Mid engine RWD civic Build.wmv

How to convert a honda civic hatchback to mid engine ls-vtec swap RWD rear wheel drive soon to be turbo.

[@VADERtheFADER]

If this is your build, my hat is off to you. I like hot rods and own 3. I'll pick them over imports anyway. But when a car is custom built like this, I have nothing BUT respect. Impressive dude, impressive.

[@johnarthurnoble]

My car rode high too even though the legs I made were for factory ride height. That's a good idea for for a rear brace although I haven't needed one. I originally had the same idea to modify a front end traction bar, instead I built my own.

[@johnarthurnoble]

Yes it is now turbo'd. Heat is not at all an issue.

[@chrisknapp4968]

That is probably the best instruction video out there.

[@chrisknapp4968]

Just out of curiosity where you in a low junkyard? There were a lot of familiar sites.

[@chrisknapp4968]

Lkq junkyard**

[@earsneyes43]

This is the best reason to have a swap cradle so more fwd to rwd conversions can be done. The day a Honda Civic or any other high powered front driver can finally get the power down and the handling balance better without the gymnastics will be a wonderful one.

[@harrysparkshs]

sweet !!!! im still at stage one new frame assy is together car is all cut out,gotta make legs like u did to get ride height and final placement sorted out.your video is a great learning tool .thanks for takin the time to post it up!!!

[@johnarthurnoble]

Keep my updated on your progress, I'd like to see it. Let me know if you have any questions about my build. I'll have more videos eventually.

[@story_time8]

I'm going to buy a few more honda civics and get my civic crazed co-worker to help me do this. This is really cool.

[@ZEREPGaming]

One of the sickest builds evar!

[@Jerry0ww]

I bet the traction of this beast is amazingly insane.

[@elijahstewart1333]

planning on doing this to my 3g eclipse in the future, this is inspiring

[@codydennis8517]

Hows it going?

[@elijahstewart1333]

@@codydennis8517 im 17 so i dont really have the money or resources to do it right now, im thinking in a year or two when i got my own time, a daily and some money

[@TheMikevt]

I thought about doing that too to mine. Even with 2 b15d7's that thing would have hauled ass. Or get two 3.5ltr engines out of a ridgeline and two Acura tl six speed trans cram them in the two engine bays. Good job. Nice to see some real talent out there.

[@johnarthurnoble]

I used a line lock myself and I also have a hydraulic e brake. My whole brake line setup is custom.

[@johnarthurnoble]

Not including the body and engine only about 1000$ and a few couple hundred man hours.

[@ExpectRust]

have to give you props, well done so far.

[@SilentSlayer94]

Absolutely amazing! Awesome job! I love everything about the car! Will post a drag/acceleration video? Or a video of it driving? I'm glad I found this, peace :D

[@TheMikevt]

Nice job though man I know that there's a lot of time put in, just standing around thinking about how to shape everything into place. I've rebuilt some strut towers that were rotten right out and also brought some life back into my 92 civic hatch. Payed 200 for the car and gutted it. I bet I replace at least 25% of the car because of rust. Learned a lot though doing it and it was fun.

[@johnarthurnoble]

My ls/vtec has been in the car for almost 10 years. I know the issues with it but mine has had no problems.

[@corydiesel88]

This is pretty awesome. I can respect this honda like no other. literally, I dont really have much respect for hondas and there owners

[@dwhit7451]

TacoSupreme fuck u

[@babyhubert4447]

any vids of it running?

[@peterbeltrechacon474]

I liked this video because when you want to be and that's just great I'm going to remodel my 1987 Civic four-door, I put my video bye

[@story_time8]

My crazy co-worker already helped me rear apart an Acura integra and rebuild a 1992 Honda civic eg hatch from the ground up.

[@chrischandler2025]

what did you use for the rear suspension, what hubs did you use?

[@aaronmact]

also the clutch conversion, thanks so much for your help!

[@MrNomads]

looks fun!!! awesome job. love to be there helping.

[@rockhardtech]

i love your civic! awesome work! how long did it take you to do the whole car? do you think i could the same kind of set up you did in a del sol? anyway i love your civic just awesome!

[@TheMikevt]

Should have kept every thing in the front and have 2 engines. One in the back and a second in the front. That thing would scream. Then if you blew one of them up you would still have one on reserve. Lol

[@dwhit7451]

It has the handling and power of a super car now lol Honda’s r the best

[@essentialdeparture]

Very nice! I'm doing the same type of thing, using the front clip (essentially) from an MX-6 (V6) into the back of a Festiva. Where do you plan on running the intercooler (assuming you'll be using one)? Looking forward to seeing some more vids of this!

[@jaxpatriot904]

So how were the axles secured so they would stay straight ?

[@skirmich]

Just to be nitpicking, That's not a Mid Engine layout... But AWESOME build!

[@humgavin]

If the center of mass is in front of the rear axle, it is a mid-engine layout.

[@skirmich]

Gavin Humphreys Yup that's a Mid-Engine description.. But in a FWD Setup the Mass is in the Axle not front or rear and He's just transferring the FWD Setup and retrofitting it to the rear. So the mass is still on top of the axle now driving the rear wheels. So its something between Mid and Rear Engine layout.

[@humgavin]

skirmich The actual center of mass is in front of the axle with this engine though, since the axle is not in the very middle but rather farther back. The engine can't just sit on top of the axle, it would be going through the oil pan if that were the case. Also I have the exact same car/engine although mine is still in the front.

[@skirmich]

Gavin Humphreys I know the layout since I work with Hondas/Acura´s, I Myself own 2 TLs and this is a great example of how "Mid Engine" can mean 2 things.. "Middle of the Tires" or "Middle of the Car". In a True Mid Engine layout all of the Engine Sits is in front of the axle so the Engine sits in the Middle of the car (Looking it Horizontally Side) but some company´s calls it Mid Engine just because the engine is in the middle of the cars tires (Looking it Longitudinally Top) A great example is the NSX stock "Mid Engine" where the Engine sits almost on top of the Axle line (It goes in front of it like in almost every Honda V6 Application) but still in the middle of the axle sides the issue here is that the Engine doesn't sit in the middle of the car Vs the Muggen NSX True Mid Engine Conversion which puts the engine in the front of the axle completely and in the middle of the car or the New NSX Hybrid which does follow a True Mid Engine Layout. So its: M/M = True Mid Layout Ex: media.ed.edmunds-media.com/honda/nsx/ns/honda_nsx_eng_ns_1118131_600.jpg A/M = NSX Like "Mid Layout" Ex: www.khulsey.com/portfolioimages/ghosted-car-illustration-acura.jpg A/S = Honda FWD Application Ex: 2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LHzksHRMLo/TgVoiBH8AvI/AAAAAAAAAI0/PWyf5733Xsk/s320/FWD.jpg M = Middle A = Axle S = Side In this case the Honda Engine sits on the Left or Right (Depending from where you are looking) since the trans is in the opposite side and the Crankshaft is no more than 1 feet away of the axle like in almost every Honda FWD Application so in Short is far from Being any kind of "Mid Engine".

[@omarjette3859]

skirmich If they really wanted to do a true mid-engine layout, they should take the back seat out, make all the necessary body-frame mods, and drop in a Subaru boxer six power train. This would give a lower C.G. with great mid-engine handling. A lot more work, perhaps. If they started with a 2012, Ciivic coupe, it would be like a"poor man's" mini Pagani. For sure, do all the necessary brake/suspension/tire tuning upgrades, and properly finish the interior. Cost would depend on how much DIY, and finding some donor cars.

[@michasodoma7135]

Great ! i think about rwd in my del sol :D

[@theedge5584]

Me too i have a 95 Sol. If u havr any info on rwd swaping a del sol hmu ill giv ya my email is u can send me some info

[@joshuawarr1883]

so did you put a front axle on the back and i am still confused on how you did the gearbox (as in how you connected it the the shifter ect)

[@dwhit7451]

Joshua Warr linkage setup most likely like the df goblin

[@simplekurn]

i know this old but i was thinking of doing this a while now so i decided to look it up did not know somone did it already

[@LifeWidBlack]

Nice relaxing music

[@theedge5584]

Got kinda the same project but goin with the mid-motor j32 v6 tho

[@isjesse1]

howd the shift linkage go. was it tricky?

[@misterbulger]

My thoughts exactly! Do you have a backwards shift pattern now?! hard to think about this

[@therealjdmguy]

Very cool!!! I would love to do this to my da9.

[@jb19941]

that is bad ass man

[@Lewydeeayy]

how did the shifter feel? sloppy? ever have issues going into gear? premature trans failure?

[@johnarthurnoble]

That's correct. It handles perfect.

[@robertsaenz8331]

So is that what u have to do if u want a rwd conversion? I have a 88 Civic Lx...

[@skulz1974]

great work!! really cool , but , if ur using a front clip in the rear...... doesnt that mean youve got front-suspention-geometry, in the rear?

[@harrysparkshs]

great job john;what are u planning for an e-brake?? im doing same exact swap as we speak,thinking of a line lock for front brakes,and a hydraulic handle for rear.also was contemplating still using a cable trans ;so i gotta fab something to make that work.

[@EvanAxer]

sweet build dude

[@noobydiablo]

i would have so much fun pulling into a parking lot full of posers and popping the hood

[@johnarthurnoble]

It has been done with a crx. That's how I got the idea.

[@phuckugoofleplus7542]

The question is.....does it pop wheelies?

[@hoede1990]

Badass! Wish I had time to do this lol.

[@stevebig3321]

so u left the front brake on the rear? the rear sould be smaller than front isn it? nice work

[@krfuro]

Hi. How did you do it with the gear shifter?

[@crazy_shifters7332]

nice job! I am also bizzy to build a mid-engine rwd car, but I have a lot of trouble with changing of gear. I see that you use two rods, but are the gears than in a different place than usual? Sorry for bad english.

[@TheMoghrabimahmoud]

Nice job mate !! I fuckin love it

[@aaronmact]

Hey man can you show how you did the front end? atleast the axle and all, Im going to hopefully do this to my car one day and I was curious

[@hananas2]

I'd love to do this to a micra K10 some day, but i'll probably never have the time/money for it.

[@joon-woocho8789]

How about Front/Rear weight ratio this Civic MR? I have interested modification Engine's Layout.

[@2_2_4_3]

Gas cell in the front.. that looks scary dangerous . How's the loudness in there?

[@rccarmods]

How does it handle around a track?

[@maxthomas2976]

how does the transmittion work if the engine is in the middle? thats the only part of this conversion i dont get, does it have a standard type r turbo engine or bike engine? planning on doing this to a ford fiesta mk5 but with a puma engine mounted in mid so please let me know on how the transmittion works

[@techieboyali8202]

Interior is going to get hot how'd you fixed that issue

[@austinbahl6611]

The dog is not gonna like the back seat anymore.

[@JOEGGGJOE]

nice build. does it get hot in there? wanted to see it running and driving.

[@VF1Skullangel]

Id love to see someone do this with a CRX!

[@wrivas9475]

I did.

[@DisturbedVette]

Is this video so old that these pictures were taken with a film camera?

[@adamsauto89]

why are those coolant lines so big?

[@mr.actiongal1017]

Incredible!!!

[@nicholasbragg8340]

Same steps for a crx

[@sickhcivc]

great work!

[@MrAndy221232]

How much did this cost to do?

[@DISTRICT718]

is it loud on the inside

[@DarriusSanctoria]

has santa clause a beard?

[@markhondaturbo]

Wow, great job man. Is it turbo yet?

[@johnarthurnoble]

I suggest doing what I did and go hydraulic. Mine works perfectly with no problems.

[@HerrTiem]

is the shift linkage custom or from some other car?

[@TheAmazingKraken]

Not how I would have done it, but still cool!

[@cartzar]

Kraken Fodder in curious as to the way you'd go about it?

[@RicardoPerez-ts9nm]

hey what shift linkage is that off

[@MLFranklin]

Very cool!

[@hdm299]

How bad was the bump steer I got a j series in the back of my crx and at 75 it gets out of hand in the front steering and goes wherever it wants and spins out

[@johnarthurnoble]

I never had that issue. No bump steer. Try playing around with the Thea castor

[@johnarthurnoble]

*the rear caster

[@hdm299]

@J Noble I'm wondering if the air is doing it since nothing in the front but radiator

[@TriGGaman427]

Sick bro mad props

[@537R4HC]

so hows ur shifter works?

[@chriswf]

I have a million questions. But really the most important is, how do you get the engine mounted so it's completely straight? Well the engine and the wheels? What do you measure off of? Or do you sort of just eyeball it with the existing suspension?

[@johnarthurnoble]

Chris Foster there was definitely a lot of measuring and re-measuring. Mostly based off the centerline of the car but also front axles to rear axles.

[@chriswf]

J Noble ohhh that's a good idea... that measurement makes a lot out sense.

[@christopherdeleon7204]

Love it

[@liveandletlive2894]

What did you do about steering?

[@SpencerKyleMarfurt]

Loop your power steering rack to make it non powersteering

[@liveandletlive2894]

@@SpencerKyleMarfurt not sure what you mean loop it

[@SpencerKyleMarfurt]

@@liveandletlive2894 Come Honda mod Google it

[@mikeysmith4594]

How did you manage to keep the steering knuckle assembly without it turning?

[@SpencerKyleMarfurt]

Fixed tie-rods = wheel can't rotate.

[@historyhunter5215]

Damn I hate those stupid wheel stands... Next time your at a yard and see a setter say Thank you or Your doing a good job.... It would help out alot!

[@abimariavargas7086]

How did u set up ur emergency brakes

[@johnarthurnoble]

I used a line lock

[@austinbahl6611]

So where do you put the dog?

[@dwhit7451]

Exhaust on a Honda?????

[@blizteredthumbs7911]

Guys, seriously. I've been looking everywhere for this kinda video. I actually want to do a twin engine build. Front and rear. I had pretty much everything in my head and I was told I was mental and then I watched you guys do it step by step so if I'm mental then we both are! I was watching out for the likes of a hand break, is or was there something in place? Not to pull hand breaks but to have one in place, I take it you used the principal of x2 front supports so if replacing the x4 shocks and springs you need x2 pair of front shocks and springs? But again, do you have a hand break or just leave it on a flat plane in gear? One last thing, to line up the front of civic cut out / engine bay. Did you use the rear shock points as reference or what did you decide to gauge alignment via? Great fuckin job lads, I was with you every step of the way! :)

[@johnarthurnoble]

Open Minded But Cynical you just need to measure twice and three and four times. You can never measure too many times before you weld. I also had an idea for a twin engine car since I finished this one. I think one engine could have a manual transmission and the other could have an automatic and it would work just fine. I'd like to see someone try it.

[@blizteredthumbs7911]

J Noble in regards to your manual / auto idea. For sure 1 for 1 is the only headache free option? I also pondered over independent gears. If always twin running, fine but if independent then the gears need to separate once in neutral ..no? If you managed to leave either in gear and choose a drive engine the other be dragged in gear? Equally, would the auto gear no need manual and drive selection? Sounds like playing two sets of drums :) so in regards to measurement. Did you use the front shock cap / bolt points as reference or just use a balance reference internally ? Within the shell. A guy in work called me crazy today cause of my desired project. I said, hi, have we met before, I don't think you know who I am?? Lol.. the world needs a little crazy some times. I completely understand your wiring extensions required, how or what did you need to get the gears sorted? Is it any reverse angles etc? You did show so much in this video mate, I really appreciate it, I'm sure others did also. Is there any chance of a walk around video advising the required mods? Linkages, add on framings etc. The possible over looked stuff that wasn't featured. But once again, fab job! Pat on the back from me. A silly question, was it easy but just time consuming or was it a lot lot harder than it looks? In your honest opinion.

[@WalkerKlondyke]

Someone built a twin engine Mini. It was featured on Jay Leno's Garage KZbin channel.

[@captnjaygreybeard6394]

Twin engine VW = V12 : kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKuuoXl-etaCatk

[@jordaneridge3686]

that's cool

[@MySickDesire]

I'm not sure how often you check stuff on here but please message me I need to know how you set up your rear wheel hubs and old steering assembly. I'm wanting to do with with a eg coupe and that's the only part I can't really figure out.

[@johnarthurnoble]

Hey man. What are you having a hard time with?

[@MySickDesire]

@@johnarthurnoble I don't want to jump in without figuring out how to set the rear tires. I want to do like you and use an eg front end welded in place, but I don't understand how you the wheels to now turn when removing the steering assembly? And in your other video where are the smaller lines on the intercooler running? It that how it's getting cooled?

[@MySickDesire]

Sorry for all the questions I'm just having a hard time finding someone who knows how to do this.

[@johnarthurnoble]

@@MySickDesire the steering rack is just replaced with stationary brackets connected to the inner ends of the steering tie rods. The car was cooled with the original radiator still mounted in the front with pipes running under the car. The water/air intercooler had its own separate water system with an electric water pump also running to the front to its own smaller radiator.

[@MySickDesire]

@@johnarthurnoble awesome, that's what I figured just wanted to check. I'll be back if I have anymore questions, I'm doing a k series. Want something different than my regular ole ek hatch I drive

[@arthurlove1735]

John I am doing the same on my 88. How did you do your throttle cable

[@liveandletlive2894]

What's the big deal just extend it and run under the floor

[@kaimackk]

How did you get the shift linkages to work?

[@johnarthurnoble]

If you think about it, left a still left, right is still right, forward is still forward, and back is still back. You just have to rebuild the linkages to connect to all the original places and it worked perfectly.

[@kaimackk]

Thanks, do you think a cable trans would be easier to do this with? Could you just put the cables on backwards? I think I saw a guy with a del sol do it with a j swap mid engine. For the shift linkages I imagine you would need quite precise lengths.

[@edwardomeraz8998]

dude you should have left the engine in the front then added another in the back like you did. AWD FTW!

[@johnarthurnoble]

The bulk of the work took less that a month.

[@thomas4593]

Can anyone tell me how I can hook up the shifter to the transmission when it’s in the back. Me and my dad are building a rwd buggy and we can’t figure out how to make it a 5 speed without having to use an automatic tranny. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[@emi9643]

it really depends on the transmission and what sort of shift linkage geometry it has going on. without any more info basically make a really big candycane type shape that wraps around to the correct spot.

[@liveandletlive2894]

Ever figure it out I'm having the same issue

[@WiserAsIGrow]

I just cut into mine... my donor car was a 2000 civic EX, how did you figure your wheel placement to land exactly where you wanted it too!?

[@johnarthurnoble]

Roxxy The CRX lots of measuring with wheel/tires mounted.

[@WiserAsIGrow]

My entire front end is together with wheels so at what wheel height did you decide to weld her in? By that I mean when you decided ok this is how high i want to weld this shock tower, was it based on where the wheel sat with the suspension and wheels on it or without?

[@johnarthurnoble]

Roxxy The CRX you could measure the subframe to the ground at the front of the car at the four corners and duplicate it for the rear. That's the way I did it.

[@WiserAsIGrow]

thank you that makes a lot of sense.

[@kioaztec3973]

I got my del sol...ill work if I put intregra from and in my mid engine ???

[@joprez]

+kio aztec in del sol is a great idea. should look sweet. but i would use a bigger engine like a v6 or v8 fully built and TURBO it :D good suspension chassis tire and brake and aerodynamics settup to try to keep good grip. Oh man i just get excited just about think :D

[@kioaztec3973]

+Joprez PT I'll be 18c1 turbo 800HP and yes I'm working on it slowly but let hope I finished :) lol and I got a 92 Toyota mr2 and I love it

[@elvinreyes3962]

cool....

[@brucegordon3237]

Where did you get the clutch conversion kit?

[@johnarthurnoble]

custom built it.

[@21perezchris]

Engine relocation.not two videos.watch the whole vid

[@IlIlIlIlIllIllII]

Good luck getting two engines to actually sync up like that.