Update 2024: 17th Annual Road Trip 1987 Honda Crx - Dallas To Panama
#91
Posted 31 October 2021 - 12:37 AM
got everything back together monday. holy #&*!,!, this transmission feels amazing!
ive had so much slop in the shifter and backlash in gears. driving down the highway in 5th, the old shift knob would wiggle side to side 2-3. this one wont budge
feels precise and slick shifting gears
i had figured i was a crappy clutch shifter. it would always bounce between gears..... the new clutch w tight springs engages the clutch so much better. my clutching is way better now.....
the other morning at cold start up there was a slight bearing rattle w cold oil. my concours did same thing when i bought it (was in an accident by po, i had thought that was a release bearing. it wasnt and a tranny shop fixed it). i think this one is similar. im sure its fine to drive, but will take out of service for a tear down. i might end up putting this one on the shelf for future..... if feels way to good to burn up driving all these road trips
changing to honda mt fluid now. and to change rear hubs as second hub arrived 2 days ago. then recheck alignment camber.
i rotated the front drivers ball joint 90 degrees clockwise. curious if that changes camber
#92
Posted 31 October 2021 - 09:46 AM
Thanks the new CRX is coming along.
MOOG makes the shim kit. Basically a plastic or nylon, not sure on actual materials, disk that allows you to adjust toe and camber. I looked into this for my 86, that sees mostly track time, and was not liking the idea of plastic with the loads the suspension sees.
here is a link
https://www.partsgee...DIaAsppEALw_wcB
i looked at Honda shims for Fits, as they have a solid rear axle design as well, but the dimensions were different. I have also seen some that are just thin flat plates that go over two of the hub bolt holes. This got me thinking that it wouldn’t be too hard to just make my own out of 16th or 32nd thickness sheet metal. Once you know how much a specific thickness moves thinks you could easily figure out what you need. Also metal that thin could be cut with hand shears.
something like this.
https://www.eeuropar...XwaAqSmEALw_wcB
nice job on the transmission. That’s one thing on my new CRX, the miles are so low it’s like butter and so precise. Not used to that in the old cars.
Victor
86 K24 Powered CRX SI (SMF Solo2, HPDE-4 NASA & TA-A Time Attack
85 CRX DX totally original
07 Harley FXST Softail
2021 Tacoma Tow/Daily
#93
Posted 09 November 2021 - 07:29 PM
i rotated the LF ball joint mentioned earlier 90 degrees clockwise during xmission change. moved camber from -1.1 to -.8. good enough for now until i rebuild the subframe and raise the torsion bars.
drained the tranny of the dino oil. installed honda mt fluid
Had vibration getting worse over past few road trips. balanced all 4. tread was down to 2/32-4/32. tire shop said belt going bad on a front. new tires ordered and installed.
selection is really crap now for 185/60r14 tires. i need good road tires. tires i can take back on 2 tracks w sand and mudd. i went w general altima. can say it’s the best tire. sure drives and feels great down the highway. vibration gone. they’re not performance tires. the tread width touching the concrete is not as wide. they lose the sportier look. i’ll probably set up a second set for around town
lastly,.... night driving really sucks w oem headlamps. been wanting to instal extra driving lights. my wife drives an acadia. the lower foggers have a nice sharp horizontal beam, 55w. i picked up a couple of sets from a junkyard a while back. installed them a few days ago. used a drummer to carve out holes in my bumper. looks pretty clean.. night driving looks much better
heading down to austin this weekend to visit my daughter on campus, then final preps for trip.....
#94
Posted 09 November 2021 - 10:49 PM
Upgraded my bulbs in my 86 to some from PIAA years ago, much better at night and never had issues with overheating the wires. My camber has never matched on the rear. One side is -1.1 and the other is -.78.
I was just looking at tires for the 85. Man just so few options from the name brand tire manufacturers.
Hope you have a safe, event free trip.
Victor
86 K24 Powered CRX SI (SMF Solo2, HPDE-4 NASA & TA-A Time Attack
85 CRX DX totally original
07 Harley FXST Softail
2021 Tacoma Tow/Daily
#95
Posted 10 November 2021 - 12:46 AM
1993. My college buddy and I drove to Kentucky to pick up the black crx. Note his Prelude. He bought a back end and welded it on from the junkie....
On the way back to michigan, I kept looking out the back window admiring the car.. so i bought it off him. This is the earliest pix of the beater I have
1995 ish. Lived in NYC. Frequent ski trips in Vermont.
2002 ish. Under the tarp is CRX #4 I parted out. Taking it to the scrap yard. Got a lot of use out of that trailer. Took a toll on the tranxmission.
#96
Posted 10 November 2021 - 03:10 AM
GM driving light off acadia/outlook/travers/malibu/camero/equinox. I removed the inner fixture from the frame and screwed it into the bumper w wood screws for now to get this going on the trip. The frame must act as a heat shield. I'll need to keep an eye on this so I dont melt my bumper until i get it figured out.
Notice the 20yrs of road rash on the bumper....
#97
Posted 10 November 2021 - 10:30 AM
Creative solution, let us know how they work!
Victor
86 K24 Powered CRX SI (SMF Solo2, HPDE-4 NASA & TA-A Time Attack
85 CRX DX totally original
07 Harley FXST Softail
2021 Tacoma Tow/Daily
#98
Posted 12 November 2021 - 10:22 AM
This is the type of backwoods driving the beater is taking me... Hence why she's called the Beater. A hellava work horse! Old pix posted in past. Lost when server changed. Taken on previous trips back to Michigan
Grouse Hunting
This is why I love going back home. The hidden treasures driving back in the woods
That bowl was a foot deep. About crapped my pants on this one
#99
Posted 12 November 2021 - 10:45 AM
Tires..... Few and far between for name brand tires. Lots of no names from china I want nothing to do w...
Far right my old Toyo Extenza HP A/S 185/60r14. DOT 2015. I think they were discontinued shortly after I bought them. Were made in Japan and M/S tires. Reasons I bought them. Contact tread is 6.25" @ 3/32". I liked the profile for my purposes
Middle are new Uniroyal Tiger Paw 185/60r14's M/S. I just got in. Contact tread 5.75" new. These seem to be a fair replacement to the Toyos. Currently on the rear for my trip
Left General Altimax 185/60r14. I just got. Tread contact 5.25" new. Have these on my front right now. I can't really see profile too much. Seem to be a more aggressive traction tread for the distance/weather driving I do. The tread spacing is the largest of the three. I feel these will work well in rain and the Michigan backwoods 2 tracks I drive.
Obviously, I'm not going for racing performance street tire.
I was surprised how many really aggressive meaty snow tires are out there by brand name companies
The Generals/Uni's don't have the nice straight sidewall like performance tires. They are a bit balloon like.
I want a nice comfortable tire for distance driving, better rain and snow performance and backwoods,.. well, any help I can get there.
I'll set up a second set for around the town. As I don't drive in the rain at all locally
#100
Posted 12 November 2021 - 10:51 AM
a few years ago we had an overnight rain and the 2 tracks iced over. I followed my father in the woods opening deer season. Car was slipping and sliding. Had to have my dad help push it up the hill in one case.
So I pick up a set of these off ebay this week for $30 NOS. I'm not a fan due to the fender clearance. Went w cables vs chains for that reason. I'd need to keep the wheels mostly straight. I think they'd help me get out of mud holes as well... but how to get them on under water...
#101
Posted 12 November 2021 - 09:09 PM
Much better than chains. I was looking at tires for the 85 and just so few choices in the 13s in stock size. Seems Discount tire and Tire Rack have the same choices, very few!
the tires on the 85 have lots of tread but the sidewalls are showing since of developing cracks due to age.
Victor
86 K24 Powered CRX SI (SMF Solo2, HPDE-4 NASA & TA-A Time Attack
85 CRX DX totally original
07 Harley FXST Softail
2021 Tacoma Tow/Daily
#102
Posted 28 December 2021 - 11:34 PM
I worked at the plastic company that formulated and manufactured Saturns plastic body panels in the 1990's. Ironically, I drove my CRX there. At the time, I had no idea those panels on the rex were plastic. Sooooo, I did a lot of processing/testing/analysis on the saturn material. PC/ABS blend. Pulse resin. Tough stuff. I remember testing at 0 and -40C doing Izod impact, knotch and tensile testing.
A later life I worked at a defense company. I was in their non metallics division working w plastics/rubbers/adhesives for a while.
Put this together... Bonding body parts on steriods...
3m 2216 is what we used on missiles, aviation and warfighter hardware. Survives nuclear/biological/chemical attack. spent 10's of thousands of dollars bonding this stuff to different rubbers and plastic. Then testing from -40c to 130f. Its great stuff. I know it, so I use it. Its $200 a pint, not cheap. get it a specialty avionics 3m supply houses.
Then you need material.... The key is material compatiability. Since I was very familiar w Saturns material, I later put it together this was very similar to Hondas "HP Alloy" as they called it back in the 80's. Which is a pc/abs blend. Key was material campatibility and coefficient of thermal expansion. Must bond the same materials. Then they expand/contract identically over temperature so the bond doesn't break apart over thermal cycling. And the 2216 holds up to NBC over more extreme temperatures than our Hondas will ever see. The 2216 remains a little flexible, so it gives during thermal cycling to maintain the bond.
Enough of science lesson....
Finished product. Patched good enough until I remove the rocker sill and patch properly from the other side. This patch will keep it together when I disassemble later on. This silver patch is the piece of a saturn door panel i pulled off several years ago. Material is near identical to the CRX panel. I picked silver and white panels since it reflects UV and had minimal degradation of material. I can still bend the saturn plastic. It bends and yields before it snaps. Great patch substrate!
#103
Posted 28 December 2021 - 11:53 PM
I removed the bumper and head panel. removed the headlights. I had problems aiming lights as adjusters would not work (car was salvage title back in 1988 and this is another after effect of that accident).
The adjusters have metal posts connected to the headlight frame. The posts are square to they don't rotate when adjusting. I had to rebend the metal to fix. I disassembled the adjusters, straightened the adjuster posts (oversized screws), and greased the mechanisms. All works as Honda designed!
Then, I bend a coat hanger, attacked coffee filters to the end. sprayed w windex and cleaned the insides of the glass. Crystal clear now.
The light beams use to cross over each other, offset to the right, poor visibility.
Now its all clear and adjusted. Using the sylvania silver star ultra 9004s are huge improvement over stock halogens.
I picked up a set of halogen H11's for the foggers in silverstar ultra and put them in tonight. Another huge improvement. Love the 4 headlights now. probably 300% better w the improved adjustments, clarity and brighter bulbs. Now we'll see how often i have to replace them
#104
Posted 28 December 2021 - 11:58 PM
Lastly, protecting the radiator from rock damage on my road trips. All I need it a facture in the copper to shut me down somewhere cross country waiting a week to get a replacement radiator....
1/2' mesh backing. I used home depot painted metal gutter guards. Mesh is larger than window screen. Felt it was a good balance of airflow to rock size.
Looks fine w bumper/header back on. She's my road warrior, not trailer queen!
#105
Posted 29 December 2021 - 12:13 AM
I replaced the ignition coil w an NOS last week as well. over 270K and 34 years old, mitigating future roadtrip troubles..