That guy at the junk yard who laughed at my engine swap plan

I was pulling a starter off a 1998 Civic at Pick-N-Pull in Phoenix last Saturday and this older guy walks up, looks at my car, and just starts chuckling. He pointed at my 200k mile 4-cylinder and said, You're not planning to put a turbo on that are you? Like I was some kid with a dream. I told him no, I'm actually swapping in a B18 from a wrecked Integra I bought for $400, and he just shook his head. He said I should save up for something with a real block instead of wasting time on a econobox that'll blow up after 6 months. That stuck with me all day, not gonna lie. I mean yeah, it's a budget project, but does everyone have to throw shade on someone trying to learn? Has anyone else run into a gatekeeper at a salvage yard who made you second-guess your build?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

mason3615mo ago

Bet that old guy's never actually built anything cheap that worked. I've seen dudes throw $400 B18s in Civics that run for years, the secret's just not being stupid with the tune and staying out of boost until everything's solid.

7

james_clark5mo ago

Are we sure he's not talking about something specific that actually blew up though lol?

4