Thinking about making my 2004 Honda Civic EX all-wheel-drive… what's the best donor vehicle?

I’ve been considering this for a while and thought I’d see what everyone thinks about the best donor vehicle for an AWD swap on my '04 Civic. I’ve done a bit of research, but there seem to be so many opinions on the best approach.
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Probably a CR-V would work best.

Go for it! I’m planning to AWD swap my 9th gen Si eventually.

7th gen Hondas are underrated. Don’t listen to people who say it’s not worth it.

Jin said:
7th gen Hondas are underrated. Don’t listen to people who say it’s not worth it.

Not the best for tuning, but it’s a solid car.

Dakota said:

Jin said:
7th gen Hondas are underrated. Don’t listen to people who say it’s not worth it.

Not the best for tuning, but it’s a solid car.

Stock isn’t much, true. But if you drop in a K or B series, it’s a whole different story.

Yeah, a CR-V drivetrain might work, but doing this on a 7th gen chassis will be a massive project. Are you experienced with builds like this? It’s a lot more than just wanting to do it.

Arlo said:
Yeah, a CR-V drivetrain might work, but doing this on a 7th gen chassis will be a massive project. Are you experienced with builds like this? It’s a lot more than just wanting to do it.

Right. You’d have to tear out the bottom, plus the fabrication and welding you’d need is intense. You can’t just swap out parts easily; the FWD setup on these doesn’t have the space or structure for AWD parts.

Arlo said:
Yeah, a CR-V drivetrain might work, but doing this on a 7th gen chassis will be a massive project. Are you experienced with builds like this? It’s a lot more than just wanting to do it.

Marking my calendar for 6 months from now to see how far you’ve gotten with this project.

@Arlo
I’ll check back with you in 6 months on 2025-04-24 to see if you’ve made any progress on the AWD conversion! Good luck.

Arlo said:
Yeah, a CR-V drivetrain might work, but doing this on a 7th gen chassis will be a massive project. Are you experienced with builds like this? It’s a lot more than just wanting to do it.

Yeah, I know it’s a big project… just trying to put all the pieces together.

@Gabi
Are you planning on doing all the work yourself? Because if not, the cost could get high fast. Mind sharing your age?

@Gabi
Look up Pirate Garage on YouTube, they have some guides for this. You’d need an '02-'06 CR-V with the 5-speed AWD manual, plus a K swap, maybe an RSX or EP3 donor too.

Quinn said:
@Gabi
Look up Pirate Garage on YouTube, they have some guides for this. You’d need an '02-'06 CR-V with the 5-speed AWD manual, plus a K swap, maybe an RSX or EP3 donor too.

I actually sold my RSX recently… not my smartest move.

Don’t waste your money unless you’re dropping in a K series too.

I’d pick a different gen Civic. This one isn’t very popular with aftermarket, so you’re looking at double the cost.

Lane said:
I’d pick a different gen Civic. This one isn’t very popular with aftermarket, so you’re looking at double the cost.

Exactly.

Unless you’re set on the challenge, get ready to spend a lot of time and cash. You’d have an easier time with an EG or EK because there’s more aftermarket support. I don’t think many people modded this gen for AWD or engine swaps. If you’re going to try, go with a CR-V as your donor.

CR-V is probably the best bet. That’s what most use for AWD donor parts.

Hollis said:
CR-V is probably the best bet. That’s what most use for AWD donor parts.

I was thinking it might be compatible with the same years.