Honda / Acura K20a K24a Engine Forum banner

DC4 Build from VA

52417 Views 287 Replies 46 Participants Last post by  beaudin223
15
What up everyone, my name's Greg and I'm about to begin my swap after almost a year of planning and gathering parts, etc. It's been a long road but I'm here and ready to yank the old LS outta my Integra and drop in the K...

A little background on my situation...my first actual car that was mine and titled in my name was a '96 GSR 4 door. It was already slapped together with basic bolt ons and minor suspension work but I loved it regardless. That car ended up being totaled by a friend of mine. A couple different cars in between ('99 CL and '04 Jetta) and I had the opportunity to get an '04 Type-S. I jumped on it and began modding the car after a few months, I/H/E, K-Pro, and again, minor suspension tweaks...

Well, during a very depressing time in my life and 3 tall Guinness at the bar one Friday night last November - I wrecked my pride and joy less than a mile from my apartment. Totaled the car and almost died at the scene. It was a crucial mistake that I still have no idea how I managed to walk away from. But, it is what it is until it isn't (as I always say) and so I decided to buy back my DC5 and begin the swap into another Integra - a 2001 LS...

I bought the LS at wholesale price because it was going to be auctioned off from only running on 3 cylinders, yadda yadda yadda. I thought to myself, "cool, I won't need that LS motor anyway" Plus - it was an '01, the same color as my RSX (Satin Silver Metallic) and had the solid black interior combination. I was sold and so was the car. So now here I am, almost a year later with all brand new, quality parts and an Acura dealership at my disposal to begin the swap. I'm really stoked that it's all about to happen after going through so much shit over the past year....

My idea behind the build was to basically make an ITR clone with many of the amenities of the RSX that I liked from my DC5, like the black leather interior - I love that shit. Recaros with red stitching is cool, but I want my leather seats cuz that's just more my style. I had custom carbon fiber headrest inserts in my RSX seats too, I wanted to keep that. A complete audio system with touch screen deck and two 12's - definitely. Basically, I wanted to build myself what I would consider a 2001 Integra - NecroFIesh Edition.:cool:

We're scheduled to start prepping the motor tonight, installing cams, harness and mounting the transmission. If we're finished with that relatively soon, we may begin pulling the LS out and prepping the engine bay. Pics of all the progress will follow of course. I'd like to say thanks to K20, H-T, and all the other sites for the motivation and help along the way. Wish me luck everyone, it's about to go down...:up:

Here was my RSX in better days...













And after I wrecked it...

















And this is the last time I saw the car...

See less See more
1 - 20 of 288 Posts
bump for another fellow Virginian lol

where in va are you located?

Whats the plan for the motor?
sounds like it will be fun to see the build.
Need pics ASAP! Can't wait to see how this turns out man.
15
Got started last night with a few techs here at the dealership, we managed to knock out the main things we were aiming for...check the pics.

The motor...




First thing's first...




Valve cover off, ready for cam swap...




Torquing down to spec...


Adjusting valve lash...


TSX cams installed...


Bolting up the trans...



RDX injectors installed on Skunk2 carbon composite fuel rail...


We also replaced the crank seal, chain case o-ring, timing chain, tensioner and guides while the cover was off. That's it for now, more to come as we progress. :cool:
See less See more
bump for another fellow Virginian lol

where in va are you located?

Whats the plan for the motor?
Northern VA:cool:
I'm going to keep the motor mild to start with, need it to be streetable...but of course we all say that...in a perfect world I'll have a K-swapped turbo ITR clone but hey...:rolleyes:

sounds like it will be fun to see the build.
word, it's definitely been fun thus far:up:

Need pics ASAP! Can't wait to see how this turns out man.
pics are up, thanks for the enthusiasm dude:)
That's awesome! This is one of my goals too. I don't think anytime soon though due to financial issues, but this thread definitely motivates me. Good luck with everything and keep posting pics.

(First post btw)
good build, need pics of the car, which tsx cams are those?
Nice Build! iam Also from Va! :up:
That's awesome! This is one of my goals too. I don't think anytime soon though due to financial issues, but this thread definitely motivates me. Good luck with everything and keep posting pics.


(First post btw)
I feel you on the financial situation...it's been difficult for me not to spend every bit of my paychecks on this swap, but priorities need to be in line dude...bills first, then I use what's left to fund the build :cool:

good build, need pics of the car, which tsx cams are those?
pics of the car shortly, they're '06 k24a2 cams from the TSX:)

Nice Build! iam Also from Va! :up:
what up VA!!:dance:
I've been saving up to do something similar to my 98 Teg. Saving more $$$ as we speak :up:
I've been saving up to do something similar to my 98 Teg. Saving more $$$ as we speak :up:
To be honest, if my motor and trans weren't in their perfect condition after I wrecked my RSX...I probably wouldn't have even considered a K-swap. Mainly because it's still a fairly new swap as opposed to the countless B/H/F series swaps that have been done, and also because of the cost involved. I've spent more money on swap parts and just parts in general over the past year than I care to mention...(like thousands of dollars). I could've bought another RSX or whatever but I chose to pursue this swap with confidence. It was like an opportunity to see what I could do with the variables that were given. I totaled my pride and joy, almost killed myself doing so...this was my chance to redeem myself. The feeling once you're actually sitting behind the wheel of a K swapped Integra or Civic or Del Sol or whatever...it's worth every penny you spent and every ounce of blood and sweat you put into it...that's what I'm in it for. :)

Definitely save yer money, for sure. Yer gonna need it...:rolleyes:
See less See more
12
The soon to be upgraded LS



















And some parts waiting to be installed







More updates as they come:cool:
See less See more
18
Remember that old, rusted ass VTEC solenoid valve bracket...?


:down: Hurting. Can't be havin' that junk, so I decided tonight to replace the mounting bracket as well as the VTEC spool valve gasket and o-ring inside the valve itself. Check the pics...

There's a total of three 10mm bolts securing the the valve to the head. There's another shorter 10mm bolt that keeps the bracket secure against the valve. Once off, your head will look like this...



This is the valve from the other side, showing the filter on the bottom portion. Notice how the gasket has a snowman shape matching to where the oil channels are in the head...


Here's the OE bracket from '04...



OEM part number for the new bracket...


Old and busted and the new hotness...


OEM part numbers for the new spool valve filter and o-ring, respectively...




Use a fingernail or a small pick to pop out the old filter and then seat the new one in gently in it's place like this...


Next, you wanna unbolt the switch portion from the top of the valve. You may find it easier to get this switch loose while the valve is still mounted to the head. I didn't have any trouble with it already off however...


Remove the old o-ring the same way you did with the spool gasket and again, replace it with your new part gently. Make sure it seats inside the recessed area securely though...


Notice the star patterned bolts securing the solenoid portion to the valve ^^ You can remove this portion from the valve itself, however the o-ring inside has no part number from American Honda. I believe it's the same size o-ring as the switch portion, there's just no part number for it. It's up to you if you want to replace the o-ring there, I didn't however.

Finger tightening the valve back to the head...



And there we go, mounted back up and looking much better!



The VTEC solenoid valves aren't prone to failure very often, as I've seen in working with these vehicles for the past three years. As long as they're serviced at the correct mileage intervals, they hold up pretty well. Price on a whole new valve is well over $200, so be smart and keep yours clean and flowing smooth!
I also chose to use a wire brush to clean up the valve and surrounding areas on the head while I was at it. It may not look much different in the pics but trust me, it's much cleaner and smoother than before.:cool:

Hope to have the LS out tomorrow night as well as a full pulley replacement, pics to follow.:dance:
See less See more
26
Yoked the old LS motor out last night, check it...




























I'll start on the engine bay tonight, removing the rest of the mess in there and cleaning it up. Also gotta get started on removing the side mount bracket and doing final prepping for the K. Hollerrrrr:cool:
See less See more
Great progress thus far.. I love seeing DC2/4's getting redone with a K!
Great progress thus far.. I love seeing DC2/4's getting redone with a K!
Thanks man, I've been trying hard to keep the pace steady and productive with this build. Luckily I work at the dealership and can just walk across the service lane into the shop to get back at it whenever I'm ready for more. :)
7
Ready for more...?









Air chisel FTW:cool:
See less See more
1 - 20 of 288 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top