transplanted engine

[medside]

hello,

i'm a new guy, will be new to racing autocross this year, well hopefully i get up early enough. I have a 93 honda civic, i'm going to be puting in a vtec D15B JDM engine. will this not allow me to run in certain classes? I'm not really worried about being the fastest in the class, cause I wont be for my first time, but would like to be in the right class all the same.

And also are there chances to run in any of the days there are races? like during some practices, and championship days?

Thanks

[ceosurfer]

a swap will put him into SM no?

[MX5bob]

a swap will put him into SM no?

Yes, SM, assuming nothing else has been done that isn't SM legal. ;)

[medside]

well, I suppose i'll just have to drive like a crazy man, haha.

[RickRacer]

And also are there chances to run in any of the days there are races? like during some practices, and championship days?

Thanks

Championships are open to anyone and you just have to show up and sign up (need to buy an SDR card at first event, good for the year). Practices have limited entry, usually first come, first serve, sign up by snail mail. Some are limited to members of the host club.

[81MakoJ]

If all you did was change the engine you'll be stuck in SM. If you've done other stuff... You'll probably have to stick with SU.

[Chim-Chim]

Not necessarily. SM allows some engine mods, suspension mods, and some weight savings. You can view the rule book online at the main SCCA website (see link at bottom of page). I'm also putting a new engine in my Civic! :D 93 CX Hatch/00 B16A :p

Scott
HS->SM 363

[nalbar]

Your in SM. Or SU (a strictly local class)

While you PROBABLY won't do well at first SM is not a bad class to go into.

In San Diego SM is pretty weak. I do not mean 'slow' by that. I mean not many run in SM locally and those that do don't show up all the time. Jonathon has been our local SM champ lately and he has been running a pretty stock RS 2.5 Subaru with racing tires.

Certainly you need to consider racing tires if you are going SM. And every suspension, strut tower, sway bar (upper and lower), camber adjusters, intake, header, and whatever mods. And remove the rear seats.

Our last event Mark D. won SM in their early nineties STS set up civic si. It's pretty quick but at nationals that car would be toast in SM.

If you follow the cold hard logic of going into a class that gives you the best chance to win at the most events (and if you are a good driver) SM is that choice in San Diego. I have often thought of running there myself (and sometimes have in the past) for a full year.

Just look at the past results.

http://www.sdr-scca.com/solo2/results/

nalbar

[Cullen]

hello,

i'm a new guy, will be new to racing autocross this year, well hopefully i get up early enough. I have a 93 honda civic, i'm going to be puting in a vtec D15B JDM engine. will this not allow me to run in certain classes? I'm not really worried about being the fastest in the class, cause I wont be for my first time, but would like to be in the right class all the same.

And also are there chances to run in any of the days there are races? like during some practices, and championship days?

Thanks

It's not a teal green civic is it? Because if it is, there's only room for one in this town... ...and it belongs to me!

Jokes aside (okay you can turn the crickets off now), welcome to the region. If you've ever witnessed on ridden in a car on a run before? If not, then you'll realize that doing an engine swap isn't that necessary. I mean, unless you plan on doing some serious mods in the future, don't waste your time and money on an engine swap. Since you mentioned it's a JDM motor, I presume you are into the tuner scene quite heavily?

This is what I had learned since I started in June. If you plan on doing racing all the time (and I believe you do since you declared that you want to be competitive eventually) I say start with it stock. I did and it has done wonders for my driving. A stock car will teach you more than any modified car will ever. And besides, you might not believe that not many people can actually get everything out of a stock car; even wimpy civics (no offence).

Unless your engine is about to blow, dont change it with a super JDM engine. What is it's power? Mine is 125 (1993 EX), and it does just fine. Is the rest of the car stock?

Just my two cents. Anyways, I look forward to seeing you in January, and enjoy the swap labor! (if you do it)

Chris

[medside]

chimchim, congrats on your b16a, its a great motor. i was thinking of that motor myself, but its a lot more expensive to be legal in ca with that motor.

meangreencivic, dont worry, its more of a faded red, its not pink! faded red, haha. my motor is blown, thats the only reason i'm getting a new motor, I was gonna run last year, but I my little red was spitting out smoke like a steam engine. And a JDM D15b is pretty cheap, $500. and yeah I have been on the import scene for a while, mostly straight line racing. But I have always enjoyed the curves.
I will be leaving the new engine stock, everything else will be stock for a while, until something blows out, haha. besides that It will all be suspension mods.

Thanks everyone for the help, and the warm welcome.

[MX5bob]

If all you did was change the engine you'll be stuck in SM. If you've done other stuff... You'll probably have to stick with SU.

SM allows all the suspension mods that SP does + the motor can use forced induction. Any motor made by the same manufacturer is legal. :D

[81MakoJ]

Geez so what's SU allow that SM doesn't? An LS1 powered Miata? haha

But yeah, most of the time it's the driver, not the car. Unless you're me, in which case it's the tires. @_@ At least my tires' tread is almost gone... :D Then it's on to 17" rims!

[Chim-Chim]

[QUOTE=medside;7424]chimchim, congrats on your b16a, its a great motor. i was thinking of that motor myself, but its a lot more expensive to be legal in ca with that motor.

Yeah tell me about it. I have all the parts from a car I wrecked. But it looks as if I may have to pay as much for a smog legal ECU as you are for your engine.:eek: (OBD 1 P30 from a 94 or 95 Del Sol Si DOHC)

If anyone out there knows of one (at a reasonable price), I am willing to pay a finders fee. Thanks.

Scott
HS->SM 363

[Mazda_Gremlyn]

Woo for more SM entries :) Lots of little 4-bangers seem to be popping up in that class for next year. Good luck with your swap, are you going to rebuild the engine before you put it in? Sure it'd cost a few hundred more to do it, but you'll know what you're working with, and you can always get the crank balanced while you're at it.

[medside]

I'll be sure to keep my eye out for a cheaper p30. Ebay, craigslist, and sometimes hondatech. I just got my motor from hmotorsonline, and i'm sure they have one, just dont know how cheap. goodluck.

I'm going to run the engine stock. the car isnt running, and it has been too cold for motorcycle riding, my hands get so cold its hard to pull in the clutch! haha, however today is feeling a lot like san diego finally, of course now that its warm, i'm flying to freezing cold utah.
If anything i'll run this motor down and get a b16 worked over for a swap in a few years. hopefully by then i can have this car as a race only car, not my daily driver. then i'll save some money on the engine ha.

[doublezero_si]

Not necessarily. SM allows some engine mods, suspension mods, and some weight savings. You can view the rule book online at the main SCCA website (see link at bottom of page). I'm also putting a new engine in my Civic! :D 93 CX Hatch/00 B16A :p

Scott
HS->SM 363

I'm late on this thread but Chim-Chim, were you the driver of the black 99-00 Civic Si?

[cshodges]

Geez so what's SU allow that SM doesn't? An LS1 powered Miata? haha

But yeah, most of the time it's the driver, not the car. Unless you're me, in which case it's the tires. @_@ At least my tires' tread is almost gone... :D Then it's on to 17" rims!

If it's street-legal, then yes. ;) SU is our local catch-all for anything that the DMV will let you drive to the event.

[Chim-Chim]

I'm late on this thread but Chim-Chim, were you the driver of the black 99-00 Civic Si?

Yes, untill some G D B!@%!$# stole and striped it in May! Since then it's been a rental, and that little white hatch I abused till it cried "Uncle".

Scott
363