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A passion that traveled across international boarders

47460 Views 1377 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  Oldcivicjoe, 
drtalon123
Honestly, I don't know where I should start. Maybe a little bit of background first!

I have been messing with honda's for years, almost 15 to be exact (since I got my license). Many of the honda's I have owned and help friends repair in my youngeryears were the starting point of knowing what line of work I wanted to be in.

I love cars (anything with an engine really), more specifically diagnosing really difficult drivability issues with them. Getting stuck on a problem really pushed me to learn more about things I was unfamiliar with. Through my diagnostic experiences as a vehicle technician, I have learned an incredible amount of internal combustion engine theory and operation including all of the additional systems that support their overall operation and the mechanics at work which ultimately couple the engine output to usable work at the wheels (the full circle if you will).

UNFORTUNATELY, like most people can probably attest, I'm not made of money, I don't have lots of money, I can't spend lots of money all the time (unless I want my wife and son to starve and have no home), I really had to think hard 5 times before spending $50 bucks without jeopardizing something of a higher importance, but that honestly never stopped me from continuing to pursue learning about so many really cool tips and tricks related to Honda's on the countless number of member driven community forums out there (the last year and a bit have been right here!).

I've tuned honda's, built engines/transmissions for honda's, done stupid/cool things with honda's, and most of the time it has always been with someone else's money. All I have ever been truly able to spend on things was time, and I took full advantage of a learning opportunity when it presented itself on someone else's dime.

I am at a stage in my life where money management is still a HUGE part of my responsibility for my overall family goals (as I am still not made from it), but over the past two years things have started to get, dare I say it, slightly "easier" (knock on wood) for me to have like an extra hundred bucks or so every month to put towards my hobbies and things I like to do.

Like most people here, working on their cars is therapeutic and stress relieving. Often times it can turn into downright addiction! I think I'm in the stress relieving group, as I spend time and money on my projects but it's not the end of the world if I have to not touch them for weeks/months at a time.

So without more boring self introductions, I wanted to share an ongoing project that started in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and ended up in North Carolina.


Here she is, the d-series honda platform that has continued to be my hobby that started 2 years ago: the 1999 Honda Civic SI (Canadian, EX in USA) with a low mileage D16Y8 installed by the owner who wanted to get it back on the road eventually (original engine blew up). He lost interest but had money to buy newer toys to pass the time. This car sat in the back of a truck shop for almost 2 years, and the owners of the place were threatening the owner to tow it away if he didn't move it. So I bought it for $200 bucks from him because the engine ran and it was at least worth that by itself, and had it towed to my house.

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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
Oh yeah, and for good measure, I locked my keys inside the grey civic somehow.

So not only do I need to diagnose it for ClintEastwood-itis, but I have to break into it as well lol.

Any tips to break in cleanly from seasoned Honda B&E-ers? Looking at you West Coast members.... :)
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well first you.... lol I'm playing.
Idk why this thread doesn't show up under recommended reading with the new posts. Definitely a great read so far.
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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
I honestly think having it NA with the GSR trans gear ratios would be a very fun competitive track car given the current state of the chassis.
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I agree.
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Stefanzoh
i find stuffing a rag in the firewall holes works well... not pretty but keeps airflow out..
also nice catch can, got one just like it 😂
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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
So lots of updates.

Got the injectors back from FIC, and new gaskets and such from NAPA to put the head back on, but the exhaust manifold is warped about 0.020", so I need to take it to the machine shop to get resurfaced. Its warped where the bubbles were coming from haha.


I honestly hate installing seats with harnesses lmao. These brackets are so low and the seats are so low there is no option but to remove the seat again to adjust the submarine strap.

The driver side is solid and fits me perfect, but I had to configure the passenger side in a position that would fit the general scope of people, friends and family who might ride in it. That's hard to do! Haha.

So I used myself, my wife and son to get an idea of where the sub strap needed to be positioned. After literally close to 5 solid hours of dicking with it, its finished. Honestly, this seat is very comfortable!

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Got the firewall plugs finally installed. Used some cardboard to make templates, then took some of the old NASCAR side skirt plastics and a jigsaw to make the plugs:

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Lucked out with one hole, I was able to use a normal round hole grommet.

@Stefanzoh I remember having this discussion about crankcase gasses and where the HVAC fresh air vent intake is under the cowl, its right here:

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So you can see how having HVAC on fresh air mode will basically route all crankcase gasses from this opening righg through the HVAC duct work haha.

I installed the plugs with rivets and silicone on the back side to seal the firewall and plug together. Where wires pass through, i just went ham on the silicone and gobbed it up around each cable to seal any openings :)

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Fresh air vent hole siliconed and sealed:

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Man.... having a ventilation system is so yesterday.
Nicely done. I didn't realize you were talking about the hvac spot lol, I thought you were talking about the a/c evap hole where your power lines are. Same deal nonetheless, I must find a big rag to stuff in my HVAC hole lol.. JK I'll probably do the same as you with some plastic.

drtalon123 said:
Got an idea for a draft tube design to get the crankcase gasses to expel downwards while driving.

I think I'm going to 3D print a nylon hat to sit over the breather filters that has rubber weatherstripping along the bottom to create a seal, with tabs that use the can hold down fasteners to keep it clamped down. The hat would then have a 2.5" diameter hose nipple, which can then allow a 2.5" aluminum pipe notched at about a 30° angle to get attached to it via a silicone hose elbow to direct the gasses down towards a gap between the subframe and the body:

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Then weld on some support tangs for the tube to be attached to the car further down in the bay with some bolts and rubber spacers.

This would allow for decent serviceability of the breather box, would serve its intended purpose of directing gasses out of the engine bay, and would not require me running hoses down under the car and finding a way to clamp them up against the underside.

I think it'll work lol. I'll prototype with PLA first before wasting my good nylon filament on it!
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That's clever. How's come you're worried about the gasses being expelled where they are? Y'now, since you just plugged up all the firewall holes. If your prototype doesn't work then I have an idea. Mount the box on the outside of the car :cool:
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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
Because my instructor was right, they really should be directed out the bottom at minimum in a draft tube type design. Clean air to the cabin for the driver and passenger is always a plus haha.

I'm gonna see if I can find the video of the blow by once it really got hot haha. EDIT: Nevermind, you really cant see it on camera, but the whole car smelled like really warm 10w40 haha, not the most plesant thing in the world!

I'm just too lazy right at the moment to modify the exhaust to do a venturi tube in the side lol, this will be the ultimate step eventually, but this hat idea can be done without the car in the air or me on the ground and it will work haha
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Haha I see. Yeah trust me i know what it’s like to choke on that oil vapor, it’s nauseating.
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Stefanzoh
What gauges are you using for the oil temps?
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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
Prosports, with a gauge plate from GregParts:
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Those look good! Added to my wishlist lol. Very affordable too.
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Stefanzoh
drtalon123 said:
Went to a buddy's house and did some virtual VIR runs last weekend, in a 95 civic hatchback, NA with 240whp lol

I was AMAZED at how accurate the sensation of the rear coming around through certain high speed corners was compared to actually driving the track in a similar car. Very impressed with these sims, the one I drove was worth about 10k, but it was very cool! It became second nature after a few laps, heel toeing and all, was a blast!

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Then for fun, V10 era F1 cars around Nordschleife, then Watkins Glen haha
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That room must be like a jungle with all the setups running :LOL: :LOL:
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Stefanzoh
Soul Engineering said:
So that you all understand what you're looking at. This is a RAC Turbo modded GT2860RS. The modification is fairly simple. The turbine wheel (exhaust wheel) has been updated with a Xona designed 5 plus 5 wheel that is about 30% more efficient than the original disco potato exhaust wheel. This not only increases potential horsepower, but it also decreases lag by about the same amount. So what you end up with is a turbo that spools insanely low in the rpm range, pulls well past 9k rpms, has potential to make 400+whp, and is perfectly suited for a 1.6L engine.

Here's a look at the different exhaust wheel:

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And yes, this turbo is full Vband on the exhaust side. Inlet and outlet.

A picture of the stock style 9 blade exhaust wheel:
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So you're telling me this turbo shits on my 2867r?:cry::cry: I wonder how it compares to a g25-550.
How much are these modded units selling for?
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