I picked this up recently for no real reason other than it was an insanely good deal, and I've kinda wanted one for a while. It's a 1990 CRX Si, almost stock other than the KYB shocks and the driving lights. [8D] I already put my 14" wheels and Azenis on it (it came with the stock swirlies and all-seasons) and I currently have the engine bay torn apart. The clutch is bad, or maybe it's just the throwout bearing, I don't know, the tranny isn't quite unbolted yet. I'll have more pictures next week, but this is what it looks like now. Plans include: fixing the clutch, touching up the rust, used ground controls, working hatch struts, and a muffler without holes. It will be a fun little car for very little money. :)
maybe a few times, it's not nearly as prepared as it should be, but it will be fun.
Marty
07-13-2007, 08:03 PM
Nice pick up and good luck on your project.
ej6buddy
07-13-2007, 08:05 PM
i've always wanted one of those things.
mybrokenblinker
07-13-2007, 08:42 PM
Someone that goes to all the local autocrosses has a wicked crx...stock motor, but lots of frame rigidity add ons along with a nice suspension package. He runs the same times as a regular z06 and elise that show up every time run as well. It's pretty impressive. And the guy with the z06 was a state champion, so its not like the other guys lack driver skill either.
rice_patrol
07-13-2007, 09:35 PM
Very nice. I've always wanted a crx. Good luck on the project.
civicexracer
07-14-2007, 02:05 AM
[sm=boosign.gif]....lucky...haha.
unleash the beast within and run EP[sm=rockinit.gif]
FlipHKD720
07-14-2007, 07:14 AM
sick MXS, you should make this thing stritctly an AutoX killer [8D]
Roto
07-14-2007, 01:36 PM
good luck with the project, Marnie;) I wish I could find as good of a car as this...
ef4life
07-14-2007, 02:10 PM
nice rex. welcome to clubEF. you will never want to go back ;)
mxs
07-14-2007, 02:45 PM
yeah I've barely driven the car, and I already love it [8D]
mill$civic
07-14-2007, 05:58 PM
Nice buy! I NEVER see CRX's anymore
ef4life
07-14-2007, 06:46 PM
ORIGINAL: mxs
yeah I've barely driven the car, and I already love it [8D]
no lie out of every honda i have ever driven. the ef was by far my favorite of all time. i ahve driven eg's ek's and ek si's a bunch of accords, i had a del sol. but nothing compares to the ef.
mxs
07-14-2007, 06:56 PM
ORIGINAL: mill$civic
Nice buy! I NEVER see CRX's anymore
that's because they rust apart up north [8D]
Lost
07-15-2007, 10:36 AM
^true, I was looking for one a few weeks ago, there are lots out there but all rusted up to hell.
mxs
07-25-2007, 08:41 AM
So I've made some progress on this car.
Last week I replaced the clutch. Took me about 6 hours to get the transmission out, what a pain. Had to pull the battery, intake, radiator hoses, starter, axles, shift linkage, clutch cable, speedometer cable, and three motor mounts.
Once I got it out, the problem was obvious. One of the clutch springs had broken and was just rattling around in there. Some of the fingers on the pressure plate were bent. That explains why it was basically undriveable.
So I replaced the clutch with the original one out of my Civic. Did you know that all 1990-2000 d-series clutches are the same? I kept the original flywheel in there and put in my clutch disc and pressure plate. I also replaced the throwout bearing with a new one from Honda. Not that the old one was bad, but I already bought it, and I never want to drop the tranny again!
After that I replaced the coolant and topped off the transmission fluid. Reattached everything other than the speedometer cable which I broke by accident.
I also wanted to take care of the sloppy shifter, so I had purchased the Energy Suspension kit. So I pulled the linkage out and found this. It already had the ES bushings, WTF.
Turns out there were two other problems. This plastic part that goes around the ball of the shifter was deformed, the rubber boot was torn and there was no grease left in it. I replaced it with a spare that was sitting around
Also, this metal sleeve that goes through the bottom of the shifter, has these little rubber rings around it, and washers at the end, they were completely destroyed. Didn't have a spare so I greased it up, put it back together, and ordered a new one from the dealer. That will be here today.
Aside from the rust help that it needs car looks great!
mxs
07-25-2007, 10:14 AM
I'm going to touch up the rust next week. Most of it is just on the surface.
ORIGINAL: civicexracer
im liking the fog lights. gena rallyx it too?
they don't work, and no [8D]
Mr Mobsta Man
07-25-2007, 10:24 AM
Nice project. I'm surpised you found a nice crx, I have been looking around for one and all I see are cars that either don't run or are almost rusted in half.
mxs
07-25-2007, 10:28 AM
Well, it didn't really run when I bought it...
mybrokenblinker
07-25-2007, 11:40 AM
man that is sweet. it's cool to see how quicly you are getting your hands dirty with it.
My04Civic
07-25-2007, 11:47 AM
yeah thats in great shape, every one i see around here is a bucket
Cutt
07-25-2007, 12:29 PM
Good luck with you CRX. I haven't been in one but people say they are alot of fun.
liquidrider_3214
07-25-2007, 02:19 PM
nice crx i had one a few months back it was a 1990 crx dx, got 38 mpg and cornered on stock suspension like no other, it was fun to drive even for a dx, mine had no visable rust/no bondo. and only 85k heres a pic http://www.allthingsmoto.com/photopost/data/500/medium/crx1.jpg
civicexracer
07-25-2007, 03:03 PM
ORIGINAL: mxs
ORIGINAL: civicexracer
im liking the fog lights. gena rallyx it too?
they don't work, and no [8D]
[sm=rolleyes.gif]lol
more inspiration[sm=rockinit.gif]makes me wana get a crx so, so badly..[sm=smiley19.gif]
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/civicexracer/AutoX%207-15-07/174250688-M.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/civicexracer/AutoX%207-15-07/174251464-M.jpg
mxs
07-25-2007, 05:38 PM
ugh, I know!!! all the STS2 cars at the ProSolo last weekend were SUCH a bad influence on me [8D]
are you gonna make the foglights work? they are really easy to wire up.
mxs
07-25-2007, 07:50 PM
Yeah, all the wiring is there, it's just disconnected, and not a priority. I have the exact same set on my Legacy so I know I have the whole wiring diagram somewhere.
gsumano
07-25-2007, 08:07 PM
cool, project is looking good[sm=smiley20.gif]
Remmy
07-26-2007, 09:32 PM
I Likey.... any suspension goodies that are going on it? After all you are the suspension queen in these here parts.
johnb
07-26-2007, 10:45 PM
nice find!
mxs
07-27-2007, 05:07 AM
ORIGINAL: Remmy
I Likey.... any suspension goodies that are going on it? After all you are the suspension queen in these here parts.
of course. I am picking up a used set of Ground Controls after work today.
$120 [8D]
it already has KYB GR-2s on it, which I wouldn't have picked, but they are only a year old, so that's better than 17 year old stock shocks
Mad7s
07-27-2007, 08:45 AM
oh yeah, and those 1st gens are hot too
Damn right! I think a 2nd gen would be my first pick though. Sweet find. I'd almost kill for a CRX in good shape. Keep us posted on the progress.
SovXietday
07-27-2007, 07:37 PM
Ground controls, I like the way this is headed.:)
mxs
07-30-2007, 08:34 AM
More progress:
ORIGINAL: mxs
Also, this metal sleeve that goes through the bottom of the shifter, has these little rubber rings around it, and washers at the end, they were completely destroyed.
I wasn't happy with the brakes either, so I ordered new front pads and fluid. $75 shipped from RaceShopper.com, and they arrived in 24 hours!
The pads are Hawk HPS (their "street" compund -- should be sufficient for a light car)
The fluid is Ate Typ 200. The car already has Super Blue in it. This is the non-blue version of Super Blue. Exact same stuff without the dye. The idea is, you alternate the fluids, it makes it easier to see when you've completely flushed the system.
Then there's the exhaust. It had all new piping, except for the muffler, which seems to have been rejected by the car. [8D] I got an exhaust off a 91 hatch, just to use the muffler, which looks 100x better.
But it doesn't fit right. The flange is different, and the piping isn't the right length, doesn't show too well in this picture though. Not sure what I'm going to do here. Maybe I'll get the good muffler welded onto the right axle pipe.
Now to decide where to put the springs. I think I'm going to put the stiff ones in the back. I still need to cut down the dust boots, and I might need to trim the rubber spring isolators too, the rear ones don't fit right over the GC springs.
This part will probably be done tonight. I want to drive the car again. :)
Fiirkan
07-30-2007, 09:13 AM
Woot Marnie looks awesome, I can't wait to see it all said and done
mxs
07-30-2007, 12:59 PM
me toooo!
going to work on it now :D
civicexracer
07-30-2007, 01:38 PM
great stuff Marnie! for the muffler, i'd chop the flanges off and have the old one welded to the new muffler. that way if u ever need to take the muffler off or decide to replace it, it'll be cake. what rates are the GC's at?
Peg_Leg
07-30-2007, 02:29 PM
shweet looking good marnie
mxs
07-30-2007, 08:40 PM
The springs are something like 280 fronts, 380 rears. They're supposed to go the other way around... [8D]
Tonight I trimmed the dust boots and reassembled everything. The suspension is all back in the car now.
I was going to paint the calipers black, but I scrubbed all the rust off, and now I like the way they look...
Tomorrow I will actually change the brake fluid, adjust the ride height, and then I'll be mostly done for now. Need to hide some of the rust before a meet this weekend, I'm thinking either touch-up paint, or stickers...
That muffler was crying to be replaced:D ..... My dad's crx muffler fell off once whe he was driving in the highway because of how rusted it was[&:]
johnb
07-30-2007, 10:32 PM
this project is really coming along nicely, interesting to follow, keep up the good work!
mybrokenblinker
07-31-2007, 08:14 AM
wow, interesting choice to swap the springs front to back. If it were anyone else, I'd be concerned with their ability to adapt to the change that will make in handling characteristcs, but I think you've got plenty of experience under your belt. Are you worried about the neutrality of the handling or what it's going to be like, or have you personally talked to other peopjle that have done stuff like this.
mxs
07-31-2007, 06:42 PM
I've messed around with spring rates both on my Civic and my friend's Integra, and while they are both heavier than the CRX they have a nearly identical suspension design. Setups I've tried include 250/400, 425/400, 350/500 and 425/500. I've found I like the stiffer springs in the rear, it gets the car to rotate more easily. I've also done some reading to see how people are setting up their CRXs for autocross and road racing, about half the people are running stiffer in the rear, or the same rate front and rear. If it totally sucks I can change it back.
Messed around with the exhaust some tonight. It's not going to work, the piping hits the gas tank and the control arm.
The back of the car won't go any lower. The perches are all the way down. This is what I get for putting the 8" front springs on the back of the car. I did find a set of 7" 350# springs sitting in the garage, but now I don't want to take it all apart again. It might be low enough as it is. The front can come down some more, but not too much. About 1.5" of clearance to the mudflaps right now :)
It's pretty stiff but I think it will work out okay. For the record, 250/350 in a CRX on GR2s, feels a lot stiffer than 425/500 in an Integra on Koni Yellows...
ej6buddy
07-31-2007, 06:49 PM
tell me about it, i'm running 560/336's, feels like i'm on rails some times on the twisties.
ef4life
07-31-2007, 07:04 PM
it can't be that loud with no muffler, i ran my civic like that for a year before i had a full cat back on it :D
but it looks good slammed
and we have matching lights :Di just have the covers over them
http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL351/7575719/16602923/266912447.jpg
mxs
07-31-2007, 07:13 PM
I have the covers, they are in the cool storage box behind the seats :)
I'll have to remember to put them on before I go out cone-killing.
Matches my Subaru too [8D]
civicexracer
07-31-2007, 07:19 PM
bah who needs a muffler...side exit pipe FTW!!!:D
ej6buddy
07-31-2007, 07:48 PM
yeah, old skool Mugen style ftw!
SovXietday
07-31-2007, 08:39 PM
Last thing I need is a cone killing car right now, but Marnie you make me want one.
windcalmer
07-31-2007, 09:59 PM
OMG Marnie. It looks GREAT! How much do you have into it so far? and how many hours wrenching?
mxs
08-01-2007, 07:47 AM
under $600 including the car . . . who says racing is expensive [8D]
as far as time, it's been about 8 days of working 3-5 hours at a time.
cpl rampage
08-01-2007, 08:43 AM
very nice. i like lol. is ther any budget for this build?
mxs
08-01-2007, 09:05 AM
"as cheap as possible"
cpl rampage
08-01-2007, 09:09 AM
ORIGINAL: mxs
"as cheap as possible"
just the way i like it LOL
Roto
08-04-2007, 03:27 PM
Marnie, I know what you can do to make the muffler fir. Get two u-bolt clamps from the autoparts store, chop the pipes near the muffler itself off and simply bolt the 4th gen muffler onto the crx pipe. It should work just fine and if it doesn't it only cost you $10...and if it works thatn you can either leave it at that (many cars have their exhaust put together that way stock) or have someone weld it.
mxs
08-04-2007, 03:42 PM
Yeah, that's actually what I'm planning to try next week. I have two of those clamps, the dual pipes on the rusty muffler are held on by them. Finishing the brakes/suspension was more important at this point.
I'll have an update later [8D]
mxs
08-06-2007, 10:51 AM
I spent most of Thursday night cleaning and painting things. Used a grinder and a wire wheel to take off a lot of the rust, then sprayed those spots with two coats of primer and two coats of Polar White. It doesn't look great up close — needs to be sanded and resprayed probably — but it looks fine from far away. Remember it's a 17 year old beater, and that's good enough. I think the driver's side door is 60% Bondo.
Finally got the brake fluid changed on Friday night, and lowered the front of the car a little more. No pictures of this exciting action.
Saturday morning, washed the car before the Honda-Tech meet. This ended up taking five hours. Used a ton of Meguiar's Scratch-X and paint cleaner, plus some Plast-X on the lights, tire shine on all the black trim, and more touch-up paint for the rock chips on the hood.
Sunday morning, took the car to Seneca Army Depot for the WNY region autocross. I know I said the CRX would be STS2 legal, but I was easily persuaded to throw the Kumhos on the car :lol:
Those are 14x8 Diamond Racing wheels with 225/50R14 V710s. We had to raise the car back up by about an inch and a half. I wanted to run in C Street UNprepared, considering the only "mods" are the springs and the muffler delete.
We had three drivers and the car held up beautifully. It's a TON of fun. Takes a while to get up to speed, but whatever. I've never autocrossed a car without power steering, and honestly I didn't miss it at all. I still hit a ton of cones though, I'll blame the wide tires for that.
ej6buddy
08-06-2007, 12:25 PM
powersteering is for suckers, i love the way my car feels without powersteering. i'm tempted to not have it on any of my future vehicles, lol.
mxs
08-06-2007, 01:06 PM
I wouldn't disable PS on a car that has a PS steering rack, but a fully manual rack is OK.
riceburner700
08-06-2007, 01:10 PM
i love not having power steering and ac in my cx.:D i will leave the ac and ps to my tacoma
ej6buddy
08-06-2007, 01:16 PM
ORIGINAL: mxs
I wouldn't disable PS on a car that has a PS steering rack, but a fully manual rack is OK.
yeah, that's not what i meant, only manual rack, and no, i don'trecommend removing ps from really any car that originally came equipped.
mxs
08-06-2007, 05:50 PM
yeah I know you didn't disable yours, I was just saying... :)
Forty04
08-08-2007, 02:35 AM
Awesome work Marnie
mybrokenblinker
08-08-2007, 08:56 AM
looks shiney for how old it is!
mxs
08-08-2007, 09:11 AM
thanks, it took a lot of work to get it that shiny!!
Remmy
08-08-2007, 09:25 AM
sweet marnie... it looks great.
johnny
08-08-2007, 09:54 AM
It looks so sick with those tires on.
Roto
09-28-2007, 12:43 PM
Anything new on this front?
mxs
09-28-2007, 06:57 PM
yes... this car is still awesome
First of all, it passed inspection last month. A "kind of loose" tie rod end still needs to be dealt with, and it's still in need of an alignment.
My friend wanted to autocross it but wanted to change the front springs first. I didn't have time to work on it (moving, etc.) so he took the car and swapped them (was 250/350, now 350 all around). He also installed the AEM intake from his civic, complete with rally mud, and a pantyhose "filter."
Two of the Kumho V710s were corded after the last event. :( So we ran 710s up front, and Victoracers in the back. This worked out better than I expected. We also replaced the busted hood hinge in the parking lot :)
The Victoracers were THE deal of the summer. They were advertised as 10 used 14" tires, "name your price." Well, I tried to name my price, and I was told that it was too high. So I got the first four (better) tires for $20. Then I went back a month later and got the other six for another $20. Can't beat that!
The next week I was getting ready for a track day. First I fixed the shifter. Even though I had all new bushings before, I decided the shifter itself was just beat up and wasn't holding the bottom sleeve thing in properly. So I got a short shifter installed and it made a HUGE difference. Should have done that a long time ago. And I didn't know this until it got here, but it's PINK! LOL!
Also, I wanted to get the driving lights fixed, since I knew the track day was going to run late. Turns out the relay was bad, that's all. They still aren't aimed very well, but they work.
I had a ton of fun at the track. It was different than anything I've done before. Top speed was "about 7k in 3rd" on the front straight (that's 92 mph for those of you who have speedometers). First time out I got about 6 laps in before I ran out of brakes! Later on I was getting about 10-12 laps in at a time. It started to rain as the sun set, so we put the Azenis back on the car very quickly... then I went back out. Lasted about half an hour before it started POURING and I just threw everything in the hatch and ran. I corded one of the Victoracers badly (a spot the size of a baseball) but got a "new" one mounted on Saturday afternoon.
Then on Sunday morning I was on my way to Buffalo for another autocross, and a tractor trailer swerved in front of me for no reason. I slammed on the brakes and felt something pop. The brakes still worked, sort of, but not very well, and the pedal was rock solid. Great. I lost the brake booster. When I stepped on the brake pedal there was a whooshing sound from under the dash, and the car wouldn't idle right. Obviously I wasn't going to race the CRX in that condition, so we put the race tires on the Integra and ran in DSP instead, then I took the back roads home. Got it fixed that week. If you're going to buy a car like this, I recommend having a friend with a parts car [&:]
Then last sunday I took it to a charity car show. I had to put my race numbers on the car to cover the dents and holes. I won 3rd place Beater [8D]
Finally, I wanted to take the car to the drag strip. Maybe run a 16.5. :D Tonight was test-n-tune, but as I was in the burnout box it started raining and they shut it down [:@] so that will have to wait.
mybrokenblinker
09-28-2007, 07:04 PM
Awesome news, thanks for all the pics and sharing your project with us.
civicexracer
09-28-2007, 07:27 PM
sweet stuff. daaamn look at all those cones u hit![8D]
GReddy_Civic
10-07-2007, 08:33 AM
ORIGINAL: mxs
So I got a short shifter installed and it made a HUGE difference. Should have done that a long time ago. And I didn't know this until it got here, but it's PINK! LOL!
Sweet, Apple makes pink short shifters : D BTW nice crx
FlipHKD720
10-08-2007, 09:35 AM
just read the entire thread, looks aweomse Marnie :) you doin anything else to it?
POLYTHING
10-08-2007, 02:26 PM
ORIGINAL: FlipHKD720
just read the entire thread, looks aweomse Marnie :) you doin anything else to it?
me too.
very nice project, but what are you trying to achive?
the pink shifter, what brand is it?
PS: I just bought a 98 hatch and working on it, STS car and daily.
GReddy_Civic
10-08-2007, 02:56 PM
ORIGINAL: POLYTHING
ORIGINAL: FlipHKD720
just read the entire thread, looks aweomse Marnie :) you doin anything else to it?
me too.
very nice project, but what are you trying to achive?
the pink shifter, what brand is it?
PS: I just bought a 98 hatch and working on it, STS car and daily.
its apple cant you tell? its sitting on the box. but on a different note i love my short shifter
LarsonSi_0091
10-09-2007, 09:33 PM
if you run your crx at the track you will probably run a 16.5 depends on reaction time n shifting i ran a 16.4 with bad compression andburning oil all the waydown the track lol that was before i did the motor swap and boost. you would love yourcrx ifyou boosted it. they pull like a mother. mines at 15 psi and after everytime i get on it i haveto change my boxers cuz i shyt myself.http://www.hondacivicforum.com/micons/m11.gif
riceburner700
10-10-2007, 08:54 AM
a cage in the crx would be sick. im digging the black wheels
WhiteRabbit1021
11-04-2007, 09:51 PM
This makes me want a side project car so bad.
By the way... what part of Buffalo were you in Marnie?
ClintT.
02-06-2008, 07:34 AM
nice CRX Marine. im going to look at one tomorrow. $500. :D I'll probably start a thread sometime soon!