US YouTubers put a $10,000 engine into a crusty $500 Civic and fire it up first try
- This Civic’s old engine was replaced with a powerful K20A
- The car received upgrades including a custom exhaust, new clutch, and improved radiator
- After the upgrades, the Civic’s 0-60 time was massively improved
Published on Jan 17, 2025 at 12:14 PM (UTC+4)
by Daksh Chaudhary
Last updated on Jan 17, 2025 at 12:14 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Turning a $500 rusty Honda Civic into a performance beast sounds like a monster project.
But that’s exactly what Jach Zobe, Nolan Sykes, and their team at Donut did.
With a budget of $10,000, they swapped in a legendary K20A engine.
And while the swap had its challenges, they were able to fire it up on the first go.
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Upgrading the Honda Civic with a K20A engine
Before the K20A engine was added, the Civic’s performance was pretty sub-par, taking 15.8 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph.
Then, a lap was performed on a 1.6-mile track, which the Civic with its standard engine completed in 1:41:67.
Again, not impressive.
To compare, Nolar revealed how the Civic Type R completed the same lap in 01:24:77 seconds.
Now it was time for the rebuild and to test what difference a new K20A engine could make.
Engine replacement can do wonders for a car, as we saw with this Porsche 928 powered by a Boeing T50 Turboshaft helicopter engine, so the team had high hopes.
Documented on YouTube by Donut, the overhaul started with ripping out the tired D15 engine and tossing unnecessary parts.
Then they replaced it with the K20A, an engine known for its 215 horsepower and 8,600rpm.
To handle the new power, the team kept the six-speed transmission but beefed it up with a stronger clutch.
Other upgrades and testing the car
The upgrades didn’t stop there.
They further added a hybrid racing radiator, nearly three times larger than the original, to keep things cool.
The Honda Civic also got a custom exhaust, wider tires, and a power steering.
Finally, a vibrant yellow valve cover made sure the engine looked as good as it performed.
Now, the new Civic was ready for its first test.
And just like the Civic that was transformed into a Lamborghini Aventador for its first drive, they had big expectations.
The new engine slashed its 0-60mph time down to just 5.07 seconds.
While it was still slower compared to modern beasts like the Nissan GTR, with a 0-60 time of 2.85 seconds, it was a huge improvement over its former self.
