Hi. I am your average Honda guy, I come on the forum all the time and read about the greatness of the K series cars and all the fun stuff that you can do with them. I actually had an A2 EF civic once, and it was a blast. I would love to build another car... Unfortunutely I have come to the realization that this stuff is overpriced.
I may get flack here and that is fine. Or maybe you already know what I'm talking about. Anyway, if starting from scratch, once you have a complete swap it is going to cost about another $6k just to get the thing running. Including the swap that is about $9-12K for a basic running 200-220 HP K-car, and that is if you are being financially conservative! Although there are some very serious people on here creating non-budget all out machines, the average Honda enthusiast is budget conscious. To me that is what the civic is all about... if not I might have a 911 or something.
Now, I understand that many of the parts we need require serious development/engineering and thus have a related price tag. Stuff from Hondata or a nice header or something cost a lot to produce. However I see clutch line kits advertised for close to $300. Engine mounts go for over $600... Yes this took development but really all you have here is some machined aluminum, bushings and bolts. Want to rev higher and get more out of your head? 2800 for cams & springs. :wow: This is crazy. Maybe its justified and I'm ignorant... But with today's economy I just can't do that.
However, there are deals out there. A guy on Ebay sells a complete, ready to go RBC kit for $350. I saw that Nikos is selling built K24 shortblocks with the customer's required specs for $3k including warranty. An LSD can be had from OBX for under $500. This tells me that the stuff we need doesn't have to be so expensive but is such as a result of huge markup.
I think what we need here is a K revolution... perhaps a band of people willing to put together complete kits at realistic prices. Maybe this small industry just needs more players to get a little competition going. Until then however I will have to stick with my 5 SPD B in order to refrain from debt. Want proof of what I'm talking about? Just at the cars in the classifieds... Usually almost completed pieces that the owner never got to enjoy going for a fraction of the $ put into them. This could just be the reality of the hobby as a whole, of this I am aware.
Have an extra 2 cents of your own? Share!
I may get flack here and that is fine. Or maybe you already know what I'm talking about. Anyway, if starting from scratch, once you have a complete swap it is going to cost about another $6k just to get the thing running. Including the swap that is about $9-12K for a basic running 200-220 HP K-car, and that is if you are being financially conservative! Although there are some very serious people on here creating non-budget all out machines, the average Honda enthusiast is budget conscious. To me that is what the civic is all about... if not I might have a 911 or something.
Now, I understand that many of the parts we need require serious development/engineering and thus have a related price tag. Stuff from Hondata or a nice header or something cost a lot to produce. However I see clutch line kits advertised for close to $300. Engine mounts go for over $600... Yes this took development but really all you have here is some machined aluminum, bushings and bolts. Want to rev higher and get more out of your head? 2800 for cams & springs. :wow: This is crazy. Maybe its justified and I'm ignorant... But with today's economy I just can't do that.
However, there are deals out there. A guy on Ebay sells a complete, ready to go RBC kit for $350. I saw that Nikos is selling built K24 shortblocks with the customer's required specs for $3k including warranty. An LSD can be had from OBX for under $500. This tells me that the stuff we need doesn't have to be so expensive but is such as a result of huge markup.
I think what we need here is a K revolution... perhaps a band of people willing to put together complete kits at realistic prices. Maybe this small industry just needs more players to get a little competition going. Until then however I will have to stick with my 5 SPD B in order to refrain from debt. Want proof of what I'm talking about? Just at the cars in the classifieds... Usually almost completed pieces that the owner never got to enjoy going for a fraction of the $ put into them. This could just be the reality of the hobby as a whole, of this I am aware.
Have an extra 2 cents of your own? Share!