C25A1 in a 3 gee?

[accord newbie]

I ran a search, but did not find quite what i'm looking for.
My neighbor has an 88 Sterling 825s( basically a european acura legend) with a C25a1 2.5 v6. the car has 75,000 miles and has been extremly well maintained. He also has a 87 lxi hatchback parts car(wonder were i've gotten all the free stuff don't you) We were wondering if the V6 will physically fit in the 3 gee engine bay. No, we are not swap happy, the Sterling is wasted in the rear ,and rear passenger side door.

Now we are not expecting a "bolt in" swap, but the front of the Sterling is untouched, so we have the mounts, harness, ecm, trans, axles, hubs, etc.
We also have access to a certified welder, who is in to weird engine swaps(Lt1 in a pinto, 390 in a ranger), so fabbing adapters and plates is no big deal.

I rode in this car before it was wrecked, and it scooted along pretty well for a four door, so it should be pretty nasty in a light 3gee hatchback.

This car will be mainly used as a bracket race car, with some occasional excursions on the street. But we want to keep the body as stock looking as possible , for that "sleeper" look.

To referece, this is the same engine in an '86 or 87 legend, so it is a honda product, it least im keeping it asian

I know i'll get flamed for posting this, but like i said, the car will be mostly used for bracket racing, and very seldomly will be driven on the street( we live about 2 miles from Virginia Motorsports Park).

We were just wondering if anybody has tried to fit one of these engines in a 3 gee chassis

[SteveDX89]

I don't think it's ever been tried but I would like to see it. If you're just doing it for racing, you might as well try it. If it doesn't work, you can always start over with a different engine. As far as fitting, the engine bay is relatively deep so it might fit. You just would be close to hitting the radiator and firewall.

[accord newbie]

Well it will be mostly used for drag racing, that is not to say if it works well it won't see some street duty

[Slipknotcraig133]

that would be a good setup i think. Like steve said if its just for racing why not try. The car isnt to heavy so i say go for it

[Robs89LXi]

Wiring will probably be your biggest issue, as you will need to use the Acura ECU, and then you will run into the problem of sensors, and dash items. Axles will be another (length, angle, spline count). Another big item will be transmission; does the Acura use hydrolic or cable? What about the shift linkage? Just a few off the top of my head. Good luck though, and be sure to post pics if you decide to do it.

[accord newbie]

well, i guess if the radiator is too close, i can do like the v8 s-10 swap guys do. Move to radiator to the front of the radiator support, and route the hoses around the support. since this car wont have A/C the front end is wide open, just wont have any protection against impacts, but some window screen will cure that. I took some crude measurements, and it will be tight, but it looks like it will go. If worst comes to worst, we can cut some of the fender structure out and reinforce the area with some roll bar tubing.

[accord newbie]

The Sterling has an automatic tranny, and we have the complete car to rob what we need

[accord newbie]

BTW, does anyone know what the Ca25A1 is rated at compared to the BT in my 3 gee

[thegreatdane]

It can be done, a C27A has been swapped into a 3rd gen.

[88accordhb]

It can be done, a C27A has been swapped into a 3rd gen.

woah! do you have links?


as for the sterling motor, if you can pull it off, that would be cool. it will definitely take time, money and frustration. but if you or others know enuff about cars, it can definitely be done.

[buds302]

i dont think wiring would be a problem as long as you replaceall of it with the acura wiring. not too hard!!................................yeah right

[accord newbie]

Yeah, anyone who knows any links to swaps done before, please post them, it would greatly be appreciated.

[Robs89LXi]

i dont think wiring would be a problem as long as you replaceall of it with the acura wiring. not too hard!!................................yeah right

Not an Acura; British Sterling. Engine by Honda, body by Rover. I wouldn't want to try it, but then again, if I had them both just sitting there like you do... and a whole lot of time on my hands .... maybe.

[thegreatdane]

woah! do you have links?

I have these almost finished pictures that's all. It's one of my buddies buddy, so I dont actually know the guy myself.




I believe the plan is to twin turbo it, and currently the car should be in running condition but with stock engine.

[SteveDX89]

Please try to get completed pics.

[accord newbie]

Kewl it can be done, but damn it is tight up front at the core support. Guess we will have to move the radiator in front of the support

[thegreatdane]

I dont have any better pics, but the two turbos is now installed and the engine is running with them.
Oh by the way, he is using his own custom made driveshafts at the moment. And he's using a cable instead of the slave cylinder for the clutch.

[Elijah]

There is a guy in Edmonton (here in Canada) that has done it.

[HondaBoy]

i think that is a cool idea, seeing as some people are trying it. but i'd say nah, unless your 3gee is going to be mainly a project car. the sterling 825 and 827 wasnt the european version of a legend though. it was pretty much just a rebadged version of the Rover 825 and 827 that used honda made V6's. nice cars, but damn they are hard to find in good condition. my cousin in West Viginia has one that's in really nice condition, but has had problems. its gold i think. i'd thought about this putting the V6 from one into a 3gee. found one at the junk yard complete, but it had fubared heads so it ran like shit.

[88accordhb]

i think that is a cool idea, seeing as some people are trying it. but i'd say nah, unless your 3gee is going to be mainly a project car.

This car will be mainly used as a bracket race car, with some occasional excursions on the street. But we want to keep the body as stock looking as possible , for that "sleeper" look.

[Civvy]

WOW! I know where theres one for £80 thats a little cheaper than a H22!!

[accord newbie]

Hondaboy, you're right about the rare part, this is only the third one i have ever seen, and before the wreck, by far the best condition one ive seen. I went over there yesterday to survey the damage, it is flat out demolished in the passenger rear and right rear door area( 00 ram 3500 4x4 ran stop light and clipped it), but from the front doors foward is perfect.
I just said european legend, because it looks so much like a legend, and has the same engine, so everyone can visualize the engine i'm trying to swap, even if they've never seen a Sterling.

Does anyone know what these engines are rated at? we are tryiong to get an idea of the power this engine makes, to see if it worth the trouble versus power gains

[SteveDX89]

151 hp
154 lb-ft torque

[accord newbie]

so with a CAI and Freeflowing exhaust we should be near 165 or so without internal mods, yeah it is worth it

this hatchback should be a rocket, if we can get it to hook up

[SteveDX89]

It'll be pretty quick. Dunno about a rocket since the hp is kinda low. You should get some nice launches tho.