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Noir - A Slow And Sleepy Rebuild Of A Gen 1


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#1
anjin

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I bought a gen 1 shell in pretty good condition about two years ago. The primary reason was to have a spare shell for the track orientated kakaburra, and I started a much interupted project to get it engined, up to scratch and registered as a daily with some performance upgrades.

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I have just managed to get the engine started and running today after a two and a half year rebuild.
It is a browntop zc/D16A1, with blacktop pistons, a 30 thou plane of the head, port and polish etc, 20 thou plane of the block, aftermarket cams, camgears, exhaust header. Should be 11.5 compression ratio. Currently running a pj1 ecu, but that may go for an aftermarket ecu the same as GENONE's supercharger build if I find its needed.

It will have illumina struts and shocks, or koni reds (not the sport version), or maybe even a set of showa's up front. 24 or 27 mm torsions; and 350 lb rear springs. All are avalable in the shed - I just have to make a decision. I also have to decide whether to stay with drum rear brakes or change in a teg disc axle.

Waiting for the AUS/US exchange rate to equalise before getting a fibreglass sunroof.

Seats are an issue. The current aftermarket ones are too high; and bright blue. Otherwise its pretty much a standard interior in good condition. May put in a digidash, as I have a couple stting in the shed as well.


What will interest people more is the fibreglass bits. Fenders, door pods and side skirts are ready and waiting. Fortunately I have two header panels in good condition, so that isn't a problem yet.

I should be trying them fitting them next week, and I will try to describe that process in detail.
anjin aka Ian

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#2
strudel

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Ian,
You just have too much time on your hands!! Is that a GenII in the background? I can't even keep up with DD's anymore. I have a 1 piece hood to repair and install in the CRX as well as an aftermarket bumper. Should be easy stuff to do but unfortunately or otherwise I managed to golf away too many days this past summer. Hopefully the winter brings things back to perspective. Keep up the good work. Jerry

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#3
anjin

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QUOTE (strudel @ Oct 12 2010, 01:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Ian,
You just have too much time on your hands!! Is that a GenII in the background?



Jerry

I am on holiday for four months - about halfway through that now. Thats why I can work on three projects simultaneously. It's been a great break, with good progress on each.

And yes, thats a gen 2 in the back. My new daily. ZC engine, repainted body (colour is a ford one called toxic!), no sunroof or power steering (both a bonus), air conditioning to be installed, aftermarket springs and shocks.

It will be interesting to compare the gen 1 and the gen 2 directly handling wise. I have forgotten what a none track gen 1 suspension feels like (31mm torsion bars are stiff as).
anjin aka Ian

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#4
anjin

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Today I acquired a perspex sunroof for the noir gen 1 project








It looks like it had some sealing issues as there is silicone on the edges. Otherwise its a nice piece of work that bolts up to the normal places.

I don't recall ever seeing anything like this, so I am assuming it is a custom job. I'd be happy to have that contradicted by someone who has the same.
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#5
NWClassicHonda

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Very cool!

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#6
OG Wagon

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that is VERY cool!


WagoCats HOOOOOOOO!!!!!

#7
1gencrx

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I've never seen anything like it before. Very Cool! I'd assume the silicone is from some kind of gasket that must have been on there at some time to get it to seal with the roof. You might have to get creative to make something work.

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#8
anjin

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QUOTE (1gencrx @ Mar 1 2011, 09:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You might have to get creative to make something work.


That is the intention.

Have to look at what the add-on sunroof people do for some pointers. Look at yachting solutions for hatches etc as well. Should be interesting.

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#9
anjin

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Old thread coming back to life.  This shell has been sitting in the shed being used as a store for four years.  Having just sold a red gen 1 crx, and a white Gen 2 crx in the last two months, this one is now back in play.

 

Was considering a B swap.  But I have a number of performance D parts, so I have decided to use these parts to produce a race replica build.  Parts include:

good browntop block

gude worked head, 30 thou shaved

replica mugen race cams

showa front struts

24 mm torsion bars

koni yellow rear shocks

mugen rear springs

race ratio gearbox, needing work.

thin wall exhaust

 

P29/pm7 pistons with 75.5 mm bore

gasket set ordered.

 

Still to decide on rods, but highly likely they will be aftermarket.

Also looking at itb intake manifold, or R1 bike carbs.

Electronic ignition is likely as well.

 

Next post will be in a month when the engine rebuild starts.


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#10
anjin

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About to put the block in for rebore and hone to match the pistons.  It's an original block - ZC5000156, which makes it the 156th real ZC block produced as I understand the numbering. 

 

The only thing felt to order is the crank and rod bearings - was thinking of race standard bearings but as track duty will be very low I'll go standard.


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#11
PuddleSkipper

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Very cool project! Was wondering if you switch to an electronic advance distributor you'd have to change out the ECU right? I guess what I was looking for was if there was a way to "tune" modifications made to a browntop running the vacume advance distributor and the PJ1. I know Scott plays with the weights and springs in his distributor. Also,are those Mugen replica cams for the Browntop specifically, or just the ZC in general? If they were specifically for the the Browntop, that's awesome!!! Wondering if you knew the specs on those, or had a link to them, or could maybe even measure the lobes. All I have ever seen across the Browntop swaps was swapping to a JDM cam which is supposed to be around 130 hp, so I wonder what the bump up in torque and hp is with the mugen cam is? Also glad you decided to do a vintage build, don't see many of them, and I'm looking forward to the rest!



#12
anjin

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Thanks for the appreciation.

 

 I am expecting a compression ratio in the 12's, so I want electronic advance to give me good control of the ignition curve and avoid the dreaded D word. I have done this swap to electronic ignition before, so it won't be particularly difficult.  Particularly if I decide to forgo repinning the ecu plugs - that was a mission last time.

 

The original car I am essentially duplicating was a purpose built race CRX intended for a japanese series in the late 80's; then imported to WA.  The browntop engine was native to the shell, including a different front engine mount on the rail (higher as it is in the G1 tegs). So the cams are designed for the ZC browntop.  I don't have the specs, but they are supposedly mugen cams or a regrind copied from the originals. I can do the standard to these lobe height comparison, but its area under the curve thats more significant and I don't have the means to measure that.

Don't know the power outputs - I do have contact with the original owner and driver, so maybe he remembers. The previous build I had standard cams with the same cr, and the engine had plenty of pep and could chirp the tyres on take off easily. Wet roads it would spin in third.  Never did dyno it however.

 

Ordered the engine bearings, so its just about go time for the engine.

 

 

Then I'll pull the box apart to check the synchros gears and springs.  I'm expecting that will be the most difficult part of the whole exercise as parts will be difficult.

 

The shell needs fibeglass fenders and side rocker covers, which I already have.  The front plastic which is the pop-up light design has a good crack, which means a repair job and reinforcement. A replacement zc hump bonnet, which I also have. complete with bonnet pins. And seats - looking to use g3 crx recaros rather than the originals; or an original passenger and race driver seat.  Digital dash, and the rear seat, just to complete the look.

 

Hoping to have a really nice car at the end.


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#13
anjin

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Block is in with the local machine shop.  Going to be 2-3 weeks at least, they are busy - drove past and they were working the Sunday. They do drag, race, truck and other engines, and the know they can fit mine in where they can. Provided I don't hassle them they will preference me over people who do hassle them!

 

Meanwhile there is some body work to be done.  Fibreglass fenders were fitted today, prior to doing the fairing and preparation for paint. fairly good shut lines, except up on the A pillar. Have to extend the fender a little on the left hand side.  A few evenings work there.

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#14
anjin

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Small update.  With the engine bay empty I decided it was time to change the standard front suspension up to what I wanted. 24mm torsion bars are now in, along with shortened SHOWA struts and camber adjustment plates.  Sitting at 3 finger spacing between the arch and wheel, with no engine and the adjustment nuts up tight.  Going to be low.

 

Also found out that the integra torsion bar tubes have longer adjustment bolts, by about half an inch. Hadn't realised that before.

 

All the engine bits are in place, ready for a build.  Researching synchro replacements for the cg box now. - that will be about the last thing to buy.


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#15
anjin

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Its been a challenge building this engine. 

 

First up, the combination of piston and rods I selected meant the wrist pins where a slide fit on both components, and the pistons had no spiral locks or similar. That was a non-fixable situation.  So new pistons with spiral locks were ordered.

 

This time I found some high compression PG6 pistons - about 10.4 cr, with teflon coated skirts.

 

Second problem was that the connecting rods were too fat at the piston end, and needed honing.  The local shop fixed that with about 90 thou taken off.

 

Third problem was that the local shop were not impressed with the spiral locks provided, which they saw as too loose and subject to side loadings which would distort the spiral locks, and eventually force them out of the groove and allow the wrist pin out.  Honda wrist pins are a small, uncommon size, at least for them as they deal a lot with drag engines etc.  So they gave me a set of trays with wrist pin locks of various sizes and types and told me to try my luck. Second last tray and 15 minutes later some mazda wire locks were found which did the job.

 

Fourth problem was found when trial fitting a piston to check for valve clearances.  The aftermarket rods are a H beam design with a lot of extra width, and they fouled the bottom of the cylinder walls.  That required notching the cylinder walls.  Once I found the correct depth - about 4 mm -  it was 15 minutes a notch with a flat bastard file - the tool name was very appropriate.

 

So I washed, dried and lubricated the engine bores again, fitted the crank and girdle, and installed the test piston this evening. 

 

Fifth problem.  The rod bolts install from the bottom into threaded holes in the rod - no nuts, which given the design of the H beam makes sense. But the bolt heads are quite high, and just foul the girdle.  Now I have to clearance the girdle outer rails. 

 

Going to have to tell the supplier that while the generic manufacturer rods might fit the D16Y blocks, they need a "small" amount of machining for D16A1 blocks.  I can't really complain - D16A1 blocks rebuilds must be getting rare - but it's been a journey this time.

 

Next time I;ll buy a rod/piston combination.


anjin aka Ian

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