Torino Red EF7 H2B

[paul.cherry]

Decided i'd copy across this from my project thread on the Uk forum for anyone that wants a read Initially started July 2020

So...this will be my first stab at a project thread! Hopefully it will work out to be something worth reading & looking at! Open for some advice from the super CRX-UK members & maybe this thread will be able to give some help for others to get some information from, all be it good or bad advice :lol:

I have a few things planned for this car but it is by no means going to happen overnight. This is my fourth CRX & I have always been an old school honda nut. A few ep3's previously but i've always had a pretty large soft spot for the CRX.

I purchased the car locally to me in November 2019 after waiting for a good solid CRX to jump back into the money pit with! Ideally I wanted a glassroof SiR but i already have a mortgage & don't need another!
So, when Mark advertised this locally to me, i had to take a look. Some "insulting" & haggling took place & i was on route back home with a tintop Torino Red Si

1991 Crx Si
1.6ZC 16v DOHC
Meister Coilovers
169k km's



That's it...no bells, no whistles. Just a good start for my fourth CRX. Initial plans were to strip it, check all out & make sure it was as solid as i hoped & from what i had checked over before purchasing. I found a small hole in the passengers rear sill which was easily cut out, repaired & sealed up but everything else seemed to be pretty good. Yes it had seen paint & yes it wasn't perfect but i can work with that in time!

I had a full Tanabe exhaust & stainless 4 branch which i fitted but not before i put a new resonator in the middle...it's a bit loud on full tilt!

IMG_20191019_154842 (2) by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I had a set of DC5 wheels in pretty bad nick which i then swapped for some Mugen RNR copies, got a local mate to refurb, powder coat & i fitted them as Mark was keeping the standard VT wheels.

IMG-20191022-WA0000 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20191022_211648 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

The clutch cable needed replacing due to stretching & headlight alignment was done. Quick checkover & MOT was then booked so i could tax it and hopefully get a month of bouncing down the roads before the salt arrived on the roads for winter!...The B*$t@rd failed on me, brand new clutch cable snapped on the brake test rollers. So they pushed me out of the test centre & left me to my devices to get a way home. Home after a tow by the old man, new clutch cable again (different supplier) & re-booked the MOT. A week later...yey, full years ticket & ready to roll 8)

IMG_20191216_093703 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I got about 3 weeks short driving/weekend "spins" until i parked up for the rest of winter time. Got all the oils & filters changed, & decided i should maybe look at the undercarriage & arches for protection. I built a pit in my garage when we built our house so up it went onto stands, completely cleaned up the underside & the arch areas. I removed the tank & exhaust system & went to town on sealing up the underside & the arches.

IMG_20200114_233816 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr IMG_20200119_160323 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I took a wild notion on the number plate over xmas (i hate the look of the full character Northern Ireland style plates), for some reason i don't think they look right on an old school motor so i started looking around for a nice 3 digit plate but then came across Scott's G2 CRX which he had mentioned on one of his threads he had it on retention. A few emails back & forth & the paperwork was then on route to me for transfer.
Whilst waiting for that, i had a spare vt lip sitting in the garage so i fitted that along with some "cheap" yellow fogs. Ideally i want a J's lip on when funds/availability allows

IMG_20200205_232315 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I wasn't a big fan of the Si spoiler, i've always liked either the standard VT spoiler or the clean look with nothing at all (although i have grown recently to the mugen style). So, i removed the wiper (weight gains :lol: ), and the spoiler to see what was i working with, mmm...bollocks :cry:

IMG_20200212_170535 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

Removed any rust, fixed, filled the holes & repainted the tailgate...i was now still thinking of a spoiler but wasn't sure which one!

IMG_20200219_013051 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

After a while, i realised i had to get some sort of spoiler but i didn't want to put any holes in it now after filling them all & re-painting so looked at options to stick on a VT spoiler or a mugen copy spoiler. I came across a small "duck bill" kind of spoiler like the ones seen on eg civics & others which the yanks seems to like a lot. Ordered one up & fitted it one night with just some 3M tape. At least if i didn't like it i could just take it off easily with no hassle although it is looking like might keep it as it has grown on me!

IMG-20200302-WA0000 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG-20200302-WA0001 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

Got some rover rear door handles amended, painted & fitted

IMG_20200626_160428 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

Fitted an ek civic armrest

IMG_20200519_193014 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200519_192900 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200701_214301 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I have planned to re-trim this to match the seats

Decided the much talked about 16v big brake conversion was a good upgrade so got to work on that & it was actually a lot more simple than what i thought. I've a mate thats an engineer so instead of trimming/grinding the calipers too far i got him to lathe off 2mm on the discs & got my G60 discs fitted up with a set of S2000 calipers & carriers with a spacer/spigot ring to centre the disc

Screenshot_20200519-153133 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG-20200616-WA0019 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I cannot stress how much this changed the braking on the car! It is literally day & night against what they were before & no change to mascter cylinder or fluids etc. Overall it stood me about £160ish for the conversion. Second hand calipers & carriers, new G60 discs, new pads, centre rings & some brake fluid

So, this is how it was sitting after a few months of ownership. I'd added & removed some small
bits & pieces to make it a bit more my own, driven it very little to be honest & now COVID-19 hit! mmm...what next ?-)

IMG_20200329_173139 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr




Some late night forum reading & the lust for more power started to get a hold of me. On a whim i bought Neil's (Peely's) old turbo kit which was 80% all there from Ben (Bean) & as soon as it arrived i had second thoughts! I've no clue on turbos whatsoever & although it was a cracking setup nearly ready to just bolt on i moved it on again for what i paid for it as i just wanted something a bit more simple.


So, what next? Something more simple, something easier to work with, something vtec... [:E] [:E] :roll: :roll: :lol: :lol:

IMG-20200609-WA0006 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

An Accord Type R was spied late one night for breaking local to me...made a few calls & haggled a bit (as you do!) & a few days after an H22a7 was on a trailer, coming home with me after a "required site meeting" with work :roll:
Now, the plan is H2B

I already had a decent Y2 in the garage from a previous car, had sourced a P28 & had some bits & pieces that would be useful towards this build. I had done some research over the previous few weeks, specifically on Ash's H2B build which was the one that got me really thinking. Not to be mistaken...I am not, repeat NOT a mechanic! I can do the basics & i am game to get stuck into anything but this is a whole new ballpark for me :shock:

[paul.cherry]

Got a hold of a DC2 cluster a while back, ended up getting it for £20, it was missing the plugs/pigtails but i sourced some of ebay for £10 so all in all...£30 for a DC2 cluster, can't be bad?

2020-08-10_09-42-33 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I reset the mileage to match my original mileage as i wanted it to all match up 169K km's to 105K Miles. Then proceeded to tackle the wiring
:shock:

2020-08-10_09-07-10 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

2020-08-10_09-07-20 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I had to make some cuts & some filing but fitted it to the cluster cover with some hot glue & its solid...nearly looks stock [thumbs]

2020-08-10_09-06-37 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

[paul.cherry]

Got myself a set of 15" Rota Circuits at humble money, they could do with good quality tyres & do need a refurb which my mate can do easily (he's full time wheel repair & refurb shop & has done a lot of stuff for me previously).
The question is...what colour? I'm leaning towards as close as i can get MF10 bronze look, although i do like a subtle silver finish. I will 100%, categorically, not be going white. I hate white wheels :lol:

Also...has anyone looked about aftermarket cone centre caps to match the Mugen ones? I can get them but can't seem to find any to fit the larger rota diameter. I've spoken to a local machine shop that could run off an aluminium bar to suit but the cost would be between £40-£50 per cap which I'm not spending! They need to be 62mm diameter & i can only find 57-58mm options.

2020-08-10_09-07-33 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

MF10 by Paul Cherry, on FlickrMF10 Silver by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

[paul.cherry]

Engine/box mounts have been ordered for the conversion, ended up going for innovative d-b box mount & a h swap mount to match my chassis from Tegiwa. I already have a b series T bracket

Also ordered a Lamb Tech H2B kit from the states. I looked at quite a few kits after ruling out doing my own. I reckon i could have welded all myself & worked it out but i wasn't confident enough to make a real mess of it :roll:

There were a few options out there but 2 stood out, the Brough Performance & the Lamb Tech were the ones i narrowed it down to. I didn't get any response from Brough after trying a few times for info so i opted for the Lamb Tech. I spoke with them & got some good info on the manufacture, fitting & the costs are "sort of" ok! Doesn't matter now...it's ordered! I have ordered it plain & not with the "H2 Beast logo/writing"!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2juSBnD]

[paul.cherry]

So, i thought i had all the wiring done 100% on the dc2 cluster...it appears not! I haven't been able to start the car up etc as the battery was in a mates car to get his through MOT...tried it the other night to check all was working & obviously by this post...it's not D'oh!

I've triple checked all the connections & traced all the wiring on the back of both clusters & all is connected up OK. The only thing that isn't connected up is the dash brightness control from the original loom to the dc2 clocks (there's no pin on the dc2 clocks for this...that i can see?). Funny thing though, when i adjust the brightness with the controller, the dash lights work as intended but the cluster lights are the opposite brightness to the dash! [xx(]

Update...
I had a look at Scott's pin out diagram last night that he sent me, i also re-looked at Mark Lammond's diagram on his website (the original pin out diagram i initially used parts of) and have got it all working now! What i noticed on the back of the cluster was an ignition feed that seemed to power the left side of the cluster which included the temp, eml & oil lights that weren't working for me.
I had left pin D4 out of any connections from my original trace of the lines as i didn't think it connected to anything!...i "presumed" the power i was supplying the cluster with from the other plug fed the whole circuit! #-o

"Offending" culprit :lol: ...now connected to a switched power feed!

2020-08-19_12-45-40 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr[/quote]

[paul.cherry]

I decided a while back, for 2 reasons...i didn't need the AC, and now a 3rd reason appeared in the shape of an H22 engine!
1. It needed re-gassed & a new belt
2. the condenser was shot (big holes & missing fins)
3. H22...no easy way to create space for the belt on the pulley without cutting the chassis leg!

So, out it came...

IMG-20200425-WA0001 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200426_171108 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200426_171103 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200426_171056 by Paul Cherry, on FlickrIMG_20200625_203557 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

I have removed all of it apart from the climate control panel in the dash which i need to keep for obvious reasons!

[paul.cherry]

Thought i'd give my pipe some polishing [8]

Some thinners to remove any gunk & polished up with a combination of wire wool & a machine polisher with various polishes & pads. For anyone interested i mostly used Chemical Guys pads with Menzerna 300/FG400 & autosol. Sealed up with CarPro's CQuartz ceramic coating

IMG_20200411_181957 by Paul Cherry, on FlickrIMG_20200413_160319 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200411_181937 by Paul Cherry, on FlickrIMG_20200413_160311 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

[paul.cherry]

I posted this on the UK FB page a while back too but thought i'd just put up here if anyone was interested in it.

Tail light smoothing...
I literally shaved off the lettering on the surfaces with a new razor blade as close to the surface as possible, wet sanded with 400 initially working up to 1200 then machine polished with Meguiars 105 & 205.
It's not massively noticeable but it does "clean" it up slightly & it's an ocd thing that i don't have to worry about anymore :lol:

IMG_20200503_165737 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200503_165853 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200511_165439 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200511_165445 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

IMG_20200511_165434 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

[paul.cherry]

Picture of the engine bay as it is...

IMG_20200427_154938 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr


If only it was this easy...

IMG_20200610_130216 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr

[paul.cherry]

Been doing some research the last few nights on the damper pulley vs h22 vs ef chassis! Some guys say the innovative traction bars work, some say the k-tuned work but i've not come across too many pictures of evidence. I have however come across a thread on Honda-Tech on where a guy has successfully used a 90-92 accord curved bar/rod that clears the pulley with no issues whatsoever...all be it with some light modifications to suit the length but i don't think that should be a problem! I'd nearly rather try this first & if it work its a good cheap fix alternative to a full bar from Innovative etc. Now, the search begins for the curved radius rod...anyone breaking a 90-92 accord?? :roll:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-...nside-1571209/

s-l400 by Paul Cherry, on Flickr