I'm about two months from paying off my 94' toyota pickup. I am seriously thinking of buying a project honda civic si somewhere around the 94-98 year model. I need to know what you guys recommend and what sort of things should be done to it first?

 

94-98 is really random considering that range encompasses around half of one generation, and half of another.

 

92-95 & 96-98/99-00 would be the correct way to refer to it.

92-95 SI hatch
99-00 SI coupe (no SI in 96-98)

Regarding your plans....how much power would you want to end up with and how much money do you have?

 

well i'm very new to the concept of buying a car, like i said, my toyota truck is the only thing i have worked on extensively. i really want to get a car and get my hands dirty. as to the whole generation thing, thanks for the info because i honestly have no idea. quite frankly i just love the look of these hatchbacks. i HATE the new body styles but like i said, the 94-98 year models have the look that i'm going for.
I really don't know where to start so recommendations are greatly appreciated. Ex: what year model, what mods to handle first, things of that nature.
my budget is somewhere between 3-6000 for the vehicle itself... i plan on tackling the build in baby steps so i'll gradually accumulate money as needed. (several other financial tasks at hand)
I'm looking to end up with around 240-260 whp by the end of the build. is that realistic considering my intentions of instsalling a turbo?

 

First of all.

92-95 Civic SI will look like this:



99-2000 SI will look like this:


Either of those should be able to be picked up for less than $6k. The 99-00 has a DOHC 1.6 with bhp of 160. While the 92-95 has a SOHC with bhp of 130. The 99-00 will be easier to get to your horsepower range, while I would recommend an engine swap if you are going to go with the 92-95. But you could also buy a 92-95 shell for really cheap and start from the ground up and spend your $2-5000 left over money on an engine swap and turbo kit.

 

thanks man. i think i could take a hit on the hp as long as i achieve the overall look of the 92-95 SI. how affordable/efficient are the turbos on them and what brand do you recommend?

 

How will you have to spend on the turbo kit and will you be building your motor? Those will make a big difference in what you can run and will achieve.

 

i'm really not sure man. i mean i know i'll have around 6,000 but idk what i'm going to do with the car. i need ideas due to my lack of knowledge. what does "building the motor" encompass?

 

if it were me, i'd buy a 96-00 civic hatchback for like 2k hopefully. then invest 1000-3000 on a turbo setup which will get me to about 200whp. have fun with that for quite a bit, and either when i get bored of the power level or stuff starts blowing up, buy some pistons and rods, arp head studs and some other little items to build/rebuild the block, and raise the boost to get about 3-350 whp.

or if you don't like the idea of building the block,
buy a 99-00 civic si for about 4k, and boost that to get about 300 whp

but mainly, just go to several automotive forums and read, read, read, and read some more so you know what the hell you're doing

 

thnks man, sounds good. i'm in the process of finding a good shop and talking to some people there. i'll be doing a lot of work to this car so i'm just trying to get some knowledgable connections. it shouldn't be too hard due to the car in question, i mean honda civics are not exactly rare and MANY people know the work they require. thanks for the help bud.