Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster here.
I am at a crossroads with my 89 Accord DX. Context incoming so bear with me:
I own an 89 DX hatch with about 191,xxx miles. A couple months ago a radiator hose blew and my trusty accord died on the road. I got it towed to a shop who had done previous work on it getting it through smog (I live in California so smog is crucial here) and after various tests i was left with 3 options: engine rebuild, engine eplacement, or get a new car. I ended up getting a new car cause I need transportation, however I still currently have the Honda in my driveway having had no work done to it since the incident. I don't remember the exact issue explained to me since it was several months ago, but I remember "scorching in cylinder 1" and was informed that the block itself is the likely source of the issue. The car sat for two weeks at the shop while the guy looking over my car was calling various machine shops in the area to get a quote for them to machine the head/block and have the shop rebuild the engine. According to him machine shops in my area didn't want to work on this motor because parts would allegedly be unavailable if something else were to be at fault, so after getting that news from the garage my car was towed to back home where she sits to this day.
I also have a donor 1988 Accord DX with 29x,xxx miles, which I have been using for parts as it had better suspension and other various goodies I've been scavenging. This donor car is currently in my driveway jacked up in the front because i had removed various suspension parts for my car. The engine in the donor is the same, also not running but can be fixed in its current condition. I believe the last owner (cousin, then uncle) said something fell into the cylinder head and he just didn't feel like fixing it so I got the car for free.
Long story short I'm looking into using the block from the donor, since the guy at the shop says the block is the issue in mine, and attempting a home rebuild with stuff from my accord since it has almost half as many miles as the donor car. Anyone on here have experience with rebuilding these A20 engines? Is it even worth the effort? Time isnt an issue but id like to keep this procedure as cheap as possible as i am but a humble home mechanic. I've secured another car, but I'd like to get at least one of the Hondas back on the road.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
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