Oil Challenge Round 1

Garwood, NJ - Is there any horsepower to be made in motor oil? This is a very good topic that has been debated by many for quite some time. Nyce1s.com and BYTuning decided to tackle this topic in the first episode of a series of oil tests that will be conducted. The featured car here is a 1993 Honda Civic hatchback built by BYTuning of Union, NJ. This car is equipped with a Honda K24 engine transplant. The vehicle was strapped down to a DynoJet dyno for testing purposes to see which oil would assist in yielding the most wheel horsepower for this project car. We started our test with 3 month old Quaker State 5w-30 motor oil which was already in the car from the most recent race season. We then switched to conventional 5w-30 motor oil which was provided by Auto Zone, followed by Valvoline premium 5w-30 and then we ended our dyno test with Valvoline Synpower Full Synthetic 5W-30 motor oil. After conducting this test it is safe to say that keeping up with regular maintenance such as an oil change can yield performance results. Watch the Nyce1s.com exclusive video feature below to see the test results!

1st Test Motor Oil:
3 month old Quaker State 5W-30 Motor Oil
2nd Test Motor Oil:
Auto Zone Conventional 5W-30 Motor Oil
3rd Test Motor Oil:
Valvoline Premium 5w-30 Motor Oil
4th Test Motor Oil:
Valvoline Synpower Full Synthetic 5W-30 Motor Oil

Vehicle: 1993 Honda Civic Hatchback
Modifications: Acura RSX Type-S Cylinder Head, Acura TSX K24 Block, Custom Sheet Metal Intake Manifold

Vehicle Built By:
BYTuning
753 Lehigh Ave
Union, NJ
Dyno Facility:
1320 Performance
Garwood, NJ

Z10 Radius Arms

EG hatch B18C1 ITR cams Skunk2 manifold chipped P28 AGX with GCs 400F/300R Z10 Radius Arms GSR rear disks 15" Aguzze with 195/50/15 Seems normal enough…. But wait, Z10 Radius Arms? WTF are those? And who is Z10? Z10 is a new company out of New Jersey releasing some very interesting parts for Hondas. Hard core race parts, with a heavy emphasis on form-follows-function design. There is a complete and total lack of style parts in their catalog. It would be pretty easy for them to create a billet oil cap or shifter knob, especially with 4 CNC machines at their disposal. So it's not everyday we find good quality parts designed by racers for racers. But what are radius arms? Take a look: In the most simple view, the Z10 Radius arms connect the lower control arms to the front subframe. The effect is total elimination of wheel hop by preventing the lower control arms from deflecting under the load of acceleration, even on stock worn out bushings. How effective? More effective than any upgraded bushings you could buy or make. In fact, at the time of this writing the fastest Z10 equipped car is an EK hatch that runs 9.7s on a built turbo b20/Vtec power plant. Okay so they work on a drag car, but what about my street/strip warrior? The radius arms pictured here fit EGs, EKs, and DCs. EF/DA units are almost ready. I have been rolling a set on my EG for more than 3500+ miles. The radius arms (the silver bars) are adjustable, so you can dial in a little or a lot of preload. This allows them to work with all the different tire/shock/spring/bushing set ups out there. However, just to get familiar with them, I initially installed them with no preload. I wanted to see if they affected the up and down motion of the car, especially over uneven bumps, driveways, and at speed around corners. I was happy to feel nothing during normal driving. Absolutely no difference in the ride, handling or steering. It was as if they were not there. However, my ears let me know, because with no preload there was always a mild rattling during clutch work and on low speed bumpy roads. I added some more aggressive quick starts, and immediately learned something about my car. Apparently my lower control arms deflect away from the front subframe with even just a mildly aggressive take off. I hesitate to even call it a launch. Normal, I-am-kinda-in-a-hurry driving. When driving like this, I could feel and hear the bars tighten and slacken. That was interesting. I suddenly had a much better understanding of why the EG and EK chassis can suffer from wheel hop. With no preload, the tightening and slackening of the bars was kind of like an accidental mechanical telemetry setup up that gave me audio feed back and a slight feel through the steering wheel whenever my take off was aggressive enough to flex the suspension. For the next stage of my testing, I tightened both arms 1.5 turns and drove around at slow speeds. At sub 40mph speeds and with a calm driving style they were still simply transparent. It was immediately noticeable that the rattling was gone. I headed towards the freeway. As I merged on, I instinctively gripped the wheel anticipating the usually catch-a-groove-and-track-it trick as I crossed the rough asphalt to concrete transition. There was a tiny twitch but that was it. Perking my interest, I shoved my right foot down harder and crossed another lane accelerating to the flow of traffic 70 mph. In my mind I was thinking OMG, I can feel it. The Momo was rock solid on my hands. I smoothly flicked the wheel left and right in my lane. The effect was immediate and accurate, which certainly was not what I was used to! I never really thought of my bushings as shot or soft, but my perspective instantly changed! I couldn't help but think BMW. Curious, I pushed up to 90. Now I said "Damn" outloud. I wasn't imagining it. I didn't realize how much improvement was possible in my EG. It was as if the front end had gained 500 lbs of rock solid stability. The tendency for the little bumps and patches in the freeway to knock my car off track was greatly reduced. I was experiencing 2 finger stability at 90+ on notoriously rough LA concrete. Later during one of many 350+ mile LA to San Jose trips, I sampled this stability at speeds 10 to 15 mph faster with exactly the same feeling of confidence. Mark me down for 100% convinced. So then it was time to test the wheel hop elimination. I had some great fun around the abandoned industrial parks in my area. I tried slips and dumps at a variety of rpms. The car felt good, but I could generate a tiny amount of hop. Nothing serious, and certainly less than before. So I added another 1.5 turns of preload to 3 total. The result? EG hooks up gooooood. Sweet, straight line dumps with instant heavy 2nd gear spin and a solid third gear chirp. And I swear there is less torque steer.

How hard is it to install? Easy as pie. Easier than changing your shocks. So easy I am not even going to bother with a detailed explanation. Unbolt toe hooks, bolt up Z10 bar, remove lower shock bolt, slide C shaped brackets over bolt, put bolt back on (give it some extra torque, mine slipped when I gave it Helm spec torque), and then attach the radius arms using the supplied hardware. Then comes the only part that might cause you to hesitate. The directions require a hole to be drilled through the subframe to secure the center tang. You can get away temporarily with using the existing threaded hole, but when the tiny 10mm bolt breaks you will cuss and swear and wish you had done it right the first time. Anyone one want to guess why I know this? (#&$@@ *&#$@%) So don't be a wuss and grab your Makita.	One easy simple hole. No whining!
Some install tricks from my experience. The cross bar is very strong. One of my tow hooks was bent from a serious off track excursion. Thus the cross bar did not line up perfectly. I left the bolts loose and just forced it into place. Viola. But then the center hole did not line up perfect. Easy solution was to ignore it, and install the radius arms. Then by adjusting the radius arms, I was able to get the holes lined up. Yes, the stock bushing allow THAT much movement.	Line up the center mount hole.
Once installed, adjusting them is as easy as twisting the radius arms by hand and tightening the lock nuts. I was able to just get 3 turns by hand. Z10 has machined flats in one end of the radius arm that makes adding more turns effortless with a box or crescent wrench. According to Z10, by adjusting the bars individually, you can adjust for any tendency to pull to one side you might have at the end of the strip. With high 130 mph trap speeds, the 9s EK found this to be a very attractive feature.	Turn the arms to adjust preload.

So any downsides?

The lowest part of the radius arm setup is same as the lowest part of your tow hooks. So if you do not scrape your tow hooks, you won't scrape these. On my car at full lock I can just touch the tire to the radius arm. With my fat 205s on skinny 6" rims its no big deal. When I was using some 195s on 7" rims, then i had to be more careful because I could get a light metal to metal scrape. But that is only at full lock. At 98% of full lock there is no contact. And Z10 reports that mine is the first car they know of that can touch the bars with the tires. WOOT, lucky me.

Also keep in mind that there is a slight toe change when adjusting. Z10 reports each turn is about .125 degrees toe out. I checked my toe with 3 turns and it looked within spec, but if you need more than 3-4 turns you should probably check your toe afterwards.

I'm not done testing them, but I am already really pleased. I'll take the EG to the drag strip soon, probably on some slicks and report back. But I am so pleased with these that I felt I had to get the word out. I like them that much.

Resources:
Z10 Engineering

Honda S2000 with 701 horsepower

The Honda S2000 cranking out 701 horsepower is code named "S2000 from hell" and appropriately backs up it's claim. Turning over 700 horsepower thanks to extensive modifications, this Honda S2000 is one of the hottest. This kind of power in a light weight roadster is a force that many can't even begin to comprehend. On the outside, the S2000 appears somewhat stock. First you will notice the side exhaust which exits the fender, followed by hood louvers and tinted windows. Just your average Honda S2000 right? Wrong.

To achieve this kind of power, the Honda S2000 from hell used the following modifications:

• Borg Warner S372R
• 1000 cc injectors
• T1 race manifold
• Dual Tial 44 mm external wastegates
• T1 tuned

The amazing feature of this build is that it still makes use of 100% stock motor and transmission parts. The Honda S2000 from the factory was designed with the avid aftermarket tuner in mind. Honda understands and dominates this automotive niche very well. Since the middle 1990's, they started to make vehicles more tuner friendly. Along the generation after generation of keeping the street racing performance tuners in mind, Honda finally produced the modern S2000. The AP1 Honda S2000 features an inline four cylinder engine with dual overhead cams and VTEC. It also comes with a 6-speed manual transmission and a Torsen limited slip rear differential to make the package even more inviting to the performance minded consumer.

The video footage below shows just how powerful the 8,800 RPM engine found in the AP1 S2000 can be when properly modified. Modifications are typical just with any engine, more air in and more air out equals more power! However, due to the VTEC feature this air volume is amplified after VTEC kicks in. The ability to modify valve lift duration has had Honda at the top of the automotive tuning world since it's inception. Others have followed, but no one can reproduce the famous VTEC as well as Honda. Check out the following video to see the Honda S2000 from hell whooping up on some very tough competitors.

Referenced Design 1997 Acura NSX

Originally marketed to consumers as the ‘everyday supercar’ by Acura, the Acura NSX maintains a strong foothold in the history of the euro-auto. Long referred to as the benchmark in the industry for supercar builders, the NSX has been a strong competitor for the likes of Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and many others. In fact, Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 stated once in an interview; “The moment I drove the NSX, all the benchmark cars—Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini—I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target."

I bet it feels great to be the owner of a vehicle steeped in such history with respect to the euro-auto market. A car that has been looked up to by manufacturers for many years, the NSX has been the car to beat and the car used in comparison tests industry wide. During its fifteen-year production history, this mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, all aluminum V6 power plant has been the bane of the best supercar makers. Featuring Honda’s VTEC (variable valve timing and lift electronic control) system, there are thousands of bolt on’s and performance products on the market for this everyday supercar. The trick to having an NSX worthy of gracing these pages is to choose the right combination of mods that catches our eye, and makes heads turn at show & shines all over. Oscar Moyano is the owner of one 1997 Formula Red NSX-T with a six speed transmission and a host of quality aftermarket upgrades.

Oscar bought his NSX from the original owner who kept an immaculate and detailed service history of the vehicle, right down to the make and model of oil used in its regular oil changes. Purchased in Key Largo, Florida with only 65,000 original miles, this NSX has come a long way from its original condition. In 2000 when Oscar came to Florida and visited the South Florida International Auto Show he saw his first NSX. From that day on, he was hooked. He had to have one. Ok so you ask; ‘Why, with all of the cars they have at a major auto show such as the South Florida International Auto Show, would he choose the NSX as the stand-out and as the car he knew he must one day own?’ Allow me to have Oscar answer that in one simple phrase, “The NSX changed the rules of the game.” Oscar searched for the perfect pristine condition NSX for 2 long years. Then, finally, he stumbled upon the one he would eventually become the owner of being sold by a lawyer in the Florida Keys. Not long after his discovery, Oscar was driving it home.

Oscar grew up in Bolivia, moved to Brazil, and then finally to the States a few years back. As a young boy, Oscar used to watch F1 racing and go to local parking lot hangouts. In a similar fashion to many other fledgling euro-auto enthusiasts, this hands-on approach is how he got hooked. Now married with a daughter, Oscar spends as much of his free time as possible coming out to various car shows, hangouts, and helping out other enthusiasts on various popular web forums. Oscar has been a Graphic Designer for more than 12 years and is owner of Moyano Design, a full service graphic design firm.

This euro-auto enthusiast really has a love affair with his car. Many enthusiasts just like their rides and enjoy spending time out at events and bullshitting with friends. Oscar is different, he is in the group of the elite few who really love the community and whose lives are impacted by it on a daily basis. “I’m planning to keep it forever. I like to really drive the NSX.” Oscar is filled with stories of his encounters with fellow enthusiasts and friends in the industry. He tells a story about a friend of his who owns a Lamborghini and loves to race with him on track days. “It’s funny when you’re going 170 mph on the highway and a Lamborghini keeps on going. It’s like, shit man, I think I’m going fast already.” The Bull just can’t be beat, sorry Oscar. Count 1 for euro.

Oscar loves the domination he has over the road when he drives the NSX. The visibility, the driving position, the stiff suspension that telegraphs all bumps and pebbles in the road directly to driver is by far is most favorite part about the car. A true drivers’ car, the NSX gives the pilot a true command over the road. He remarks; “It’s like a go-cart almost, you know?” I wish I did.

Oscar actually shares more in common with the before mentioned Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1. Irony is the only word that describes McLaren F1 designer Murray’s love for NSX’s, and Oscar’s fantasy of one day owning a McLaren F1. Designer of a supercar that has been the pinnacle of the racing world for many years has such praise to give the NSX and its influence on the industry, and current NSX owner Oscar one day yearns to own a McLaren F1. Undeniably changing the rules of the game, the NSX in its limited production history made a huge impact on the euro-auto industry even though it was not even European, and it appears as though it will continue to influence the community for many years to come.

Mod List

Stats:

• 0-60 4.5 seconds
• 1/4 Mile 12.9 seconds
• Top Speed 168 mph (closed course)
• 260whp dyno'd @ Dynodynamics
• 2.930 lbs current weight (160 lbs weight reduction from stock weight)

Exterior:

• Custom black front bumper Center Piece
• Custom mesh on front bumper
• Custom Gunmetal Color OEM wheels
• Euroboutique.us LED DRL's
• HID Conversion
• LED Taillight bulbs
• LED Front corner lights
• NSX 02 Type-R 02+ Carbon rear diffuser
• NSX 02 Type-R Badges front/rear
• NSX 02 Type-R Carbon rear wing
• NSX 02 Type-R manifold Cover
• NSX 02 Type-R engine Cover
• NSX 02+ OEM Rear Valance
• NSX 02+ OEM Taillights
• NSX 02+ CF trunk kip
• Wings West air dam
• Tinted Windows
• Shark Antenna

Exhaust:

• Ark DT-S exhaust; Test pipes

Interior:

• NSX OEM Zanardi floor mats
• Honda S2000 Shift knob
• SOS race pedals
• I-pod connector

Suspension:

• TEIN-RA suspension

Stark Automotive Lotus Elise R Powered By VTEC, Distinguished By Silly Paint

What do you get when you take a Lotus Elise S, subtract one 2ZZ Toyota four-banger, and substitute a Honda K-Series VTEC engine? You go back one in the alphabet and get the Stark Automotive LotusElise R. The crew starts with a base Elise, strips the car down and rebuilds the already-nimble sports car to customer specifications. The new mill is a K20A i-VTEC that normally sees duty in Type-R Hondas mated to a K20 six-speed gearbox. The result is a car that can reach 60 mph from a cold start in 3.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of around 160 mph. And how much does all that fun set you back?

The Focus RS Called, It Wants Its Ugly Paint Job Back

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This little green Lotus is set to cost approximately $53,500, though it's cheaper if you've already got an Elise of your own that can be converted. That's a fairly reasonable price given the promised performance and the novelty of getting a car with a "powered by VTEC" sticker that is actually powered by VTEC. In addition, you might be able to shed a few pounds and Pounds by foregoing the six layers of super green spray. The car also comes with a 12-month warranty, though we're guessing it doesn't cover rolling your super Elise into the Thames at 160 mph. [AutoBlog.nl via MotorAuthority]

2009 Honda 600RR – ABS

hit the jump to find out more

This is pretty much a road feature and not something that would be useful on the track at all. The rest of the bike is pretty much the same with some additional torque in the mid-range.

For 2009, Honda has decided to give the 600RR and advanced ABS system.

The world’s fastest SFWD car!

Never Judge a Book By its Cover!

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and usually it was some lame teacher that was trying to encourage you to read an assigned book for summer reading. Usually, your judgment based on that cover was spot on. The book was lame and not worth missing some classic summer fun in order to read. Occasionally though, the cliché comes true and this Feature Ride from E-shift fits that billing.

At first glance it appears that this is just your average track prepped Nissan 240, but once the engine gets fired up and you hear the distinctive exhaust note, you know that something is out of the ordinary. Some of you have probably already peaked ahead to the pictures and realized that this beast has had a heart transplant. The standard issue 2.4 liter, KA24DE, inline 4 cylinder has been ripped out and in its place is a Toyota 1JZ-GTE 2.5 Liter, 6 cylinder engine from a 3rd generation Toyota Supra. The 1JZ/2JZ motors from the Toyota Supra are world renowned for the ability to make high horsepower numbers on stock bottom ends. These things were literally designed to take abuse and keep on pushing. Not willing to leave well enough alone though, the boys at E-shift put the Toyota 6 cylinder through an entire litany of upgrades to boost power and durability. ARP head studs, and an HKS metal head gasket keep the head in place under massive boost pressures. The Toyota 6 cylinder features a custom designed intake manifold, turbo manifold, downpipe, and exhaust to ensure that intake and exhaust gases flow as freely as possible. The power is put to the ground through a Toyota R154, 5 speed transmission and Clutchmasters flywheel and clutch. A Kaaz 2-way limited slip differential evenly distributes power to both rear wheels to help with acceleration and provide that necessary slip angle for drifting.

E-Shift designed this car for track day use as well as drift competition and as such the suspension and aero components have been tweaked to fully suit the demanding needs of those forms of motorsports. The Nissan sits low on a set of premium Apex’I N1 coilovers and features tension rods, pro inner and outer tie rods, pillow toe rods , rear upper camber arms, and traction bars from Peak Performance. All of these components allow the suspension on the 240 to be fully tuned for anything from drift to grip racing and make sure that wide tires mounted on the Work Emotion wheels stay planted on whatever line the driver chooses. The exterior has been upgraded with a host of body kit pieces from Origin and carbon fiber canards, front splitter and rear wing from APR. Giant, Rotora 13” front brakes with 4 piston calipers up and a Z32 rear brake conversion haul the beast down to speed if things get out of control.

All the speed in the world doesn’t help if the driver isn’t safe, secure and in control in the cockpit and this 240 is properly outfitted to make sure that is exactly what happens. The interior is setup with a TIP Engineering 6-point roll cage with x-bars and gussets that add a high level of protection in case of an off course excursion. A full fire suppression system is in place just in case things get a little hot. The driver is held in place with a Bride Vios seat and Takata harnesses. Once buckled in he can monitor all vital engine functions via a whole assortment of gauges from Stri-Racing including boost, exhaust gas temperature, water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, and fuel pressure.

Followers of Speedlounge may remember a previous feature ride article that focused on a Supra built by E-Shift and if you recall, I asked you guys to take notice of the car in the background. The 240 in the background of those pictures is this very car. The level of quality shown in both cars from E-shift proves that these cars are out to build quality cars with a high level of performance… of course, all of that is forgotten once you hear the exquisite sound of a tuned 1JZ/2JZ motor. And it doesn’t really matter if it is in a Supra or a Nissan 240… remember, “Never Judge a Book By its Cover!”

Photos by Minkus

Spring is just around the corner and that means bringing out the two wheeled toys. Well, that’s the case on the East Coast. On the West Coast its spring time almost all the time (Lucky bastards!). So they get to ride almost year round and hell, I don’t blame them! What makes it even cooler is that out in the west the “Ruckus” riders roll deep! In a recent “Super Sunday” ride at least 90 riders showed up and caused some ruckus through the LA area (You can see the video in an earlier posting). One of the riders, Minkus, rocks a clean looking ruckus. Now you must be thinking from the photo above, “Burnout on a Ruckus?!?!?” That’s what make this Ruckus different from the average joe. The 49cc motor was tossed out and replaced with a 150cc motor and bored out to 180cc.

Alot of detail has gone into this Honda Ruckus. The bike is rocking a custom kameleon paint job done up by MPAB. The paint compliments the purple annodized bolt kit by Gallery Fresh and purple anodized frame caps by Zoomania. The stock headlights were replaced with a stylish PIAA P3000 Tri-Beam driving light. The bike gets that gansta lean courtsey of the kick stand made by Daytona. In order to stop this bike the front drum brakes have been upgraded and overall stance has been lowered with a NCY big disc brake and forks. To have better balance the stock seat frame was replaced with lower Daytona seat frame.

Here we have the 150cc GY6 motor that can be found on any 150cc stock scooter. What makes this different from a stock GY6 is the custom wide wheel kit designed by ATR and that the motor was bored out to 180cc. The wide wheel kit includes the wider rear polished wheel (10×7 to be exact!) and that polished engine mount. The GY6 motor is air-cooled not water-cooled and in order to feed more air a custom carbon fiber scoop was attached. Exhaust is expelled through the custom RPM drag exhaust J’s racing inspired tip turndown and BTX header.

Check out that Walboro Carb that protrudes out of the bike thanks to a MRP polished manifold and custom upper intake pipe. You gotta love that purple Stage 6 velocity stack!

Minkus relocated the speedo into the battery box and installed a Daytona drag handle bar which is held in place with a BMX stem. He must ride comfortable with those Kijima sponge grips. One thing to really notice in this photo is that shift knob! It’s actually a Spoon sports 5 spd custom fitted shift knob and on the other end is his key to start this bad boy up.

Overall this bike is very well put together. Minkus has paid attention to the minor details such as Ray’s Racing lug nuts and Mugen bolts on the battery box. You can definitely tell that Minkus has had some influence from the import car scene and we’re glad to see it on this Ruckus! Now check out the video feature of this bike down below.

Episode 1: Minkus from FATPHOS x MINKUS on Vimeo.

CIVIC HB

Photos by Jon Domingo
“To each his own”, you’ve heard this before, each person is entitled to their own taste. When building a car the person sets a vision using their personal style and then executes on those thoughts to bring it to life. Here we have Brandon who had an idea of what he wanted, and built this car with his own taste. Now to the ordinary eye this is just another civic with a swap. But someone with Brandon’s style and taste can see a masterpiece.

Here we have a Spoon rear wing that was signed by Ichishima-san. The civic’s paint is the same silver off the Infiniti QX56.

Check out the OG STR Cam Gears! In the blur is a Benen fuel rail fitted with a Fuel Lab filter and regulator.

Brandon’s rocking a b16 engine filled with goodies! From the Rage header to the Wizard custom radiator. To keep the front chassis from flexing a Benen strut bar was attached. One thing to notice here is that there are no wires showing. That’s why this engine bay looks so clean! Even the battery was relocated to the interior.

This image isn’t flipped! The civic rocks a right hand drive conversion, Personal Dakar steering wheel is attached via NRG short hub, and JDM SIR cluster.

Whether on a straight away or taking those tight turns Brandon and shotgun are held in place in those comfy Spoon reclineable seats and Crow harness belts.

Check out the grin on Brandon’s face. He must look like that every time he’s driving this car!

Well the engine was so clean you can eat off it, check out the under engine compartment! The threads still look fresh on the set of Dunlop Direzza 205-50-15 tires. To reduce heat on his Hawk brakes and Power Slot rotors he added functional cooling ducts to the front brakes. He also has place Benen lower tie bars to the front and rear.

I personally like these 15×6.5 Dunlop Sprint Hart CP-F. The wheels are attached to the hub with ARP extended wheel studs and then fastened in with GReddy extended wheel lugs.

Power in control is a suspension company native to Brandon’s state, Illinois. That’s why he’s rocking the PIC select coilovers. Other performance products that don’t stand out as much are the Hardrace camber kit, SONEM hard rubber bushings, the Techna-Fit brake lines and JDM 4×114.3 brake conversion.

Overall, from the looks from the photo above this car look like just another civic hatchback with a drop, exhaust and rims. But to a person with the same taste and style as Brandon this civic get the seal of approval for the amount of small detail put into this car. Which of course is rare these days.

Middle East Drag Racing

Check out this SFWD trim Honda Civic from the Middle East. From what I have heard it is the fastest civic out there with a 9.72@243km/h. The civic made 681whp@33-35psi. Check out the video after the jump.


Here are his specs:
B18C 84mm benson sleeve block (laskey Racing)
Porflow head with Supertech Valve train
Full Race Manifold with GT4094R turbo
Hondata s200
4 inch exhaust system
Exedy Twinplate clutch
Quafie LSD with GSR transmission

MWDesign Project BMW E92 M3 Darth Maul

If you haven’t noticed yet, today is a day where we focus on some tuned up BMWs or race cars, and what could be better than to finish on a similar note. The talented fellows at MWDesign, a tuning company based out of Vancouver, Canada, have just unveiled their latest project, codename, “Darth Maul”.

The center of this project is the always beautiful and classy, BMW M3 Coupe(E92), one of the BMW most used vehicles by the tuning companies. The MWDesign E92 M3 is sporting an Jerez Black exterior together with a gorgeous Fox Red interior trim.

• Amuse Ericsson Front Bumper with custom Orange highlights
• Amuse Ericsson Trunk
• CF Rear Diffuser with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Vents with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Mirrors
• Modulare M6 20×9 F 20×10.5 R – Matte Black Centers/Gloss Black Lips + Custom Matte Black Center Caps with Orange Accents
• Falken tires FK452 245/30/20 F 285/25/20 R
• H&R Sports Springs

The guys at MWDesign also mentioned that is only stage 1 of the “Darth Maul” project and we can barely wait to see what Stage 2 will bring us. So far, we like what we see and yes….the photomodel used by them complements the design.

S14 Stock Body Just Pulled

CAR
s14 stock body just pulled

WHEELS
Work meister S1 3 piece
front
18 by 10 + 18

Rear
18 by 11 + 18

TIRES
front
275/30/18
Rear
315/30/18

SUSPENSION
Tien coilovers
Rear ARms
Solid subframe

ALIGNMENT
front
zero toe
2.5 degrees

Rear
zero toe
1.5 degrees

CARS USE
Drift / Drag / Grip
Pretty much everything but daily

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S14 on BBS LMs

2001 VW GTI - Sex Machine

The VW Golf isn't perhaps the sexiest car on the planet. In particular, the Mk4 chassis can leave you cold. Introduced in 1997, it was the best selling car in Europe at one point. Intended for the mass market, how could it possibly be sexy if everybody and their grandma had one?

While the Mk4 might not have the cute charm of a Beetle or the sex appeal of a Ferrari, that's where all of us come in. Our minds are filled with so many ideas of how to make our VW faster, more functional and perhaps even sexy.

In fact, Josh Mather from Yorba Linda, CA doesn't drive a Porsche everyday, but his '03 GTI VR6 with hardcore Euro looks and heavenly interior surely has enough swagger for the next Jenna Jameson film.

An entrepreneur by trade, Josh spends three hours a day in the office. He runs a dance convention that tours North America, so most weekends are spent traveling. He's also a father of two, so it's truly amazing he found time to create this GTI in just three months. But his experience as a former Porsche technician and long-time VW gearhead definitely played a major role in its construction.

"I've been into VWs since I was 12," Josh began. "My first car was a Beetle I bought for $400. I've probably owned over 20 Beetles since then, 13 Buses and a few Karmann Ghias."

With a distinguished portfolio of air-cooled VWs, it was a big surprise to discover this is Josh's first GTI. And the story behind it is just as unexpected...

White lambskin is an unusual touch in this car

"The car came from New York. It had been stolen. The guy who owned it apparently had it stolen," Josh told us. "His friend took it but got involved in a high-speed chase, which ended with minor front-end damage and a busted tie rod. However, the title was salvaged and the car auctioned off."

The damage was easily remedied and eventually Josh's friend Tony Lazaro bought the car in California. Flip back to Readers' Ride of the Month in et 3/06 and you'll see how the car looked before -- Matchstick red, 19" Rial Daytona wheels and an Oettinger body kit. Tony had built a sweet daily driver but a turn of events saw the car change ownership as Josh attempted his first GTI project. But he wasn't going to keep the same style of big wheels and aggressive body kit commonly found in Southern California. "I'm originally from Boston and the East Coast style is much different. I don't mean to bag on Cali, but East Coast cars kill! I wanted to keep it clean and not clutter it up. When Tony owned it, he had all these trinkets on the car like carbon door handles. It just wasn't for me, so the night I picked up the car I ripped them off in his garage!"

Josh's goal became clear - keep the GTI clean, smooth 'n Euro. There wouldn't be any spoilers or unnecessary accessories, as he needed everything to flow. Starting with the exterior, he made a point not to use cheap parts, preferring original equipment from Europe.

Relatively stock, VR6 has Euro Sport cams, intake, exhaust and pulleys

Straight from Germany, Josh imported bumpers along with 25th Anniversary valances and side skirts for that OEM+ look. A Bonrath badgeless grille, Euro stubby mirrors and HID headlamps would add to the theme.

It wasn't a lot of new parts, but it was enough to give the exterior some maturity. He decided a shaven haven would improve the GTI even more, so he deleted and smoothed the hatch emblem and handle, the rear wiper and antenna.

The fenders were subtly pulled before it was time to pick a fresh color. The existing red wasn't going to cut it, so Josh looked to his other hobbies for inspiration. "I have mad love for BMX, especially the old ones. I'm a collector. So the color scheme was built around my PK Ripper bike. In fact, the GTI was designed so the bike would look good on top, since I have two bikes that perfectly match the car," he explained.

Josh delivered the car to Diamond Coats in Huntington Beach, CA where layers of PPG Cloud Blue Haze were sprayed throughout the car, including the engine bay and door jambs.

Polished calipers are an awesome touch behind Kinesis wheels

To match his bike, Josh discovered a set of Kinesis K28 wheels online. The 18x9" front and 18x10" rear wheels were disassembled and finished in ceramic titanium. Then the bolts were dipped in 24k gold, while the lips were polished to perfection. In true Euro fashion, a set of Toyo T1R tires was stretched across the rims.

H&R coilovers had been installed by the previous owner, so Josh didn't have to worry about stance. However, he added H&R sway bars and strut bars for good measure. He still wanted to drive the car everyday, but the suspension setup would surely suffice.

Josh knew the stock rotors wouldn't do, so he picked up some big brakes from ECS Tuning. On the front he used 13.1" two-piece floating rotors. They were supplied with Porsche Boxster S calipers but the red finish wouldn't do. So he had Mag Masters in Santa Ana, CA strip and polish the calipers.

Perhaps the most glorious feature of Josh's ride is the interior, which he summed up best as "straight-up sexy." That's not leather or suede you're seeing. The rare hide in Josh's car is actually lambskin. "It's different, cleans really easy and nobody has it," he said. "I like to do stuff that's out there. You either love it or hate it. People think I'm crazy because I have two kids and they're always in the car, but stains come off easy and the material is durable. It also feels really warm."

Wahls Auto Upholstery in Los Alamitos, CA used seven yards of hide on the dash, door panels, headliner and trunk. Even the C-pillar bar and Wiechers Sport rollcage were lamb-wrapped. Still not impressed? Friend Tony encouraged Josh to implement diamond stitching as well, so the armrest, sunroof, parcel shelf, trunk floor and sub box received the elegant treatment.

Other subtle improvements include matching R32 floor mats, an Anniversary gauge cluster and European air vents, plus Audi TT pedals and shift knob. Not to overwhelm the interior with too much white, Josh fitted a pair of black Recaro Trend seats up front, while the rears remain stock.

Like a Euro treasure chest, open the trunk and find two JL subs surrounded by lambskin upholstery and diamond stitching

Filling the double-DIN pocket in the dash is an Alpine touchscreen deck, running JL Audio mids and tweeters in the doors. In the trunk, the lambskin sub box houses two 10" JL Audio W3 subs, while two amps power the entire system.

We haven't really mentioned the engine as yet, and that's because Josh has kept it close to stock for reliability. The 2.8 VR6 has Euro Sport Accessories cams, intake, exhaust and pulleys for a few more ponies and a distinguished sound. However, Josh reiterated he wasn't out to build a high-speed racer. "I was always bagged-on by GTI guys because I had three New Beetles," he confessed. "So when I built this GTI, I wanted it to be unique but the real work was actually done on my 425whp Turbo S. I wanted to make the GTI look cool and keep it as a daily driver because my Beetle can't be driven because I can't smog it. It's stupid fast..."

For a virgin GTI builder, Josh definitely did things right the first time. It can easily be described as a sex machine. And if you're wondering about his Beetle, rest assured we'll have that feature soon.

His GTI is like Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On". But his Turbo S, is more like a hardcore rendition of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Stay tuned...

Tech Spec
2001 VW GTI
Owner: Josh Mather
Location: Yorba Linda, CA
Occupation: Entrepreneur

Engine:
2.8 liter VR6 12v with Euro Sport Accessories cold-air intake, pulleys, 264 cams, 2.5" cat-back exhaust, GIAC software, VF motor mounts, Forge billet and strut caps

Drivetrain:
five-speed manual with Sachs stage 2 clutch and 14 lb flywheel

Brakes:
13.1" ECS Tuning two-piece floating rotors with polished Porsche Boxster S calipers, braided lines

Suspension:
H&R coilovers, 26mm front and 25mm rear H&R sway bars, VF front drop end-links, polished front and rear strut bars, C-pillar bar

Wheels & Tires:
18x9" front, 18x10" rear Kinesis K28 wheels with ceramic titanium coating and 24k gold bolts, 225/35-18 front, 255/40-18 rear Toyo T1R tires

Exterior:
OE Euro bumpers, HID headlights and stubby mirrors, Bonrath badgeless grille, 25AE valances, pulled fenders, shaved hatch, rear wiper and antenna, painted PPG Cloud Blue Haze

Interior:
lambskin upholstery with gold diamond double-stitch, Recaro Trend front seats,Audi TT pedals and shift knob, custom R32 floor mats, 20AE gauge cluster, Wiechers Sport rollcage wrapped in lambskin, 25AE vents

Audio/Visual:
Alpine double-DIN touchscreen head unit, JL Audio door mids and tweeters, 1000w/1 and 300w/4 amps, two 10" W3 subs in matching box, Dynomat

Thanks:
Tony Lazaro, Wahls Auto Upholstery, Craig at Image Imports, Diamond Coats, wife Shannon and kids Ethan and Emma, Nick Riley

STOCK B18C 10PSI 271WHP/189TQ

Cybernations Turbo K20a 470WHP/384TQ

Built B18B1 430WHP/351TQ

520whp B20Z

Engine

• Fully built B20Z (CP Pistons, Eagle Rods, Benson Sleeves)
• Crower Turbo Cams and Valve-Train
• ARP Headstuds
• JG Edelbrock Victor X Intake Manifold
• BBK 68mm Throttle Body
• Hasport Motor Mounts

Fueling/Ignition

• Precision 1000cc Injectors
• Hondata s100b EMS
• MSD Blaster 2 Coil
• Magnecore Spark Plug Wires
• Walbro 255HP Fuel Pump
• Stock FPR (not shown in picture)

Turbo Set-up

• PeakBoost Equal Length Turbo Manifold
• Precision SC6152e Turbo
• 3" Downpipe
• Precision 600hp Intercooler
• TurboXS Dual Stage Boost Controller

476whp Turbo K20a2 ‘01 Civic

Engine

• k20a2 Swap with STOCK SLEEVES
• Wiseco pistons 9:1
• Eagle rods
• Stock Head/Valve-Train
• Exedy Stage 2 Clutch

Turbo Kit

• Cybernations Turbo Kit
• Precision SC61 Turbo
• 3" down pipe and exhaust
• Tial 38mm wastegate
• Exedy stage II clutch
• Turbo smart boost controller

Fueling/Ignition/EMS

• Hondata K-pro EMS
• 1000cc injectors w/ resistor box
• Converted fuel return line, walboro 255lph
• Aeromotive FPR

520whp H22a EG Coupe

Engine

• AV Tuning & Development Stage 4 ShortBlock
• CP 9.0:1 Pistons
• Carrillo Super A Rods
• AV Tuning & Development Balance Shaft Removal Kit
• AV Tuning & Development Stage 4 Head
• Port/Polish, SuperTech Valves, Dual Valve Springs, Ti Retainers
• Skunk2 Intake Manifold
• Skunk2 68mm Throttle Body
• Hondata Intake Manifold Gasket
• Fluidyne Radiator
• HaSport Motor Mounts
• Greddy Oil Sandwich Plate

Fueling/Ignition/EMS/Electronics

• NGK Blue Spark Plug Wires
• MSD Digital 6+ Ignition Box
• MSD HVC Coil
• Hondata s300
• 1000cc Precision Injectors
• AEM 5 Bar Map Sensor
• Apex’i AVC-R Boost Controller
• Greddy 52mm Oil Pressure Gauge
• Greddy 52mm Boost Gauge
• Apex’i Turbo Timer
• PLX M300 Wideband

Suspension/Transmission/Drivetrain

• Strange Engineering Double Adjustable Shocks
• Custom Spring Rates
• Prothane Suspension bushings (complete suspension)
• Blox Rear LCA
• Blox Front Upper Control Arms
• Blox Rear Adj Camber Kit
• Full-Race Traction Bar
• Quaife LSD
• Gator Racing Stage 3 Axles

Turbo Kit

• Precision GT3582R-SP T4
• Full-Race Pro-Am Top Mount Turbo Manifold
• AV Tuning & Development Custom Intercooler Piping Kit
• AV Tuning & Development Custom Intercooler Piping Kit
• AV Tuning & Development Custom 3.5" Downpipe
• AV Tuning & Development Oil Feed/Return Line Kit
• AV Tuning & Development GT Series Water Coolant Line Kit
• Golden Eagle Vacuum Box
• Greddy Oil Catch Can

Notes

• Due to fueling issues we stopped at this horsepower level.
• 1600cc injectors and Aeromotive A1000hp Fuel pump coming soon.
• We will be shooting for 625-650whp with the new fuel set-up.

S14 95/96 to 97/98 front end conversion

TOOLS & PARTS

Here is a list of the tools I used for this conversion:

- Rachet with 10mm, 12mm and 14mm sockets

- Phlips screwdriver (PH2 tip)

- 10mm open end wrench

- 14mm open end wrench

- 6" and 3" rachet extentsions (or 3" and 10" extentsions)

- test light for DC power

- heat shrink and electrical tape

- soldering iron

- Drill with 1/4" drill bit - has to be strong enough to drill thru metal (drill bit size may vary)

Here is a list of ALL the parts required for a OEM front end. I have listed the OEM parts with the part numbers and "suggest" pricing from the dealership. You can find a better price from buying used parts or going online to websites such ashttp://www.nissan-auto-parts-dealer.com. I bought ALL of the parts for a total of roughly $1600. This included clips that are not listed, because I lost some from my accident. I also did not buy the energy absorber because I might custom make my own to save $$$. I also used the Kouki JDM grill instead of the USDM grill, this cost me $200 shipped with front and rear Silvia emblems. Finally I bought my parts with wholesale pricing from the dealership, which was $5 more than parts.com when you included tax and shipping (from parts.com). I can probably hook you up if your located in North Virginia. I can provide anyone with an estimate and part number for any OEM part at request, even Nismo parts.

OEM PARTS:

®Head Lamp Assembly: 26010-81F25 - $205.95
(L)Head Lamp Assembly: 26010-81F25 - $205.95

®Park Lamp Assembly: 26170-81F25 - $47.23
(L)Park Lamp Assembly: 26175-81F25 - $47.23

®Fender w/o side spoiler: F3100-80F30 - $237.08
(L)Fender w/o side spoiler: F3101-80F30 - $237.08

Grille Assy.: 62310-81F25 - $144.49

Bumper Cover Assy: F2022-81F25 - $291.48

Bumper Bracket: 62290-80F00 - $84.92

Reinforcement: 62030-81F00 - $199.00

Hood Assembly: F5100-81FCM - $330.80

®Stay: 62270-81F00 - $8.92
(L)Stay: 62271-81F00 - $8.92

*®Front Fender Liner: 63840-81F00 - $34.24
*(L)Front Fender Liner: 63841-81F00 - $51.78

*®Brkt, Bumper Side: 62222-80F00 - $7.73
*(L)Brkt, Bumper Side: 62223-80F00 - $7.73

*(L)Impact Absorber: 62090-81F00 - $133.10

*(2)Bracket, Lamp Support: 62560-80F00 - $133.10

*Seal: 60895-50M01 - $0.64

*Spacer (R/L): 62274-35F10 - $0.29

MISC PARTS:
Two pin cable to cable connectors or H1 connectors from a 97/98 240SX ("pig tails") or H4->H1 conversion kit
- You can find these online, at a junkyard, or at a auto shop or electronic parts store. A good set of two pin cable to cable connectors can be found here: http://www.route66supply.com/store/product0.html

NOTE: If you can't find it, than you can use some female connectors (flat prong style, 12-18 gauge) and splice them with the headlight harness (that's what I did). You will find these connectors at a cheap price in Radio Shack.

* optional

STEPS (removing parts)

I choose not to paint the parts before I started because I knew that they will get dirty or scuffed while working. Fresh paint is very soft and can scratch or scuff off easily, but its up to you if you decide to paint the parts before installing. Ok here are the steps:

* Remove the screws (with philps screwdriver) and clips that hold the plastic fender lining in place. Try to be easy on the clip, because they can break easily.

* Open your hood to continue with the steps. Take off the two clips that hold the grille in place with the rad supprt. Gently, but firmly, pull the grille up and out of the reinforcement.

* With the philps screwdriver remove the screw that holds the corner lights into place with the headlights. Gently, but firmly, pull out the corner lights.

* You will use the same screwdriver to remove and disconnect your turn signals.

* Now you will notice 10mm bolts (4) holding each headlight onto the car. Two on the side connecting to the fender and two in the front connecting to the rad support, remove these bolts.

* You will notice 10mm bolts (8) that hold the bumper cover to the bumper bracket, remove these bolts. There are also 10mm bolts (2) on each side of the bumper that bolt onto the fender (around where the sidemarkers are). To remove these bolts you need to access them from inside the fender (that why you remove the fender lining first).

* To remove the bumper bracket there are 10mm bolts (6) that hold the bumper bracket in place with the reinforcement and connect to each fender. There are four bolts in the mid section that connects onto the stays, remove these. Now on each side there is one bolt that connects the bracket to the fender, remove these and remove the bumper bracket.

* Now your going to remove the stays. This step may not be necessary, but its help to part out your car to give you an idea of what goes where with the new parts. The stays bolt onto the reinforcement with 10mm bolts (6). There are three for each stay, remove these.

* Now your going to remove the reinforcement, there are 14mm bolts (4) that hold the reinforcement in place to the frame (or cross member) of your car. There are two on each side, the closet of the two bolts will be easy to remove with the rachet. However the far most bolts can be removed with the rachet, but you have to use the 14mm open wrench to completely take them off. This is because of the lack of space to freely use the rachet. I would DOUBLE CHECK to see if the reinforcement can move freely, now slowly slide or pull out the reinforcement.

* To remove the fenders there will be 10mm bolts (18) that hold BOTH fenders to the frame of the car, there are nine bolts for each fender. There are four bolts that hold the fender onto the car from under the hood. Basically when you look at your fenders from the engine bay you will notice bolts holding the fenders onto the car, remove these. To help you with these bolts I recommend you use the 3" extentsion.

* Now look at the side of the car, on the front corner (where the bumper cover connected to the fender) you will notice one bolt that connects to the tie bar (part of your frame) remove that bolt on each side of your car.

* Still looking from the side of your car, look underneath your car where the door meets with the fender or look at the first jack stand point. You will notice two bolts that are bolted onto the frame, remove these bolts. To help you with these bolts I recommended you use the 6" extentsion.

* Now there are two more bolts to remove for each fender. The first one needs to be accessed from inside the fender. The bolt is located at the bottom of the fender closest to the door. This is were the 6" and 3" extentsion COMBINED comes in handy, because you need to have some type of reach to access this bolt and remove it. The last bolt is located at the top of the fender closest to the door. To access this bolt you need to open your door. To remove this bolt you will need to use the 10mm open wrench, remove this bolt and now you can completely remove the fender.

* Now your going to remove the hood, there are 12mm bolts (4) that hold the hood onto the car. I recommended you have a second person to hold the hood for you while you unbolt the hood. I had someone to help me the first time, but the second time I had to do this by myself and it was time consuming. Ok now there are two bolts on each side, be careful and remove one bolt on each side one at a time. Now you can CAREFULLY remove the hood, if it hasn't slide off already. This hood is heavy and the size of it doesn't make it easy to handle at times.

STEPS (installing parts)

NOTE: since you remove all the parts, install the new parts should be straight forward. Just install the parts the same way you remove them (now you tightening the bolts instead). You should be able to know what bolts go where. The actual installation will be explain briefly because of this, excluding the modifications and wiring necessary.

- Now your going to install the new fenders. I recommended you start with the bolt behind the door and the two bolts at the jack stand point. This is because you will need to realign the fenders to make sure it lines up with the doors, a-pillar and the gap between the door and fender is proper.

- Once the fenders are securely placed your going to install the hood. Install the hood seal (optional part) along the front edge of the hood. This seal will clip to (8) holes underneath the hood. I recommended that you hand tighten the four bolts or tighten them just enough that you can move the hood back and fourth or side to side. This is because when you close the hood (not all the way) you will need to realign the hood so that the gap is even on both sides and the hood lines up properly with the fenders. Once you properly aligned the hood, carefully open the hood and tighten the bolts to hold the hood securely in place.

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- IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO BUY THE HEADLIGHT BRACKETS (optional part)...please read this following step. To install the headlight brackets...you will need to know how to spot weld. In my case I had a body shop do this for me. Basically what they did was drill out the top portion of the old headlight bracket and unbolted it from the bottom, so it can be removed. Once that was done they spot weld the new bracket onto the upper core support and bolted the bottom portion in the same locates. Their is another option of using nuts and bolts where you drilled out the old headlight brackets. The headlight bracket is the part of your core support that your headlights mount onto. The reason why I went with this (after a year and some months) was able to remove and install the headlights with greater ease. But as mentioned before..this is an optional part and there is a way around getting them. Just read the following step.
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- Here is where the modifications to the core/rad support begins, have a drill handy. Close you hood all the way, the hood will help you when aligning the headlights. Now do this step one side at a time, place the new headlight unit in the two holes on the side of the fender (basically where the headlights bolt to the fender). Do not bolt the headlight just yet, instead hold the headlight and move it up and down until it looks aligned with the hood. You will notice that the notch on the headlight (plastic part of the headlight unit with two holes) doesn't fit one of the holes just right. What you have to do is use the drill to expand the hole and make it big enough so that you can slide that notch right in. Once you got the notch to slide in and the headlight flush with the core support (headlight bracket), make sure the headlight is flush with the fender and hood seal. If you do not have the hood seal, make sure that the headlight is flush with the fender and there is proper gapping from right to left on the top of the headlight. Now carefully place the drill into one of the holes on the headlight tab (where the plastic nub is) and slowly drill...just enough to get a mark on the core support (headlight bracket) where to drill. DO NOT DRILL THRU THE HEADLIGHT UNIT ITSELF....it's tempting, but you will cause damage to the headlight unit. Remove the headlights and continue to drill where you made your mark. You might not be able to drill two holes for each headlight....just as long as you have one your okay. Make sure that the bolts that came with the headlights can fit into the hole you just drill. It's best that you have to actually screw the bolt into the hole you just drilled. If the bolt is loose and can slide out easily, you have to use a nut on the other end to make sure the bolt is fastened to the core support and is holding the headlight in place.

- Now your going to install the reinforcement, stays and bumper bracket. You should be able to install the new reinforcement the same way you removed the old one.....just in reverse order.

- Now your going to install the bumper cover. You should be able the install the new bumper just the same was as you removed the old one. However you might not use the screws that came with the new bumper cover....mainly because you will have a set of your own (from old front end).

- Install the sidemarker and turn signals just the same way you removed them.

NOTE: This next step is about lighting, and there is more than one method. I will write three methods you can use, but there are more methods you can try at your own risk.
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- Method #1: Now your going to power up your headlights, this is the method that will use female connectors (found at Radio Shack). Use a solder iron to push the female connector apart from the insulator (plastic cover). Look on the back of the headlight, clips the two wires that connect to the H1 connector. Slip the exposed wire thru insulator (plastic piece) that came off the female connector. With a piler open the female connectors just enough so you can slip thru the exposed wire from the headlights and clamp shut. Now with a soldering iron, solder the exposed wire to the female connector. Wrap the wires with electrical tape and heat shrink (optional). Since both wires are now soldered to the female connectors you should be able to simply plug them into the H4 socket. Black goes into the top socket, while red goes into the right socket. You can double check by plugging the connectors and turning on the lights. Now with the connectors plugged in, you can slide the insulator closer to the connectors HERE is a picture to give you an example. The high beams are a direct connection and require no modifications.

- Method #2: Now your going to power up your headlights, this is the method that will use H1 sockets. Before you cut anything, make sure the H1 sockets that you have will clip right into the H1 connectors that are located on the back of the headlights. Once you have that checked your going to clip the H4 socket and have three wires exposed. Use a test light to determine which two wires you will use. One of the wires will not be used, therefore you will wrap that one in electric tape and strap it onto the harness to prevent any interference. Now your going to splice the two necessary wires into the H1 socket then plug into the headlight harness (H1 connector). Double check your connection by turning on your headlights. The high beams are a direct connection and require no modifications.

- Method #3: Now your going to power up your headlights, this is the method that will use the two pin cable to cable connectors. Your going to clip the H4 socket and have three wires exposed. Use a test light to determine which two wires you will use. One of the wires will not be used, therefore you will wrap that one in electric tape and strap it onto the harness to prevent any interference. Now your going to splice the two necessary wires into one of the connectors. Now your going to cut the two wires coming from the low beam harness on the headlight side and splice them into the other connector. Double check your connection by turning on your headlights. The high beams are a direct connection and require no modifications.
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- Install the headlights back into the correct holes on the fender and the hole(s) you drill into your reinforcement. When you have the headlights and place, close your hood and double check for proper gapping between the hood and the bumper. Note: if you do not have the reinforcement you will have some gap between the bumper and headlights....but its not obvious unless your up close playing with the bumper (moving up and down).

- Open up your hood once again so you can install the corner lamps. The corner lamps clip into the headlights and screw that the top just like the previous headlights. Close the hood to double check for proper gapping, but you will reopen the hood to install the grille.

- Now your going to install your grille. The 97/98 grille clips into the headlight bracket unlike the previous grille that clipped into the reinforcement. Before you fully install the grille, may sure that will evenly fit on both sides. Meaning that you do not have to use any force to install the grille at an angle or more to one side. Once you double check everything clip the grille into place. It's a good idea to double check everything because once you install the grille....its a pain to take out.

- The rear fender lining will install the same way as you removed it. For now I have no steps on installing the front fender lining. The 97/98 front fender lining is different from the 95/96 and not all the holes will match up. Everything is now complete and you should have all the proper lighting working. Double check to make sure everything is aligned and nothing is loose or hanging.

How To Wetsanding

Items Required.

1 400 grit sandpaper
1 800 grit sandpaper
1 1000 grit sandpaper
(You can go all the way up to 2500grit. But 1000 gives me the oem i want)
1 Cup
1 Spray bottle or hose/sink
Patience.

Now, GO GO GO!
Pictured below is the items you will need to start your wet sanding.

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First, You will want to fill your cup up with water, Doesn't really matter just fill it up. Take a square piece of your 400 grit sand paper, Soak it in the water for a few seconds.

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Now Spray your headlight with your water bottle or hose what ever you are using. You always want to keep your headlight and your sandpaper wet AT ALL TIMES!

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Now, Using your sandpaper, only apply the weight of your hand. More than this and you can risk scratching it more than you want. Go over the whole headlight. Keep the cup full of water so that you can periodically dunk your sand paper in the water to keep it wet, And keep your headlight wet. This is what it looks like with the 400 grit sand paper, I did two coats to make sure I got everything sanded.

Image is shown in its original resolution (900x599). Click this bar to resize image to fit in page (800x533). Click image to open in new window.

Now take your 800 grit sand paper, put it in the cup of water and let it soak for a few seconds, Remember to keep your headlight wet! Take the 800 grit and go over the whole headlight making sure you've sanded EVERY PART. Periodically dunk your 800 grit in the water to get the stuff that you're sanding off of the sand paper. Your water will turn a cloudy white, That's good. That means that you are getting all of the dirt and grime that is fogging up your headlight off. Go over more than once with the 800 and remember to keep both headlight and sandpaper wet.

Now take your 1000 grit sandpaper, And put it in the cup and let soak for a few seconds. Remember! Keep your headlight wet. Go over the whole area with your 1000grit sand paper and make sure you remember to keep it wet at all times.

Now comes the fun part

Go to your local Hardware store // Autozone // Auto parts store and look for Clear plastic cleaners, Scratch removers, and polishers. I used the ones pictured below, Because I had these laying around from when I used to make model cars.

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Take your scratch remover and with a soft terry cloth rag, Spray a liberal amount of scratch remover on the entire headlight, Using the terry cloth, Spread the remover around the whole area untill it starts to disappear. Take a clean part of the cloth, And buff out the whole headlight.
To get an even cleaner look, Repeat the process more than 2 times. I did 4 times.


Now take your Clear plastic Cleaner and spray a liberal amount of Cleaner on the entire headlight, Using the terry cloth, Spread the cleaner around untill it starts to disappear. take a clean part of the cloth and buff out the whole entire headlight.
Repeat process. ( I did 4)

Now take your Clear plastic polish and spray a liberal amount all over the entire headlight, Using the cloth spread the polish around with a sufficent amount of pressure around the entire headlight untill it starts to disappear, Take a clean part of the cloth, and buff it out. Repeat the process untill you get the look you are going for. (I once again, Did it 4 times.)

The Roller Paint Job

Materials

Most of the materials I bought came from Home Depot. Some of them I had to buy from an automotive store such as Pepboy’s, Autozone, etc. Those items will be marked in green lettering. Here’s a list of the materials I used:

* One Gal. Rustoleum Professional Gloss White (Oil-Based enamel) (Qty: 1)
* One Gal. Mineral Spirits (Qty: 2)
* Five Pk. 4" High-Dense Foam Rollers (Qty: 2)
* Roller holder (Qty: 1)
* Disposable Roller Pan (Qty: 1)
* 3M Blue Painter's Tape (Qty: 1)
* Mixing Bucket (Qty: 1)
* Easy Pour Lid (Qty: 1) not pictured
* Cheese Cloth (Qty: 1) not pictured
* Painter's Rags (Qty: 1) not pictured
* 400 Grit Sandpaper (Qty: 1)
* 600 Grit Sandpaper (Qty: 1)
* 800 Grit Sandpaper (Qty: 1) not pictured
* 1000 Grit Sandpaper (Qty: 1) not pictured
* Liquid Rubbing Compound (Qty: 1) not pictured
* Orbital Buffer & Pads (Qty: 1) not pictured

The Process

As I'm explaining the process (or methods) I used I will include pictures from working on the entire car and working on just the rear bumper (make sure to click on them to view a larger size). Both pieces where not done at the same time. In fact, the rear bumper was done after I finished the car since I was waiting for it to arrive. You will notice in the pictures that the results are slightly better because I didn't rush. Everything was done outdoors during the summertime with low humidty. On average humidity was 60% and temperatures ranged from 65-70 degrees (F). I don't recommend trying this if humidity is above 80%.



Day 1:
I start of by cleaning the car free of loose dirt. I also did the same for the rear bumper, which was a separate piece from the one on the car. If you happen to have any tar or adhesive on stuck on your car, I suggest you clean that off throughly before continuing.
After that, I started to wetsand the car with 400 grit sandpaper. Make sure that both the surface and the sandpaper are wet. Due to the location of my car, I was limited to using a bucket of water and a spray bottle to assure the surface and sandpaper was wet. As I was wetsanding, I noticed the only the clearcoat was coming off and leaving a chalk residue. By this time I was telling myself "WTF am I doing? Damnit..oh well I have to keep going." This took me roughly two hours and when I was done I was exhausted and my car looked really crappy.




Day 2:
Your properly wondering why I didn't clean of the residue. Well, believe it or not, I had to drive my car to take care of an emergency. No time to spare I drove my car as is, and man did I get some looks. So if you try this out...make sure you have another car to drive. Anyways, I clean up the car with mild soap and water. Once it dried, I started to clean the car with mineral spirits to assure I removed any grease. After that I took a cheese cloth to remove any fine dust particles (remember I'm doing this outside). Besides removing the seals, I just taped over them with the painter's tape and covered the windows with newspaper. I only did this because it would have taken awhile to take off the seals, and I was tight on time. I strongly recommend you remove the seals for better results. I also fit garabage bags over the wheels. After this was done I began to mix the paint and rolled it onto the car.




Here is the tricky part about mixing the paint...there is no definate formula to follow. It's difficult to explain, but I started off with one part paint and two parts mineral spirits then added more mineral spirits until the paint was the same thickness as milk. Once the paint is mixed, I pour some into the tray and soak the roller. The paint is very thin and runs alot when you start rolling. What I did was roll the paint over a certain length and then catch the runs with the roller and spread the paint as much as possible to level it out. I also came across mini bubbles, but those evenutally popped as the paint self-leveled. Very sparsely did I have to resoak the roller with paint. To save the foam roller for future use, I wrapped it with plastic food wrap.




Day 3:
I wipe the car (and rear bumper) free of dust using a cheese cloth. After that I roll on second coat. For the car, I let the paint dry roughly nine hours and proceed to roll on the third coat. This is where I rushed because its ideal to wetsand the second coat with 600 grit before proceeding with the third coat. Also the drying time could have been longer as I was initially doing at roughly 20 hours. As for the rear bumper, I rolled on the second coat and left it alone. The color doesn't show until the third coat.




Day 4:
On the car, I wetsand the third coat with 600 grit sandpaper. Rinse with water, then I wipe any dust with a cheese cloth. After that I proceed to roll on the fourth coat. By this time the color shows and I get some reflection. As for the rear bumper, I sand the second coat with 600 grit sandpaper (the ideal route), clean (as I did with the car) and roll on the third coat. The main reason your sanding between every two coats (ideally) is to get rid of runs and orange peel you might come across.




Day 5:
The night before, I get a notice from HOA to move my car or else it would be towed. Rather than hunting them down and explaining my case, I moved my car the following morning to my friend's house. Thank goodness he was off the following days or else I would have been SOL. The car was looking good, but I don't recommend you stop on the fourth coat. Also since the paint was semi-sticky, dust and bugs got stuck on the paint while driving it. It was no problem because I had to sand down that coat anyways with 800 grit sandpaper. After that I rolled on the fifth coat. As for the rear bumper, that was done right in front of my house.. so HOA can't say jack. I rolled the fourth coat onto the bumper and it was looking damn good.





Day 6:
By this time, my car was in my friend's garage. With no time to spare, I rolled on the sixth and finally coat. As for the rear bumper, I wetsanded it with 800 grit sandpaper and rolled on the fifth coat.

Day 7:
The car was completely dry and I was able to drive it back home. I didn't get a chance to do a final wetsand with 1000 grit sandpaper, but I do like the results so far. Orange peel is noticeable since I didn't sand between every two coats, starting with 600->800->1000. As for the rear bumper, I had better results because I took my time and did the proper wetsanding between coats.

Final Touches

After week, I found some time to wetsand the entire car with 1000 grit sandpaper. This helped to remove most of the orange peel. Even though the car does have orange peel, its not really horrid and I've seen cars come from the factory with the same amount. Once I was done wetsanding I proceed to buff the car with an orbital buffer and liquid sandpaper. This part was rather tedious because of the properties of the paint. The paint was still "soft" so it "absorbs" the rubbing compound as I buff it. That meant I had to immediately wipe off any rubbing compound on the car before it becomes a real PITA. Also because of this I decided to hold off on using polishing compound. After using the buffer, the surface was smooth to the touch and had a nice reflection. The only downside is I can't used wax until three months after rolling on the sixth coat. It's oil-based paint, so it takes awhile to fully cure, so for now I have to wipe the car with mild soap to keep it clean.

No buff...

With buff...



As for the door jambs, when I get time I will actually paint those with a Wagner electric gun. Yes, this means you can actually paint the entire car with a Wagner gun as oppose to rolling it. My friend actually tired this and yielded good results. However he's telling me that it sprays the paint really fast, so its still a good idea to have a roller to catch the runs.

My side mirrors were spray painted, and I can see a noticeable difference between spray paint and this enamel paint (enamel being "richer"). I plan to spray paint parts of the undercarriage with the same black spray paint to hide the runs caused by white enamel paint.

Some people have asked me..."Would you ever do this again?" my answer is "meh..I guess". Seriously I would do this again if and only if I had time on my side were I can remove every seal and pay more attention to detail (i.e. sanding between every two coats).

DAILY DRIVEN Honda Civic CX

ran a 10.2@143mph. Today, ran a 9.9@149mph at the NDRA event in NC June 24th, 2005


Chasis:
92 Honda Civic CX

Head:
USDM B18C1
Port and Polish by Head Flow Research
Ferrea valves
Ferrea dual valve springs
Ferrea titanium retainers
Stock B18C1 camshafts
Cometic head gasket
Skunk2 cam gears

Block:
USDM B18C1
AEBS Sleeves
84mm bore
CP 10:1 Compression
Crower Rods
ACL bearings

Transmission:
USDM B18C1
USDM Integra Type R LSD
Competition Clutch Twin Disk
OEM Axles

Turbo Setup:
Neukin B-Series Equal length turbo manifold
Full-Race T3/67 .63a/r turbo
Turbonetics Racegate Wastegate
Greddy Type R Blow-off valve
Apex Skyline intercooler
Downpipe and Intercooler pipes custom made in house by Peter Heu
MSD 1000cc injectors
STR Fuel Rail
Aeromotive FPR
HKS Cosmo fuel pump

clean2draccord is TURBOCHARGED

Mod list

GARRETT T3/T04e 50 trim .63a/r Turbo ($230.00)
Greddy Full Auto Turbo Timer ($90.00)
F23a1 Turbo Exhaust Manifold ($275.00)
F23a1 Turbo Exhaust Manifold stud kit ($20.00)
HKS blow off valve flange ($40.00)
TiAL wastegate flange ($20.00)
Autometer Air/Fuel Gauge ($40.00)
Autometer Phantom Boost Gauge ($50.00)
Autometer Phantom Oil Pressure Gauge ($43.00)
HKS SSQ blow off valve ($195.00)
OBD2b OBD1 Conversion Harness ($73.00)
450cc DSM Blue Top Injectors ($50.00)
Oil Drain Return Flange ($14.00)
T3 Turbo Exhaust Housing Inlet Gasket ($12.50)
T3 & Hybrid Turbo (4 bolt) Downpipe Weld Flange ($21.00)
Front mount intercooler ($239.00)
TiAL 38mm Wastegate ($195.00)
92-95 Honda Civic P28 SI VTEC ECU ($180.00)
Oil Feed/Return Lines ($98.13)
OBD1 Idle Air Control Valve ($38.00)
RC OBD1 Injector Clips ($25.00)
OBD1 resistor box ($12.00)
Hondabond ($11.08)
F23a1 header gasket ($11.61)
Intercooler piping fabrication, down pipe, Silicone hoses, couplers and clamps, vacuum lines, and labor ($850.81)

Total: $2834.13

Well I'll go over what problems/difficulties first:

1. Front bumper doesn't fit! I'll need to take it to the body shop and get some major work done on it to fit.

2. I don't have the injectors or the P28 ECU on the car right now because of idling problems and a CEL. Since I will be using an OBD1 ECU, I will need to do a 3-wire to 2-wire IACV conversion and fabricate and adapter plate so it will fit on the intake manifold.

Without the injectors, I CANNOT boost (as much as I want to right now). If I boost and lean out... I'll detonate and blow the motor. If I give it some gas too quickly, the motor boggs out.

3. I'm missing the dumptube on the wastegate. We fabricated one, but I tried to close the hood and it wouldn't! So we took it off, no problem, it should be okay for now.

Here's what I need to make for the IACV conversion:

F23 build, custom turbo, ems

Heres my story so far of the process of building my f23

pretty depressing story but final product will be worth it

before the sleeves failed the motor was on a light tune of 290whp b/c the electronic boost controller was not reading correctly

A lot of reading, but if interested read on-


from April '05 to July 18th '07
I just thought i had to share my story so far on how the project is going
read if you want (the stock f23 accord motor SOHC 4 cyl)
i have a custom turbo kit running about 7-8 psi on a stock motor, with an aem ems, pushing 250 or so to the wheel. I ran the car up at Brainerd on the road race track, back in April of '05 back then it wasnt as powerful and tuned with a SAFCII, and i blew the motor, too much heat from constant boost (kind of a dumb idea on my part but oh well).
So i had the motor ripped apart, turns out i cracked a couple of pistons and rings. i had decided to get it sleeved and built, well the long and short of it is, a shop in CA took over 8 months before we realized it was taking to long, so we had it shipped back, and out to Nebraska, this guy never answered his phone, the shop had his buddy pick it up, and ended up going to jail, which they locked up my motor, because he owed money or something. So the shop i go through bought a new block. (ticking on about 13-14 months now), found a local shop in MN to do it, he bored it halfway, and then had to close, then i found **** Burns in Wyzata. i found out that block was cracked, ordered a new one, and now after 20 some months i have it sleeved and a polished crank.
The total is four blocks (the one i blew, the one thats cracked, the one thats sleeved, and the extra used one in my car) and four shops in 20 some months to sleeve a block!
The block is now decked, sleeved, machined, and only rough honed so far.... the other shop i go to will be doing the fine honing.
Enough talk heres the pictures of before and after:
BEFORE:

AFTER:



And the plan of the build:
Darton ductile iron sleeves by ERL (eventually before the ductile iron replacement sleeves)
Polished crank
Crower Rods
Custom JE pistons (9:1) ( 2 sets in the end)
New piston rings (obviously)
Bisi Moto valves
JG engine dynamics valve springs, retainers
ARP head studs
New bearings, gaskets, oil pump, water pump etc. etc.
Injectors (1000 cc precision injectors)
Heres the bottom end assembled:


had trouble with the valve springs, had to return them, and order new ones, but they came in today and heres some pictures:


awaiting assembly, install, and tuning!

Sept 20 '07

New Update!!! Motor is finally assembled after troubly with valves and valve springs,

Motor is going in and getting tuned Oct 4th and 5th!!!!

will post up video, dyno, and pics up asap!!!

Oct 5th '07

well heres some more pictures!!!!

motors coming out-


motors out-


dissassembly for misc parts-


finally what you've been waiting for is pictures of the head!---






Today- built motor in and getting tuned more info to come very soon!

Oct 6th '07

The head does look greak, thanks i appreciate it, Bott Machine in Sioux Falls did the work.
they are the stock sizing in valves, thats just how they are stock, as far as going overbore on a NA setup i couldn't really tell you, but i believe that would allow for more flow.
as far as this, its in the car and its still at 250whp, but thats just for break in period, and it will see full potential after its broken in, and i get a chance to go back on the dyno
heres some more pictures for you guys-------
the head attached

assembly---



tranny getting cleaned up-

motor going in-

on the dyno-


Jan 17th '08

alright, huge update, with really bad news!

first, the head gasket wasn't the only problem, i warped the head, which is shaved down and fixed, but when the head was off, the pistons were loose in the cylinder!

sooo.... i had it checked out, and yep the bottom 1/4" of the sleeve was cracked off, and trashed all the pistons!

so i am getting some money back from the sleever, and is sent out to ERL for sleeving, not just the replacement but the real deal this time and buying new pistons so could be a little longer till i get actual numbers!

this really sucks, but hopefully this time it will be done the right way by the right people this time, not someone else, so wish me luck, sorry for the letdown on not getting any numbers posted lately......

the good sleeve is on the left, and you can see where there is a chunk missing on the right sleeve.


Yesterday

well i have another update for you guys!
i just got off the phone with the shop, and the pistons are ordered, and being dropshipped to ERL, and ERL said it should only take 2-3 weeks max, to get the motor sleeved so shouldn't be too long, i will know for sure how long by next week,

Today

that is what will be going on with my motor, it is the superdeck I from ERLperformance

New JE Pistons


The new block sleeved by ERL (superdeck I)

the bottom end:

the block... as you can tell still f23 power FTW!!!



and some new headlights in a front end picture....!

331.5whp 334.5wtq

1999 Honda Civic CX Hatchbac

Best MPH: 142mph (2009)
Best 1/4: 10.37sec. (2009)
Best 1/8: 6.86sec. (2009)

Current WHP: 830 (2009)
Current TQ: 500 (2009)

Tuning: Scott Brooks - Digital Box Tuning
EMS: Hondata S300
Dyno: Dynojet - Main Stream Performance

-Fuel: Aeromotive A1000 Pump, 1600cc Injectors, FJO Injector Driver, AEM PRO Regulator, AEM 5 Bar MAP
-Spark: MSD Ignition, MSD Coil, NGK Wires

-Engine/Transmission-
B18B/B18C1 Head (“LS/VTEC”)
Golden Eagle HD Sleeves
Manley H Beam Rods
Arias Pistons
ACL “Race” Bearings
Ferrea SS Valves
Omni Retainers
Super Tech Valve Springs
Skunk2 Pro1 Cams
AEM Pro Cam Gears
Edelbrock Intake Manifold
Quaife LSD
Dog Engagement Conversion
Competition Clutch Twin Disc
DSS 3.9 Axles
Tilton Flow Control Valve


-Forced Induction-
Bullseye Power S372 Turbo
Custom Turbo Dave Top Mount Manifold, Divided Dual Wastegate
x2 Tial 44mm Wastegates
Tial BOV
Spearco FMIC Core(Backdoor)
4” Downpipe
4” Exhaust


-Chassis-
10 Point S&W Roll Cage Custom Installed by Turbo Dave, Powder Springs GA
Omni Drag Coilover Set
Blox Rear Control Arms
Corbeau Seats
Exospeed Drag Wheels Front and Rear (Lenso)
M&H Racemaster Drag Slicks
Innovative 100% Solid Mounts

H/F piston/rod/crank/block specs and CR thread

Blocks

Block Type
H22A4 Block = Open Deck
H22A block = Closed Deck
H23A block = Open Deck
H23A1 block = Closed Deck
F22 block = Open Deck
F23 block = Open Deck
F20B block = Open Deck

Deck Height
H22A4 Block = 8.643
H22A block = 8.643
H23A block = 8.643
H23A1 block = 8.643
F22 block = 8.643
F23 block = 8.643
F20B block = 8.643

Bore
H22A4 Block = 87mm/3.425
H22A block = 87mm/3.425
H23A block = 87mm/3.425
H23A1 block = 87mm/3.425
F22 block = 85mm/3.346
F23 block = 86mm/3.385
F20B = 85mm/3.346

Note:
Due to various available piston diameters (A/B) actual bore diameter may vary

Rods

Length
H22A4 = 5.633
H22A = 5.633
H23A = 5.572
H23A1 = 5.572
F22 = 5.572
F23 = 5.551
F20B = 5.709

Width
H22A4 = .935
H22A = .935
H23A = .935
H23A1 = .935
F22 = .935
F23 = .780
F20B = .935

BE Bore
H22A4 = 2.008
H22A = 2.008
H23A = 2.008
H23A1 = 2.008
F22 = 2.008
F23 = 1.890
F20B = 1.890

Pin Bore
H22A4 =
H22A = .8649-.8654
H23A =
H23A1 = .8649-.8654
F22 = .8649-.8654
F23 = .8649-.8654
F20B =

Pistons

Bore
H22A4 = 87mm/3.425
H22A = 87mm/3.425
H23A = 87mm/3.425
H23A1 = 87mm/3.425
F22 = 85mm/3.346
F23 = 86mm/3.385
F20B = 85mm/3.346

Note:
actual diameter may vary depending on code of piston (ie, A B)

Compression Height
H22A4 = 1.221
H22A = 1.221
H23A = 1.203
H23A1 = 1.203
F22A1 = 1.203
F22A4 = 1.203
F23A1 = 1.181
F20B = 1.221

Dome Volume
H22A4 =
H22A =
H23A =
H23A1 =
F22A1 =
F22A4 =
F23A1 =
F23A4 =
F23A5 = -18cc
F20B =

Wrist Pin Diameter
H22A4 = .866
H22A = .866
H23A = .866
H23A1 = .866
F22 = .866
F23 = .866
F20B = .866

Crankshafts

Stroke
H22A4 = 90.7mm/3.570
H22A = 90.7mm/3.570
H23A = 95mm/3.740
H23A1 = 95mm/3.740
F22 = 95mm/3.740
F23 = 97mm/3.818
F20B = 88mm/3.464

Main Journal Diameter
H22A4 = 55mm
H22A4 = 50mm (1997 Only)
H22A = 50mm
H23A = 55mm
H23A1 = 50mm
F22 = 50mm
F23 = 55mm
F20B = 55mm

Rod Journal Diameter
H22A4 = 1.888
H22A = 1.888
H23A = 1.888
H23A1 = 1.888
F22 = 1.888
F23 = 1.771
F20B = 1.771

Cylinder Heads

Combustion Chamber Volume
H22A4 = 53.8cc
H22A = 53.8cc
H23A = 53.8cc
H23A1 = 50cc
F22A1 = 50cc
F22A4 = 50cc
F23A1 = 50cc
F23A4 = 50cc
F23A5 = 50cc
F20B =

Intake Valve Diameter
H22A4 = 35mm
H22A = 35mm
H23A = 35mm
H23A1 = 34mm
F22 = 34mm
F23 = 34mm
F20B = 34mm

Exhaust Valve Diameter
H22A4 = 30mm
H22A = 30mm
H23A = 30mm
H23A1 = 29mm
F22 = 29mm
F23 = 29mm
F20B = 29mm

Head Gaskets

Bore
H22A4 = 88mm
H22A = 88mm
H23A = 88mm
H23A1 = 88mm
F22 = 86mm
F23 = 87mm
F20B = 86mm

Thickness
H22A4 = .026
H22A = .026
H23A = .026
H23A1 = .026
F22 = .026
F23 = .026
F20B = .026

Note
Gasket thickness measured after crush

Bearings

Main Bearing Thickness
Blue: 2.013 - 2.010mm / 0.0793 - 0.0791
Black: 2.010 - 2.007mm / 0.0791 - 0.0790
Brown: 2.007 - 2.004mm / 0.0790 - 0.0789
Green: 2.004 - 2.001mm / 0.0789 - 0.0788
Yellow: 2.001 - 1.998mm / 0.0788 - 0.0787
Pink: 1.998 - 1.995mm / 0.0787 - 0.0785
Red: 1.995 - 1.992mm / 0.0785 - 0.0783

Rod Bearing Thickness
Blue: 1.510 - 1.507mm / 0.0594 - 0.0593
Black: 1.507 - 1.504mm / 0.0593 - 0.0592
Brown: 1.504 - 1.501mm / 0.0592 - 0.0591
Green: 1.501 - 1.498mm / 0.0591 - 0.0590
Yellow: 1.498 - 1.495mm / 0.0590 - 0.0589
Pink: 1.495 - 1.492mm / 0.0589 - 0.0587
Red: 1.492 - 1.489mm / 0.0587 - 0.0586

Main Bearing Width
H22A4 = .784
H22A = .784
H23A = .784
H23A1 = .784
F22A1 = .784
F22A4= .784
F23A1 = .784
F23A4 = .784
F23A5 = .784
F20B = .784

Rod Bearing Width
H22A4 = .762
H22A = .762
H23A = .762
H23A1 = .762
F22A1 = .762
F22A4 = .762
F23A1 = .609
F23A4 = .609
F23A5 = .609
F20B = .762

Homemade Turbo - ITB

Starting off with a set of 2001 Suzuki GSX-R Throttle bodies. I picked up this set on ebay for very cheap! 50 bucks. The spacing looked about right, I think it was about 80mm, perfect for alignment on the B-series head. Measureing at 42mm @ the butterflys and tapers to a 45mm (which also had secondary butterflys that were taken out).

The stock manifold was chopped off slightly after the fuel rail mounts, I then had 1 1/2 inch long aluminum runners welded on (1.75od) After the welded I had the manifold surfaced on both sides, and threw a chanfer on the lips of each runner. (75 dollars weld/machine work)

Here are the cheap ass velocity stacks I got on ebay, they were 35 bucks. used some small machine screws to fasten them down. Looks kinda cheezy, but they do the job.

These are the silicone couplers that attach the Throttle bodies to the intake manifold. Sounds kinda half ass huh? well the factory Suzuki ITB's are this way, and most other bikes too! And after attaching them they were very sturdy. I used Napa bulk Silicone hose, with some hose clamps. (20 bucks from Napa)

The Cover shield that hides the linkage and other stuff, just cosmetic.

The factory ITB Fuel injector bungs were JB welded shut, except for the last one which has my brake booster port coming out. You can also see the map sensor signal lines, each port all T's into one and goes to the map sensor.

Thought it looked long? so did I, but after measureing up with the stock manifold, I felt a bit better, I thought for sure the stacks would be touching the firewall, but its actually just a bit shorter than the stock manifold.

The TPS situation, well the Suzuki tps had a way differant range than the stock honda one, I tried to make it work, but it just wasnt happening, So the stock honda one had to be modified to fit somehow. First I made a baseplate with a hole saw and some scrap aluminum. This is on the backside of the shaft (driverside) The Brass fitting, was bored out to be a custom bushing for the shaft.

The Shaft is actually a honda throttle body shaft cut down about 1/4

Now for mounting, I used a piece of PVC pipe to space out the tps, so it could mount solid.

Hoggered out the holes on the base plate a bit, so I could get a good amount of adjustment.

Used some extra long machine screws to mount it down

All mounted down, Its very secure and pretty easy to adjust.

Now setting the TPS up in the correct range. Stock TPS setting @ closed .4 - .5v

Stock setting WOT about 4.5v

Best I could get the ITB TPS was .6 @ closed

and 4.4 @ WOT

The throttle linkage was alot easier than I thought! I used an extra throttle bracket from a D16a6 intake manifold, and it fit right off the backside perfect!

This kinda pissed me off, I mounted the TPS upside down, it was hitting the master cylinder. So I had to rotate it, and re-adjust it.

Overall, for a couple hundred bucks it was well worth it, it took a little bit to get running, the idle was pretty easy, a nice 1100-1200rpms. It sounds pretty interesting too, especially when vtec kicks in. I'll try to post some sound/video clips soon.

TOPMount Setup

PROstreet Setup

LOVEFeb

Frankenstein Engine = G23 F23/H23

The first question some of you may be asking is "Why?" There are few main reasons to do something like this:
1) If you have an H23 with a spun bearing and a garage full of miscallaneous Honda parts. What else are you going to do with all this stuff?
2) NA Torque Monster! Sure the H22 has great top end, but low end torque is great fun around town.
3) Cheap fun! Once you take VTEC out of the equation everything gets pretty cheap. The total price of this engine was originally about $400 (now it has cams, springs, retainers and gears so it has those costs now too).
4) To have a unique answer to the question, "So, what's under the hood?"

Everyone knows that the F22/H23 crank is Honda's stroked version of the H22 crank. If 95mm is good, why not 97mm? The F23 uses a 97mm crank, but only an 86mm bore. There is not much information available on what parts are interchangeable between F23 and other engines, but they are pretty cheap. I bought a full 2001 Accord F23 SOHC Longblock with 4000 miles CarFaxed from some place in Ohio for $325 shipped on Ebay. Specs on it are 86mm (iron sleeved) Bore X 97mm Stroke, fairly low compression, at least it burns regular gas no problem. Stock redline is about 6200 rpm.

Best way to see what will fit is to tear it down and start measuring. So I tore off the head, total of ~20 bolts and 2 hoses. No messing with cam caps or anything. Very easy.


97mm crank with 4000 miles. This crank has 55mm mains and won't fit in H23 or pre '98 H22 blocks.


F23 rod, piston, pin and bolt. These rods are pretty unique in the Honda world. The little end is a standard 22mm floating pin, but the big end is both smaller and narrower than expected: 45mm journal, .780" thick, SImilar to some K-series rods but different length.



see note at bottom
So it looks like we are going to use the F23 block, but this is going to be an NA engine, so more compression would be nice. What if we bore it back to 87mm and use some H22A4 pistons? That bumps our displacement to 2307cc and the compression too; both of which should help our quest for cheap torque. So I bored it out to 87mm and put in some 1998 Prelude floating wristpin pistons (10:1 compression in H22A4).
see note at bottom


Only thing is that the new piston's compression heights are about .042" taller than the old pistons that were .008" in the hole. So the new pistons now protrude about .034" out of the hole:


So these new pistons with the extra stroke (+6.3mm) and smaller H23A1 combustion chamber (-3.8cc's) I get about 12.5 compression IF it all fits inside the head. But it does not fit so Flyrod and I went to the machine shop and recessed the H23A1 cumbustion chambers about .039" We're going for 40 but the tool was a little dull I guess. So I will probably be running about 12:1 compression now. Which IS streetable at sea level on 91 octane with a bit of tuning. Good thing that I am at about 5500 feet huh? BTW all of New Mexico is above 3300 feet.

Anyway here we are at the shop:



H23 head modified around periphery of Cumbustion chambers (more quench aids in anti detonation )


Checked clearance WITHOUT headgasket. We used solder and the clearance was .012" so add .026" for the Headgasket and you get .038" total piston-to-head clearance.


Good fit.


So now the engine specs are:
97mm stroke X 87mm Bore
2,307cc displacement
12.25:1 compression approx (11.7 with DOHC F22B head)
6700 theoretical max rev limit based on piston speed/acceleration
calculations and OEM H23 cam profile

For assembly some other parts needed to be scrounged. I re-used the F23 head gasket, but sprayed it with Permatex copper gasket spray and put a blob of silicone (Permatex grey) in the one oil drain where the head gasket didn't quite line up. (for more info read the F22/H22 link at the top of this thread)




I used the H23 head bolts, but the F23 bolts looked like they would have worked too; same length and thread pitch. The H23 timing belt components were used with the F23 lower cover and H23 upper covers. The timing side motor mount was a bit of a problem, but the F22A1 mount from a early 90's Accord bolts on nicely:


The coolant pipe on the back side of the engine was another little snag. I was going to cut the F23(third from top) and H23 (second from top) tubes and splice them with a rubber hose, but the F22A1 (on bottom) saves the day again:


More assembly. Needed an intake manifold gasket, but being a cheap bastard Red Baron pizza box fills the bill until I can find/fab an insulating one for the H23 (now installed). I found the top half of a H23 DC header to mate with lower half of the existing DC SS H22 header. With the long block fully assembled, time to install it in the car:

After installing the engine breaking-in the engine was done by driving around town and up and down the mountains with close attention to the AF ratio. Any lean or rich spots were promptly tuned out. With about 500 miles on it, and no signs of trouble, it was abused for about another 100 miles at a local track day on Halloween. Fitting place for a frankenstein... The car pulls great to at least 6000 on stock cams, 7000 with the stage 3 Crowers. The balance shaft belt is not on, so there is some definite buzz starting around 6k.

To give you an idea what a motley combination this is, here is the donor list for just the engine (don't get me started on the car):

1993 H23A1
head (modified combustion chambers), intake, distributor, wiring harness, timing belt components
2001 F23A5
block (bored to 87mm), crank, rods, alternator bracket, head gasket
1998 H22A4
pistons, pins, rings, rear engine mount
1993 H22A1
injectors, crank pulley, alternator, front engine mount, ignition coil, flywheel
1991 F22A1
water coolant pipe to mate with the H23 intake
199? F22?
left engine mount
199? D15?
ecu (modified)
"other"
red baron intake manifold gasket, mild steel H23 DC primaries, stainless H22 DC secondaries,
ebay intake, super tech oil filter, permatex grey silicone and copper gasket spray, etc.

Original OEM build Price breakdown:
F23 longblock......................$325
Bore & Hone........................$65
H23 DC primaries.................$50
F22 coolant pipe...................$15
F22 mount...........................$10
H23 timing belt.....................$18
H23/H22 equipment and ECU..Free
B20Z overbored 62mm TB.....Free (not dynoed)
Traded H22 cams for H22A4 pistons

Sold F23 Head/manifolds for $150

This project was a lot of fun, but it took a lot of research and trial and error. Thanks to everyone on Honda-Tech that helped, particularly Flyrod, Prelittlelude and others in the F22/H22 hybrid thread. If this information helps you, or if you have somthing to add, please post here for all to see. If nothing else I hope it was an interesting read for you. The butt-dyno, wallet, and track times all point to success. Dynojet dyno to follow as soon as the local dyno drags get organized (unless anyone wants to donate to the cause for an earlier dyno session?)...

Well I have tried to get this F/H nonVTEC hybrid together and tuned for months now. I have had issues one after another, the biggest of which was the replacement of my H23 head. I bent valves due to the timing belt slipping. Upon inspection I got a chance to see what all was wrong with the H23 head and after 171,000 original miles it was in really poor shape. After re-assembling and street tuning the G23 with the JDM F22B DOHC cylinder head, my first dyno pull was 193whp with the A/F running pretty damn lean at WOT. Adding 5% fuel across all the tables bumped it to 195whp. Advancing the intake cam 3 degrees bumped it to 197whp... you get the drift.

Here's the setup:
2,307ccs
87mm bore 97mm stroke (overbored F23 shortblock)
11.7 compression
DC header w/ 2.5" collector and dented down pipe
Custom 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust
Crower Stage 3 nonVTEC cams
RM springs/retainers
Adjustable cam gears
MSD SCI ignition w/ Blaster SS coil (dyno proven to be good for 1.5hp *everywhere*)
Mobile 1 10w30 oil
Prelude 345cc injectors
4th gear pulls

Stock wires
Stock plugs
Stock flywheel
No PS
No AC
No BS belt.

Here is the overlay of the last three dyno sessions.
For details on the the different setups see the above Dyno link.
Green = F22B DOHC head w/ Crower cams (head freshly rebuilt)
Red = H23A1 nonVTEC w/ Crower cams (head was in really poor condition)
Blue = H23A1 with stock cams (head was in poor condition)


This is a good example of what a decent head can do. I said, "decent" not "great." The new head has no port or polish, no quality Serdi valvejob, the Intake manifold is stock, the TB is the OEM 60mm Prelude piece... I half-assed the original iteration of this engine becasue I did not know if it would work. Now that it is proven to be capable of some serious competition with budget H22s I hope people realize that they have a less expensive, more powerful and simpler option to the "all powerful" H22 swap.

For illustration of my point I have a new comparison:
Red = H22A1 with I/E (my original engine)
Blue = G23/F23B hybrid (my current engine)


I did all the tuning on the street and then an hour's worth of WOT on the Dynojet. I did not touch the exhaust cam, the A/F is not that pretty and could stand to have some more tuning. Thanks go out to Flyrod for a hell of a lot of help in the last month, Prelittlelude for assistance with the original concept, Brian Crower for the aftermarket support and the rest of the people that have contributed to the Hybrid platform. Otherwise it is late and I will revise/update this thread as needed tomorrow. Enjoy.

F23 Parts
- Block
- Head gasket
- Water pump (The housing)
- Rear Water Pipe

H22 Parts
- Head (Complete...Valvetrain, Cover, Dist, Manifolds, VTEC Solenoid, Etc.)
- Water pump (Just the gear)
- Crank Gear
- Timing Belt

Modifications
- You have to plug two oil drains in the h22 head that do not exist on the f23 block...
- You have to use the h22 upper water pipe and connect it to the lower part of the f23 water pipe... You will have to either weld it together or connect it with rubber hose...
- You also have pull the gear off of an f23 water pump and install an h22 gear on it because the H-Series water pump is different...

ALL MOTOR B16

86mm 13.5:1 custom supertech pistons
89mm balanced LS crank
golden eagle sleeves
maxlight B16a Manley rods
supertech valvetrain
crane roller rockers/ roller cams
440 RC
TWM ITB
ported the head by me
header by me
tuned on Crome by me
4.9 ATS
tilton twin discs

B16 build up that my buddy Huy(crx=si) has been working on. All of the labor and fabrication was done by Huy. I'll let Huy post all the specs...its 3am and I don't remember them all...

There is a Hytech header in one of the pictures...it was not used on this car. The header used was made by Huy.

Preliminary HP numbers are in the 240s.

Mid engine RWD H22 Turbo Del Sol

My To Do list as promised

Keep in mind this is just to get the car running, not by any means finished.

Fabrication

-ECU mount
-Battery tray
-Radiator support
-Radiator clamps
-EGR block-off plate
-Tunnel cover
-Rear engine bay
-Fuel cell firewall
-Rear engine bay firewall
-Exhaust downpipe
-Muffler

Wiring

-Mount ECU, relays, fuse-box
-Wire fuel pump
-Run wires to battery/front fusebox/underhood fuse-box
-Wrap rear engine harness with heat shrink tubing
-Connect rear engine harness to ECU harness
-Re-install original rear wiring
-Wire starter switches in center console, wire to starter
-Fuel sending unit to gauge wiring
-Tach gauge wiring
-Speedo gauge wiring

Plumbing

-Coolant lines to thermo housing, head and back of block
-Rear brake lines
-Mount Emergency brake
-Master cylinder to emergency brake
-Emergency brake to rear brakes
-Rear engine clutch line
-Fuel lines
-Vacuum brake booster line

Wrenching/Misc.
-Remove rear engine
-Engine bay sheet metal and body work
-Prep and primer rear engine bay
-Install engine
-Final check

Project Beginnings
Since the first time I read about the Top Fuel Del Sol featured in Superstreet magazine I was fascinated by the rear engine swap. I had recently purchased a Del Sol and was preparing to put a turbo H22 motor under the hood. Preparation took over a year but in May 2004 I swapped out the D16Z6 for my fully built, turbocharged H22a4. The car hauled ass, but tuning, traction and suspension issues left much to be desired. So beginning in July I started researching the RWD swap, mainly because I wanted something different than the thousands of other boosted hondas, and because I love the feel of mid/rear engine platforms.

Unfortunately I found little information regarding the rear suspension of the Top Fuel Sol. Originally I was interested in the CRV rear setup, but was unconvinced it would work.. which is when I stumbled upon Cody's (Tinker219) RWD Del sol project. I was struck by the pure brilliance of it! Cody used the front suspension from a 92-95 civic, and a extensive tube frame to mount the engine rearward. Along with Dave's (RaceCity_USA)Mid engine Integra GSR I was inspired to do more with my own vehicle using an amalgamation of the two principles. I should note that I have the utmost admiration and respect for both other mid engine RWD projects. My own project was in no means meant to duplicate their exact process or results. I delayed releasing any information regarding my own project until now out of respect for the work which Dave (RaceCity_USA) has been doing on an on-going basis since August 2004 - A true testament to his inginuity, knowledge and dedication to the project.

At the end of October 2004 I commenced my own Mid engine project.

Engine pulled for rebuild



Here is the donor vehicle 1993 Civic DX Hatchback
Well.. at least the front half (October 31st 2004)



Since I wished to use the frame from the civic instead of a tubeframe; I started tacking supports to the inside of the bay so nothing would shift once I started trimming it down to fit.



For every hour I've spend in my tiny (12'x 20' ish) garage on this, I've probably spent a good 3 hours thinking on my next move. The hardest part of this project thus far was the frame itself. Of the many issues to consider before starting, the three major ones were track,wheelbase and alignment of the rear suspension and frame. I decided the first order of business was to level the car with jacks and build a jig.(November 8th 2004)




I'm still looking for the pictures of cutting the Del sol trunk to peices, I will post them when I find them. At any rate it was the point of no return. Once cutting was complete on both donor and Sol, I dropped donor suspension under the body and started to align it using the jig and measurements from the front Del Sol suspension. Having identical suspensions was key to having the proper frame position. Floor to cross member heights, floor to frame heights everything was measured and matched at the rear of the car.(December 11th 2004)



Pic of boxing up the frame rails with 1/4 inch mild steel plate (January 6th 2005)





Because the outer frame rail (what the fender mounts to) was cut from the donor suspension I decided to beef up the strut towers by tying it into the del sol. I'm glad I did too, upon welding to it I discovered how thin they really are It made for a very long night of very slow work. Without this added support I am certain it would buckle.(January 25th 2005)





Heres a better view of the jig once the car was moveable. (February 12th 2005)


Type R hub conversion with brembo slotted rotors


Sheet metal and frame work (no specific date)




Finally the engine is in May 16th 2005!
(This is my mock up engine)

That engine is currently just a mock up motor, to allow me to finish engine fitment dependant projects. In the next few days I will be making my custom wiring harness, completing the shifter assembly etc.

The actual built motor will be back from the builder very shortly

Here is a few pics of a side scoop I had in mind for the rear engine. Still not certain if I will use this or make something from CF instead. Either way its bolt on at the moment and easily removable if I change my mind

I now have GC coilovers with tokico illuminas, ride height will be set back to stock. Hopefully it will stop raining here soon and I'll be able to take it outside and take a few pics of how it sits.
As for being able to drift, anything is possible



Today's progress pics -
Intake tube for side scoop



Shifter assembly (inverted the second shifter, added adjustment bolt)





Dual wilwood compact remote master cylinders mounted to single piece of 3/16" plate steel. Slides and balance bar control movement when compressed by the ebrake cable. These are the .750" bore cylinders and should be able to lock the rear brakes quite easily
Originally I was attempting to use the NSX rear caliper (mechanical vs hydraulic), however it turned out to be too much work.

New pics of functioning shifter assembly and a short video of how it works.
This piece has been months in the making, so I'm happy just to get it functional. Not quite finished it yet though, mostly cosmetic work left to complete.
Enjoy!

Put the GC coils and illuminas together, rolled it out for a photo or two.






Prototype for the new sidescoop design - being readied for a negative mold, and eventually positive reproduction of the prototype from polyester casting resin. After that the reproduction is prepared a second negative mold will be made for the compression casting of carbon fiber :D. I'll explain this in greater detail as that project progresses.



Test fitting the aluminum fuel cell

This is a master mold created from the original design. It is composed of polyester casting resin, which is similar to the polyester resin used with fibreglass.


After minor prep work was completed with the master mold, a thin sheet of lexan was heat molded to form the duplicate hollow mold for the carbon fiber. The purpose of this stage is to create a completely smooth shell for the CF to form around.


All three stages of production


My first attempt to make a vacuum bag for the CF work. Yes that is a PCV valve
Needless to say it was not working to expectations, so I tried the next best thing.. a Ziplock bag! After the air was removed from the bag I was able to even out the majority of the excess epoxy.


This is the first layer of CF around the lexan shell. I am quite pleased with my first attempt at working with the composite materials. An area of obvious improvement would be the materials I used for vacuum bagging. Still this prototype exceeded my expectations, very little finishing will be necessary.

More to come, I'll post some good pictures of the finished product soon





Materials used:
West Systems 105 Epoxy, 207 Special Hardener
CF twill
0.065 lexan

Front frame rails (aka shoehorns) and front EG suspension was used at the rear. The frame rails were boxed with plate steel at both ends. The suspension K member retained its front bolting locations and recieved a new gussetted plate steel brace for the rear bolting locations.

Some early pics illustrating the rails and K member




Because it is essentially the front of a civic placed at the rear, the engine placement, and driveline remain unchanged. Suspension wise, the only thing that changed is the tie rods no longer move with a rack and pinnion, instead they are bolt up to solid brackets on the K member. Just like swapping a H22 into the front of a civic, custom mounts and different axles are used. 4 wheel steering would be cool, just not for going 100+mph, where it would add to some very scary instability

Probably the hardest thing about building this is the waiting..
As it stands right now I am STILL waiting for the headgasket from cometic, also on hold is a lot of the wiring because of a delay on the 18G double shielded wire I ordered for the more RFI sensitive sensors (knock, distro etc).
So instead of sitting on my hands I've started working on the new rad support and fitting the HUGE Griffin radiator. It measures 31"x19"x3" 2 row aluminum. To fit it is angled and the hood is only 1/4 of an inch from the top. This may be a bit overkill, but for the price and cooling potential it cannot be beat.

Test fit

Ironically the gasket came in yesterday, and I'll be picking up my shortblock today

The gasket had to be custom made because of both the running clearance and engine bore. Cometic quality is on par with that of the Honda MLS gasket IMO.

The block is a built H22a4 with Darton MID sleeves, Crower rods, JE pistons, pro-drive oil pump gear, ARP head studs and main studs, fully balanced rotating assembly.. the head is mostly stock at the moment, except for the stainless valves.
I will be using my Turbonetics T3/T4 from last year, stage 3 exhaust and a 60A/R compressor with Q trim compressor wheel (Don't quote me yet on the turbo specs, its been a while).

I seem to make more work for myself than is absolutely necessary at this point in time. My hope is that it will lessen the work down the road.

The stock rad support was chopped to fit the Griffin rad. Below I am rebuilding the rad support with the stock hoodlatch (the hood closes better now than it did with the stock rad support LOL)



Hmm Whats that behind the rad? A broken H23!




Clearance


Dropping another engine in the front just to check clearances with the rad may seem excessive, but because I want to leave all options open I was not leaving it to chance. I'm glad I did it now, because my original mounting angle would have put the rad in a bad spot (the alternator). Its a good example of the "make-work" (or so my neighbor calls it). I had a bit of trouble with the RH side frame rail mount, which had unfortunately just been replaced with a brand new piece. It was originally cut off when the H22 was in the front because of a different style of tranny mount. So I cut the damn thing off (again) and made my own .


Mockup..


Welding it up...


Seeing double, too bad it won't be staying...



I've also been working on the wiring at nights, when the metal working isn't appreciated by my neighbors. Its a very slow process if you want to do it right and have it look good as a finished product too.


Got rid of the ugly plastic injector wire cover


The long awaited wire, 18awg RFI shielded wire for the distributor (crank, cam, and tdc sensors), knock sensor and a few others. The shield is grounded to the engine block, this helps reduce electrical interference during normal engine operation to critical sensors.



Wiring up the head..

Well I've been running around trying to get 5 things done at once so it seems like I haven't made a whole lot of progress.. at least not a lot in one area specifically.

I should be able to post a significant update later this week. As always, thank you all for your motivation!

Rebuiding the front rad support


Working on a temporary manifold until Lovefab can make something similar for me..

The pictures are a bit deceiving, but there is actually quite a bit of room between the valve cover and the C-pillar crossmember. I could remove the head quite easily if I needed to.





New pictures
Fuel components
-Walbro 255 external pump w/ inline high flow fuel filter, -6AN line and fittings, AEM fuel rail and FPR, B&M fuel pressure gauge.



Work in progress~
Rad support



I will take a picture of my 'ghetto bead making tool' that I made in all of 2 minutes the next chance I get. It is what I use to add strenth to the sheetmetal in the rad support, and roll a pressure bead on the coolant lines.

Coolant lines
-Visable in the 2nd picture is the clutch slave cylinder. Clearance between the engine and the 1 3/8 aluminum coolant lines is roughly 6 inches. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find room for things.



As stated above I needed to roll pressure beads in the aluminum tubing... however after purchasing what I thought to be malleable aluminum turned out to be T6 and would crack when I attempted to bend it or bead the ends. After a bit of research I figured out how to heat the tubing with oxyacetylene to the proper temperature for increased ductility without cracking or melting. After which my ghetto bead tool worked great.
Lots left to do, much more to come!

About the fuel cell, I put a 10-gallon unit where the transmission would be in a "normal" car. You know, just ahead of the shifter. That way in a wreck it'll get shoved to the rear, between the seats... or that's the plan in my car. The first shot is a top view, over the front end. You can see the master cylinders on the left and the steering shaft for reference. Anyhow in a front impact it'll get shoved to the rear, between the seats (I hope).

Here is the hydraulic e-brake setup, it uses the stock ebrake handle the first part of the ebrake cables to actuate the two master cylinders. I first saw this setup on a Volvo of all things



Finally finished the engine harness, just have to hook it up to the ECU

Well here it is, the completed harness! It is a barebones race style harness consisting of only the essentials; ECU, PGMFI, Relay w/ fusebox and engine harness. The ECU shown is not the one I am using, it is for mockup purposes only, the AEM EMS will replace it shortly once everything is triple checked for correctness. There is so much damn work involved in making one of these.. I have a newfound respect for anyone who attempts their own wiring projects.

Big thanks to Kb58 who offered his invaluable assistance!

I started working off things on my list of to do's EGR block-off plate finished, rad support at 90%, fuel cell firewall 50%, fuel pump and filter mounted etc.
Lots to do this week, but startup is well within reach.

It's twisted.




Took only 40mins to disassemble the rear engine bay and remove the motor, a personal best for me

Coolant lines (rubber hoses and all), brake lines, clutch line are all complete. For the last two nights I have been building the rear cabin firewall, one of the more challenging projects so far. Luckily it only requires a little trimming and a few bolt holes drilled.

The material is aluminum diamond plate (*insert F&F joke here*), with a steel under-structure for mounting and strength. I'm still looking into my sound deadening, fire and shrapnel protection. I will most likely go with Kevlar instead of steel for weight, only problem is cost and you need many layers to be bullet proof.

Random pictures of brake fitting holders (? their proper name eludes me) I fabricated, with handmade retainer clip (slotted washer lol)






Firewall
It currently overlaps by 1/4 of an inch, but once trimmed it will fit flush and eventually be tig'd together as one piece.



This pic is a bit blurry, sorry!

The good news is the car is ready to drop in the motor and fire up, hoping for tomarrow after work

Heres a few pics I took this weekend
Epoxy based grey primer (took pics part way through)




Better picture of the firewall, needs a bit of sealant to make it airtight still.


Best value seat ever, RCI poly high-back. $40 CND


3 puck goodness

I was working on a custom throttle cable without much success over the last few days. I finally got fed up and picked up what I had planned on using all along... a first gen MR2 throttle cable! It is $267CND from the Toyota stealership, and a rarity at the wreckers. You might be wondering what is so special about this cable.. well for starters its over 10 feet long and its a direct bolt on for a RWD Del Sol apparently Accelerator response is very crisp for such a long cable, I'm quite pleased considering it was only $8.

I had an extra OEM prelude header sitting around, so I made a testpipe to practice making the collector. Its not too bad for my first try at it..

I have a bit of foam sealant to clean up, it didn't work for some things
Test pipe in progress


Fluxcore MIG




Misc pics






I have to remove some of the foam insulation... it didn't work as well as planned for some spots.

Oh yes, side exit exhaust? sweet if-so!
And for the sealer; I just sealed a horrible job of a seam-weld with generic "seam sealer". Id use this if I were to build another FWD-RWD conversion; I lost some brain cells from all the fumes.

Ill let you know if its sealed; just drove through a T-storm at 5:30 this morning

Suspension is quite firm, gives the car a go-cart like feel. Cornering seems quite crisp in comparison to the H22 FWD of last year, and it actually feels pretty balanced. I took it up to only 4500rpm and it is quick! Nothing like turbo, but faster than I expected. Oh and it is reeeally goddamn loud under WOT, but when idling at 700rpm you can barely tell its running. Apparently thats what you get for just a header collector and resonator

Anyways, the car is all together minus the interior (dash, tunnel cover etc)and harness bar. I'm looking forward to getting some good clips and pictures for you all. Thanks for your patience and continued interest!

Some pics in the dark


I need a better trunk prop


Notice in this pic the passenger side axle looks compressed (not binding luckily), while the drivers side is optimal. I'm going to replace the pass. side with the 89 teg axle also. Works much better for the current ride height

I managed to snap a few pics before it started raining, I really need to make that back window soon . I wanted to get some better ones after a carwash, unfortunately my damn fuel pump is now acting up . I'm only getting 20psi and it won't go any higher. Needless to say it won't run on 20, so its not going to be moving again until that problem is addressed.

Please note I have not started on body work yet. The bodykit on the car now I have outgrown, and will be replaced in due time with OEM style parts thankfully

Some pics are digitally cleaned for clarity, Enjoy!

How to reprogram FOB (Keyless entry remote)

For OEM stock keyless entry systems 95 < (and above)

1.Get in & lock the doors

2.Insert the key into the ignition 6 times within 15 seconds (taking the key out all the way, then back in).

3.Hazard lights should flash

4.Put key back into the ignition & turn to run position but do not start.

5.Hit the lock button on the remote

6.Hazards should flash.

7.Pull key out and open the drivers door and then close it

8.It should be set

HALT!!!
Remember to do number 7! most people think it's programmed after they pull the key out. you have to unlock the doors, open the drivers door, then close it to be programmed correctly.

HOW TO Wire Horn for NRG Short Hub

Parts List
1) Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine Pen (any color, we just need the metal clip) Walmart has 2 packs for $3
2) ~1 ft 20 gauge copper wire (Radioshack has it for cheap - $5 for 3 spools)
3) Electrical Tape
4) Scissors
5) Phillips head screwdriver

How?
1) Start by removing the black steering column cover, 5 screws accessible from underneath (no pics, sorry)
2) IF YOU DID NOT WIRE IT YET - Remove the Quick Release portion from the short hub and connect the yellow and black wires to the QR from the short hub (they only go one way so you can't mess it up)
3) Locate a 4 socket plug near where you found the SRS connect, there should only be 3 wires in it with an empty spot.
4) Strip the end of your wire and insert it into the 3rd over (the one next to the empty slot) and then wrap with electrical tape so it will not fall out
5) Run the wire along the column (I followed the ignition cabling) from the base where the SRS holder was up to the front where the QR and hub are.
6) Pop off your Pilot's pen top and get the metal clip from it, bend it similar to the picture below
7) Loop the wire through the hole in the metal clip and then wrap the insulated portion around at least once, tape this in place as well so it will not fall out (soldering iron could work here too probably)
8) I stuck the taped up black plug in the SRS clip to keep it out of the way and hold it in place
9) Look at the lower left of the short hub, you should see a screw hole which just so happens to be the perfect size for the pen top to dig into
10) With the clip bent and wire wrapped insert the pen top into the screw hole at ~10 o'clock angle then swivel it underneath the short hub. You should be able to reach behind it and verify it's making contact - if not swing it back out and bend again until it's working.
11) Make sure the QR's other end (steering wheel side) is also connected to the button (yellow goes to the Nardi horn, black just sits there)
12) When you put the column plastics back on make sure you don't rip out the cable you just ran - also make sure you don't run it around the column itself (just do it below it) otherwise it could get caught up and get ripped out.

Plug up and you're good to go!

Pictures

1) Plug with wire inserted in correct slot (color is i believe gray/red or blue/red)



2) Bent pen clip with wire wrapped around it and electrical tape



3) SRS clip with plug stick in there (this is straight down the steering column)



4) View from the side of the screw hole with the clip inserted and the contact with the short hub's back

Fuel Injector Flow Rates

Fuel Injector Flow Rates Engine Code Year Make and Model Engine Description Stock Flow Rate (cc/min) G25A4 1995-1996 Acura 2.5TL SOHC 20V I5 235 J30A1 1997 Acura 3.0CL SOHC 24V V6 240 C32A6 1996-1997 Acura 3.2TL SOHC 24V V6 240 B18C1 1996-1997 Acura Integra GSR DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 B18C1 1994-1995 Acura Integra GSR DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 B18B1 1994-1995 Acura Integra LS,RS DOHC 16V I4 235 B18A1 1992-1993 Acura Integra DOHC 16V I4 235 B17A1 1992-1993 Acura Integra DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 C32A1 1997 Acura NSX DOHC 24V V6 275 C30A1 1995-1998 Acura NSX DOHC 24V V6 325 C27A4 1995-1997 Honda Accord SOHC 24V V6 235 J30A1 1997 Honda Accord SOHC 24V V6 240 F22B2 1994-1997 Honda Accord DX,LX,SE SOHC 16V I4 235 F22B1 1994-1997 Honda Accord EX SOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 F22A6 1990-1993 Honda Accord EX,SE SOHC 16V I4 235 F22A1 & F22A4 1990-1993 Honda Accord DX,LX SOHC 16V I4 235 A20A3 1987-1989 Honda Accord LX-i SOHC 12V I4 235 BT 1986 Honda Accord LX-i SOHC 12V I4 235 ES3 1985 Honda Accord SE-I SOHC 12V I4 180 D16Y7 1996-1997 Honda Civic CX,DX,LX SOHC 16V I4 180 D16Y8 1996-1997 Honda Civic EX SOHC 16V I4 VTEC 240 D16Z6 1992-1995 Honda Civic EX,Si SOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 D15B7 1992-1995 Honda Civic DX,LX SOHC 16V I4 235 D15B8 1992-1995 Honda Civic CX SOHC 8V I4 180 D15Z1 1992-1995 Honda Civic VX SOHC 16V I4 VTEC_E 235 D16A6 1988-1991 Honda Civic Si,CRX Si SOHC 16V I4 235 D15B6 1988-1989 Honda Civic,CRX HF SOHC 8V I4 180 D15B6 1990-1991 Honda Civic,CRX HF SOHC 8V I4 235 D15A3 1987 Honda Civic,CRX Si SOHC 8V I4 180 EW4 1986 Honda Civic,CRX Si SOHC 8V I4 180 EW3 1985 Honda Civic,CRX Si SOHC 8V I4 180 B20B4 1997 Honda CR-V DOHC 16V I4 240 D16Y8 1996-1997 Honda Del Sol Si SOHC 16V I4 VTEC 240 B16A3 1996-1997 Honda Del Sol Si VTEC DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 240 D16Y7 1996-1997 Honda Del Sol S SOHC 16V I4 180 B16A3 1994-1995 Honda Del Sol Si VTEC DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 D15B7 1993-1995 Honda Del Sol S SOHC 16V I4 235 D16Z6 1993-1995 Honda Del Sol Si VTEC SOHC 16V I4 VTEC 235 F22B6 1995-1997 Honda Odyssey SOHC 16V I4 235 H22A4 1997-2001 Honda Prelude DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 275 H22A1 1993-1996 Honda Prelude DOHC 16V I4 VTEC 325