Wow, so much to know in such little time. I only have a couple of hours to take that trany. I'm so busy, I hope none of the bolts are stuck or I'll have to remove it another day. Will post more photos as I go along with the project. Thank you to everyone that's given me their advice on here, I couldn't have done it with out your help.

By bruce (68.156.75.3) on Friday, October 15, 2004 - 08:55 am:

I found an 83 wagon down here with the EM1 in it, but I won't deal with that junkyard unless I am totally desperate for something.

By -Andrew Smit- (Cvcc_Wagon) (24.86.60.160) on Friday, October 15, 2004 - 08:21 am:

i have sen an 81 wagon here in canada with a 1335 hondamatic. i don't think the wagon ever came with an EK1, those were just in the accords and preludes. my cali. spec 83 wagon came with an EM1

By bruce (68.156.75.3) on Friday, October 15, 2004 - 07:58 am:

looks like a 1500....check the first 3 letters/numbers on the vin plate...EJ1 and EN1=1335 EM1=1500....not sure if the wagons had a 1751 or not but it would be an EK1. Wagons did not come with a 1200...and the 1200's exhaust came out the front of the motor and wrapped around the bottom. If you don't want the front knuckles I will take them, I got a wagon that has the conversion but one of the bearing went wallering and now is sort of fubar.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 07:45 pm:

That engine looks like a 1500 now that I looked at it longer, what do you think Bruce? Does it look like a 1500? The air breather on top of the carburetor is placed like a 1200, so I'm not 100% sure if this a 1500 engine on this 80 Honda Civic Wagon. What other engines came out for the 80 Civic wagons that you know of?

By bruce (68.156.75.42) on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 11:12 am:

depends what the 80 wagon engine is...if it is a 1500 then it is the same as yours.....take the front knuckles also....in case you decide to do a brake upgrade, they will fit right on but the brakes are bigger.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:44 pm:

more photos of donor car

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:13 pm:

Donor car

By Adrian (Evocivic) (203.42.97.141) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:10 pm:

Yes, you'll need the flywheel.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:08 pm:

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:06 pm:

Ok, I have a 78 Civic CVCC Hondamatic, found a 1980 Civic Wagon from April. Motor and Tranny look in great shape. Should I keep the motor or swap it out? Bruce, are you saying that I could use not just the tranny, but the motor also? Are the motors from the 80 wagon stronger? More fuel economical? I'm going to start removing the bolts from the tranny and motor, will I need to take the fly wheel also from the 80 Wagon for my 78 wagon? I'm removing the pedals from a 78 honda civic. Clutch cable is comming from 80 wagon along with the shiftter and linkage. Anyone else care to give me some help on this swap? I'd love to get some help from someone local as 4 eyes are better than one. Thanks yall.
Donor car

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:05 pm:

Ok, I have a 78 Civic CVCC Hondamatic, found a 1980 Civic Wagon from April. Motor and Tranny look in great shape. Should I keep the motor or swap it out? Bruce, are you saying that I could use not just the tranny, but the motor also? Are the motors from the 80 wagon stronger? More fuel economical? I'm going to start removing the bolts from the tranny and motor, will I need to take the fly wheel also from the 80 Wagon for my 78 wagon? I'm removing the pedals from a 78 honda civic. Clutch cable is comming from 80 wagon along with the shiftter and linkage. Anyone else care to give me some help on this swap? I'd love to get some help from someone local as 4 eyes are better than one. Thanks yall.

By bruce (68.156.75.17) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 11:14 am:

the motor will bolt up also.....you will need the pedals......clutch cable, your original starter will work. it is a pretty easy swap.....if you have help you don't have to pull the motor out to do it....if your gonna do it yourself.....probably easier to pull the whole motor out. good luck

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 08:23 am:

I found a 1980 5speed wagon that came out on April. I figured this is a good candidate for a transmission swap, I figured I'd get the tranny, shift linkage, shift lever, and flywheel? I think I also need the starter, it looks bigger than a first generation starter. Anyone know what else I should get from this donor car? The motor is in decent shape, but I don't think it'll bolt up to my motor mounts. I need help asap. Thank you.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 09:29 am:

I guess the wagon would look even better if I had some fender flares. Only problem, will these fit the wagon? Wish me luck at the wrecking yards. It's the begining of the month and I always make it a point to see what's new.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7925677930&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 09:25 am:

I tires I have on my wagon are 185/70-13HR I sure wish I could get 185/60-13HR for better handling, but saving my money for other projects. I know Tirerack.com sells the sumitomos, but these are brand new so I'll wear them out first. Those wheels on the wagon were found on a 77 Honda Civic that was junked at a wrecking yard. I got lucky there. One of these days I'll clean them up. I'm keeping my eyes open for a 5speed tranny, hopefuly I'll find one this year at the wrecking yards. I have come across 2 of them in the past, but never pushed myself to the challange of removing them. I purchased the car from a guy that had originaly posted it on ebay. I guess he made an error on the listing and I got to him before he reposted the auction. I did pay quite a bit for the wagon, but it's in awsome shape. So far, no oil leaks and the only thing I found wrong was the water pump. Replaced it and now it runs great.

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:35 am:

osminsd, the neutral safety switch isn't a big deal. There's two connectors under the dash that the switch plugs into, and when you unplug the NSS the two ends of the connector already there get plugged into each other, and the car should start normally. Pedals are a bolt-in from a manual transmission car, but you might (MIGHT) need to remove the heater to get the brake pedal in on a left hand drive car. As for the transmission you want, it depends on what you're willing to live with. I plan on taking my car on the highway mostly, so I tried to find a transmission with the highest gearing I could. If you want something with better acceleration, go with something that has lower gearing in 1-2-3. The swap should be pretty direct, the cooling hoses for the Hondamatic go, and there's already a hole in the firewall for the clutch pedal.

Also, did you just pick that car up off e-bay a few weeks ago? I seem to remember a similar one for sale in the SoCal area.

By Shreck (199.243.98.218) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 06:03 am:

Osminsd

What size tires are you running on your wagon? BTW your wagon looks great

By DaRk (66.50.181.37) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 03:43 am:

Is that You in the pic?

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 03:40 am:

I love my wagon, just wish it was a 5speed. Thanks for the compliemt. I'll post more pics later. I drive it all over Southern California, even though it's hondamatic, I do 80 easy on the freeways.

By DaRk (66.50.181.37) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 03:31 am:

Osmindsd that's a nice Wagon You got there

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:37 am:

Here's my 1978 Honda Civic CVCC Hondamatic that I want to convert to 5speed.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:30 am:

Everyone is being so helpfull. I appreciate it. I've never done a tranny swap before, from my old 4speed I had, it looked very easy to convert it to a 5speed, but from a Hondamatic, sounds more difficult. The extra cooling hoses and the missing clutch pedal along with the cable make it sound tough. Specialy over-riding the neutral/parking start-up. From what I've read, looks like I should keep my eyes open for an early 80 5 speed. Anyone around Southern California that could help me do this conversion or know a good mechanic to do it for me? Please help.

By DaRk (66.50.182.94) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 07:36 pm:

Ok..I understand that about street racing illegal/dangerous , but hey...We have to have some fun sometimes...but ALWAYS having the necessary precautions with the other drivers on the street. Close to my house there is a strip too, but it's a 1/4 mile track only.But there is some nice cars there when it's open to street cars. Now, I have a stock engine, and yes it'll be a daily driver,I normally race in the highway so..But topspeed plus acceleration is what I'm looking for,cuz' if I don't have top speed and accel. I wont go anywhere Any suggestions?

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 07:04 pm:

Well, first of all, street racing is illegal and dangerous, not just for you, but for anyone else on the street. Take it to a track. For racing purposes, it depends on what kind of racing you're doing, and what engine mods you have. If you have a stock engine and are looking for acceleration, I'd try to find a transmission with the deepest gears you can, to help with acceleration. If you're looking for top-end speed, look for something with higher gears. The early 1200 4-speeds seem like they would work great on the track, but I'd stay away from them if you're looking for a daily driver that goes on the highway, and probably use the 5-speed you have now. The more details you give of the intended usage of the car, and engine/suspension mods, the easier it'll be to give you a suggestion as to a transmission to look for.

By DaRk (66.50.181.40) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 09:48 pm:

Thanks Jonathan..I just found out I have a 80-81 Civic 1300 5-speed Close Ratio Trans. How good is it? Is it good for street racing? and What could I do to make it better? Thanks

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 07:07 pm:

http://www.1stgencivic.com/newsite/tannychart.html

There's the chart.

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 07:01 pm:

There should be a sticker on the top of the transmission, something along the lines of GJ89, GB15, Gxxx. There's a chart somewhere that'll have what each different code came out of. If that sticker has gone missing, I have no idea how to tell.

By DaRk (66.50.12.189) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 06:47 pm:

How do I find/know which Trans. do I have? Thanks

By DaRk (66.50.182.238) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 04:31 pm:

oooooo :P

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 04:03 pm:

Here's an excel spreadsheet I did a while back for transmissions/top speeds (at 6k, 3k rpm), and engine speed at different road speeds. It'll go a little each way depending on what your tire size is, but it should give you an idea. Those top speeds are assuming the engine can reach 6,000 rpm in that gear, not always true, though.

		Honda Civic Transmission Ratios
73-77 Civic 1200 4-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 RPM	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.000	4.933	14.799	24.326	12.163	5714	10286	14857
2	1.789	4.933	8.825	40.793	20.396	3408	6134	8860
3	1.182	4.933	5.831	61.741	30.871	2251	4053	5854
4	0.846	4.933	4.173	93.086	46.543	1611	2901	4190
5	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
78-79 Civic 1200 4-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.181	4.642	14.766	24.380	12.190	5702	10263	14824
2	1.823	4.642	8.462	42.541	21.271	3268	5882	8496
3	1.181	4.642	5.482	65.667	32.834	2117	3810	5504
4	0.846	4.642	3.927	98.921	49.461	1516	2729	3943
5	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
75-79 Civic 1500 CVCC 5-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.181	4.226	13.443	26.780	13.390	5191	9343	13496
2	1.823	4.226	7.704	46.729	23.364	2975	5354	7734
3	1.181	4.226	4.991	72.131	36.066	1927	3469	5010
4	0.846	4.226	3.575	108.659	54.329	1380	2485	3589
5	0.714	4.226	3.017	128.747	64.373	1165	2097	3029
80-81 Civic 1300 5-speed Close Ratio
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	2.916	4.933	14.385	25.027	12.513	5554	9998	14441
2	1.764	4.933	8.702	41.371	20.685	3360	6048	8736
3	1.181	4.933	5.826	61.793	30.897	2250	4049	5849
4	0.807	4.933	3.981	97.584	48.792	1537	2767	3997
5	0.655	4.933	3.231	120.230	60.115	1248	2246	3244
80-81 Civic 1500 5-speed Wagon
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	2.916	4.428	12.912	27.881	13.940	4986	8974	12963
2	1.764	4.428	7.811	46.089	23.044	3016	5429	7842
3	1.181	4.428	5.229	68.841	34.420	2019	3635	5250
4	0.846	4.428	3.746	103.702	51.851	1446	2604	3761
5	0.714	4.428	3.162	122.874	61.437	1221	2197	3174
73-79 Civic Hondamatic (Includes 5% slippage)
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	1.565	4.117	6.443	53.080	25.213	2619	4714	6809
2	0.903	4.117	3.718	91.994	43.697	1511	2720	3929
80-81 Civic 1500 5-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	2.916	3.875	11.300	31.860	15.930	4363	7853	11344
2	1.764	3.875	6.836	52.666	26.333	2639	4751	6862
3	1.181	3.875	4.576	78.665	39.332	1767	3181	4594
4	0.846	3.875	3.278	118.501	59.251	1266	2278	3291
5	0.714	3.875	2.767	140.409	70.204	1068	1923	2778
82-83 Civic 1300 4-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.272	4.066	13.304	27.060	13.530	5137	9247	13356
2	1.666	4.066	6.774	53.145	26.572	2616	4708	6801
3	1.041	4.066	4.233	85.052	42.526	1634	2942	4249
4	0.777	4.066	3.159	122.963	61.482	1220	2196	3172
5	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
82-83 Civic 1300 5-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.272	3.722	12.178	29.561	14.780	4702	8464	12226
2	1.666	3.722	6.201	58.057	29.028	2394	4310	6225
3	1.041	3.722	3.875	92.913	46.456	1496	2693	3890
4	0.777	3.722	2.892	134.328	67.164	1117	2010	2903
5	0.655	3.722	2.438	159.348	79.674	941	1694	2447
82-83 Civic 1500 Wagon 5-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.181	4.266	13.570	26.529	13.264	5240	9432	13623
2	1.823	4.266	7.777	46.291	23.145	3003	5405	7807
3	1.181	4.266	5.038	71.455	35.727	1945	3502	5058
4	0.846	4.266	3.609	107.640	53.820	1394	2508	3623
5	0.714	4.266	3.046	127.540	63.770	1176	2117	3058
82-83 Civic 1500 Hatchback/Sedan 5-speed
	Ratio	Final Drive	Overall Ratio	Car Speed (Mph)		Engine Speed
Gear				at 6000 Rpm	3000 RPM	at 25 Mph	45 Mph	65 Mph
1	3.181	3.875	12.326	29.206	14.603	4760	8567	12375
2	1.823	3.875	7.064	50.962	25.481	2728	4910	7092
3	1.181	3.875	4.576	78.665	39.332	1767	3181	4594
4	0.846	3.875	3.278	118.501	59.251	1266	2278	3291
5	0.714	3.875	2.767	140.409	70.204	1068	1923	2778

By -Andrew Smit- (Cvcc_Wagon) (24.86.60.160) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 03:37 pm:

oh, i had about the same top end with the origional GM 5 speed trans but i lost 5th gear

By -Andrew Smit- (Cvcc_Wagon) (24.86.60.160) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 03:36 pm:

i can get my 83 civic EM1 to 107mph with an 82 accord GK trans. to use the accord trans (this one is a cable clutch) you have to use the accord flywheel and clutch because the mainshaft is larger the only problem is that the accord flywheel has larger bolt holes on the 82/83 version. i believe the early accords (81 and earlier) have the same size bolt holes but i', not sure

By DaRk (66.50.182.238) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 03:26 pm:

sorry.... *what

By DaRk (66.50.182.238) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 03:25 pm:

ok and the 5speed trans. why topspeed ranges are there?

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 10:39 am:

I'd say that 90 is about tops for a Hondamatic, any faster than that and your engine'll go past redline. 5-speeds from any 1st gen will bolt in, 5-speeds from a 2nd gen will work with a 2nd gen flywheel. Accords have a hydraulic clutch, but some later ones had a cable clutch. The later cable clutch ones I'm not sure about the proper flywheel usage to get it to bolt up to the engine.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 10:29 am:

Ok, I have a 78 Honda CVCC Wagon with Hondamatic. The Hondamatic runs great and I can easily do 90mph on the freeways. Problem is, does anyone know what the max speed is on the hondamatics? Also, I know that I can swap out the honda matic for a 5speed from any 77 to 79 CVCC civic, but what about a tranny from a 76 to 80 Honda Accord? How about the 5speed from a 80 to 83 Civic? Can someone point me to the correct transmission? I would prefer to install a newer 5speed since the 80-83 Hondas are easier to find at the wrecking yards. Thank you.