I used to be a civic wagovan owner. Loved that car to death. Super slow, couldn't really do over 90. But man it looked cool.

I recently got an offer on a 93 (or that generation) civic hatch. Comes with a d16 (stock I assume), and has a little suspension work (which ones don't now...).
Anyway, I'm pretty stuck between a Fiero and this civic... As the guy offering a b18 engine for real cheap.

As for the cosmetics, I work in a body shop.
And the swap itself, the mechanic behind my shop claims he can do this swap in an afternoon. If not, I can probably do it in a weekend :P

My question is... And I'm sure it's been asked like a million times...

What can one of these 2000lb cars do with just a lightly modded (nonturbo) b18 in the 1/4 mile?
-As, I sorta want the car for speed.

Whatcha think?

 

i'll say 14"s...for Stock b18

 

Hmm okay. Looking towards 13s or maybe high 12 to put most cars behind me.

 

U seriously considered a fire-in-the-engine-bay-fiero!??? Lol

I say save ur money if your buying civics for speed. U can build a seriously fast civic but it takes money and effort.

Get a used WRX instead, which will respond much better to mods and make u a quartermile hero.

 

In order...

Interesting you bring up the fiero fire issue. I think wikipedia even addresses this issue. The interesting parts of the comment are A: less than 2% of fieros ever caught fire according to statistics. B: the reasons behind said fires are people not maintaining the oil, rod breaks at bearings, shoots rod through oil pan, oil spills on hot exhaust, fire starts. These reports were ONLY made on the factory 2.6L v6 engine. Not only will I be swapping to a 3.8s-charged engine, but I'll also have different exhaust layout and I'll maintain my car, like I always do.
Next I'd like to point out camaros and mustang have a higher percentage of unknown fires by statistic given.

But, fieros were labeled that. Just like toyotas were labeled with sticking accelerators, when it was a VERY FEW amount of people who had accelerators stuck, if it even happened.


Next, I'm ready for the work of any tuning/swap. I also happen to like the shape/appearance of that civic generation hatchs, and fieros in general.

Last, the WRX comment. First I would like you to watch ImportRace's channel. He's got a video of Evos Vs WRXs. 9/10 times the Evos won.
Next look up 4efte tercel vs WRX. A 1.3L dohc tercel (I used to own one) smokes a WRX lol. Same with the Starlets with the same engine, as a stock trim. I used to think WRXs were cool and all too, but their tuning is expensive, and their initial costs still puts you behind.

Plus, a 3800sc fiero, no bolt ons, puts the fiero in low 13s high 12s. Upgrading the SC pulley, intercooler bolt on, air pickup placement, and tires puts you in 11s. If you swap to turbo, 9s and 10s are possible, and keeps you within high engine dependability too :P The 3.8 engine is one og GMs oldest and most perfected engines.

A fiero, with any of the engines 3.8 and smaller can reach 30mpg any day. The 3800sc with a tune can probably reach 34mpg highway. And rewards better HP as well. You gotta do tuning to delete the stock automatic transmission settings too if you're gunna go with the getrag 5 speed.

No offense in any of what I said. I came here to see what B18 hatches are capable of. Even if moderate tuning is needed.

3800sc fieros are beast, no doubt about it. These guys at my work are also swearing up and down the B18s are monsters.

 

Anyone who relies on WikiPedia for accurate information deserves a fiero. Good luck with your fire-in-the-engine-bay-fiero...lol

G.M. Plans Recall Of 244,000 Fieros, Citing Fire Hazard - NYTimes.com

 

lol

I would go with the Civic, personally. The EG hatch is a personal favorite of mine. Light, can be pretty fast if you do some work on it.

 

That means EVERY engine you put into it, every single GM engine is going to make a fireball?

LOL! And then you cite a recall that was hardly fulfilled?
The ONLY recall that EVER happened was the oil change document. And it simply was a new owners manual and a sticker. The oil sump didn't change. Only the amount you added to it because people were letting em run dry.

AND - again. It was an engine recall. Not a fiero problem. Read the document you linked. Or here, I'll post it for you:
"The company said engine connecting rods, which link the pistons to the crankshaft, could blast through the side of the engine, causing an oil leak that could lead to a fire."

My friend Mike Thomas, has a fiero with 233,000+ miles on it. Stock 4 cylinder, if the issue even lies in the 4 cylinder. He's bound to burn to death any day now I bet!

Finally - you made my statistics better than I thought they were. 1/400, why that's not even 1%

The reason the fiero was stopped, is because the 89 Fiero they had lined up was far to similar to the Firebird concept/final product. And rumor has it was carrying a supercharged something, and was putting the vetts out in those years. So of course GM would shut it down. Vetts are their prized car:



But if you believe a newspaper article is 100% true, then here:
Fukushima, revolutions, Crisis: 2011, the end of a world | Economics Newspaper
-
Saturday’s end-of-world is the third predicted for May | Inquirer News
I probably shouldn't even worry about tuning a car...

 

Make sure your first mod is a fire extinguisher fire-in-the-engine-bay-fiero boy...lol