How Much Does It Cost To K-Swap Your Car?
Posted by Matthew Marks on 3rd Mar 2025
I'm Matt, the owner of Exoracing, and today I am going to show you how much it would cost to K-Swap your car.
We've priced hundreds of K-Swap kits over the past 7 years of Exoracing, so we have decided to write a guide to help you determine if it's affordable and list every part you need before you start down the rabbit hole.
I will cover pricing in as much detail as possible and cut it into easy-to-understand sections so you can reference this guide in the future and skip directly to the sections you need.
As we have priced most of these kits for a Honda Civic EK, we will use this as a base today, but if you're swapping into any other chassis, you can still get a rough idea of what it would cost.
If you want to read the in-depth K-Swap guide, head over here.
Or if you would prefer to watch the video, I'll add it below.
A Note: Before we start with the pricing
Firstly, I will not include optional parts like upgraded detent springs; I will add everything to do the K-Swap. I will, however, add optional parts with their own section at the bottom if you want them.
The parts we will choose are the most popular, not the most or least expensive. I will go on experience of the most popular parts we sell with the hundreds of K-Swap owners we have helped in the past.
If anything, we will go down the route of the most reliable for a reasonable price point.
Regarding the parts used, you can swap out any parts for second-hand or OEM parts if you want to; this is just a base pricing guide to go off of and not 100% set in stone, as many variables are involved.
Oem Parts
The first place to start would be the OEM parts you will need. First, you are going to need the engine! You can pick up everything in this list from Honda breakers or find a Civic EP3 or Integra DC5 breaking on Facebook marketplace.
I've asked multiple customers of mine how much they would budget for this, and the response was anywhere from £1500-£2500, so we will go in the middle for this guide at £2000. The OEM K-Swap parts would ideally include:
- Engine
- Gearbox
- Starter motor
- Alternator
- Sensors
- Engine loom
- Charge harness
- Clutch and flywheel
- Civic EG Subframe/steering rack/front control arms
There are variations here where you can opt for a brand-new clutch and flywheel, but we will keep it simple for this guide.
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Engine and gearbox setup with loom | £2,000.00 | £2,000.00 |
| Subframe, Steering rack, control arms | £250.00 | £2,250.00 |
Aftermarket Parts
The rest of this guide will be heavy down the aftermarket parts side, but usually, this is where you can find parts to fit your specific chassis. I will start with transmission and end at the fuelling side of the swap. Let's dive in!
Transmission
You will already have your engine and gearbox, so the first part on the aftermarket list would be K-Swap engine mounts.
There are two excellent options here, Hasport and Innovative, but we will stick with Hasport for this pricing. You can go for a few bushing options, but generally, a 62a or 70a bush would be the most comfortable for the road.
Next up would be the shifter, base plate and cables. We will use the Hybrid Racing Or K-Tuned DC5 shifter, matching DC5 cables and base plate.
This setup will work with a shifter that needs to be chassis mounted, such as a Civic EK, and will work with most variations of K-series engines.
Next, we will use the K-Tuned firewall grommet to stop the cables from rubbing through the firewall. Next, we need to address a throttle cable.
The OEM cables aren't long enough and don't have the correct ends for the throttle body, so Hybrid Racing has made a specific length of throttle cable that is perfect for this.
The last part we need here are the driveshafts. There are two options: you can either build your own with K-Series driveshafts and use B-Series outer CV joints or go for a specific K-Swap driveshaft.
The most common is to make the shafts yourself by buying the parts second-hand, which I estimate will be around the £300 mark.
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Hasport K-Swap 62a Engine Mounts | £736.97 | £2,986.97 |
| Hybrid Racing DC5 shifter | £473.00 | £3,459.97 |
| Hybrid Racing DC5 shifter cables | £439.00 | £3,898.97 |
| Hybrid Racing DC5 base plate | £193.00 | £4,091.97 |
| K-Tuned shifter cable grommet | £64.02 | £4,155.99 |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap Clutch Line | £79.00 | £4,234.99 |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap Throttle cable | £35.00 | £4,269.99 |
| Custom DIY driveshafts | £350.00 | £4,619.99 |
Intake and exhaust
Next on the list is to sort out the intake and exhaust system.
So I will start with the intake side, where the OEM intake will not fit due to the engine now being the opposite way around (than a B or D-Series) so you will need a different intake.
You can either go with something universal, or the best option we have found is the Hybrid Racing K-Swap cold air intake kit.
This will relocate the filter and is designed to be a 3" bore far away from the engine to make the most power possible.
Now that the intake is sorted, you will need an exhaust manifold for the same reason as before: the engine's orientation.
The most popular we have here would be the Tegiwa K-Swap exhaust manifold, which will bolt to virtually any aftermarket ek/eg catback system, but to note, this will remove the catalytic converter, so you may have to add something else in the system to keep it road legal.
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Tegiwa K-Swap exhaust manifold | £544.50 | £5,164.49 |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap cold air intake | £230.00 | £5,394.49 |
Electronics
Now, we move to electronics, which is much simpler than most think. The most popular option here is to use the stock ECU but to do this; you will need an immobiliser bypass kit.
This tells the ECU to bypass the code on the key and start the engine. Using an aftermarket ECU such as a Hondata or Haltech Elite 1500 will not need the immobiliser bypass kit, as the ECU settings can disable this.
As this guide has purely the most popular parts, we will leave those out, but if you want more tunability later on, they are the go-to option.
You will also need a conversion harness for your specific chassis, allowing you to use the OEM clocks, speedo, etc.
For this, we usually go to Hybrid Racing (you may see a theme here, haha!), which has kits for multiple Honda chassis to plug and play everything together.
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Hybrid Racing Conversion harness | £240.00 | £5,634.49 |
| Hybrid Racing immobiliser bypass | £275.00 | £5,909.49 |
Cooling system
Now, we move to the cooling system, which is incredibly important for making this whole system work. Everything has been shifted due to engine location, and the cooling system is no different!
So, the top of the radiator now needs to be relocated to the opposite side rather than the centre to connect easily to the outlet port of the head.
To do this, we go with a Tegiwa full-length radiator to move that top port over, but you will need a custom hose for the bottom.
Next, we need hoses, so we would go with our Exoracing K20 silicone hose kit (optional), paired with a Tegiwa or K-Tuned extra clearance top hose.
This extra clearance hose has been extended to fit under the intake pipe and moulded to fit the port on the head. Next, you will need a port for the fan switch and coolant temperature sensor.
Tegiwa makes a great inline adapter that goes in the radiator hose's centre, which houses both sensors.
Next, you will need a radiator fan, which we always go to SPAL for, and I recommend going with a 12" option to get the most airflow possible. The last thing on the coolant list would be thermostat housing.
Now, you have a different radiator design; the OEM thermostat housing quite often doesn't fit perfectly with the bottom hose and is prone to cracking, so we go with the T7design 360-degree swivel neck thermostat housing.
The housing bolts up directly, allowing you to swivel the 32mm port to whichever angle suits you best!
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Tegiwa K-Swap Radiator | £181.50 | £6,090.99 |
| Tegiwa Extra clearance Hose | £33.11 | £6,124.10 |
| Tegiwa K-Swap radiator hose insert | £56.03 | £6,180.13 |
| SPAL 909cfm 12" radiator fan | £80.40 | £6,260.53 |
| T7design thermostat housing | £156.00 | £6,416.53 |
Fuelling
Now, we will have everything mounted in the car. We need to sort the last thing on the list: the fuel! So, as the EP3 uses a return-less system (no loop back to the tank), we must convert it to a returned system.
We need a few parts, such as the fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator and fuel lines. Luckily, Hybrid Racing make all of these parts, which all work together and are by far the most popular we sell for this.
Once everything is fitted together, you are all done for parts!
Parts |
Cost |
Running Total |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap Fuel rail | £204.00 | £6,620.53 |
| Hybrid Racing fuel pressure regulator | £240.00 | £6,860.53 |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap fuel line kit | £167.00 | £7,027.53 |
Optional Parts
Now we have the optional upgrade parts, which aren't strictly necessary to the K-Swap itself but will either add to its drivability or look.
Many things here are just extra quality-of-life parts, which some will see as a must-have, so it was important to add these here.
The old radiator and coolant hoses are often rubber, 20 years old, and perished, so to freshen them up, you would go with a silicone hose kit.
Next, the most popular parts we sell for the K-Series would be detent and gear selector springs.
For the price, these make a massive difference in the way the shifter feels, so it is usually the number 1 go-to modification.
Next, we have the T7design alternator relocation kit and electric water pump kit, which are suitable for different things.
The alternator relocation is a must-have for a big inlet manifold such as the Skunk2 ultra street as it moves the alternator down lower than the stock position.
The electric water pump kit also does a similar thing but will allow you to go with an aftermarket ECU-controlled water pump, which is helpful in race or drag applications.
Next would be the creature comforts, the Hybrid Racing air conditioning or power steering kit.
These are great if you want to retain either of these features with the K-Swap.
Lastly would be the ECU upgrade, and for this, we would go straight to a Haltech Elite 1500 with EP3 jumper harness.
Currently, this is one of the most cost-effective ECUs on the market, and it adds a whole host of features you would be missing on the stock ECU, such as boost control and advanced tuning tables.
Parts |
Cost |
| Exoracing k20 silicone hose kit | £149.99 |
| Hybrid Racing detent springs | £22.00 |
| Hybrid Racing gear selector springs | £26.99 |
| T7Design alternator relocation kit | £396.00 |
| T7Design electric water pump kit | £420.00 |
| Hybrid Racing air conditioning kit | £240.00 |
| Hybrid Racing K-Swap power steering kit | £380.00 |
| Haltech Elite 1500 and jumper harness | £1,693.00 |
Conclusion
So there we have it: the total cost of a K-Swap using the most popular parts would be £7027.53 at the time of writing!
As I said, these are just the most popular parts we sell for a K-Swap package, not the most expensive or cheapest ones.
You can save money by finding second-hand or swapping parts out; this guide is purely the most common parts we use and a rough guide for you to decide whether the K-Swap is right for you.
If you found this guide helpful or have any friends you think may benefit from it, please share it on social media, and if you need any more help, please get in touch with us.
If you did want to purchase any of the parts we used in this guide, then please use our specific reader discount code on our website:
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