Blacksmith stile trunk reinforcement(lows performance pats style lol)

[Speedjunky01]

ok so after I striped my trunk I noticed two thinks.

one:it is covered in black sound detener stuff and
two it is literaly glued togeter therew is no sstrength to it at all.

so after I striped all of the black crud out (heat it first then use a crewdriver to slide it off) I then sanded and painted with some black wrinkle paind(JDM Yo0 lol) came out looking great.

so now for the trunk reenfrcement. I hoped down to lows and snaged some 1" square tubing 4'long and procided to bend it. So Iasked my mom to do some BBQ(youll see in a sec why LMAO)

BAM into the coals they go for some softening up hahaha.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/DSC00063.jpg
\
the fire heats the metal up nicley just enough to be maleable.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/DSC00067.jpg

since my mom was there she had the nice job of holding the tubing while I beat the crap out of the hot end to get it nice and flat. I used a little mini sledge and placed the tubeing onto a BIGH sledge and used it as an envil

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/DSC00069.jpg

the place we are in is a little hut we built where we roast whole lambs or pigs and we also smoke meat in there so it hets HOT and smokey time for a break :)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/DSC00065.jpg

so the metal cracked a little bit because I beat it to fast and didnt give it a break so it cracked a little in a few small places, I welded the cracks and the seams at the end so no moisture would get into the bar. then I drilled a hole and another one right next to it so the bar would have a little bit of room for adjustability to move left to ri9ght a tad and BAM it was in.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace001.jpg

here is a little strength test :)

I weigh about 170lbs and I wast leaning on ANYTHING on the car

[Speedjunky01]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace003.jpg

how its gona look when Im done exept I will do 3 vertical bars not two.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace002.jpg


thumbs up for a hard day of work :)

I have a vid of me beating on It(THE METAL) ill post soon


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace004.jpg

[Hellhatch]

Very creative props for getting mom to help ya out.

[Speedjunky01]

Very creative props for getting mom to help ya out.


she actualy came up with the grill idea I ws using a vice and tightening it down like crazy. this worked much better.

once I weld it up nicley I will sand it down nice and paint it red so it stands out nicley.

I want to make some strut tower bars now but I cant for the life of me find the rings that go around the struts anywhere w/o a bar.

good write up on a bar but its for an opel but still great engeniring. I want to make something like this for us honda guys. btw LPP is the shit I want to get a lows sticker and slap it on there once I paint it so t a show people would be like WTF!?!?! lol

[SOHC_Rules]

lowes ftw...

might be getting a job there :beer:

but thats very creative... good job :TU: do you feel any difference in driveability/handling or just something u felt like doing and serves little to no function?

[Speedjunky01]

lowes ftw...

might be getting a job there :beer:

but thats very creative... good job :TU: do you feel any difference in driveability/handling or just something u felt like doing and serves little to no function?

still havent put the car onto the ground Im doing the rear disk conversion but I will definetly cheack back in when i have it on the ground.

[SOHC_Rules]

still havent put the car onto the ground Im doing the rear disk conversion but I will definetly cheack back in when i have it on the ground.
:TU:

[nation of kong]

Nice, if you can make it yourself why not?

[Speedjunky01]

Nice, if you can make it yourself why not?
hell yea!! im planing on snagin an ebay bar, replacing with steel and then weld it to tis thing for a super stiff rear.

here is the one im lookig at its 40 shipped tho, tad steep for ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M-STYLE-92-00-HONDA-CIVIC-REAR-STRUT-TOWER-BAR-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33591QQihZ016QQitem Z260013461790QQrdZ1

[Speedjunky01]

but here are some updates. I just finished up welsing the outer suports adn Im still waiting on the mesure ments for the nitrous bracets just as an added perk later on.

here are some pics.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace006.jpg

weldes are or for it being my secont time welding and using a 100 dollar walmarts rod welder.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace007.jpg

[Minglor]

:tup: to homemade mods!

[goomer416]

Ghetto Fab Gone Wild... buy it now! only 19.99$
props for doing it urself tho!!!

[Speedjunky01]

materials and all its like 50 bucks. plus you can always weld more steel on and improve it :)

[modsHXcivi]

Now Your Ghetto Fab......:TU:

[Speedjunky01]

Now Your Ghetto Fab......:TU:

is this really ghetto fab? I thogh I did an ok job with it. I will paint it red tommorow and insatll it.

I think it turned out very and was easy to do.

[modsHXcivi]

I was J/P .....
:TU: Again

[Speedjunky01]

I was J/P .....
:TU: Again
lol thanks man

[Speedjunky01]

ok well the brace is done and it looks great!! it has a nice red color so it stick out like I want it to!

it bolted up pretty easy I was good with mesurements so it went on fine. I wasnt able to keep the little pice of plastic that covers the lip of the trunk :( o well.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace008.jpg

H it up y0o!!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/speedjunky01/trunk%20h%20brace/trunkHbrace009.jpg

[ryan89crx]

looks pretty creative...

BUT, how much weight did you drop gutting the trunk?
and how much weight did you gain back installing that bar? is it really going to be worth it in the end?

[cryz2]

looks hot painted red

[Speedjunky01]

looks pretty creative...

BUT, how much weight did you drop gutting the trunk?
and how much weight did you gain back installing that bar? is it really going to be worth it in the end?

good pont bar is roughtly 4 lbs. striping all of the detener and carpet stuff and spare tire jack ect. was rougly 35lbs if not more. so I still lost 30lbs. not bar.

Im sure it will do something obviusly it wont be anything hube but the little things do add us ya know?

If Icould have made it out of aluminum I would have but I just dont have the propper welding rig. I plan on buying an ebay strut tower bar and conectiong it to this with removable braces(2 bolts at each joint still no flex :)) it may not be worth the time since this is still primarily a street car.


the pont of this was just to have a little fun and learn something. if it makes the car a little stiffer in the body thats only a plus. I dont see how it couldnt make it stiffer since there is such a BIG gap in the subframe where the spare tire goes.

[CrazyConscious]

Looks nice, i've got my trunk stripped out. I just gotta get around to painting it

[Speedjunky01]

Looks nice, i've got my trunk stripped out. I just gotta get around to painting it

yea painting it to sorta match the car gives it an awesome look. rep for the comment man

[goomer416]

P.i.m.p.

[Speedjunky01]

P.i.m.p.
thanks man rep+

[modsHXcivi]

:TU: If It works and you still lost 30Lbs :TU:



Good Work!!!!

[Speedjunky01]

:TU: If It works and you still lost 30Lbs :TU:



Good Work!!!!

yup exactly the way I see it man :mikej:

[Speedjunky01]

ok so any ideas on what else to fabricate up as far as suspension goes except strut tower bars? I will have those soon. I also have a front H brace and the trunk brace(duh lol)

any ideas on what else is weak and flexes too much?

[cryz2]

rear lower brace looks like you could DIY it !!!!

[Speedjunky01]

rear lower brace looks like you could DIY it !!!!
I was thinking that but Iwill be going with a subframe reinforcement in the future for the type R swaybar.

but if I made one I might sell it any takers lol

[Speedjunky01]

ok well I just finished the rear disk swap along with camber and toe kit. so I got the car alined and went for a test drive. there is a very nice mountain stile twisty road and I drove up it once and it was barron as hell so I decided to push the car a little.

so I was digging through the corners retty hard and I dont know if its the ES trailing arm bushings or the trunk bar, but the car feels SO mch better in the rear. it feels like the suspension is actualy moving up and down not the unibody. there is deffinetly something to this trunk bar for sure.

I also tested it on some bumpy roads to see if it improved te comfrt of the ride at all, and if anything it made it worse since the body isnt moving as much in the rear.

the car feels sloshy as hell up front compared to the rear and now it seems to understeer a tad more. tire PSi was identical (39 front 38 rear)

over all:
-cheap
-effective
-fun to do!!

[My93Civic]

ok well I just finished the rear disk swap along with camber and toe kit. so I got the car alined and went for a test drive. there is a very nice mountain stile twisty road and I drove up it once and it was barron as hell so I decided to push the car a little.

so I was digging through the corners retty hard and I dont know if its the ES trailing arm bushings or the trunk bar, but the car feels SO mch better in the rear. it feels like the suspension is actualy moving up and down not the unibody. there is deffinetly something to this trunk bar for sure.

I also tested it on some bumpy roads to see if it improved te comfrt of the ride at all, and if anything it made it worse since the body isnt moving as much in the rear.

the car feels sloshy as hell up front compared to the rear and now it seems to understeer a tad more. tire PSi was identical (39 front 38 rear)

over all:
-cheap
-effective
-fun to do!!

man that was funny to look at. moms are smart eh? I wouldnt have thought about heating the metal up, but know it does make sense.

btw: any reason why you run an high PSI tire pressure? I heard it gives uneven tire wear?

[Speedjunky01]

man that was funny to look at. moms are smart eh? I wouldnt have thought about heating the metal up, but know it does make sense.

btw: any reason why you run an high PSI tire pressure? I heard it gives uneven tire wear?


yea she came up with it because of my grandfatre/her dad, he used to have literaly old school blackspith over and tools. she gave me the idea worked awesome as hell.

thats what kumho recomended, what do you think I should be runing in them? 205/40/16

[turboedpickup]

aww...now i wanna make one - quick question...what paint did you use to paint the trunk...and how easily would it chip - well i guess the question is...what would you do to not make it chip?

[Speedjunky01]

aww...now i wanna make one - quick question...what paint did you use to paint the trunk...and how easily would it chip - well i guess the question is...what would you do to not make it chip?

I used black wrinkle paint by dupont, to not make it chi[ I would use truck bed liner in a an or something of that sort.

[rattmann316]

dude...thats awesome. whether it really did anything or not who cares; you made it. now its one more unique feature of your car...i mean those bars are one-offs lol. im actually quite impressed with how well they came out and especially after they were painted.

[Speedjunky01]

dude...thats awesome. whether it really did anything or not who cares; you made it. now its one more unique feature of your car...i mean those bars are one-offs lol. im actually quite impressed with how well they came out and especially after they were painted.

yea the paint really finished them up so nicley.

[My93Civic]

yea she came up with it because of my grandfatre/her dad, he used to have literaly old school blackspith over and tools. she gave me the idea worked awesome as hell.

thats what kumho recomended, what do you think I should be runing in them? 205/40/16


I think you should be running at least maybe 32 in the front and 34 in the rear.

[Speedjunky01]

I think you should be running at least maybe 32 in the front and 34 in the rear.

yea I just checked the pressure its at 32 all the way around right now.

[beanbandit]

That's some nice fab. work... clever little idea... DIY is so much more fulfilling than just buying something and slapping it on (or even worse, buying something and having someone else slapping it on... :evil: ) Keep up the good work!!!

Props for the idea...

Props to Ma's that know there shit... and help in fabrication- That ROX!!!:TU:

Big props on the color choice... the red looks awesome!!!

Rep for a job well done!!!

[Speedjunky01]

thanks man. prepare for an a-spec Racing subframe reinforcement rip off :)

[beanbandit]

Well keep us posted on the results of your next adventures... :TU:

[OniFactor]

just to give you a heads up... hardened steel + hardened steel = bad. i wouldn't do that hammer on hammer action much more, you risk shattering the heads..

[Speedjunky01]

just to give you a heads up... hardened steel + hardened steel = bad. i wouldn't do that hammer on hammer action much more, you risk shattering the heads..

the heads of what? the sledge? metal was so soft not much force was transfere.

[beanbandit]

just to give you a heads up... hardened steel + hardened steel = bad. i wouldn't do that hammer on hammer action much more, you risk shattering the heads.. With the little bit that he was flattening and the heating of the metal to make it more malleable, I really don't think he was applying enough force to run the risk of shattering the hammers...

[Speedjunky01]

With the little bit that he was flattening and the heating of the metal to make it more malleable, I really don't think he was applying enough force to run the risk of shattering the hammers...

yea lol its like a 12lb sledge.

[all_rice]

Wow cool job man. My friend did something similar with his crx and noticed a huge difference. Looks cool with the red paint. You should try and take it off then go on your twisty route again and see what kind of difference it makes.

[Speedjunky01]

Wow cool job man. My friend did something similar with his crx and noticed a huge difference. Looks cool with the red paint. You should try and take it off then go on your twisty route again and see what kind of difference it makes.

I did that. it loves the bar :) :thehump:

[OniFactor]

2.5 lb sledge used to increase surface area for a regular hammer = shattered.. that's all i have to say. it can happen

[Speedjunky01]

well hey learn something new everyday :).

[beanbandit]

yeah I agree it could happen... but it didn't:)