CLSMOOTH?
Charb
Administrator
Does anybody have a link to info on this guys car?
I cannot tell you how much he helped me with my ZC swap some years ago. Seriously one of the first Wagonists.
Does anyone even remember? (I know some will)
I cannot tell you how much he helped me with my ZC swap some years ago. Seriously one of the first Wagonists.
Does anyone even remember? (I know some will)
Comments
not sure if he ever really posted on this board though.
try searching his posts on the Search feature.
I couldn't find anything. Hoping maybe an oldschool member has a link to another board or something.
Most of his posts are gone from the other forum. hope this helps.
Hiya CL!
Hey man, it's GeorgeLouis1618.... PM me, I'd love to catch up!
It's a trip down memory lane, and hopefully some can learn from my mistakes and trail & error; if you guys haven't already figured out most of the bugs already. I know this is gonna contain 2 cars in one post which I believe is technically against forum rules, but big thanks to Charb for helping me put this together.
To understand my wagon is to first understand the CRX I had previous to it, and in the end you'll see the two merge. In the end it was a love/hate thing with my wagon; loved it for being different, hated it for the struggle and modding it and (sometimes trying to) make parts fit.
It was 1999, and I started working full time at a real job after about a year of searching after I finished school. Since I saw a poster of it in French class in high school, I actually wanted an Impreza, but seeing as how I was fresh out of college and working for just above minimum wage, I didn't exactly have the extra $27000 CAD kicking around. I found a used Impreza with a rebuilt status in a private lot, but of course couldn't get the loan. They actually felt bad about it too and gave me a deal on the CRX they had in the lot instead. And so this is how my venture into modified Honda's began... (keep in mind this was the early 2000's when performance/modding parts first really came into existence & were still pretty expensive, and I didn't exactly have an extensive budget for most of it.
Don't have any pix of when I first brought it home, but it was a bone stock red 90 CRX Si with about 150k km's or so. I think I bought it for $6800 at the time? The lost said they were planning on asking $8000 for it at the time. It was actually my 2nd CRX; had an '88 CRX Si previous with unknown mileage that I bought for $3500 and was junk. I didn't know yet what I was doing either and its condition didn't motivate me to really mod it. I gave it to a friend who wanted a project car, so it worked out in the end. Not my old CRX (it ended up rusting out on him) but got him hooked on CRX's too and here's his new build: http://www.k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78816
Onto the mods...
On the front, tubbed out the back of the bumper to put a custom grill in, hid some fog lights behind it and added a CRX Si lip. Also did the standard clear corner and turn signal lights. Found some 16" DTM KS-05's locally and put them on too:
For the rear, painted and installed a JDM CRX SiR spoiler and I was probably one of the first in BC with clear tail lights for it.
Exterior hindsight: I probably should've kept the OEM tail lights or gone with the JDM ones. Otherwise I was quite proud how the front turned out...
For the interior I did a bit more to it as it was a bit more affordable, and I think I got the Momo steering wheel used at the time :P Blue shift knob, boot, handbrake and pedal covers. Blue indiglo gauges and blue OEM CRX floor mats I managed to find. Put in (probably one of the first) aluminum dash kits too.
And went though a few stereo boxes while I was at it.
Interior hindsight: I wish LED dash lighting was available at the time, and probably should've just gone with one sub tucked in the corner...
Don't seem to have a record of the suspension setup I was running, but there wasn't much too it. I believe it was black H&R sport drop springs and the wheels. Had a front strut bar; can't remember now if I had one in the rear or not. It was lowered, which is all that matter back then anyway :P
Footwork hindsight: Did I need the 16's? And I should've just gone with race drop springs instead; weird that I still regret that... I also wonder how the car would've felt with all the bushings redone too.
Started with the usual bolt-ons for the D16A6 (wow, still remember that engine code)
But of course, me having to be me and different, swapped it out for a DOHC ZC. Why? SOHC VTEC's were still twice the price at the time($1300 vs $600 in my neck of the woods). Installed intake, header, full exhaust & muffler and lightened OEM crank pulley.
Also installed new Centerforce Dual Friction clutch with lightened OEM flywheel.
Powertrain hindsight: Did the engine really needed to be swapped when it was?
He pulled up beside me, then dropped and changed lanes behind me, then beside me and behind me again a few times and took off. I didn't care, I was tired and wanted to get home. Unfortunately that looser was waiting for me up the highway doing half the speed limit. When I caught up to him again, he did the same beside/behind me thing; only this time when he went to go beside me, he lost control. In my side mirror I saw his car go up on the left side wheels, change direction, faced my car at about a 45* angle, came back down on all 4 wheels, grip and shoot into my driver's door.
Like when playing pool, this cause me to change direction and into the ditch, while he stayed on the highway and took off. I remember heading into the ditch at the 45* angle he gave me. Last thing I remember seeing was the driver's headlight going out. I then closed my eyes cause my train of thought was not get glass in my eyes (of all things). I remember rolling 1.5 times and ending up on the roof, though witnesses claim I spun 1.5 times in the air and came down on the roof. I unbuckled, fell to the roof and climbed out of where the driver's window used to be. I fell about 4 feet into a few feet of ditch water and crawled back onto the shoulder of the highway. I remember an ambulance being there within minutes, I think.
I didn't break anything and walked outta the hospital that night... but had a bad back ever since. I hadn't even finished paying off the 2 year loan for it. I almost had it the way I wanted to! I think I wanted some x-drilled and/or slotted rotors and a ZC hood. Haven't been in a CRX since and probably never will. Went to the auto show when the CRZ came out. Sat in it; red with black interior. Got the heeby-jeebies and got out. It was eerily a little too familiar.
I didn't even get a chance to install the rare rear seat...
My brother was pissed! The next few days he drove us up and down that section of the highway looking for any clues or pieces of either of our cars, but nothing. Since he fled the scene he was never found. I tried to find out if anyone knew anyone with that car through local forums and word of mouth. I found out there was this backyard bodyman who fixed and painted cars under the table in a nearby town but still in the middle of nowhere, and that he had fixed and painted a smashed front end of a black Precidia shortly after the accident. But years had passed by the time I found this out and this bodyman by then was in prison for an undetermined amount of time for being a pedophile.
So why a wagon? I still loved the EF Civic, but couldn't get myself into a CRX and "everyone" had the hatchback at the time, and I of course (still) wanted to be different. I was contemplating an EF sedan, but thought, nah, go more different or go home. I naturally wanted a 4WD one, but even then they were impossible to find in the Vancouver area. I think I came across one 4WD for sale, but it was auto (wanted manual), was that least attractive gold on brown colour (not that I hate anyone with that colour combo, but why Honda? Why?) and you were able to see the contents of the trunk through the rear wheel wells. I think it had high mileage and a nearly blown engine, and asking way too much.
But I did in the end find my 90 FWD wagon. It was at a dealership in a town called Vernon as a trade in, and spent the 6 hours on a Greyhound there in the morning and the 4 hour drive back (that's how many are NOT in Vancouver). I bought it for something like $3700 at the time and it even had less mileage on it then when I first bought the red CRX (~120k). The dealer was originally asking $5500 or $6000 but had it for a while it seems and couldn't get rid of it to anyone locally :P
Starting at the front, I removed that strange decal/pinstripping and installed black project headlights. Partly for the looks, partly cause I couldn't see very well at night after the accident. Orange'd the corner lights, clear turn signals, some foglights again and a custom license plate. Bolted on a Civic Si lip and I ended up also tubbing out the back of the bumper like the CRX but no grill this time.
Not having the chance with the CRX, this time around I found a wrecked ZC hood for cheap and a spare wagon hood out of the wrecker (there were actually 2 or 3 in there at the time).
I scavenged the bump from it and had it graphed onto the wagon hood.
Did a hood tilt and JDM side markers.
My side moldings were falling off, so I removed them, covered up the holes with this metallic chrome tape my dad had and painted over them.
The wagon also fogged up a like a bitch. It was terrible. I always suspected that it was because Honda put the same blower motor in all EF's. So the same blower must've been just strong enough to defog a hatchback, but too weak to defog an entire wagon. So I made my own window visors to try and help this with a set intended for the sedan.
I don't have any photos of it, but I got a pair of rear door handles from a sedan and made them fit in the front doors to help deter break-ins. It seemed to work cause there wasn't a key hole at the front door and used my aftermarket alarm and door locks to get it. Yes, I would lock my keys in time to time :P But it was always in the driveway when working on the car, so I would get my spare and climb in through the trunk.
At the rear I installed a hatchback mid-wing and put a stick-on trunk lip on the top OEM 'spoiler' intended for a BMW. Also had the JDM tail lights and Shuttle decal.
And, as you can see, I ended up paint matching everything and blacked-out the front turn signals.
Exterior hindsight: I should've either done something about the gap left by the side moldings or found a way to secure them back on. The rear wheel arches were getting pretty bad rust too. I wish I had also known if there were other lips that fit the front bumper, and if there were any spats/lips that could be made to fit the rear. I would've liked to have something more than an extra inch in the front bumper and something to bring down the back.
Re-used my steering wheel and I think even the indiglo gauges from the CRX. There was no dash kit for the wagon of course so painted some of the bits silver. Re-used the floor mats, pedal covers, shifter and boot.
Installed some gauges too but can't remember for what exactly anymore. Air/Fuel and water temp I'm thinking...
Fitted some CRX seats in the front without any welding re-using the wagon rails.
They were much nicer on my now bad back from the CRX accdient but unfortunately one of the welded nuts that hold the seat rail to the seat ripped right out underside of the floor pan and the seat turned into an instant rocking chair. It was so hard finding a single CRX Si seat (at the time), that it was easier and cheaper just getting some aftermarket seats. I can't remember how I came across the seats, but I remember having to order all the cushions for them separately, and I got some harnesses to match, all without any welding either.
Saw this setup in a magazine in an EF hatchback, so, me being me again, decided to be different and do the same thing of putting 2 bucket seats in the back in place of the bench seat. I did this when I had the CRX seats in the front, and came across another pair of CRX seats by chance, and had them all match til the front one broke. I installed these without welding either and both seats tilted, reclined and slid.
Couldn't find the rear speaker bracket/grill kit, or at least not for a reasonable price, so installed a pair of speakers in the rear doors like they are in the front doors.
Moving onto the trunk, I took advantage of the additional space I had and up the ante by going with 3 inverted subs in a custom fibreglass enclosure that ended up being part of the car.
I was young, and wanted a loud and 'showy' car :P I took it to an SPL competition once, not to try and win or anything, but curious as to what level I was listening to at my personal max and hit 137.x dB I think. I wanted to hide this of course, and made my own cargo cover using one out of a late C3 Corvette that I got for free and some L-brackets & hooks.
Oh ya, and I went through the hassle of installing power windows. I actually found 4 sedan doors off the local forum for free and scavenged everything. I didn't want to install the switches in the door panel in case I screwed up so it was in the spot in front of the shifter (could never find the centre waterfall console in blue anyway).
Interior hindsight: I again wish there were LED dash lights at the time. I shouldn't have gotten those race seats, and just sucked it up for another pair of CRX seats. They were too much for a daily driver.
I also shouldn't have installed those rear seats. It involved dropping the tank and an entire long weekend. I got sick from the gas fumes even though I was outside, and of course when dropping the tank, the bolts on the treaded tank hangers were seized and snapped the hangers. I had the tank held up with a series of large screw-type stainless hose clamps til the new hangers showed up at the dealer. I should've gotten a nice, high end, form-fitting black seat cover for the bench seat; maybe even had something wagon related embroidered into it.
I also shouldn't have put that many subs in the trunk and with that setup. I should've tucked one in each outer corner at most.
I re-used the suspension from the CRX. I was just gonna swap the springs (cause the wagon had lower mileage on its shocks) but then that's when I found out the rears were wagon-only. It's also when I found out when it'd look a bit more level cut 2 dead coils off the rear springs.
I also found out the hard way the rear discs I wanted to re-use from the CRX also didn't bolt it. I couldn't go forward so I completely rebuilt the rear with Energy Suspension bushings and new shoes and everything.
I redid the front with all Energy Suspension bushings, x-drilled/slotted rotors and some sort of performance pads I can't remember. At one point I also curbed one of the rims, so while it was repaired I had all re-sprayed in gunmetal.
I also found out the benefit of putting on a rear sway bar. Also re-used from my CRX with new Energy bushings. Re-used the frame brackets by trimming them into plates. I then drilled holes in the rear subframe for the treaded nut to clear and hide into the subframe, and welded on the plates.
I swapped in control arms from something that had the endlink mounting also with all Engery bushings. The lip of the control arm had to be notched to clear the endlink cause of where I mounted the sway bar on the frame.
Put an elevated rear strut bar in the back too using generic RV side mirror parts.
Next came what was probably the worst experience I've had with the wagon; the suspension. It was the worst cause I could never seem to find something that worked, and there just wasn't enough resource (as well as personal funding) at the time other then trial and error. I went through 4 suspension setups and truthfully the first was still the best.
The best setup that I experienced was the H&R sport springs on the OEM CRX shocks I re-used. Unfortunately being used shocks, and possibly cause it was suddenly in the heavier wagon, one or both of the fronts started leaking. Since the setup worked, I went and got parts store jobber shocks (couldn't afford new OEM shocks from the dealer at the time, and probably still wouldn't pay). Unfortunately this 2nd setup was even worse. Out of the box they were very weak and soft; the wagon would BANG into each bump and dip in the road. I can't remember now if I ordered them for wagon or CRX, or if it was even the same part number for both.
A former friend then upgraded his 2000 ITR's suspension, so I scored his old setup which was the OEM shocks and some type of lowering spring that was more of a race drop then a sport drop; can't remember. This setup was slightly better, but didn't seem to handle as well as the H&R/CRX shock combination in all honestly, and they would still BANG into every dip and bump.
This 3rd setup was so frustrating that I said screw it, and spent the money on quality shocks. This 4th setup were adjustable Koni yellow's with H&R race springs this time that I never did get to run in the CRX.
Thinking that each previous setup's shocks still weren't strong enough, even this 4th setup... wasn't that great. The handling was a bit better than the ITR setup, but it would still BANG over every bump; regardless of setting. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the shocks 5 settings.
The BANGING was so bad that I had to have the front strut towers welded twice throughout all this trial and error. Trying to find a setup that would perform well enough and still be at least comfortable enough that it wouldn't destroy seemed an impossible nightmare. Short of getting coilovers (which the cost of back then was enourmous) I got the next best shock/spring setup that I could possibly budget for, and I was still disappointed.
I wouldn't let people ride in the car cause the extra weight would amplify the problem. The ride got so bad that I started rolling on my CRX rims (I also re-used) cause the higher profile tires on them made it slightly more bearable. I was rolling on the CRX rims so much so, that I ended up selling my 16's cause I didn't want to use them with this suspension anymore.
Footwork hindsight: I ended up selling my 16's like I was thinking of doing so when I had the CRX.
I really did like the feel in the steering wheel after upgrading all the bushings and installing the rear sway bar.
I honestly don't know what suspension setup I wouldn't ended up with. I wish I knew what was comfortable enough, low enough and didn't destroy the car in the process. There's only so much of budget for experimentation that a young kid who's not regularly working has. This was the part of the wagon experience I truly, truly hated. I would rather experience installing a 3rd row of bucket seats in the trunk.
I saved the ZC out of the CRX and its tranny, but this time I wanted to do a full build on both, or as much as I could this time around. People around here at the time may have had a swap, so I wanted one that was also built. I re-used the CRX Si tranny, Centerforce clutch and lightened CRX Si flywheel. At one point though the tranny blew up on me; sweaty hand in the summer slipped and went from 5th to 2nd on the highway...
So had it rebuilt and put in a Phantom Grip LSD while the shop was at it (no pix). I also had the tall 5th gear out of a CRX HF afterwards but didn't have a reason to open up the tranny after that.
But before all that, I re-did the exhaust on the stock powertrain setup to have at least some exhaust sound for the time being. I relocated and expensive and overpriced ARC titanium universal muffler I should've never bought to the passenger side using an over-axle pipe section intended for an EG Civic, and cut a matching notch in the bumper as the other side.
Being that I had a different Civic that you "couldn't do anything to", with a different engine that "doesn't have any internals for it", I decided to go for a "different" type of build and went NA, cause that also apparently "couldn't be done to a ZC". This was a time when the thing to do was turbo a B-Series of some kind, so I went against the grain in that respect as well. Let's see if I can remember all that was done and the parts used...
Began with teardown...
From the bottom up, I had the ZC crank knife-edged & balanced, shot-peened the ZC rods and used Endyn high comp pistons. I can't remember exactly what spec by the highest ones at the time. I put everything together with OEM bearings and gaskets from the Honda dealer for intended for a D16A6.
Had the head port & polished.
Put the head together with... Spoon B-Series cam gears, HKS thick, metal, 3 layer head gasket as added insurance (the only non OEM gasket/seal I used), freshly lapped ZC valves, PSI brand valve springs, Colt Cams reground ZC cams and white coated valve cover. Again all OEM seals and gaskets but from the Acura dealer for an 89 Integra D16A1.
Also had a 90 Civic throttle body honed out and internally polished ZC intake manifold (no photos). Went with an Aurora external coil ignition system (local company at the time).
Put the 2 halves together...
And dropped it in...
I had a chipped ZC ECU and added the some additional tuning ability with an S-AFC.
I was working on a side project for the engine that never got off the ground. I picked up some ITB's for a Honda sport bike of some kind, can't remember anymore.
Powertrain hindsight: Glad I re-used my CRX Si tranny, but can't say I noticed that Phantom Grip LSD, but to this day the only clutches that don't fail me is Centerforce. I probably shouldn't have built a ZC; maybe if the wagon was 4WD cause of the more limited choices of engines to swap. Or at least I shouldn't have gone the NA route. It may have been cheaper going turbo with it. Being FWD I should've just swapped in a B-Series, and possibly even turbo that. Performance parts for that ZC were overpriced and a bitch to track down. I wouldn't recommend that engine to anyone for that one fact; just do bolt=ons...
It caused some sort of problem with the coolant and oil in the area at the back of the block. It may look like scratches, but one of those is actually a hairline crack.
It happened close to home and there was a lot of oil coming out. Even after everything else cooled down, that area of the block was still hot to the touch. After spending 2 years building the engine on a shoe-string budget, it lasted about a year and half. I had just started working permanent full time again since the accident for only a few months, and now this. And this new full time job was about a half hour down the highway in the middle of nowhere, so no public transit to it.
After the rear seat project, and the constant fighting with the suspension, and now a cracked blocked. I had had enough; it was the last straw my camel's back could take. After all the internal mods I did, the thought of finding another block and swapping over internals again didn't appeal to me either.
I called HKS to complain about the gasket. Because it was outside of one year from when I installed the gasket, they wouldn't do a damn thing. They're answer to everything was "It's not the gasket." They claimed the block was planed correctly, I offered to fax the machine's shop's invoice for that. Then they said the same for the head. They went as far as claiming that the engine must not have been assembled correctly. I offered to also fax my brother's mechanics certificate (who I was living with at the time and actually did help with assembly and was with me throughout all of the above), there was a long pause on their end and again it was, "It's not the gasket". I have since personally boycotted any HKS products.
My brother who heard this conversation and got offended by their incorrectly assembly comment told me, "You work full time now, quite fuckin around with these part time cars!" I asked him what he meant and said to go get that Impreza I've always wanted. I ended up going full circle in the end after it all.
Do I regret getting a wagon or not? Well, yes and no. The uniqueness was awesome, but the work involved when you're living with your parents still, working on the thing in their driveway, having odd & temp employment, and not having a hoist nor a welder did not help things.
Sometimes I would see an EF sedan and wonder though. Then again, Canada never got a Civic EX back in those days, with the 1.6L, bigger front brakes, etc. The best we got was an LX SE for the EF generation (a fully loaded 1.5L), so outside of the rear discs bolting in, it would've ended up being more or less the same amount of work.
And for those interested, after going full circle, here's the link to the Impreza I always wanted in the end: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/t60844-vicky-clsmooth-s-00-brp-rs-coupe.html
Look closely, and you'll see some similarities from everything I learned having a Civic Wagon
Full CRX album: http://s152.photobucket.com/user/clsmooth2/library/CRX?sort=3&page=1
Full Wagon album: http://s152.photobucket.com/user/clsmooth2/library/Civic%20Wagon?sort=3&page=1
This was on the ezboard forum - that is before even hondacivicwagon.com and now civicwagon.com
This car was the inspiration to do something with my little Civic Pro and kicked the whole thing off. We're talking 13 years ago now, just to give the newer members an idea...
This all is kind of confronting toward my newbie-status tho.
1) What's the "best" all-around suspension setup?
2) Has an easy/cheap way of installing rear discs been discovered?
3) Oh, and does the Type-R 5-lug hub fit into the wagon's rear trailing arm?
2) not really, two members (Lowflyin' and BrakeExpert) are producing rear disc setups
3) no, but I have heard rumours that the CRV one does