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Introducing myself and my project

13316 Views 57 Replies 30 Participants Last post by  jimmyb34
I am new here and pretty new to Honda engines.

I have built race and hot street VW air cooled, Small Block Chevy, and Holden (local GM in Aus) and a Toyota 7M-GTE

I have done mostly motors, but some transmission and body and chassis work.

These varied from a 1970 model full timber ski boat to a 1912 model 1 tonne truck to sweetened up daily drivers to speedway midgets, to 6 litre circuit and ski race boats to supercharged, MFI alcohol drag cars so I am not a newby to performance engine building.

I will have a number of questions specifically about D series Hondas as I am restoring and modifying a 1988 Aussie model CRX.

Only one trim level was offered in Aus, but the good news is it is pretty much identical to the JDM Sir with 4 wheel discs, 6? X 14" alloy wheels, no back seat at all (just a parcel shelf and fold down divider between passanger and luggage areas), twin cam 1600 EFI motor and close ratio 5 speed with short diff ratio. I am still trying to sort the exact specs.

The engine is a D16A8 with catalytic converter rated at 127hp.

I also have ordered the driverain less motor out of a 1988 JDM Civic Wagon with 6 speed (really a 5 speed plus a stump puller low that is not normally used except in tight situations off road) transmission and Real Time 4 WD.

I also have a D17Z1 SOHC non V-tech motor only out of an early 90s Aussie model Civic.

I also have access to several turbos, one with a 36mm inducer and the other somewhat larger, but not yet measured.

I intend to restore the CRX to look as factory stock as possible. OEM trim, maybe leather steering wheel and gear knob, no non OEM body kit nor spoiler. OEM suspension height Maybe harder springs and bars and shocks. 15 X 6.5" or 15 X 7" wheels.

For front brakes, I am considering DBA 5003.1 rotors which are 278mm X 15.9mm and weigh 2.7Kg. I am still looking for 4 spot calipers, possibly those from a Nissan Patrol. I will need to make some aluminium hats for the rotors to mount on. For rears, I might use the OEM fronts or the DBA 5003.1s again. I need to research 2 spot rear calipers and parking brake arangement. If the rear calipers do not include a parking brake, I might need seperate very small mechanical calipers, or mountain bike discs and mechanical calipers mounted inboard. I might need a bigger bore master cylinder.

I intend fitting an LSD to the front at least, probably a Quaife unit. I might put a locker in the rear if traction is still an issue. Probably not with the 1988 Honda RT system.

It will retain OEM air conditioner and power steering and central locking converted to remote.

I will attempt to remove some weight but I do not want to reduce comfort. Maybe fibre glass bonnet, front guards and hatch with Lexan MR rear windows and hatch (maybe).

I hope with the 4 WD and Propane conversion to not add more than 100Kg, hopefully less than 80Kg due to weight savings elsewhere.

A good Alpine stero with 10 stack, but no external amplifiers or boom box speakers. If they don't fit in the OEM provisions, they won't be fitted.

It will be converted for liquid injection, propane fuel only. I will remove all traces of the original fuel tank, lines, pumps, filters etc.

The car has 400,000 Km on it and is very original except for the new gear box and regular maintenance. It runs and is not noticably smokey, but leaks oil, and has vague steering. Gear box is a brand new Honda replacement fitted a year ago.

Motor needs rebuild. Suspension needs some bushes and shocks. Seats need complete rebuild. It has some minor rust holes in pillars near glass. Paint is completely RS but original red. OEM bumpers only need minor repairs. I paid A$800 with new tyres and 6 months rego.
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My first questions are:-

Are there different twin cam head castings, if so what is different.

Are big valves available and effective.

I am pretty sure that there are a few different single cam V-tech heads. Which one is best. Are big valves available and effective.

Has anyone done side by side flowbench tests on the twin cam head and the best V-tech head for the D series.
I have studied the D18 build thread by sql_civic and I like the way he did it.

I anticipate using the D17 crank with the snout modified to match the original D16 crank snout so that the stock D16 oil pump, front cover and seal, cam drive gear, cam drive belts and balancer along with pulleys to run stock D16 ancillaries. I can machine the snout myself as I have access to a toomakers facility.

Can anyone see any problems or a better way to get about a 94.4mm stroke in a D series.
OK

I will search more.

I now know how to spell VTEC.

My searches to date have found some very good info, but unfortunately diluted by lots of posts by clueless wannabees. I guess I just need to sift through.
Single cam D

No problem to me, I got it wrong by shooting from the hip, you helped me fix it.

Smurf seems to have a problem, but that's his problem, not mine. I just ignore such crap. I am here to learn what will work for my project and share the results.

I have done some fairly radical mods before with succes, but Hondas are new to me.

I know a B series is a better high performance base, but they are heavier and if I want the 1988 Civic RT 4 WD, I am tied to a D series gearbox and I think that ties me to a D series engine, or so I am told..

I am trying to keep weight down, especially front end weight as I want this thing to stop and handle as well as accelerate.
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Unless I can get flow data to the contrary, my thinking now is to use the twin cam head I have, install larger valves and stronger springs and unshroud the chambers and do a mild port job. I need to see the ports to decide exactly, but obviously enlarge the pockets to match the big valves and possibly rework the valve guides and maybe the port roof to streamline the guides and deflect flow away from the shrouded sides and a 5 angle valve job.

I like my engines to have a tight quench area. I expect 0.032" piston to head should be enough with 78mm bore.

If possible I will set the valve notches to make it non interfering with a broken belt. I guess inlets and exhausts can still clash. I need the head off to make measurements.
I am wondering if I can run slightly longer rods, like about 145 to 150mm. The D17 pistons already have a tight ring package from what I see, so that would involve creating a tall deck block.

If the sleeves aremade long, that parts easy. It would also need water jacket walls to be cut and extended, longer studs and a longer timing belt. I have a spare block to cut up and I have a helper who is an aluminium welder. I need to search to see if a suitable length belt is available, like maybe a B series belt. Does anyone know who makes the Honda OEM belts and if other twin cam belts are the same pitch and tooth profile, but a bit longer.

It might be a wacky idea. I need to do my homework.
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I just looked at the block. The idea of cutting and welding a block won't work as there are to many ancillaries in the way, like the water pump for instance, so if I go for tall deck it will be long sleeves and a spacer plate to match the deck.
sql (Craig?)

I intend to make one. It is a simple plate cut to match the beck of the block, but not including the area of the sleeves.

If the sleeves were a snug fit in the deck plate and the deck plate is securely attached to the block, this could stabilise the sleeves and make it a solid deck rather than a floating deck block.
The only pics I could take now are of an old beater partly dissambled and ful of other junk as I am working on my daily driver which is a 1989 Integra into which I installed a CRV B20B.

I overheated it and lost ring tension or stretched the lands in the pistons so it burns oil. I am 3/4 way through installing a newer B20B, clutch and CV boots. Engine back in, but I am cursing the LHS inboard CV at the moment. I am sure I am doing it wrong and need to rethink. Either remove the intermediate shaft from the block and di it on the bench and install as a unit, or remove the shock/spring strut and the spindle to get better acces under the car. I think the latter to get a straight alignment with the three hemi joint thingys into the housing.

Then I can get back into the toy
OK I took some pics.

I need to go to work now, but tonight I will figure out what size to make them and howto upload.
Photos of the Project Car

This is the CRX as it stands today, partly stripped down and being used to store junk.

It was complete and drivable when I bought it a few months ago.

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More Photos Of the CRX

The last of the photos I took of the CRX today

Oh, It's parked next to the trailer for another toy, being the 1912 bus.

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The Daily Driver

The 89 Integra that is causing me some grief lately.

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My old bus

This is the 1912 model Little Giant 1 tonne truch with a bus body on it.

We have just welded up the crankcase, we are having sleeves installed and new pistons from a top fuel Harley as they fit

I need to have a set of rods made, I will make a crank and I will make a blank cam.

I have a Honda motorcycle dry sump oil pump to hide inside the oil tank to modernise the oil system so it does not throw another rod.

I built the trailer beside the Integra specifically to accomodate and transport this.

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The boats

My race boats in ski race and circuit race trim, my clasic wooden clinker plank ski boat and me skiing.

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The drag race cars

I did my only ever trip down a dragstrip in the street registered blown alcohol MFI Torana. 11 seconds flat with a real big pedal when it changed gears and got well out of shape. I built the motor and tuned it. My first attempt at blowere, and alcohol and MFI. We seriously overpowered the chassis, so instead of cutting up a mint classic car, we bought the Capri and installed the motor/gear box from the Torana into the fully tubbed and caged Capri.

The Capri has run 7.89 @ 189mph with Gary driving. I have retired to tuning only on this one.

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