Project Si

This is my project car that I've been working on for just over a month. I picked it up for around $500 with about 150k miles on it. The body is in mostly good shape... I just have the passenger side fender and the header panel to replase. But the header panel seems to be a popular piece to have to replace. Got to love fiberglass. Anyways, I've fallen in love with this car and hope to totally redo it, but nothing extreme. I'm one for the "sleeper" look. ;) Anyways, here she is.

This is the view from the front... Minus the Header panel.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_1.jpg

And here is the back. The best part is the stock spoiler. I love it. ;)
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_2.jpg

Here is the crack in the fender... Dang fiberglass.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_3.jpg

Here is the Engine, minus the head.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_4.jpg

The reason the head is bad, is the cam shaft froze, causing a large chunk of it to be split off of it on the cam-gear end. So, needless to say, it needs some work. But, luckily for me, I know a good man willing to do it for cheap-cheap
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_6.jpg

And here is just a little thing I want to do to the valve cover to carry over the Si theme..
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_7.jpg

I hope to add more pictures soon, with the engine and body work completed.

Well, this is on my site.. But is sucks. Hope you enjoy.

looking like a good start. what do you have planned for the engine?

Well, I plan on just fixing up the D15 for now, but I would love to drop in either a B16 or B20 with a new 5-speed tranny and a Lim. slip Diff. But that is in the not so near future. Got a college school bill to pay for. ;)

Here is the future mods: (in order of what I want to do...)

1.) 4-wheel disk brake swap
2.) Exhaust, straight-pipe or something similiar
3.) B16a DOHC V-TEC w/ new 5spd tranny with LSD
4.) 4-2-1 header/downpipe
5.) Bodykit/Paint (black w/red flake)
6.) Interior work (Redo seats, dash, all of the panels)
7.) Then, I might try to replace the Sunroof panel with glass... Keep it working... This will be the hardest thing to do..

Oh well. This will probably not happen anytime soon, but it is good to dream. :D

They're starting to make lots of parts for the first gen crx. Hasport makes mount kits for b-series. I actually saw some local guy had a white first gen crx with a b16a swap! The shop did it for him for 3200 which isn't bad at all. He hits high 13s STOCK! Just imagine if you threw in a b18c5 in those things which i'm sure its been done! Anyways it was on an HF though. Still the SI is lighter than any 2nd crx. Hope you get that swap ;)

Yeah. I might do a B18 block with the b16 head.. Not quite sure as to what I want to do... Still looking for suggestions, though. ;)

Okay, update:
Should get the head back either today or tomorrow, which means I'll either be up all night tonight or tomorrow night putting everything back together and giving her a run! I can't wait. It will be the first time this thing has ran since I've owned it. ;) *crosses his fingers*

Okay... Now a slight Delay. The guy is having a hard time finding the right cam shaft for it.... Dang it. I'll keep you guys updated.

Hope ya complete it soon :)

just get your stock one regrond

Umm... The problem is the end of the shaft... Split it to kingdom come... Otherwise, it would have been easier.

Colt Cams (http://www.coltcams.com/) here in BC has cores for pretty much any model. and if he hasn't got one in stock he can usually get one. they got some pretty neat 2 and 3 stage cams where the two intake lobes are slightly offset so that one opens a little before the other to promote a good swirl pattern.

Just a quick Update:
Okay, he found the reason for the cam freezing. Jumped timing mysteriously (I'm suspicious of the timing belt tensioner) and bent 2 of the exhaust valves, one of them pretty severly. This caused the cam shaft to come to a halt and shear off the end of it. I think he said it was going to be just over $200 for everything with labor. Not bad at all. Should have it back by Friday! Woohoo.

Update: Parts are in, should be going tomorrow (thursday) to pick up the head. Just have to order the gasket set from AutoZone and wait for it to come in! Can't wait!

Okay... Another update. Admin's finally fixed my user name... I am now who I am. And as for the motor. Got the head back... but the people sent him the wrong cam. So I'll go back to pick that up monday. Have to drill out/get out three of my exhaust manifold studs that he mysteriously missed... But he machined the bottom of the head flat, and even took a little off in the process. Hopefully, that will help with the HP just a little. All things going well, I should have the title, get it registered and on the road by midweek next week. Woot W00t!

Another setback... Got the cam in, and it's still the wrong one.. This is starting to get frustrating. He's supposed to send it back tomorrow. I'm almost to the point of finding a good LS motor to swap in instead of fooling with my Si head... I think two of the cam bearings need re-done... [/whine] Okay. All of that out of the way, I'm still pushing forward... Inch at a time. :D

i'm with you, i have been waiting for my engine to come back from the machine shop, it was supposed to be done a week ago and so and i go in today to pick it up and the guy is like "you didnt give me any valve seals so i couldn’t finish it" then he goes and looks in the box i brought everything in and says "oh, there they are". so i wait till tomorrow

No one would just happen to have a spare d15A3 Si Head just laying around they'd sell to me cheap? The cashflow has been drowned by this last head that might just end up in a dead end and a loss of money...

my friend and i have 2 first gen crx's that were working on as well. one is turbo and the other is spraying nitrous. both are on stock d15a3's with 180k+ on the odom. check out www.cheaptrixracing.com

-Tony

i dont know what springs i coud use for my 87 crx si

Okay.... I have everything I need but the headgasket set... Which I don't currently have the $$ for... So until I can rustle up the $70 to pay Autozone to order it, I'll just have to wait... I hate being so close, and yet so far away...

$70?! i can get a frelpro one for $30 Canadian!

It comes with the head gasket, valve cover gasket, timing cover (upper) gasket, intake and exhaust gaskets.... So it's not just the Head gasket, it's the set... I could get the headgasket for just over $20 US.

ah, i see. i got a kit like that for $40 off ebay for my EK1. when i got it the head gasket was bent so i had to scrap that and get a new gasket, the rest was fine tho

Allright. Ordered the Felpro set today... Should be in Wednesday, and I should have the car roaring to life by Saturday!!! I can't wait! I've been moping around, waiting for the cash, and now I finally have it on the way!!! Woohoo!! w00t now!

Another set back. Been working on my head for the past 3 hours, cleaning it and putting it together.... Get the cam in place, place the rocker arms on, put the gear on the end to try to turn it.... And it won't budge... The cam will not spin at all... Anyone have any ideas? I did oil the lobes and such on the cam before I placed it in... This is just frustrating...

have you checked the cam bearing clearances with the bearing caps? Maybe they're torqued too high.

16 ft/lb is what is says in the book.. I checked the clearance with some plastigate... Maybe I didn't get all of it off? Or maybe some of the laquer/thinner is still on there in a small film.... I'm not going to worry about it until tomorrow night anyways.. I can't pull two nights like that in a row. The head will at least be on the block by tomorrow night... It's easier to work on the cam if the head is in the car....

Okay. Got the car semi-running. Set the main timing (don't have the distributor back on yet) and turned it over with the starter... Man! I was on cloud nine! It should be done by next weekend. If I didn't have so much to do during the week it would be done before then. Hopefully, I'll get some better pics of it posted up soon!.

if you want to make it perform better, get a JDM brown top ZC from an 86/87 teg. its easy to bolt in, and its got 45 more horsepower than the ew3/d16a3. make sure you get the right ecu for it too.

Woohoo! Got it out of the garage! Got a few pics for those who were wondering. ;)

Here's a better shot of that sexeh spoiler!
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_12_full.jpg

And a good front shot...
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_14_full.jpg

The side-front shot...
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_13_full.jpg

And the sunroof shot... Got to love the Si!
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_16_full.jpg

Here's that sideskirt damage... Stupid person thought it would be great to jack the car up on the fiberglass... Idiot...
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/689000-689999/689818_15_full.jpg

Welp, that's it for now. Hope to post up more later.

Woohoo! Took her maiden voyage last night! I guess the clutch was just stuck, and finally released for me. Mind you, it was no glorious journey as I still haven't fixed the brakes and the e-brake needs some major adjustment... But I know she can run down the road! w00t!

good deal, now i just have to get mine running, damn confuising carbs...

Yeah... I have a carb'd 85 in the backyard that I'm afraid to even /try/ to start working on... My bro wants to fix it up, leaving the carb'd motor, and transplant the front end of a '92 VX onto it... Should be interesting.

Sweet crx and awsome your head is finaly in working condition! I noticed one thing in your pics... you have an 80s nova. I have one its kinda dead right now so i got a freebie 85 crx. It needs injectors cleaned and basicaly a front end. But an engine idea if u can afford it is to get a d16a1 and tune it. it would bolt up easier, but thats my opinion. Shoot by summer my crx should have one cause i located one and hes holding it for me.

i have a big favour to ask if u dont mind? on the nova if its the carb version can u take a piction of the engine compartment with out the air filter on top so i can see the vaccume line lay out cause i think thats why mine isnt starting. If its the efi version it wont help ^^.

Man... '86 Nova. I was wondering if someone would recognize it. ;) I ran that Nova into the ground.. It was my high school car, and my first car... But I'll see about the pics. It currently won't start either... And it needs to have the engine re-built and get complete gasket change... But it ran strong up until the day my dad parked it. (Brakes went out). I'll see about getting that pic for ya.;)

yea i did i head gasket, exaust/intake manifold, oil pan, oil pump, water pump replacement... I just think I didn't have the vaccume lines right. When u work on it, getting the exaust intake is hard as hell. They share the same gasket and bolts. We tried to get the rex to start last night it didnt want to.
Today were going to try other things the gas was stale and I think we need some cleaner.

Welp, finally got a plate on her. Haven't had alot of time to work on her since I had exams. Had to get an Alfa Davit since I waited over a month to get the title in my name.. But that worked out. Still haven't fixed the brakes completely. We bled them (Which produced alot of air), and one seemed to have ALOT of air in it. We bled them good enough to drive it, then let it sit for a week. I come back out, and there is almost no brake fluid in the resivore... No good. Haven't found the problem yet... Hope it's nothing serious. Now I'm just saving up to get the Integra disk swap. Oh joy!!! :D

Seems like I have a leak in the rear driver's side drum somewhere... Brakes still work, though. Sent the Alternator to get re-built and should be getting her back in today, and get her inspected on my lunch hour. $49.11 for the rebuild. Replaced the brushes and the burned out regulator, and cleaned up some of the rust for me (remember, it sat for 2 1/2 years). Can't wait!!! Probably won't get around to tearing the rear drum apart until the weekend, as my Girlfriend is having her wisdom teeth cut out thursday... Poor thing! Anyways, just a slight update on the Beast I affectionately call RexSi.

Okay. Got the rear drum pulled apart, and don't know what caused it, but one of the seals on the piston was off (piston cover). Got it apart and cleaned and put back together and it works great now! My only problem, is it appears my alternator has gone out again... Either that or I have a fuse blown somewhere... The guy was all over me about the fact that the CRX alternator is rated at 55watts (correct me if I'm wrong) and that I didnt' need to be running any big stereos on it or it will go out, and that the atlernator was designed to only run with what the car came with from the factory. Well, right now the extent of my stereo in the car is my Sony Portable MiniDisc Player hooked up to a pair of battery operated Sony speakers. So there is not any extra pull on the alternator... And I can get the car started, pull the battery cable off and the car will die... So, I'm wandering, other than the alternator fuse being blown, can anyone else come up with a reason as to why a freshly re-built alternator would not keep the car running?

Allrighty!!! A new update! I have no idea what we did, but we (me and my dad) fixed the alternator deal... It was only pushing a little over 12v at either the alternator or the battery, and we had the alternator out when the top wire arced it self against the firewall......... Main fuse blew, and the only thing we could find to replace it was a piece of wire that the last owner of the 85 in the backyard had put in its place. So, now it works great! My headlights are brighter than they've every been, and the engine seems to even run smoother. Again, I still have some things to fix, IE: Header panel, passengers side fender, driver's side rocker panel... But that will all come in time. I hope to have the interior at least a little cleaner by next weekend, and maybe even a stereo in there.... But who knows. With a school bill and everything else to pay for, this will be a rather slow project. Just thought I'd update out of boredom! All hail the mighty RexSi!

sweet, i wish i could get my alternater issues sorted out....tomorrow i hope. now there are some um... welds holding things together...

Well.... I finally figured out that the bearings are shot... They started squeeling, and now my alternator doesn't work again... Dangit! I just had it rebuilt! Son of a mother....

sweet, i wish i could get my alternater issues sorted out....tomorrow i hope. now there are some um... welds holding things together...
got a new alternator and pulley today. works great. now it's just the cooked battery that needs to be replaced

Yeah... I dropped the car off at the guy's shop, and he said that he would take care of it for me. I hope he's done tomorrow so that I can have the car back for the weekend...

yeah havent told them its running and workin ok still needs a timinging adjust meant no need for a new mufler the old one is rusted ouut so much it sounds like a preformance muffler adn a few other htings need work

Forgive my illiterate brother.... Dang, kid... Use spell check or something. :P Yeah, it still needs work, but that is why it's a Project... Need to get a new thermostat, seeing as mine has got to be stuck open... The car gets warm while sitting still, but as soon as I start driving, the temp drops back down to C... And it's only in the 50-60's here... So... On with the project! A little update for the beast I affectionately call "RexSi"

Alright! Got the timing adjusted and sadly, it's not quite as quick. Seems I was running her all the way advanced without realizing it... *eyeshifts* It was fun, but I'm glad I tuned her down. Might help her last longer with my lead foot. Installed a new cap and rotor and wires, although my coil wire wasn't long enough (the new one), so I'm still using the old one. Need to get an MSD ignition system and just call it a day. :D Got the thermostat but haven't had the time to replace it just yet. Maybe this weekend... Anyways, just a little update on the beats I affectionately call "RexSi".

:) sounds like you're having a good old time working on that car... i wish i could have gotten my 85 Si to run... my friends mom didn't want it sitting at her house not runnign though :( oh well, well, good luck with the car :)

... i wish i could have gotten my 85 Si to run...

What's going on with your car? What are the symptoms? We're here to help!

well, about 5 or 6 years ago i had an 85 si, bought it with snapped cam, block was totally rusted (sat for quite awhile without a head on it) 2 bent valve stems. so i opted for a swap out of an 86 si, pulled an engine, put it in the 85, swapped some of the wires (not all of the plugs match exactly, i think two or 3) tried starting it up, and it would run really rough, and would only stay running if i kept my foot on the gas (and it was putting out TONS of smoke, i'm pretty sure it was blue smoke, but yeah) prolly just a bad head gasket, but i was in college about 80 miles away from where the car was stored, and never had a car to get to work on it, and it was sitting at a friends house, and his mom didn't want it sitting in her front yard :) so i had to sell it... anyway... that's the story on the 85... just on to the 87 now :)

Okay... Having more problems with the Alternator. Had to take one that I had bought 'new' from Auto Advantage back to get a replacement (thank goodness for Lifetime Warranty)... My only question is, could I be tightening the belt too tight? My dad said that he's smoked belts on alternators before without causing any damage to the alternator itself...

Oh, and I still haven't replaced the thermostat... I guess while we're working on her today we'll do that. Need to add at least a quart of oil... Thinking my rings are shot from when I had the timing overly advanced and I drove the snot out of it. :D Oh well, you live and learn.. Found a rebuild kit for just under $200 with new pistons and everything... So, I guess I'll be saving up for that. Need to get the engine r0cking before I get the exterior to match. I'd rather have the shabbiest car that runs in the mid 12's, than an over-done car that still runs in the 16's. :2cents: Anyways... Onto the work at hand!

Hey Figori...

Sorry to take this off topic, but what's the deal with the quote from "TheSilentChamber"?
Did you get this guy PO'd at you or what?

Hey Figori...

Sorry to take this off topic, but what's the deal with the quote from "TheSilentChamber"?
Did you get this guy PO'd at you or what?

Haha he probably just likes the quote or thinks it is funny. :p

I post on the 88-91 forums, and he was talking to a guy that was taking a dent out of his fender. The guy was like, "I'm afraid that I'm going to put a hole through the fender if I hit it with a hammer..." His reply started, "If you put a hole through your fender with the hammer, then..." And the rest of the quote is in the sig...

Alright... Figured it was time for an update. Got the thermostat in, and she's warming up fine..... As the weather is starting to warm up.... Now I have to get the AC re-charged so I can stay cool. :D She's still not running perfect... But what do you expect. Calculated the gas mileage, and driving the snot out of her, I'm getting around 25 mpg. And that is driving the absolute crap out of her. Got some ideas today while tooling around about the center console... I need to find a new sunroof switch (maybe one from the 88-91's) and get power windows... Have a place to add my sunpro volt meter, and a space for the APECi switch for when I get the b18 with b16 vtec head... Have a plate that covers the slot and pops up when I need to see it... Keep the sleeper effect going. Won't be too hard to manufacture, just need to get the console out of the car to work on it properly. Need to get a second job (have applied at Lowe's, and still haven't heard back yet) so I can save up for the motor mounts and rebuild kit, cams, adjustable cam gears, and all of the other goodies. Making a list and am going to save up to check it off.

Welp, just a little update about the beast I affectionately call "RexSi".

My Exhaust has Jungle Rot... It apears that one of the tips is rusting off of the muffler..... I wish I could just afford to replace the whole piping from the downpipe.... 2 1/2in piping all the way... Free-flowing muffler... High flow cat... I guess that will have to be my next major purchase... She doesn't sound to bad like this, though... Just a little more raspy. :D

Just one more question.... When I push in the AC button and the system kicks on at idle, it jumps my RPM's to 3 grand and stays there.... Can anyone tell me what this means? I know the AC system needs recharged, but would that cause the RPM's to jump like that??

Welp, that's my update for my beast called 'RexSi'...

Okay... So... I decided that it was better for me to pull it off myself instead of my going down the freeway on the way home from work and it falling off and hitting somebody... Now it sounds like I've got a performance exhaust! It's deep in the lower RPM's... Once you hit about 4k, it turns more raspy..... It's beautiful! People pay for this sound, and all I had to do was help a little rust out. :D

Just another update on the beast I affectionately call 'RexSi'.

mine sounds like that and i want it to go away. btw, 2.5 is too big for that motor. 2.25 it's plenty. i have 2.25 on my EK and it's too big, when i get exhaust done it will be 2". what i have now is header, 2.25" tube, no cat and a muffler you can see thru.