need some advice, my VX destroyed!

[woohoo!]

So I got into an accident with my 95 VX (some lady turned in left in front of me while i was going through an intersection) and now its totaled. I'm buying a 95 civic coupe EX from a friend for cheap. the engine/tranny/harness/ecu is still salvageable from the VX. should I swap it into the coupe? is it worth it? the coupe is about 450 pounds heavier. what does everyone think? thanks!

[civic94]

where was it hit? you can go to certifit to buy the body parts for really cheap if its front end damage. if its rear end, forget about it


450 pounds heavier.. just imagine your vx with 3 other normal weighted people (3x150 = 450) and theres your answer.

[woohoo!]

oh the car is done for...front end impact, the frame is partially compressed...ill post pictures soon

[GasSavers_bobski]

Well, the EX has a simple 4-wire O2 and won't have any EGR hardware on the firewall, so it won't be a simple bolt-in affair... You'll have to run a few wires from the ECU. Also, the engine harnesses may have different shock tower connectors, so you might have to re-pin at least one side of that harness connection to accommodate additional EGR and O2 sensor wires.
Assuming it's in running order, I would at least give the stock EX a try before doing a swap. I've hit over 45 mpg with the same engine in my CRX, cruising at 70-75 mph on the highway. While the aerodynamics will obviously be different, it doesn't mean you can't get decent numbers if you try.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

couldn't you sell the components of your VX on here? there seems to be a great demeand for it. you may lose your VX but at least you will have some green in your pocket. the EX should still yield you pretty good as far as mileage (not as good as the VX). that way you will have some cash just in case a good deal was to come up

[opelgt73]

I think the swap would be worth it. If you have other means for transportation while you are doing the swap.

In my opinion the hardest part of a swap is having all the correct parts. I have been contemplating swapping the VX engine into my CRX but it is quite a chore to piece together all off the necessary components. Having a complete donor car makes that a heck of a lot easier. Given that they are both from the same year it should be nearly plug and play.

You should be able to shave a few hundred pounds out of the DX to get it closer to the VX's weight.

[nowhhs]

I agree with opelgt73, I think it would be worth it for all the reasons he cited. But even if you don't do the swap, you should at least look into swapping the transmission out of the EX for a CX/VX trans. That's probably responsible for most of the difference in gas mileage, 4.25 vs 3.25 final drive ratio.

[Danronian]

Do the swap. As long as you have the knowledge to do the swap yourself, it's worth it. If you have to pay someone to do the work, it'll take a long time for it to pay off, but will be worth it eventually.

My friend just finished swapping a VX motor/trans/harness into a del sol, PM him (loserkidwac) for more info on how to get it done right.

Good luck with it and glad to hear your OK!

The 450 extra pounds won't be a huge deal. Just ditch the a/c and add the manual steering rack to shed about 100lbs worth of stuff off it.

[aalb1]

I'd love to know what you get for your VX from the insurance company since the VX's value should be rising.

[woohoo!]

Originally Posted by aalb1

I'd love to know what you get for your VX from the insurance company since the VX's value should be rising.

i'd love to know too, but i'm still dealing with insurance right now and neither side wants to take the blame. also the police report said it was my fault? because apparently when you have a green light and someone turns left in front of you while youre going through its your fault...funny huh?

it turns out the civic ex i thought i was going to get for a good deal was an automatic and i dont have enough time (with school and all) to change everything thats needed for a transmission swap so i'm looking for a new base to work with.

thanks everyone for your input!