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The Kakabox Build


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#1
kakabox

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Neighbor gives me a '87 Civic Si. Since I already have a daily driver and another hobby car, I've decided to make this car a streetable ax/ot car. The car literally sat on a jack in the back alley for 2 years, but w/a new battery and twist of the key it started right up...amazing, gotta love Hondas! smile.gif

About 10 yrs ago I built a 1g CRX w/a '87 'teg drivetrain and used it for my dd for ~4 yrs and absolutely loved it...so, for the KAKABOX ax/ot car, I'll do the swap again, but this time I'm really concentrating on weight reduction and suspension.

After stripping the interior because of mushrooms, slugs (yup, found one living in a wheel cover!), little plants growing (leaky sunroof in rainy Seattle!) inside the car, I drove to the local dump and threw the interior away! On the way out of the dump, I drove the KAKABOX over the scales...after subtracting my weight, the Si weighed 1852 lbs. w/half a tank of gas, spare & jack!

Not bad for a start...since then I've removed the door panels w/speakers (20 lbs. total), the stereo (4 lbs.), rear wiper motor etc. (3 lbs.), rear tow loops (2 lbs.)...still lot more to remove, i.e., replace sunroof w/alum panel, remove all tar based sound deadening...I'd like to see a sub 1800 lb. w/the D16a swap & full tank gas...

Anyway, I'd like to post my progress along w/pics for everyone to follow along and comment on...that is if everyone thinks it'd be value added...? Plus I'm sure I'll have more than a few questions for all the experts here!

Anyway, on w/the show! Here's a couple pics of the car just after I drove it out of the alley into my driveway...ah, hmmm, have to learn how to populate my "Gallery" first! I registered, set password, but I don't see my gallery (kakabox)....? I'll have to work on this...

#2
badpenny

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You can always start by putting it in your Garage. and then linking to the pics that way.
Honda, because it's hard to look baller in your mom's Volvo.Posted Image 
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#3
E-AT_me

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red or black?
1986 Civic Si; b16a is in.. just gotta get it running..
longest swap ever..... :(

#4
76kcfdeng

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You have to ask RPR for a gallery, explained in the FAQ. Welcome, do alot of reading in the FAQs and use the search function, sounds like you already know quite a lot about these cars but there are always new ideas out there. Looking forward to pics.
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#5
kakabox

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E-AT_ME: Si red
badpenney: Good tip...I did and will!
76: I registered for a gallery, got email confirmation, set up my psswrd...all seemed well, but, when I went to find my gallery to populate w/pics, I couldn't find it (kakabox)...maybe it takes 24hrs for the site admin to set up? Dunno, just guessing...I'll research more when I have time.

Pics of the 'BOX in the "as found" condition:
http://www.redpepper..._gallery&id=472

...and after driving around the block to my driveway:
http://www.redpepper..._gallery&id=473
http://www.redpepper..._gallery&id=474

Still trying to find my gallery to load pics....?? Where (what page) do "new" galleries end up on? I'll figure it out eventually! rolleyes.gif

Next up: KAKABOX preps for her first outing as an ax-whore...and KAKABOX goes on a diet!

Cheers

#6
WOLFCRX

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You need to pm RPR and tell him you set it up and then he will pm you back with the link to your gallery.

Wecome smile.gif

Edited by WOLFCRX, 24 September 2005 - 02:12 AM.

RPR Convertible club:


84 Straman project build

#7
kakabox

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WOLFCRX: Thanks! I'll do that...that's a shhhhwheat CRX 'vert you have there!

Cheers

#8
kakabox

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Here's last weeks weight savings effort on the KAKABOX (from a baseline wet weight of 1860 lbs):
Driver's and passenger side door panels w/speakers = -20 lbs.
CD/Reciever = -4 lbs.
Rear Tow loops = -2 lbs.
Passenger side sound dampening = -10 lbs.
Exterior mirrors = -5 lbs.
Total: -21 lbs.

The mirrors really surprised me as to how heavy they are; 5 lbs. for the pair! blink.gif


...here are the "replacements" on the scale:

...a scant 0.5 lbs. smile.gif

On the passenger side I cut a 16g steel plate, from a template of the oem mirror, and welded "studs" on the backside which corresponded to the oem mirror holes:


...did the same for the driver's side...the mirror I selected is a Raydot 3.5" dia...it's the same one Shelby used on the 427 Cobra's (it's also the same mirror they used on the "Elenore" Mustang in Gone in 60 Seconds!)...here it is attached to the plate:


...and here's how it looks on the 'BOX w/the mount plate painted matte black:



...and inside:


...here's the passenger side block off plate:


Cheers! cool.gif

Edited by kakabox, 16 April 2006 - 10:56 AM.


#9
kakabox

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AX'ing the KAKABOX:

I decided that rather than take the 'box offline right now to do the d16a eng/tranny swap and suspension upgrades, I'd take advantage of the remaining practice ax sessions my club is holding this year and get a little seat time in the "before" mods state.

First I determined the car was sound enough (it had be sitting outside, not driven for 2 years) to buzz around a large parking lot by driving to work, a 50 mile round trip. Then, since I had gutted most of the interior (due to a very strong mildew odor; sunroof leaked), the car was riding high like a 4x4... I also noticed the car had a strong tendency towards understeer (an understatement)...I decided the rear needed to be lower and have a little more roll stiffeness. So, jacked the rear up, put jackstands under the rear control arm attach brackets, a floor jack under the axle beam, undid the top shock mounts and dropped the axle. Slipped off the coil springs and fired up the die grinder w/a cutoff wheel...cut 2 coils off (~2") of the top progressively wound portion of the springs...I also removed the bump stops from the shock shafts and cut those in half so as to give me 1.25" more travel. Slipped the coils back over the shocks, and raised the axle back up, attaching the shock tops inside the car.

I then lowered the front by dialing back the torsion bar adj screws...ended up w/the rear ~2" lower and the front ~1.25" lower.

Anyway, the car is a hair stiffer in the rear, but, w/145K miles on the original shocks, bushings, ball joints, and tie rods, 175 70 13 sized tires (some off brand made in China named "ENDURO"...hard as rocks) riding on 5.5" wide steelies, it's not exactly handling like "it's on rails"! blink.gif

But that hasn't stopped me from flogging the living kaka out of the box in 3 practice ax's so far (number 4 is this weekend), redefining the term "understeer" the whole time! biggrin.gif

Here's a link to a video for the 'box's best time for the last ax, a blistering 42.259...compared to the ftd of 34.something (a supercharged uber miata)!

http://home.comcast....91705_42259.wmv

I was very consistent that day: out of 9 runs total, I had 8 in the 42.xxx's. Here's one run where I tried a little too hard to break out of the 42's!

http://home.comcast....x_coneeater.wmv

...opps! blush.gif

Cheers!

Edited by kakabox, 29 September 2005 - 09:10 AM.


#10
JoelEspinoza

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Id be interested to see what it feels like after the mods. I have a turbo 86 si thats pretty quick but needs more suspension work. I live right down in tacoma.

#11
kakabox

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QUOTE (JoelEspinoza @ Sep 29 2005, 01:07 AM)
Id be interested to see what it feels like after the mods.


Yeah me too! Although 7 years ago I built a '86 CRX Si w/a '87 Integra d16a1/tranny/rear axle/brakes/lsd/26mm torsions/Eibachs/koni red adj in front/tokico ill 5-ways in back, external rear stabar, yada, yada, yada....so I kinda know what to except. Although, already, I'm liking the stability of the >90" wheel base better than the 89.5" CRX wheel base dynamics!

This time around the car is going to be a streetable ax/ot car, not a dd, so I can get a little more radical w/the suspension and lightening.

I'm currently trying to find a '88-'89 'teg in the $500 and under range to buy complete for all the swap mechanicals...but having trouble finding sub 200K mile examples at that price point. Go figure! rolleyes.gif

Btw, I'm up in Seattle...do you ever take your car to PacRaceways for ot?

Cheers

#12
breadvan

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lookin good, so far wink.gif
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#13
C_piddy

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awesome mirror..... thumbs up. love it


chris
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#14
jay_blu1983

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I think Bremerton has one last solo this season. Not sure can’t check here at work stupid proxy server! it would be tight if we could meet at a solo/auto-x event?
Your Car MUST be fast!!!!

Cause you were halling ass whan I passed you

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RIP old Blu/gray SI 1985 to oct 2004
RIP Silver/Black DX 1984 to July 2007

#15
bigk3000

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dude i cant believe you threw an SI interior in the garbage regardless of its condtion!!!!!!!!! LOL i would have payed you for some of that stuff sad.gif

good luck on the project, i drive a civic with a d16a1 form a 89 integra for my DD and i LOVE it. so much fun to drive.
EXPLOSIVO!
84 Civic Hatchback 1500S-w/ d16 blacktop :P
86 Nissan 300zx GLL

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