An RT for me - the fruition of many months searching
oddomatik
New Wagonist
The waiting and searching has finally paid off. After looking seriously since mid-December, I've weighed many factors on 20-30 cars, and entertained many cross-county trips to find that perfectly-priced RT.
Price: had to be reasonable for the condition, and leave some breathing room on the credit cards
Condition: Anything considered, as long as it was priced accordingly and could be driven a distance
Distance: Had to appear as though it would make it home and not strand me along the way, which means basic maintenance and new parts a plus
Trim: Functional and maintained RT4WD and 6-speed, no exceptions
Like most, I have a vision for what my car will become. A fresh engine, some extra power, and some added off-road capability. Since most are too far gone for my budget to restore, I figured I'll go the other route and make sure the car has personality, a la handmade parts and repair, and some of those artsy touches that can make a car look so unique. Anything that would hinder this progress or become expensive to reverse would not be considered. For example, if a wagon was slammed, it had better come with original components or it was off my books.
I'd check Craigslist once a week or so, and have probably communicated with several of you on this forum re: leads or wagons you are selling. The search had died down as I turned focus on my other cars. The CRX needs some maintenance in the form of bushings, and I've been fighting the tune on the 190E to get it smogged before I start laying out the turbo parts on my spare motor.
After last week's quick scour, one particular RT caught my eye, and it wasn't far from home!
The price was reasonable, especially for what it was claimed to be. A few texts with the seller confirmed it was there and a VIN check showed it all checked out. An hour long phonecall proved the seller was passionate about the car, and had all the work done professionally, but the birth of a child was forcing the sale. Many thousands of dollars of receipts were shown from the last year, all from medium to big-name shops. The body is acceptable, the interior is better than average! The motor has almost all seals replaced immediately after purchase and the turbo had just been rebuilt after a failed oil seal. By the end of the phonecall, I provided a verbal agreement that I would start putting my ducks in a row for travel, and he would sell the car to me at an agreed upon price if I came down.
Later that night, my flight and travel was booked, cash withdrawn, and my hopes were high. I hoped I would not arrive and be let down.
Saturday night found me in the emergency room until 1am with a family member, so only an hour of sleep until I drove out to catch my 6am flight to LAX. The roads were wet, and after 6 years of owning my CRX, I had my first major accident on the way to the airport when I locked the brakes carrying too much speed into a corner.
I suppose my excitement, tires, exhaustion, guardrail, and rear drums all came together to a climax at that point. Luckily it didn't stop me at all, and I got to the airport on time. As I came back out from security to put my knife in the car, I noticed the rear tire was COMPLETELY flat. It had caught a nail at some point in the drive, and had deflated upon the car stopping. I'm lucky that it had kept air during my 90mph drive on saturated roads...
An airplane, shuttle, and taxi ride later, I awaited on the sidewalk outside the seller's house with no RT in sight and no one home. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a Honda engine around the block, and shortly the new RT came around the corner in a lively manner. The exhaust sounded fantastic, and a test drive confirmed one thing I hadn't known before - TURBOS ARE FUN!
No oil leaks, full coolant, smoooooth idle and accel, and a little turbo to top it all off. Barely any rust to be found (it's a NM/CA car). A trunk full of extra parts, a clean interior.... I handed him the cash, signed the paperwork and thanked him for holding the car. He showed me the many offers on his phone texts for full price, but you have to admire the fact he held up to his agreement with me. It has only just been broken in, so I didn't have to baby the motor. as I prepared for my long trip North.
Got about 21 MPG with my first tank, which was driving about 75 coupled with numerous pulls on the freeway. And boy, does it like to pull past 3k RPMs! I also visited friends in the area and had a go against my buddy's NA Miata. He was toast as soon as we hit the throttle. I calmed it down to 65-70 on my way out to the desert and got about 24 MPG. Climbing to 5k feet found the turbo a little less effective, but I was still able to make it up the hills at a respectable speed. I certainly wasn't holding anyone up!
The night in the desert was spent riding stock mopeds on dirt tracks, and exploring the numerous dirt roads on some massively torquey mopeds. I got to hoon the RT for a few miles on the dirt roads. Not even the whoopties could stop me, and the car was taking everything like a champ!
I was eager to get home that night, so I chose to skip on the invite to stay and drank an energy drink. I made it about 400 uneventful miles, then had to stop for sleep. With the rear seat folded down, there was plenty of room for my long frame to sleep somewhat comfortably.
So... here it is in my driveway.
My poor CRX gets to park at the bottom of the driveway now, but soon it'll be in the garage getting all new bushing and some brand new rear discs, so I don't think it'll be complaining long...
I have lug covers, but the front lugs are too long with the big brake conversion I did. I had bigger wheels at one point so it wasn't an issue, but when I switched back to stock, I was disappointed to find the lugs too long for the covers. =[ Forgive the dirt, the gravel roads around here make me not motivated to wash my car often.
My engine bay might not be pretty... but it does the trick.
Here's the car currently in the garage:
Full album
Some oil smoke on decel means I'll be replacing the valve seals ASAP. That was one thing not replaced on the ZC for some reason.
Went to pick up the CRX from the airport, got a new tire. My dad is one of the most conservative people I know, but the RT brought out his childish side. As he drove behind me on the freeway, he would frequently find the boost and do a quick pass, trying his hardest to keep a straight face and look straight ahead like nothing was going on. The CRX sure has the RT beat in torque and speed with a B18C1, but there is something fun about that boost that surprises you every time.
I've already taken it down a gnarly gravel road, but it wasn't so much fun. Lack of suspension travel meant going slow, and going slow meant nothing eventful happened. No slipping, no drama, but certainly no problems.
I also tested it on a ~40 degree mud slope against a Jeep 4x4. The Jeep got stuck several times and had to retry several spots while the RT powered up the whole way, multiple attempts in a row.
After owning it for only 4 days I'm impressed, and I know I made the right choice. I look forward to the passion and joy that comes along with owning such a vehicle, and will make it my own. Here's to many ski trips, camping trips, desert trips, hours in the garage, friends made, pictures taken, hoonage had, muscle cars beat, and fun.
Price: had to be reasonable for the condition, and leave some breathing room on the credit cards
Condition: Anything considered, as long as it was priced accordingly and could be driven a distance
Distance: Had to appear as though it would make it home and not strand me along the way, which means basic maintenance and new parts a plus
Trim: Functional and maintained RT4WD and 6-speed, no exceptions
Like most, I have a vision for what my car will become. A fresh engine, some extra power, and some added off-road capability. Since most are too far gone for my budget to restore, I figured I'll go the other route and make sure the car has personality, a la handmade parts and repair, and some of those artsy touches that can make a car look so unique. Anything that would hinder this progress or become expensive to reverse would not be considered. For example, if a wagon was slammed, it had better come with original components or it was off my books.
I'd check Craigslist once a week or so, and have probably communicated with several of you on this forum re: leads or wagons you are selling. The search had died down as I turned focus on my other cars. The CRX needs some maintenance in the form of bushings, and I've been fighting the tune on the 190E to get it smogged before I start laying out the turbo parts on my spare motor.
After last week's quick scour, one particular RT caught my eye, and it wasn't far from home!
The price was reasonable, especially for what it was claimed to be. A few texts with the seller confirmed it was there and a VIN check showed it all checked out. An hour long phonecall proved the seller was passionate about the car, and had all the work done professionally, but the birth of a child was forcing the sale. Many thousands of dollars of receipts were shown from the last year, all from medium to big-name shops. The body is acceptable, the interior is better than average! The motor has almost all seals replaced immediately after purchase and the turbo had just been rebuilt after a failed oil seal. By the end of the phonecall, I provided a verbal agreement that I would start putting my ducks in a row for travel, and he would sell the car to me at an agreed upon price if I came down.
Later that night, my flight and travel was booked, cash withdrawn, and my hopes were high. I hoped I would not arrive and be let down.
Saturday night found me in the emergency room until 1am with a family member, so only an hour of sleep until I drove out to catch my 6am flight to LAX. The roads were wet, and after 6 years of owning my CRX, I had my first major accident on the way to the airport when I locked the brakes carrying too much speed into a corner.
I suppose my excitement, tires, exhaustion, guardrail, and rear drums all came together to a climax at that point. Luckily it didn't stop me at all, and I got to the airport on time. As I came back out from security to put my knife in the car, I noticed the rear tire was COMPLETELY flat. It had caught a nail at some point in the drive, and had deflated upon the car stopping. I'm lucky that it had kept air during my 90mph drive on saturated roads...
An airplane, shuttle, and taxi ride later, I awaited on the sidewalk outside the seller's house with no RT in sight and no one home. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a Honda engine around the block, and shortly the new RT came around the corner in a lively manner. The exhaust sounded fantastic, and a test drive confirmed one thing I hadn't known before - TURBOS ARE FUN!
No oil leaks, full coolant, smoooooth idle and accel, and a little turbo to top it all off. Barely any rust to be found (it's a NM/CA car). A trunk full of extra parts, a clean interior.... I handed him the cash, signed the paperwork and thanked him for holding the car. He showed me the many offers on his phone texts for full price, but you have to admire the fact he held up to his agreement with me. It has only just been broken in, so I didn't have to baby the motor. as I prepared for my long trip North.
Got about 21 MPG with my first tank, which was driving about 75 coupled with numerous pulls on the freeway. And boy, does it like to pull past 3k RPMs! I also visited friends in the area and had a go against my buddy's NA Miata. He was toast as soon as we hit the throttle. I calmed it down to 65-70 on my way out to the desert and got about 24 MPG. Climbing to 5k feet found the turbo a little less effective, but I was still able to make it up the hills at a respectable speed. I certainly wasn't holding anyone up!
The night in the desert was spent riding stock mopeds on dirt tracks, and exploring the numerous dirt roads on some massively torquey mopeds. I got to hoon the RT for a few miles on the dirt roads. Not even the whoopties could stop me, and the car was taking everything like a champ!
I was eager to get home that night, so I chose to skip on the invite to stay and drank an energy drink. I made it about 400 uneventful miles, then had to stop for sleep. With the rear seat folded down, there was plenty of room for my long frame to sleep somewhat comfortably.
So... here it is in my driveway.
My poor CRX gets to park at the bottom of the driveway now, but soon it'll be in the garage getting all new bushing and some brand new rear discs, so I don't think it'll be complaining long...
I have lug covers, but the front lugs are too long with the big brake conversion I did. I had bigger wheels at one point so it wasn't an issue, but when I switched back to stock, I was disappointed to find the lugs too long for the covers. =[ Forgive the dirt, the gravel roads around here make me not motivated to wash my car often.
My engine bay might not be pretty... but it does the trick.
Here's the car currently in the garage:
Full album
Some oil smoke on decel means I'll be replacing the valve seals ASAP. That was one thing not replaced on the ZC for some reason.
Went to pick up the CRX from the airport, got a new tire. My dad is one of the most conservative people I know, but the RT brought out his childish side. As he drove behind me on the freeway, he would frequently find the boost and do a quick pass, trying his hardest to keep a straight face and look straight ahead like nothing was going on. The CRX sure has the RT beat in torque and speed with a B18C1, but there is something fun about that boost that surprises you every time.
I've already taken it down a gnarly gravel road, but it wasn't so much fun. Lack of suspension travel meant going slow, and going slow meant nothing eventful happened. No slipping, no drama, but certainly no problems.
I also tested it on a ~40 degree mud slope against a Jeep 4x4. The Jeep got stuck several times and had to retry several spots while the RT powered up the whole way, multiple attempts in a row.
After owning it for only 4 days I'm impressed, and I know I made the right choice. I look forward to the passion and joy that comes along with owning such a vehicle, and will make it my own. Here's to many ski trips, camping trips, desert trips, hours in the garage, friends made, pictures taken, hoonage had, muscle cars beat, and fun.
Comments
Plus your mercedes is lookin extra fresh...
The damage on the CRX appears to be minimal, might have to bang the frame a bit, but it'll be back in even better shape in no time.
Thanks and thanks!
Haha, nahh, just passionate. There is a lot I would change if I was writing it for a wider audience than you guys.
If you're bored, check out my 190E writeup, which summed up my feelings on an epic roadtrip shortly after I purchased it:
http://brianandr.us/2013/08/beige-isnt-always-boring/
Which leads me to a question... We have curvy roads around here that are mucho fun to drive. Would anyone with a lifted wagon care to share how much of an affect on handling this would have? I know 2" lower makes a huge difference, so I imagine 2" higher would raise center of gravity to the point of it being scary to drive on the canyons at any speed. Hopefully someone will chime in and state otherwise! I've never driven anything with lift before.
190E's, Civic Wagons and CRX, all awesome!
Thanks! Sometimes I know when I need something... And then i put myself through hell to get it. Most of the time it's a car.
Next up: NSX (when I get a garage big enough)
You and me both buddy. Although I think if I actually had the 25-30 grand for one, I would be severely tempted to buy a supra instead.
I think you'll agree there's something about that NSX though... The Supras just don't have the same charm. While you can chase BIG power with them paired with a highly capable chassis, that's not particularly what I'm after in a car.
I like automotive history, and Senna has some ties to both the 190E and the NSX. His first race that got him noticed by Ferrari was in a 190E like mine. I'm sure the Supra has plenty of interesting history behind it too, I just haven't traced its roots just yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=664k0onPaVY
Plus mid-engine, stiff chassis, Honda noise... What's not to love?
Thanks!
Here was my excitement for yesterday:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTL5wzGQANg
First order of business; better tires.
That being said there area few nsxs I see driving around Colorado and I practically break my neck whipping my head around to look at them. Lol
On the way back, I decided to take the scenic route and do some exploring. I've driven this road plenty of times, but never did I imagine the miles of dirt roads and beautiful scenery that awaits when one steps off the beaten path in something capable enough to handle it.
Next time I'll set the GoPro to take pictures more often. It worked okay on freeways (see Chuckwalla timelapse video on my channel), but in the backroads with lots of twisties, one frame every 10 seconds results in mass confusion. Sorry for any triggered seizures. :nightmare:
I like how YouTube chose 1 of 6 frames with me peeing. I am totally leaving that as the thumbnail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-IKM8UV7QQ
(Can't embed youtube outside of multimedia forum? WTF?)
Bought me a set of these today:
and I've been working on decoding what exactly I need to piece the rest of it together. I made an offer on the 400XT + 48" Load bars, doubt I'll get them though. If anyone has a 38" fairing or other goodies, I might be interested. I'm mostly just looking for a cargo rack, I don't own a bike and my skis are now too short. Plus, there's no snow. :hopelessness:
I think I might use Yakima on top of the Thule load bars, they offer some fun stuff. Sh*t this stuff adds up quick! I need to get my welding skills up to par so I can save me some money. I do like the idea of having some engineered mounts, rather than drilling holes in my roof though. Maybe I'll build a basket with my wire welder, or use it as an excuse to get a MIG.
Thanks geezfools, not yet looking for a bike rack, though I do live in a perfect area to ride, so who knows what the near future will hold. I'm thinking cargo basket and fairing to start with.
You said this, "and I've been working on decoding what exactly I need to piece the rest of it together." So I thought you might want to see it fully assembled
Can't say no to that if you have some pics! Thanks!
Hit Pick-n-pull, spent exorbitant amounts of money on CB front suspension and DA rear/trailing arms. The DA rears had bad springs, but the CB springs looked nice and new.
Sat on them for a few days until I completed the rear disc conversion on my CRX, get excited to install them tonight. I tried to cut some corners and for a while it was seemingly impossible, but I read the "lifting for dummies" guide a little more closely and got everything put together finally. I loosened all suspension components, lifted the rotor with a jack to emulate full recoil, and tightened everything back up, taking my time and doing things right. Man, a lot of components seem pretty stressed up there...
So I lower it and NOW I HAVE A 1/2" DROP. Goddamn lowering springs on the CB. So... now this has become a lot more expensive than originally planned, but I'll get my pick of springs. Gotta replace the DA shit anyways. Just gives me encouragement to do it right with mostly new parts.
I've got the hookups at Ground Control, so might work with them to get some more lift out of these components.
Other than that... should have the Thule here any day, already time for an oil change because I've been driving it so much!
CB7 Accord Manual Trans: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1028780&cc=1167106 (651 lbs corner, 14.58" Free height)
CB7 Accord Auto Trans: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1028882&cc=1167106 (748 lbs corner, 14.94" Free height)
'95-'98 Odyssey or '94-'97 Accord: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1028832&cc=1315693 (790 lbs corner, 15.10" Free height)
All are 255 lbs/inch springs, but they are available in three different lengths. The Odyssey springs should result in roughly 50lbs more pressure when compressed to the same length as the CB7.
Being that I want to do all I can to keep the front off the ground, I'm going with the Odyssey springs. I might be sacrificing some ride comfort and further taking the roll-center away from the CoG, but at least I know what to tackle next if I find the handling atrocious once the lift is complete.
I'm going to try to move the RT springs or the Accord lowering springs to the rear to replace the shot DA springs. They look similar enough to work, though they aren't exact in ID and wire diameter. Otherwise I'll have to try to dig up some good DA springs from the boneyard or look into other options for the rear.
I'm not sure I like the idea of bushings or stress on the rear trailing arm, but the bushings are the lesser of two evils to get any lift at all.
Thanks! Me too! Unfortunately I had to non-op it today because it won't pass emissions and I got a registration ticket. I will be petitioning the BAR to let me take it to somewhere other than a test-only station, or moving out of the state. The latter is looking better every day.