deanis lifts the bonnet

[Deanis]

1985 HONDA CRX 1.3L SPORTS BALLADE.
I started looking for one of these around February. Thanks to the guys on here who kept an eye on trademe for me. I found this one, one old lady owner who got arthritis in her knee and could not work the clutch, and brought it for $1300. The body wasn’t too bad, some rust in the floor. The car had only done 150k so was fairly good mechanically but most of that was getting ripped out anyway. The bits that appealed were the lack of sunroof, wind up windows and the plastic lightweight guards.



ELECTRONICS
The 1.3 litre carby motor was ripped out along with most of the wiring and the gauge cluster. The wiring for the lights was left in but that was about it. Ada6 gauge cluster was used along with a da6 engine and car loom so I could use the speedo cable but still have VTEC. Using a complete loom from a da6 meant most of the wiring was already done and I only had to hook up a few power wires and the gauge cluster. Im using a hondata s300 in a PR3 ECU which plugs straight in to the da6 loom using one of speed factors loom adaptors. Also the CRX has a factory clutch switch already wired into something on the carby motor so that was hooked to the air con switch on the s300 for launch control and flat shifting. The battery was changed to a motorcycle one with a fairly good current rating. This only weighs 4kg instead of the stock 11kg item and only costs $80. I also wired in an inverter under the dash for running the laptop for data logging and changing the launch control at the track.



ENGINE INTERNALS
The new engine is the B18c from my EF9 civic. Its fairly simple, b18c block, b16a head, stock crank and rods, wiesco pistons, 12.2 compression, type r valve springs and retainers, crane stage 2 cams with skunk 2 cam gears, some good 4-1 headers, cant remember what brand they are. The head is not ported, the block is not bored or sleeved, nothing complicated. Just slap it together. There are a few different things I have done since It was in my civic. The exhaust was increased from 2.25 to 2.5 inch. The 2.25 was in my EF9 for a b16a and it wasn’t worth changing it all when I put the b18 in but now I had the choice to start again and build it for optimum power so 2.5 inch was chosen. It also has 2 resonator mufflers, like coby ones but bigger. And a short stainless muffler with a silencer out the back.



INTAKE MANIFOLD
The base for the intake is some 45mm Toyota quad throttles from a black top 20v that I got for $200 from a guy on toy speed and a b16a1 intake manifold that I got for free from revlimit. The b16a injector holes were filled with weld and the manifold was machined down to a flat plate that bolted onto the engine with the hot water pipes left sticking out. The hot water pipes were modified so the hoses could be put on with clearance for the throttle position sensor. 3 steel inserts were put into the plate between the intake runners so the Toyota quad throttles could be bolted onto it. Ideally there would be 5 inserts, an extra 2 on the outsides of 1 and 4 intake runners but there isn’t room and 3 still has enough strength. The Toyota quad throttles bolt onto a Toyota intake manifold that came complete with all the injectors, fuel rail and vacuum manifold. I decided to use this as it would save me time and money in the long run. The Toyota manifold was trimmed down so that all the bolt holes were removed and then 3 new ones were drilled in between the intake runners so this could be bolted to the Honda plate. The Toyota map sensor lines on the back of the manifold were welded up so this would not cause a vacuum leak. The vacuum manifold on the top of the Toyota manifold has lots of hoses for thing like vacuum brakes and other stuff. Most of it was in the wrong place or not needed so I decided to remake the whole thing with a thick ally plate and 4 brass connectors for the brakes, pcv valve, map sensor and fuel reg. A small notch was taken out from the inside of the vacuum manifold so instead of the vacuum ports going from 4-2-1 it now goes from 4-1. Pull one apart and you will know what I am on about. The Toyota manifold was then bolted to the Honda plate. The intake runners almost line up perfectly but the Toyota ones are almost half the size of the Honda ones. Mr Toyota left loads of cast aluminium around them though and this didn’t last long against my die grinder and sanding disc leaving a nicely ported intake and a smooth transition from 45mm quad throttle to Honda intake manifold. The 45mm quads were bolted on with just a slight modification to the position of the throttle cable holder to allow the Honda throttle cable to be used. The 45mm quad throttles have a 50mm opening on the end which is a pain in the arse because most of the cool trumpets are made for 48mm carbs. The only options I had were some 50mm ones from a guy on trademe which looked a bit home made for $200 or some 50mm TWM ones that looked very nice for $300. I decided to go with the TWM ones but im still not impressed that I had to spend half the budget of the manifold on the trumpets and even they had to have the bolt holes modified to fit. The Toyota throttle position sensor is the same internally as a Honda one so it was wired in without hassle. Make your own here> http://nzhondas.com/phpBB2/1-vtu5821...er=asc&start=0

DYNO TESTING INTAKE MANIFOLDS
The old intake was a b16a2 manifold with a 63.5mm throttle body and a hondata heat shield. This was connected to a simota intake pipe and pod filter inside a cold air box. The first dyno tune with the old intake showed 140 kw with a massive 25kw gain from 5500rpm through to 7500rpm and at least 15kw every where else. The new hondata was doing its job nicely. The power flattened off at 7500rpm at 140kw but held that power right through to 8600rpm giving me a fat power band right up high and in the sweet spot for drag racing.

Over night the quad throttles were installed and the dyno was booked for the same time the next day to give as close as possible temperature and weather conditions. The temperature turned out to be exactly the same on both days at 21 degrees and the humidity dropped from 75% to 73%.

This set-up was then tuned up on the dyno the next day with the final power run at 150kw, 200 horse at the wheels. An increase of 10kw. All the power increase is between 7500rpm and 8600rpm with a slight loss of 3kw between 7000 and 7500rpm. Surprisingly the low down power did not suffer at all. A quick measure up next to some $2500 TWM throttles shows the entire length of the runners comes in at 20mm shorter. This explains the really high rpm power increase due to the shortness of the runners. Evan from speed factor recommended they be made shorter than the TWM ones to compensate for the lack in size, 50mm compared to 45mm but it looks like I went too short. I have some 20mm spacers to put on next time I am on the dyno so I can hopefully bring the power band down a bit nearer to the TWM power band which usually shows an increase starting at 6500rpm with max increase at 7500-8000rpm and tapering off toward 9000 rpm. This set-up was dynoed in my civic without a cold air box but the bonnet was open on the dyno. Heavy 17 inch rims were also used (18kg including tyre, my drag wheels are 13kg). Hopefully the new exhaust and some lighter wheels will show a bigger number when I head back to the dyno for a final tune.

I made a custom air box at work with 2mm ally plate. It is bolted hard up against the fire wall and extends to the left and right as far as it can before hitting stuff. This was a recommendation from Lin at speed factor who said if its too small I will start loosing power again so make it as big as possible. The side of the box closest to the motor was made 20mm smaller on all sides and has a canvas joiner allowing the trumpets to move up and down with the engine while the box stays solid on the car. It will eventually extend out through the bonnet into a WRX style scoop with a flat panel filter in there somewhere. A new catch can was made by a mate for a dozen speights and bolted to the side of the intake box along with the bracket for the MSD ignition coil.

FUEL SYSTEM
Because the original engine had a carby, a new fuel pump had to be installed along with new fuel lines. I brought a 500hp MSD pump from trademe for $250 and some fuel hose from super cheap auto. I was going to use braided fuel hose but at $15 a foot its quite expensive vs $10 a meter for rubber. The supply line for the carby is very tiny but the return line is very big so I used this for a supply line and then ran a new rubber hose for a return. The factory Toyota 20v injectors were used as they are larger than the stock b16a ones. 240cc vs 295cc. The injector resistor box was removed as the Toyota injectors are high impedance. The return also runs through a malpassi rising rate fuel regulator set at 50psi.



ENGINE INSTALL
The engine was installed with some Hasport engine mounts. These are expensive but you get what you pay for. The engine was bolted in quicker than it takes to order these things on line. The engine is tilted forward to put more weight over the front wheels. The drive shafts sit perfectly at 90 degrees with the hubs. They can be certified without having to be x rayed. The mount rubber is very solid for minimal engine movement. There is enough room in the front for massive 4-1 headers like mine and you can still use the stock radiator in the stock position. You would even have enough room for a large turbo without having to high mount it. And best of all the bonnet still closes it a good 20mm gap right across the top of the block. I ordered this kit through the guys at 41 performance along with some drive shafts and they turned up in only a few weeks from the states. The total bill was $2200 dollars but I can remember how much the shafts and the mounts were individually.

CUSTOM DRIVE SHAFTS
The drive shafts are a made to order item from hasport. They are actually made by the drive shaft shop in the states to hasport specs. You can buy just the shafts and use da6 CV joints but those of you who saw my civic run at all last season know it has a rather large appetite for these items thanks to the ATS 1600kg (yes KG) single plate clutch. Thankfully you can also order there stage 2 racing drive shafts which come with billet CV joints. They rate these things to a 400 horse power drag launch so hopefully my days of breaking these things are over although my clutch still feels hungry.

GEARBOX
My gearbox and diff were not over looked in the build. Im still using a y1 cable LSD box but this had had 2 seasons of racing and the synchros were now throw away items. I sent it down to my mate Andrew Johnston (revlimit) in Hamilton for a rebuild. While the box was getting pulled apart I looked around for diffs as this would become the weakest link if I kept the stock LSD in there. I found a cusco 1 way on trade me for $700 which was a good bargain as they retail for $1800 and it was still in good condition. The final drive was left at 4.2 instead of going to a 4.4. This is to avoid wheel spin in second gear.

SUSPENSION
The suspension is the main bad point of the car. The stock torsion bars are crap and its hard to find anything better. I left them stock for now but they may be upgraded after a few test runs at the track. The shocks have all been replaced with KYBs that are not as firm as I would like but its all I can find without getting them re valved for a lot of money. The rear springs were replaced with kings lows which are fairly firm. The car handles a lot better although it has a lot of understeer as the diff locks up with only a very small amount of throttle. Its definitely going nowhere near a circuit.

BRAKES
The brakes were all upgraded to 1986 integra ones from pick a part. The little CRX only had solid discs up front and drums on the rear but now it has vented disks in the front and solid discs in the rear. This also allowed the hasport drive shafts to be used as the hubs from the integra have a bigger spline the same size as a da6. The integra handbrake cables were also used. The whole brake set-up cost about $150 and only took a few hours to install as it all just bolts on to the CRX like factory. I still have the 13 inch steelys with little Honda badges on them for crusing around on and some avanti CP035s with 225x50x15 hoosiers for the drags.

INTERIOR
The interior was all stripped out and the sound deadening removed. The dash and front door panels have been put back in for a bit of safety and to avoid having to do too much stuff to get a warrant. The heater and everything else behind the dash has been removed. The stock front seats have been retained although the front left will be pulled out at the track. The only other interior mods include a fire extinguisher and an inverter to run my laptop. I still even have the original clock.

[workhackSIR]

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: Can't wait to see this beast in action!!!!!

[Genkei]

yah

[hybrid_H]

saw this car at the workshop the other week, man talk about sleeper!!

[STR8LN]

Great write up.

Look forward to seeing the CRX in action.

[Team Type R]

wicked, nice to finally see a picture of it

[MarkNZ]

nice write up, impressive swap

[Matty]

Noice. 8)

[tianporn]

The dome on those pistons 8O

What made you opt for this chassis instead of the EF? Is it much lighter?

So the only changes to your motor is the pistons and the quads? What pistons were you running before?

Keen to see it at the drags

[VTEC22]

Damn thats Hella Sleeper

[americ_ian]

wow sleeper to the days

[sugarfree]

wanna see it...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grin-T]

How does the car react with the quads now?

Cold start issues?
Idle issues?

[Deanis]

Originally Posted by tianporn

What made you opt for this chassis instead of the EF? Is it much lighter?

So the only changes to your motor is the pistons and the quads? What pistons were you running before?

Keen to see it at the drags

its way lighter than my EF, im keeping the weight a secret though. the pistons are still the same. the only things i have changed are the quads, the exhaust and the computer. i used to have a stock ef9 computer with the fuel pressure wound up.

Originally Posted by Grin-T

How does the car react with the quads now?

Cold start issues?
Idle issues?

it runs like a pig under 20% throttle but the cold start is ok. it has no cold start valves or anything. idle is lumpy but sounds cool.

[DURTYEF3]

i remember this on trade me earlier in the year (i think)

you have to go back to where you brought it and show the old women what youv done to her pride and joy :evil: and take her for a TEC man

Shed be like and what it back

nanna girl racer

[THUGZ]

Bloody nice writeup! Cheers for sharing it with us and goodluck to this coming drag season.

[SQUERT]

Nice write up Deanis, I have heard a lot about this car, finally some pics
Will be an absolute Monster Killer at the strip.Are you going to run it at NightWars all season I hope?Are the torsion bars adjustable on it?
And what is the goal time for the car once she'll had her shake down?

Good luck with the development of the car
Garry

[Deanis]

Originally Posted by $CENSLS1$

Are you going to run it at NightWars all season I hope?Are the torsion bars adjustable on it?
And what is the goal time for the car once she'll had her shake down?

will be at nightwars all season as long as nothing breaks. the tortion bars are adjustable in height but not stiffness so they are quite soft. 12.6 is a good number to start with for a goal. i have absolutely no idea how fast its going to run as that all depends on traction and at the moment it has none in first or second. i have not put any drag tires on it yet though so will have to see. first run will be NOV3.

[95ITR]

thats awesome,

want to make me some quads?

[Bl4ckt0p]

Very nice write up!Good luck for the season

[PSYKO]

bloody hell deanis, it definaetly sounds nice, every time you get home I think its a v-twin bike rolling up.

[Deanis]

Originally Posted by 95ITR

want to make me some quads?

they took so long to make. i dont think i will be building any more in the future. kind fun to make stuff yourself and then see it make power on a dyno though. if anyone wants i have quite a few detailed photos. i might do one up on how to make some.

[EVLTEK FBI AKL]

I can vouch for the torque and power in this thing - its an animal!!!!

[doo0T!doo0T!]

Full credit to you man, that looks like a fun build. Awsome stuff :!:

[Mac]

Looks so awesome and glad to have helped. I'm also stunned with your write up - efforts like this impress me to no end!