The BME #618 LHD CTR Build

[SixEighteen]

Wheel Cleaning – Adam’s Polishes
[...]
Throughout the season, the white wheels got pretty nasty from scuffing cones and being tossed into the back of the hatch. Tonight I decided to clean them up as good as I could, and store them away in my basement for the winter.
I’ve been using Adam’s Polishes products for over 10 years now, and their products have never left me disappointed. My personal favorite “every application” type of product is their Detail Spray. It has a magical fruit punch/bubblegummie scent, and works for damn near everything I’ve used it for. It does a great job of refreshing wax, removing light dirt buildup, or wiping down a dusty dash. I also grabbed a new bottle of Buttery Wax and applicator, Clay Bar, Interior Detailer, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, Quick Sealant, and a new towel and interior brush.
Overall, I’m very happy with how well the wheels cleaned up. It certainly is not easy maintaining white wheels and I was expecting a lot of the marks to be more stubborn than they were.

Here are some pictures of the scuffs before and after.

And a little cameo for my sidekick Henry. For the cuteness factor

 

[SixEighteen]

Off-Season Plans ’14-’15
[...]
VTEC Issue Update: I spent a little more time on Monday tracking through all of my wiring, and found that 2 pins on my ECU were bent and not making proper contact with the connectors. After bending them back, VOILA! VTEC is working again and the car feels fantastic.
As for my winter plans, the car will be heading off to my sponsor shop, All Speed Innovations. Be sure to check them out at allspeedinnovations.com .

Things that are definitely happening
- clean up the wiring
- slight wire tuck and engine bay shaving (just enough to clean it up without making it impossible to work on the car)
- Strip and clean the chassis, paint engine bay white
- Half cage by All Speed Innovations
- Teamtech harnesses (4 or 5 Point)
- Rear camber kit
- Battery relocation
- ss lines and AN fittings

Things that might also happen
- K20A-R Swap
I know that the typical consensus is that the K24 is the way to go. But I really want a package deal of factory performance with high revs, great power, and factory LSD. Without having to go the route of needing to source parts from several sources to piece together my drivetrain (’06+ TSX longblock + ’09+ Civic Si transmission internals + RSX transmission case). With custom intake, exhaust, and K-Pro among other peripheral swap parts, I figure the K20A will put down around 230whp/165wtq.
I want the car to be the perfect balance of performance and factory reliability. All while keeping with the spirit of the red badge.
Lots more to come once the car arrives at All Speed Innovations and I can discuss the plans with Pat!

 

[tico_ek9]

Looks beasty..

 

[SixEighteen]

All Speed Innovations Cage, Part 1: Prep

[...]

Well, the car is finally in Ohio at All Speed Innovations being prepped and fitted for its half cage. This was my first time visiting the new shop, and I must say that I was super impressed with the layout and how organized everything was. Every car has its own file and section on a large steel rack for part take-offs. I have been to several other shops around the Midwest, and this is definitely one of the best organized that I have been to.

Here are some pictures of the shop.

www.allspeedinnovations.com

Pat, the owner, and I got started on removing the interior in order to prep the car for its new DOM half cage. All of the lower interior is removed, aside from the dash. The half cage will consist of a main hoop, down bars to the rear strut tower, harness bar, x-bracing, and a rear strut tower brace. Upon completion, the cage and rear interior will be sprayed white to match the exterior. In addition to the cage, the car will also be fitted with Teamtech 4-pt harnesses, a flocked dash, SPA Technique Dual gauges (Oil Temp./Oil Press. & Water Temp./Trans Temp.), fixing all of the wiring and a mild tuck, Driven suede-wrapped 12.5″ steering wheel, and a few other goodies. If everything falls into place, the CTR may have a K24 before the start of the 2015 season… So stay tuned.

Here are some pictures of the interior removal.

This is why slamming a street car is never a good idea… One of the previous owners must’ve hit something nasty that punctured through the floorboard. This will also be fixed.

That’s as far as we decided to go today. All that’s left before the cage is to remove the dash, and trim all unnecessary bracketing. ASI plans to start work on the cage next week, and should be completed by about the end of January.

 

[SixEighteen]

Theoretical Calculations: B16B v K24A2

[...]

Since the car is in Cincinnati and I can’t really do anything from Chicago, I have been doing some analytics to compare my old setup to the new one. I wanted to see the comparison in power from the B16B to the K24A2, as well as evaluate my transmission options for the best setup for autocross.

Here is a dyno comparison between my B16B and an average K24A2. As you can see, the difference is dramatic. The car really is a blast to drive in its current state, but the K24 will be a gamechanger for taking the car to the next level of where it needs to be.

Here is a comparison of acceleration forces between the B16B and the K24A2 with EP3 5-speed. You can see that first gear and second gear have the most dramatic differences, but the K24 setup is quicker in every single gear.

Choosing the K24 wasn’t really the difficult decision to make, choosing the transmission was… From talking with a few people and reading the forums, most people were going with the 06+ Civic Si Transmission with LSD. This seemed like the go-to answer for my setup, all until I actually analyzed the ratios…

Here is my current gearing in the B16B. My second gear tops out at about 65 mpg, which is pretty ideal for autocross.

Here is the K24 with Z3 transmission. This gearing is ridiculously short… 2nd gear tops out at about 53mph, which would cost me time on the course from having to shift more frequently. In talking with another SMF driver from Florida, he was launching in 2nd and running his car in 3rd when he had this setup.

After speaking some more with one of my buddies on Honda-Tech, he advised me to look into either the EP3 5-speed or a 4.065 Final Drive for the Z3 transmission.

The EP3 transmission, with a bumped up 8000rpm redline, will hit just shy of 65mph in 2nd.

Here is the Z3 transmission with the longer final drive, 4.065. 2nd gear tops out around 63 mph in this configuration.

The drawback of the EP3 transmission is that it does not come with a factory LSD, and has slightly slower acceleration in 2-5 than the Z3 w/ 4.065 FD. But it is about $700 cheaper, which frees up the budget for an MFactory clutch-type LSD, which will be better than the OEM helical in the Z3. While it’s not quite as sexy as having the 6-speed, I can’t deny the $/benefit of the EP3 transmission.

When all is said and done, I will end up going with the EP3 transmission and MFactory clutch-type LSD.


Engine Update: I purchased a K24A2 from a 2006 TSX last week. It will be arriving at ASI on Monday!

**Calculations were all derived using information from Fast Car Physics by Chuck Edmondson.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: 618’s New Heart

[...]

Last week, I took the first step in turning the #618 Civic into a complete monster #BeastMode… I purchased a K24A2 from a 2006 Acura TSX from a scrap yard in Columbus, OH. Full long block, with Intake manifold, upper exhaust manifold, coil on packs, engine wiring harness, and heat shields. While most of these parts will be coming off (and hopefully sold), I was very pleased with how complete it was upon arrival. The engine is now sitting at All Speed Innovations awaiting its disassembly and testing. More to come on that.

Here is just a quick update with some pictures.

I have also secured sponsor #2, who is going to play a HUGE role in completing this build. They have been great to work with up to this point, and I look forward to representing them in 2015! I will post an official announcement once parts arrive. So sit tight!!

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: DC2 Subframe

[...]

One drawback to the K-swap in the EK is the unfavorable engine placement when using the factory EK subframe. Sure there are ways to work with it, but it winds up leading to many poor characteristics… The engine is placed more forward in the engine bay giving poor weight distribution, there are clearance issues with many of the engine components (hood, header, radiator, etc.), and poor axle angles.

When planning out the build, we knew that the obvious choice was to swap out the EK subframe in favor of an EG/DC subframe assembly. Using this, the engine can be placed closer to the firewall, and eliminates just about any of the clearance issues. An additional benefit to this swap, is that it offers more options for improving the poor steering ratio that the EK has. We toyed with steering quickeners, but all in all that was not the direction that we wanted to go.

Yesterday, our “new” 2001 Integra GSR subframe assembly arrived at ASI (LCAs should arrive tomorrow). The assembly is in fantastic shape, no rusting whatsoever and just about everything is in tact. Some minor fixing of a few items, but nothing concerning. The current steering rack on the car is just a hair under 4 turns LTL… It is atrocious… However, with the new GSR rack we should be under 3 turns LTL. This is a significant improvement over the current system.

Here are some pictures.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: Engine Testing

[...]

When buying a used engine from a scrap yard, there are always going to be concerns and you’re bound to run into some issues. Today, the folks over at ASI ran the leakdown test on the K24 and had some not-so-great results… Cylinder 1 looks good, but 2 and 3 are terrible and 4 is just okay.

– Cyl 1: 87/90
– Cyl 2: 50/90
– Cyl 3: 30/90
– Cyl 4: 80/90

Next steps now are to inspect the head. If we’re lucky, it’s just a little bit of carbon build up and/or the valve lash needs to be adjusted. Worst case scenario would be a burnt or damaged valve or seat, which would require additional machining/parts replacement. Fingers crossed on the next set of results, but even under the worst case scenario I wouldn’t be too disappointed with having a freshly built head.

Here are some pictures. As you can see, the exhaust manifold is off and all of the plastic shields have been removed.

 

[SixEighteen]

Sponsor Update: Hybrid Racing

[...]

Well the time has come to announce my second sponsor, Hybrid Racing.

[/URL]

Hybrid Racing,
12231 Industriplex Blvd. Suite B
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 932-9588​

A couple of weeks ago, Hybrid Racing responded back to me saying that they enjoyed my proposal and would like to get involved with our build. As you can imagine, their support is hugely beneficial to completing this build and we couldn’t be happier that we’re partnering with them.

The guys over at H-R have been nothing but fantastic thus far. Beyond product support, they have provided valuable advice along with additional setup recommendations. Over the next few weeks, several boxes will be hitting the docks at ASI. Everything from a full shifter kit, to radiator and fuel line kits, to some banners and other cool swag. When the parts arrive, I imagine that it will look something like this over at ASI. (Can you name that movie? RIP Paul Walker)

I’m not sure that there is anything more satisfying than unboxing a bunch of beautiful, brand new parts when they arrive… Keep an eye out for some new product reviews along with lots and lots of pictures!

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles – EP3 Transmission

[...]

For those of you who have been following this blog, you know that I chose to go with an EP3 Si 5-speed transmission. Since this is an autocross car, 2nd gear top speed is crucial. While the typical transmission of choice is the 06+ Si 6-speed with LSD, the gearing was just too short for what I needed. Top speed on that trans in 2nd gear was around 53-55mph, which just wouldn’t have worked out for autocross. With the EP3 transmission, and rev limit bumped up to 8000rpm, I am able to hit almost 66mph in 2nd gear.

Here is the gearing chart for the 06+ Si trans

Here is the gearing on the EP3 trans

That grey line is very important for autocross, since that is where you spend 95% of your time.

Yesterday, I picked up a 5-speed transmission out of a 2005 Civic Si. I was a little bit skeptical, since this was the lowest priced one that I could actually find ($350), but the trans was only about an hour drive away so I was able to inspect it before purchase. According to the vehicle report, the car was totaled in December of 2012 and the mileage reading on the odometer was 78k miles. This all checks out with a third party report that I ran myself.

The input shaft spins without any grinding, and it shifts cleanly into each gear + reverse. It includes the clutch fork, slave cylinder, VSS Sensor, Reverse Sensor, and all attached mounting brackets. The seals are all in tact and there doesn’t appear to be any broken teeth on the VSS or inside the axle inputs. The shifter bushings will be replaced with aftermarket Hybrid Racing bushings, and the clutch lines will also be from Hybrid Racing.

Here are some pictures.

Checking the shifting into each gear

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Reverse

The transmission will also receive brand new shifter cables from H-R, and gears will all be selected using the newest version of Hybrid Racing’s bolt-in fully adjustable shifter kit and delrin shift knob.

Here is the reverse sensor

VSS

And the clutch slave cylinder

The transmission will also be cracked open to inspect everything and replace anything that needs it. It will also be fitted with a brand new MFactory helical LSD.

More updates to come!

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: Overnight Parts From Japan

[...]

So throughout the week, parts have been flooding in to both my home and ASI. It has pretty much been like Christmas every day at both places. I’m really starting to get excited about putting it all together, and just about every part needed for the swap has been ordered.

Hondata KPRO Version 4

MFactory Helical LSD (Special thanks to 10cjennings!)

Starter & Alternator

Wing Tilt Risers (aka Alex Brackets)

EP3 OEM Spark Plug Cover. I think it will look great with the yellow valve cover.

Hybrid Racing / Innovative EK (with EG/DC subframe) Engine Mounts. I am actually sending these back though, because I decided to special order a set that is black anodized with yellow 95A bushings.

Bosch Primary O2 Sensor

Misc. OEM Bolts, Mounts, and Bearings

Additionally, the new PLM header arrived but I don’t have any pictures of it as of yet.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-swap Chronicles: Farewell B16B

[...]

Today, the good guys over at All Speed Innovations pulled the B16B out of the CTR and loaded it onto a pallet for shipment to its new owner. I must say that I really loved this powertrain. While it was no torque monster, something about ringing it out to 9000 rpm that always seemed to put a smile on my face.

I hope its new owner enjoys it as much as I have!

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: More Parts

[...]

Just a few more things that have arrived.

PLM V2 Swap Header

Torco Trans/Diff Fluid. MFactory recommended running 50:50 MTF/RTF for my application with the helical.

DEI Gold Heat Foil. I have another sheet already, but we plan to wrap the front of the IM, the intake box we make, and maybe along the firewall by the header.

RSX-S Charge Harness

Bolts for the DC2 Subframe and Knock Sensor

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: Sponsor Parts

[...]

Some goodies from Hybrid Racing showed up late last week! Along with a few other parts that I had ordered.

Parts that have arrived in this shipment;
Shifter Cables
Clutch Line Kit
AC/PS Removal
V4 Conversion Harness
Radiator Cap
Slim Radiator Fans (x2)
Radiator Hoses
Coolant Temp Sensor
Coolant Switch
Radiator Bracket
Tucked Fuel Line Kit
RDX Injectors and Clips
RBC Intake Manifold
Throttle Cable
Grounding kit
Shift Knob
Cold Air Intake
Miss. Swag

Still waiting on;
Bolt-In Shifter Kit
Griffin Full-Sized Radiator
70mm Throttle Body
6″ Filter and Velocity Stack
Throttle Position Sensor
Hytech Pinned VTC Gear to 45*
K20A2 Oil Pump
K20A2 Timing Belt Tensioner

Other parts that were recently received;
MFactory Magnetic Drain Plug Set
Battery Terminal Covers
Upgr8 $25 Rear Camber Kit (figured it was worth a shot)

K-Swap Chronicles: Driven Steering Wheel
[...]

Another quick update. My new steering wheel arrived today at ASI! They are a dealer for Driven Steering Wheels, so I felt it would be cool to give one a shot. It’s 12.5″ diameter (down from 14″ on the Spoon/Momo wheel I used to have) which should make the quicker GSR rack feel even better. It’s black suede with red stitching and red alignment stripe.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: ASI Visit #2

[...]

This past weekend, I drove back to Cincinnati to get a little bit of work done on the car. I had some pretty lofty goals that I wanted to accomplish, and wasn’t quite able to get it all done. The biggest let down was not being able to get the DC subframe into the car. Mainly because I didn’t realize that it was missing several bolts and mounts that were needed. Long story short, we removed the EK subframe then had to reinstall it at the end of the day so that we could set the car back on level ground for the cage to be installed. Not ideal, but that’s the way these things go sometimes. Especially when trying to manage from a distance. At least now I know the last few things that are needed to get it completed. Anyway, I did post up some pictures of what we were able to accomplish.

Finished stripping out the interior to prepare for the cage and painting, along with radio and antenna removal.

Antenna Delete. To do this, there is a small plug behind where the little cup tray is below the drivers side vent. Unplug that and it pulls right out. I also removed the rest of the wiring from the dash.

Alex Bracket Wing Risers. The install on these wasn’t difficult, just a little more tedious than I was expecting. Just a slight rake forward for now, but I’ll try a few more aggressive settings for autocross.

Removed the radio and speakers. Future plans are to install a set of SPA Technique gauges Oil Press./Temp. and Water Temp./Trans Temp. Combos. This year’s budget was running tight so I put those on hold for now.

Mocked up the steering wheel. The grip is phenomenal, and the size is perfect. 12.5″ is spot on and fits right in with the cockpit. It really adds a little touch of aggression to the interior. I just ordered new black counter-sunk bolts for it too. I’m not a huge fan of chrome.

We also removed the JDM Wind Visors. Here is the car as it sits now. The transmission is at the shop with ASI now, and I am ordering up the last few bolts to get the subframe assembled.

The cage is supposed to begin going in this week.


I also unwrapped some of my swag from Hybrid Racing. They sent a banner, hoodie, and two t-shirts. Along with an assortment of stickers.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: Making Progress

[...]

This past weekend I visited ASI to help move things along with the build. Points of focus were; to discuss the cage final design plans, finish engine assembly, install the DC Subframe, and install the new Hybrid Racing Shifter.

Here is the latest on the cage… Pat discussed how he wasn’t totally impressed with the strength of the rear strut towers and that he felt the best option would be to build rigid boxes with dimpled steel plates as a base to mount against for the rear bars.

After that, we rolled the car over to the lift so that we could begin work on the subframe and shifter.

DC Subframe and rack installed

Here are some pictures of the new version Hybrid Racing Shifter. This was one of the first runs of the shifter that was sent out, so fitment wasn’t 100% perfect. We needed to cut the shifter trim out and grind down a corner of the tunnel. I spoke with H-R about it, and they said that fitment issues had been corrected after the first few shifters went out. While this was a frustrating setback, we were able to get it fitted and I’m confident it will be a great shifter.

We sprayed with a coat of paint at this step and let it dry for about an hour before completing the install.

Shifter mounted up.

 

[SixEighteen]

Unfortunately the control arms that I bought did not have the endlink connections and were not going to work with the FSB… I didn’t realize this when I bought them, so I had to order a set of ITR control arms which are now on their way. We began installation of the engine mounting brackets, but when I sold the B16B I included the engine mounts and all hardware with the engine. So we got held up by not having the proper hardware for every bracket to finish the installation.

Some engine assembly pictures and other random ones that I took. This shows the K20A2 Oil Pump and Baffle.

Finished assembly with the newly powdercoated valve cover and Civic Si spark plug cover.

Some shots of the car on the lift. Things are coming together, hopefully the engine can go in the car by the end of this week, along with the ITR control arms and FSB. Then the cage will be next to complete, followed by design and fabrication of the ASI custom 3″ aluminum exhaust.

 

[SixEighteen]

... I'm a little bit behind on updating, so I need to catch up a few posts.


K-Swap Chronicles: Engine Installation (04/19/15)

[...]

I am happy to say that the new engine is finally in the car! Big thanks to Pat for all of his hard work to get the car to this stage, and we’re hoping to have it back in Chicago for tuning at ProFunction this coming Thursday. I like how we did the yellow valve cover to pay homage to the previously removed B16B. Keeping with the same spirit of the car that was delivered nearly two years ago, just with a new and improved powertrain. ASI will be running the fuel lines and connections, then adding all of the break-in fluids to get the car running hopefully sometime tomorrow.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: Progression, Near Completion (05/25/15)

[...]

In the last month, there have been lots of little things that have slowed progress and caused us to wait for new parts to arrive and prevented completion. Last month, we were about ready to wire up the car when we realized that the “Main Engine Harness” that was purchased back in January was a “Lower Engine Room Harness”… So that sucked and set us back a few days while we waited for a minty fresh one to arrive at the dealership. This past week, we found that we did not have the half shaft that we needed to make everything work. Along with the fact that apparently nobody makes a damn heater hose for a K24 in an EK… Kind of insane, but if it was easy then it wouldn’t be fun .

Anyway, I won’t ramble on for too long, I will let the pictures do most of the talking.

New ball joints and Rear Camber Kit are in.

Radiator and custom aluminum exhaust

The CAI was rubbing on the washer fluid tank and causing the tubing to kink, so we started exploring out SRI options. We cut the long CAI silicone tubing down to create a short ram in #1 and #2, with #1 having a 6″ filter with velocity stack. Then for #3 it is just a rudimentary aluminum tube mock-up.

 

[SixEighteen]

K-Swap Chronicles: It’s alive, but not ready… (06/19/15)

[...]

Well, it has been over 6 months since I left my car in Cincinnati… While the car certainly should be done by now, we have seen our fair share of hiccups, unforeseen delays, and scheduling issues.

The good news, is that the car is running and seems that the engine is strong and healthy. For those of you who may remember from a while back, my donor engine leakdown numbers were very poor. So from that perspective, things are good.

Everything engine and suspension-wise are completed, with the exception of the intake. The Hybrid-Racing CAI that I had planned to use didn’t fit properly with the washer fluid reservoir still installed, and the hose was kinking. So we have decided to make a custom 3″ aluminum intake with an airbox, wrapped in gold reflective foil. The filter is going to be an AFE 7″ with a 6″ velocity stack inlet. I have always preferred a well-designed short ram for the responsiveness over a CAI, so this should work out better anyway.

The custom aluminum exhaust is complete, but wayyyy too loud. we couldn’t hear each other from 3 feet away while it was idling… No sanctioning body is going to allow the car to run at that volume. So we’ve decided to make an additional rear muffler section out of stainless steel to give us more options on muffler selection. We’ve decided to go with a Magnaflow oval, and a removable Skunk2 Silencer for street driving. Since I drive the car early in the morning through neighborhoods and small towns to get to local events, the quieter the better. The original design featured a v-band before the rear suspension to leave us this option if needed.

Custom-Ordered Crow Blackbird Camlock Harnesses are in.

The cage is still in progress. The front and rear boxes are now complete. The last time that I was at the shop I realized that the main hoop was bent and tacked in, assuming that no interior plastics were being reinstalled. Being that I want to keep the car clean, this needed to change. I don’t want this to look like a hacked up track car. I want it to be enjoyable to drive on the street, competitive for autocross, and a blast at the track. All while keeping with the spirit of the CTR.

We also decided to run a braided stainless fuel line from the fuel pump to the inline filter.

I purchased a small generic coolant overflow tank on Amazon and plasti dipped it black. It will probably be mounted behind the driver headlight on the airbox. I taped off a small section so that I could easily view the fluid level in the tank.

And here’s a quick teaser of the engine bay.