Skars 97 B16A Civic Hatch

[Skar]

So im not sure how many of you have actually seen my build thread of my car from start until now... shes been through a few changes cosmetically, not so much mechanically/engine wise although that was the plan originally. Anyways, here goes.

I used to have D15z4 Series Ballade, which i converted to a D15B SOHC VTEC. Life was good, she ran extremely well never had problems with her. The the time came for a decision and instead of my plans to turbo, she was sold. The search then went on for a couple of months when i hit a luck and found a '97 Civic Coupe in mechanically good condition, body was good, but had been neglected a fair bit, especially the interior. Got a good price on it and started the restoring process. I took possession of the car on 7th September 2010.

right away i went about sorting and checking things but here's a short list of the Pros and Cons of the car..

Pros.

Whale ***** Induction
Top front strut brace
Sleeve Over adjustable suspension(brand unknown-assumed Megan Racing)
Rear Lower Strut Brace
17" Lenso Argus Vers3 Mags with 2 brand new tires and two 40% tread 215/45/17 Nankangs.
Momo Corse Racing Steering Wheel(Badly worn)
Momo Racing Pedals
Type R Shift Boot
Short shifter
Semi Clear Taillights
Type R Conversion Headlights(yellow and faded, also leaking)
OEM Red Badges
Metal Sunroof (Tilt and Slide)
Alarm and Immobiliser
TNT 4-1 Branch and 3 Box TNT 57mm Mild Steel exhaust system with Jap style back box.
New Ferodo rear Brake Pads
New Aircon Pump
New Starter motor
New Clutch
New Power steering Pump
Had a service done as well, oil change plugs etc.
New Rack ends and Tie Rod Ends and lower Balljoints.
Gearbox Recon.
New Engine Mounts all round.

Cons.

Front Seats Need refurbishing.
Door Cards need fixing/refurb.
Passenger side widow seal was broken
Passenger side door lock mechansim was faulty
Boot rattling a lot
Petrol cap Clip broken
Reverse lights dont work
Cubby hole clips broken held on by zipties
like 5kgs of random excess wiring in the car
Panels in the car rattle a lot
Passenger side seat rail(left) is finished, needed replacing.
Climate control left bulb blown
Few cluster lights blown and 2 super bright ugly red LEDS
Branch is cracked.
No Floor Mats
Cone Filter held on by a ziptie almost coming off.
Gear lever bush gone, lever rattles a little.
shift boot leather not installed properly on the metal plate
Gear lever rubber seal missing
Car Idles high (fluctuates)(2000rpm)and when put in neutral Rpm drops very slowly.
Boot matt missing
Boot floor paint needs to be redone
Left fender liner Missing right one only half there.
Fuel sender unit faulty
Petrol handle plastic release button by drivers door missing
Petrol Cap stay clip broken, cap closed using prestik.
Boot never opened when using the lever
Alarm Siren is dying
Fuse box below dash was loose and shorted out blowing my Ignition fuse once
Right hand side "cubby hole" opens under hard acceleration (Fixed - was missing a metal clip)
Elec mirror switch and other switches next to it loose (fastened, they would fall out under hard acceleration.)
Bonnet holder loose
Upper Balljoints need replacing
Upper Control Arm bushes gone

The Day I collected:

 

[Skar]

on the drive back from collecting her the interior was rattling like crazy. so i got back and stripped her out to find the rattles.

then i also started respraying my boot floor with a rubber like paint.

As the headlights where old and faded, leaking and also not done how i liked them - i was a fan on Angel eye headlights, so i replaced them, took a few extra pics too.

not knowing that the car i would buy would have Sleeve Overs on it already, i had already pre ordered some Skunk2 Adjustable coil over sleeves. these arrived, and naturally i set about getting them installed. Also, the sif-ass 17s i had on the car where sold, and i was going to buy a set of Enkei reps. i sold the 17s and put my car on hold while i waited for the end of the month to get the Enkei reps. To pass the time i attended to other things like the suspension etc.
Suspension was installed by The Mad Scientist at SSC Performance.

i also noticed that my branch was stuffed. Cracked along the primaries as well as flat on the bottom.

i was a fan of the buddy club rear bumper with diffuser as well, and my bumper had a crack in it below the tail lights so i thought what the heck, lets try this bumper out.

 

[Skar]

The enkies fell through as the guy bailed on me, so i needed something on the car. saw some nice rims, ordered and payed for them, but when i collected, the 15s didnt look like the picture as they where only for 17s. anyways, i needed the car on the road as i sold my 17s previously waiting for the enkeis. also the momo steering wheel was in pretty bad shape and no where could redo it the way i wanted, so a flogged it. bit of a mistake at the time i must admit. Bought a replacement while i searched for a OE wheel or EK9 one(way too expensive) ended up doing some minor other things while waiting.

the rims

redid the Whale ***** as it was looking old and worn.

redid my mirrors black as the white was peeling.
then decided to get them carbon skinned instead, so sent them to a mate of mine.
The steering wheel when bought and first fitted.


decided to take the cheapo branding off and make the surround black.

i also redid my calipers red while waiting, and then when i did finally get the car back on the road, South African roads decided to deal me with this after hitting a huge pothole...

i also had my tappet cover powder coated(couldnt find a place to do the oe look wrinkle paint)

 

[Skar]

i then reassembled the interior after replacing a few bits and bobs and doing some maintenance. rattles where almost gone apart from a select few.

boot floor completed.

i also sourced a set of new rims which i like WAY better. they also weigh in at about 5.9kgs as opposed to 7.5kgs.

a pic of the car with the new rims

i also resprayed my plug lead cover while i was bored at work, and fitted a filter to my induction.

 

[Skar]

so then i had this funny gearbox whine that just appeared out of now where one day while driving.took the box out, stripped it and low and behold, the cause was pretty blatant.

if i had the money i would of upgraded to a LSD and a 4.4/7 Final drive with a 180i 5th gear, but money was tight and i couldnt manage it. I did upgrade the flywheel however...

weighing in at 3.9kgs.
my Megan Racing Branch arrived as well(kicking myself now for going 4-1 - should gone 4-2-1 for better clearance)

my back box to be installed(was meant to be for my turbo conversion on the ballade.)

2 studs had been sheared off in the head on the exhaust manifold, so i had them removed as well for the new manifold to be installed. I also too the car to the body shop to have the buddy club bumper installed so the back box could be lined up with it. my mirrors where showing some progress too.

 

[Skar]

while at the bodyshop, i got hold of a CTR wing that needed some touching up which i did myself and got sprayed as well. i was also informed that the car and been worked on before, not very well either. i called the previous owner, who said that he has scraped the rear passenger quarter on a gate pole while reversing out his house the one day. damage wasnt bad fortunately, but the repair job was.

then when i got the car back, i decided to do the EK9 taillight conversion.

and my mirrors where almost complete.

i tried a different look for the car as well with the side beading going back to black.

 

[Skar]

i then went ahead with my plans to go B20..

I also bought some lug nuts

also redid my door cards as they where broken,

got my mirrors and B pillars back.

 

[Skar]

It had been exactly one year since i bought my Civic.. heres a list of work done in that year.

Replaced Upper Balljoints
Skunk2 Suspension installed
Whale ***** a filter and then refurbed it. recently sold it and installed some 43mm ITBs.
Got the Tappet cover resprayed red, and customized the plug lead cover after getting another and the right bolts to tighten it cos mine was in a bad state.
Gearbox diff broke got that fixed and repaired.(big up to Greg and SSC for the help..

)
tightened the rear underside bracket support as the 2 12 bolts where missing, every quick change into second was a thud.
Replaced driver window seal, petrol opener plastic and other various one, and petrol catch.
Pulled out parts of a home theater system inside the car along with about 5kgs of excess wiring, and the crappy front loader and other speakers
Removed the braided hose cover things in the engine bay.
Replaced the Fuel Gauge unit
stripped the interior(about the 3rd time now) and got rid of 90% of the initial squeaks and rattles that where there on the drive down from JHB
got new rims, Advan racing RGII after having another set of 15s on the car.
got the rear quarter bad spray and repair job redone.
got a boot matt
Fixed and recovered the door panels/armrests
recovered the interior in black suede
remade a new custom roof lining (respect to Whogives aka Stephen)
Replaced the broken TnT branch with a Mugen rep 4-1 (battling with clearance now and may sell it or mod it in future) and fixed up the leaky exhaust and changed the back box with my F1-X. at the same time, and an old sheared stud drilled out of the head.
Changed rear bumper to a buddy club rep(now for sale/swap going back to OEM and CTR Lip)
B pillars done in genuine carbon fibre
Mirrors done in genuine carbon fibre
sold the worn out momo steering(possibly a bit of a mistake) and ot a new steering wheel(originally wanted a Dc2 one or a OEM VTEC one) but that all fell through so got a decent one and have had it customized with red stitching and some Carbon fibre
Replaced 3 wheel studs (with OEM) one was missing, i sheared one off taking the wheel off and the other was in the same state.
Replaced front brake pads with OEM (thanks MDSC - SSC performance)
Sprayed brake caliper Red
Re-sprayed boot floor in rubber paint
fixed cubby hole brackets as both where broken.
Changed climate control lights to red after replacing 2 burnt out bulbs(thanks brianssj100)
Removed the 2 red LEDS from the cluster(looks sif and strange)
removed the racing gauge and the A-pillar
Re-located the Immobilizer button.
Fixed the CTR Shift boot (wasnt connected to the metal plate.
Replaced the rubber seal around the gear leaver on the body
removed remnants of old gear lock system, filled the center console hole on the side.
Cracked my windscreen

Made side trims black(they where a dullish yellow white, but may make them white again in future)
Installed Type R wing and modified the baseplate for the window wiper water jet.
Ek9 Tail Light conversion
Replaced faded CTR rep headlights with Angel Eye headlights
fixed reverse lights wire etc on Gbox
Re-furbed VSS connections works 100s now.
colour coded radiator and aircon stays and bonnet catch red. Also added Spoon Socks(thanks greg)
CC Ultralight flywheel
Replaced upper control arm bushes
D1 Spec forged aluminum red lug nuts
B20z Block re-bored to 84.5mm with a Golden Eagle block brace and B18c Girdle brace(so ive been told its from a B18c)
Golden Eagle Con-rods
Gotech Mini -X


Things i still needa/want to do..

get a bigger boss kit/longer, most prob get the D1 spec one looks nice.
get HID still deciding on Dual or single, but will def be 8000k, then align headlights
Cluster light up red in vtec
Make gear lever writing red
get red H badge for steering wheel hooter button(in the process)
red floor mats with embroidery(Black)
re-furbish seats in black leather and red stitching with embroidery(Red H in front seats only to match the floor mats.)
Fix passenger side left seat rail
respray Engine bay(still deciding, may go black)
Assemble and install B20 motor and run in, upgrade cams, ram tubes for ITBs etc as well.
put mesh in front bumper and install ctr lips front and back(after reverting back to stock rear bumper)
Install sound system of 2x10" subs, 6x9s and front mids with front loader.
get rear strut brace (may be a red megan racing one. looks cool, or even a custom one like the front)
re-do boot matt
get LED light for interior dome light and boot light
Replace windscreen and windscreen rubber seal(want to remove it myself and do some anti rust round there before new windscreen is installed - may have to tie this up when i redo the front and and have that stuff sprayed. also think that the windscreen seal may be the cause of my leak

)
replace rear tires
get branch clearance issue resolved(may get a whole new system with the B20)
Black Bonnet (maybe even try my bonnet concept idea)
white grill
flush front bumper
fenders resprayed and small dents etc removed(may just replace them, but the whole front end i want to redo - bumper, fenders, etc.)
Dual Guage pod cluster buy and get oil temp and pressure guages for b20
Adjust handbreak
Replace stabiliser bushings(they creak every now and again)
Fill engine mounts with P.U filler when engine is out and completelY flush radiator or possibly get a new one.
Possibly repsray my rims (not sure on white or black with polished lip etc dont know yet, maybe go 17s..)
need to get the spare wheel Tie down thingy and a few more small interior plastics.
get a lvl 4 auto watch alarm installed and fixed up the central locking and stuff.(some minor but annoying auto elec stuff.)
maybe some anti-smash and grab
Insurance! (hopefully this time next year i will have some extra papers behind me so ill have a higher pay and can afford this!)

so yea.. still got a fair bit left to go, but ill get it done bit by bit as i have already.. you guys must know how big the too do list was when i bought the car..

 

[Skar]

i decided to get my steering done in Carbon fibre as well, and did the red stitching myself.

got my engine management for my b20 build.

redid my entire interior in black suede, redid my seats as well as started on my ICE.

i had to make a custom roof lining due to my sunroof being a bit 'bulky', then looking for a sunroof roof lining seal became a mission.
lastly i got a red H sticker for the steering.

also the seat head rests where completely done yet, but i liked the embroidery idea i gave the seats.
the sound setup was as follows at the timenot installed)

2x Pioneer 10" DVC 1200W Subwoofers
Pioneer 460W 5-Way 6x9s
Pioneer 180W 2-Way 6" Mids
Pioneer DEH 4350UB Head Unit.
will be a 2 Amp setup using 4 guage wire.

 

[Skar]

interior installed, sound wiring being laid as well.

i had by this time decided against the b20 build due to complications with the seller, so i was staying b16. i focused on getting the car up and running and restoring it to where i wanted it. i made some custom floor mats, replaced my done light with an led, sorted my seat rails.

 

[Skar]

so i had the windscreen replaced after putting my car on the track, and sent it to the body shop for a complete make over.

as you can see i did quite a bit, i removed the BC bumper, made the grill white, side trims white again, bonnet black. also had to replace my radiator as the old one was blocked.

 

[Skar]

After the new rad was replaced i went and got a whole bunch of suspension work done, front rack ends, stabilizer links and lower balljoints as well as uprated RTA bushes... Uprated RTA Bushes didnt take any of the other front suspension bits. Gotta say, the difference in the cars suspension was like night and day.

got some added colour for my wheels..

Completed the exterior with these as well

After this i did a fair bit of work to the car, got some new front tires, redid the calipers, installed my sound system, managed to source a sunroof-roof lining seal with a bit of DIY.

Specs are:
Starsound 2400W MonoBlock Amp
2x 10" Pioneer 1200W DVC - set to 2 Ohms
AudioBank 1600W 4 Channel Amp
Pioneer 460W 5 Way 6x9's
Pioneer 180W 2 Way 6" Mids with some unknown tweeters i bought the car with lol.
Haven't got a measurement of what its pushing(not sure where to go?) I thought i had lost a windscreen wiper nut and putting a traditional 14 nut was a no go for me so i ordered a set of red windscreen nuts from BOLTS BOLTS.(then i found the missing nut the day after)Also waiting on my new alarm siren to arrive as well as a red 12 SMD LED for the boot light(for the H in the parcel shelf). then its aircon regas along with getting the car back to SSC to have that knocking sorted although im convinced its the right inner/outer cv now as im hearing intermittent clucking sound when turning left... that will happen sometime this week hopefully.

Also fitted a set of Buddy Club SpecIII+ cams.

Specs are:
BC Spec III+ Camshafts
Adjustable Camgears
Perfect Power SMT6 Chip
MotorCade CAI
Megan Racing 4-1 Branch
57mm 2 Box Mild Steel Exhaust.
MSD Superconductor Plug leads
Superlight Flywheel

the epicness of how much more raw the cross over is is amazing... ill never turn back on this. ive added cams to my list of "one of the first mods to do" haha.

 

[Skar]

In my search for my knocking sound, i started to rule things out and got a little busy. replaced anti rattle clips, upper control arms and decided to upgrade my brakes at the same time. I changed pads afterward to Ferodo's dont have a pic of them.

Old rattle clips:

new clips:

Old UCA bushes:

new:

New brakes(front and rear, only got pics of front)

I then decided what the heck, why not do the sunroof in Carbon Fibre as well... so i went at it myself this time.

last layer of resin before sanding:

the day before i took the sunroof out, i decided on a little shoot for shits and giggles, using my blackberry pouch as a height gauge. i liked the eye candy.

 

[Skar]

A final sanding and test fit before getting a layer of clear coat..

clear coat applied, waiting to dry:

so i finished the sunroof, and then reinstalled it again, big thanks to Waterfall Panel and Paint and DART Auto, i would have been able to go at doing CF by myself without their help and direction.
Fitted:

i also needed some new tires again, the last ones only lasting a few months(under 10k kms). this due to a miscommunication with my mech after redoing my suspension bits so alignment was out. i had also been searching high and low for the knocking sound and was convinced it was cvs. anyways, so i put new tires on again and decided to try out a new idea... looks good for the first 1000kms or so, then it needs touching up rather often - a bit of a mission and one i dont really intend to repeat.

We then managed to solve the issue by swapping the left and right outer CV - then the problem went away. however, in my recent trips from Durban to JHB, on 3 separate occasions, my outer CV boots popped off during the trip back. we also discovered a small tear in the inner boot so my car had been back to the CV workshop 4 times in 3 months for the same issues pretty much... a CV shop i have never been fond off personally but my trusted mechanic uses them so i did not question...until this.

Seems their shoddy workmanship had finally revealed itself. They had stripped my drivers side balljoint thread, so while i was driving(lucky at was after my spirited session around some corners on a local highway), my car literally collapsed to the ground. Of course they stood back and took no responsibility because the car was "modified". ive been through the legal route before(with the B20 setup) and wasnt gonna do it again for 3 reasons. 1 my car is still broken if i do, 2 i need my car and it still needs to get fixed regardless of who pays and im still gonna have to pay if i want it mobile asap. 3 im not having that kaka hanging over my head for years while the legal system sorts it out.

so i considered going facelift conversion, but decided against it as i already had a spare bonnet lying around. i decided to ditch the Angels and go full CTR, with a white bonnet. Another miscommunication with the body shop and the bonnet stayed ember black, with a little more red in it this time - so i didnt complain - i like it black anyways. did a DIY conversion to some normal lights and made them CTR look a likes.

Also decided to change engine oil and filter as well as gearbox oil. my gearbox oil hadnt been changed since i repaired my diff, over two years ago. it was still using Castrol Magnatec 10W40(it was all i had on me at the time). the car had been tracked since then and had had some hard driving as well in between as well as a fair bit of mileage and standing. I also decided to try a change in engine oil, from the above to Shell Helix HX5 15W40. i have to admit, i seem to prefer 10W40, but sticking with Shell for now cos it aint bad and im not topping up so much after spirited driving. she never used oil much anyways, and shes using even less now. The gearbox oil change - dear lord what a difference!! the slight click i had when changing into 3rd is now almost gone, and the changes feel much more solid and smooth. I used Castrol MOT think it was 40W70 or something. - Proper transmission fluid.

i then attended a local Dyno day on a stingy dyno to say the least. The previous figures where flywheel power, this is wheel power. My exhaust is also leaking as i need a new branch gasket where it meets the exhaust.

B16a Civic Dyno Run - YouTube

Thats all for now and thats it summed up from start till now. I havent included all the niggles but most of it is all here. I still need to fix my exhaust, readjust my handbrake again, adjust the new headlights to proper height and find why my brake lights dont work when pressing brakes. ill be looking into this soon.

hope you found a little of this interesting. sorry i was a little bored at work so i thought i might share something from halfway across the world. Cheers.

 

[Skunk257]

Hey another fellow South African

Glad you went away from the angel eyes and the rear bumper

 

[Skar]

Lol I have my moments of madness, and I know I have some 'rice' blood in me but hey. That's how you learn. Ill never go back to angels now, nor that bumper. But still I liked it at the time so ya, transformations came and went. Where's your ride?

 

[Skunk257]

Hahaha, we all have a bit of ricer inside us all, my cwest front bumper still sometimes appeals to me lol

My rides in this thread, first page too