Okay, first off let me preface this post by saying [list=a]- I know next to nothing about Honda swaps- I only read about the first 6 posts before I got bored and decided to reply to the OP[/list]
So, that being said and with full understanding that I have absolutely no place giving any input in this thread, in true Pittspeed fashion I’ll throw my $0.02 in.
To the OP: You have a ’99 Civic Daily Driver. You want it to be more fun to drive, yet still reliable and economical as your DD. Fair enough, nothing wrong with that. However, you state that you want to take it to “the strip” occasionally. I think this is where you went all wrong. Hondas are not for drag racing. Now, I am absolutely NOT saying they can’t be made fast (look at fmfkid etc) because they certainly can. But you are fighting an up-hill battle with wrong wheel drive, small engines etc. Some folks enjoy the challenge, or just enjoy Hondas more than other cars so they choose them as their drag platform. But even if you want to drag a Honda you’re using the wrong Honda platform.
I understand you didn’t say you needed to run 11s (far from it) or be the fastest kid on the block, that’s good. You just want to have fun “racing” your car, also good. But I would suggest you drop the drag-strip idea and look at AutoX and/or track days. AutoX is an extremely cheap form of motorsports, and one that your car is much better suited to than drag racing. A ’99 Civic isn’t the end-all-be-all of AutoX either, but it’s a helluva lot closer than it would be in the drag racing world. Unless your current D16 is ailing, why not spend your money on good springs/shocks (or coilovers), fresh upgraded bushings, brake upgrades and all the little Honda specific handling stuff that ppl like Habib can fill you in on? Better yet, build it to the limit of STS rules (though, the ’89-91 Si is the car to have for STS, I imagine you could still build a car that’s more capable than you will be as a driver for a few years out of a ’99 Civic).
Just a (crazy) thought.
-TJ
PS- bored at work lurking in the import section