said i have a d15b bottom end and a d16y7 head. From what i have read i believe that my bottom end is jdm because there is no numbers after the "b" and usdm's would have numbers after the "b"... is this true?

If it is a jdm bottom end would i need to look at differnt size/length pistons and rods?

If you or anyone else on here has a link to a page with info on this stuff it would be greatly appriciated.
 

Mr.Baker

Mr. Search
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
From what i have read i believe that my bottom end is jdm because there is no numbers after the "b" and usdm's would have numbers after the "b"... is this true?

If it is a jdm bottom end would i need to look at differnt size/length pistons and rods?
.
Bottom ends are identical, but yes, d15b stamped block is more likely a JDM block, they will not have a 4 character for the engine stamp.
 

tom baker

New Member
Cool thanks for the input. Ill be looking for some vitara pistons and eagle rods in the near future.

Right now im trying to chase down an obd1 ecu. From my understanding the p28 is whats best but they only come out of 92-95 ex/si civics. In my area its kinda hard to find in a junkyard. Ive been thinking about just buying one off ebay but i did find a p06 in a junkyard and it was $45.

Would the p06 still work for chipping it so i can tune the car? I was planning on getting the demon 2 chip and running the neptune tunning software that can be found on hrtuning.com...
 

tom baker

New Member
Awsome. Ill get the chip within a month and hopefully not to long after ill be tearing into the motor.:cool: Thanks everyone.
 


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