[yabloko]

installed the head on my d15 build, checked the p2v clearance, not clayed =)
ex valves open piston hits em and lift head 3mm up
in valves - surprisingly I could do a full crank turn with valves open (vtec not locked) so reliefs are at least enough for pre-vtec lift =))
pretty happy after I read that there's 0.1mm clearance when using stock pm3's

btw the FSM I refer to has some misprints, so
proper tq for head bolt on both d16z6 and d15z1 (i have d15z3 bottom end which is basically the same) is 73Nm?
FSM states 73 on one page and 65 on another (probably mixed up with d15b2/7) but still I'd like to clarify.
for now I tq'ed them with 65Nm

 

[yabloko]

sooo I've swapped the engine, d15 in, d16 out - no lift no crane just to jack stands )))
dohc d is a superior motor, intake plenum is bigger than d16z6, runners are fat and shorter comparing to d16z6, its a pity that my motor is in bad shape =(

still need to undo obd0 conversion and I'm ready to start it

 

[yabloko]

Ive decided to follow break-in procedure described here on dso - heatcycle, gradually beat more and mor shit of it and done. after i drained the oil it was full of metal particles, guess it what it suppose to look like ))
even untuned engine runs pretty well, seems as good as my dohc was. tomorrow i'll take it to the track and try to set a lap time to compare with zc-powered laps ))

also, I've ordered a WB o2 sensor and chip burner, gonna learn how to tune soon

 

[yabloko]

set a lap time on a local track, 0.8 sec slower than it used to be, considering higher temp 27-30C vs 20C
and sunny vs clouds and the fact that motor is not tuned yet I'm satisfied with results ))

btw where I can find a good write up on how to tune an engine?
*how to tune with chrome* pdf seems to be good, anything else I should read?

 

[yabloko]

680 km trip in racing bucket seat, sweating w/o air con

2nd place and my personal record 57.79s on untuned minime

not bad =)

 

[yabloko]

and back to the news!

visited Odessa, an 80mi away capital city for timeattack event, which takes place regularly on a closed highway outside of the city.
a part of a highway loop, construction frozen for ages, some local volunteers turned it into a race track that consists of a long straight (up to 115+kmph on my car) and few corners, that are actually a part of a highway and two exits, connected by the passage under the bridge that was never built.
a little map of the track if in the right bottom corner of the pic.
during the event volunteers provide safety, warning locals and blocking wandering vehicles (road is not finished and actually CLOSED but never abandoned =\), but it is still not a race track, ditches are scary =) so configuration is adjusted with used tires so that the risk of going off the track is minimized.
kinda semi-legal racing )

first time on this track and I took 3rd prize, letting two EG's with d15b7 and minor mods (like RX7 4pot calipers )))) take 1st ans 2nd

 

[scottdh20]

this is pretty damn sweet....keep it up!

 

[yabloko]

got WB sensor delivered today, waiting for chip burn device, and still need to figure out datalog cable.
I'll try street tune with wb and stethoscope, see if it'll work.

there's not much of a building as all the mods along with my progress from complete noob to non-complete noob, learning to cut, weld, diagnose, analyze and pick upgrades are in the 1st post's spec list.
the last big effort was d15minime engine assembly and swap, so now after almost three years finding zen at the garage I'm enjoying my car...

and thinking of a next build, based on 3rd gen hatch =)

 

[Whoshot]

I was thinking of a closed hwy race up here in WA the other day. We have a sweet exit system on a major hwy. I dream of seeing how fast I can take the uphill and down hill sweepers we call on ramps lol. Keep it up dude, I like action shots.....of cars.

 

[yabloko]

last sunday there was another local racing event, on a karting track
I've decided to do some training and went there on saturday, and set a 59.5s lap time clockwise and 58.2s ccw, it was at about 11:00-12:00
on a competition day the heat was 37*C, my first run clockwise @about 12:00 I've managed to set 1:00:14 and ccw at the very peak of a hot-as-hell day - 1:00:62 which got me a 3rd place, my rivals from Odessa also raced and took 1st and 2nd prize. I've lacked 0.3 sec to get to 2nd place =\

 

[buzzbomb]

nice job, keep up the good work!

 

[yabloko]

recently I've been on 4th out of 5 race events planned this year in Poltava,
improved my time by almost 0.75 sec, mostly my cornering technique, no car upgrades so far.
maybe it's because I took 4th place, losing to EG with b16 and two lightened EDs (dohc d16 and sohc d15z4), there is no pics fron this event - nobody's interested in shooting losers )))

so instead of some action let me tell you a little story about my way back home. this time I got up early next day after the races and decided to take straight, short and dangerous route. 420km instead of 680. as a result 7h instead of 11h. and I bet you never-ever have seen a road like this before.
2nd pic is three years old and it's not getting any better. this road *connects* two capital cities, both pop. about half a million people. most of the road is in fair condition and part of it is in good, so you can go up to 100mi per hour, but the last 50mi of that road, that is near my city, looks like THIS:

 

[Whoshot]

Dang I thought LA had bad pot holes.

 

[BeerDrinkin]

Oil pan eaters everywhere!

 

[yabloko]

updates time!
installed 18mm rear sway bar (from 2.0TDi Rover 4xx) instead of 17mm stock mb6 one,
almost no difference, just a bit closer to oversteer.

last weekend, October 4th and 5th there was a ltava ring series final race, I'm 4th in under 1600cc class, and I'm 3rd in the series!
it was a great season, rivals, struggle, adrenaline, friends, racing ))

car still lacks some good adj shocks and tuuuune. my usb-ttl cable lost somewhere between china and ua, or it has never been sent, anyway, I need to find smth back here, no orders anymore, no sir =\

here's me, 2nd row, on the left from guy with orange sleeves in the first row.

me again

btw he's from Nikolaev too, he has 200sx with stock sr20det

 

[Whoshot]

Keep it up man, sounds like a blast.

 

[yabloko]

BTW there's some more updates
I noticed a minor coolant leak on the front passengers of the block, first time I saw it I thought it was from heater hose clamped bad or so.
butt no, it was HG leaking! I started to think of block disassembling, milling, assembling, crap =(
so I decided to take a try and while I was checking valve lash I torqued head bolts with just slightly higher that stock torque. it worked. even after 1000km trip and two racing days block is still dry.
maybe it is because did not retorqued it after break-in heatcycle, or used bolts are absolutely no good (but I know for sure that they've been used only once before - on honda factory).
I've put power steering back in, my dohc zc pump was bad and I drained rack, leaving it vented, so I had 3.5 turns dry rack and it was... well it was not that bad, until you want to park it ) on the other hand, there is truly more feedback from a dry rack.
another news is that I've bought a IR thermometer, GM300-50, I believe it's cheap chinese replica of some brand tool. Now I'm basically collecting data, but it already helped me to reduce inner part of the tire overheat caused by rough steering with power-steering back in (I was turning wheels too much or throttle too wide while exiting corners), I think this little toy will be very handy in combination with pressure gauge I have )))

 

[the hoove]

The roads in Tucson can look like this!

 

[yabloko]

The roads in Tucson can look like this!

dude this is a straight route between two capital cities 500.000 and 300.000 pop.,
it's ok if there's some bad roads, it is not ok when you have to take 700km instead of 400 just to get somewhere =\

 

[yabloko]

updates time )

datalog cable is here, although I found a similar product in Ukraine before f*cker arrived to my post office =( so now I have two of them but there's never too many of usb-ttl converters, right?
chipped ECU datalogs just fine, but that's it, I don't have time to connect WBo2 (at least I don't have time to do it properly )))

October 5th was a date of a final race, those were season awards:

Imagine my feelings when coordinator announced a list of names of those pilots who took part in a series and did not make it to top 3 in any class.
The drama is that I competed for a third place with a guy who didn't make it to last two stages, (engine knocked) but didn't knew about a rule that pilot has to take part in a final race to compete for season prizes
I thought that I didn't deserve even a memorable sign )
and then the call me to get a 3rd prize in under 1600cc class for a racing season, it was jaw-dropping =)

any guess what is going on here? :

as racing season has ended, I've made some bodywork - re-welded a piece of a bottom under ECU, as my first try in repairing body just didn't went right ) apart from that I've installed all interior trim, stock seats, belts, steering wheel, stock exhaust and muffler back, turning car into truly DD.
adjustable ball joint and lowered suspension as well as lightened flywheel are next on the list to be replaced with OEM parts.
IMO this car made everything it could and the time has come to retire from racing.
for it, but not for me )
this is my first car and it would forever be a car that taught me how to drive, how to drive fast and how to win, and I'll keep it as a DD as long as I could.

as for the racing - I got something to continue competing. it is FWD. it is Honda. more info to come