tim_adams85

Hey everyone,

After about an eight year hiatus, I'm back at it. Not that it was a very impressive or memorable car, but this is what I used to drive.



90 civic DX with a semi built B17 (CTR pistons, ITR head, bolt-ons) and matching B17 ys1 tranny with LSD. I loved it, but eventually had to go to school and pay bills, and sadly parted it out. Swore I'd never build and race cars again.

Fast forward a bit: After bouncing around a few years after finishing college, I started as a full time tech around 2010. Finally got the itch to pursue another project, so here's some of what's been going on.

So April 2015, I bought this for 600 bucks. 1990 civic DX with 282,000 miles, 100% stock, blown engine. Found it on Craigslist on a Saturday morning; drove 5 hours with a flatbed to get it the very next day.



The following weekend, this happened.



Then maybe a month later, here's the 50 dollar d15 I found on Craigslist... drove it like this for a little bit while I fixed random brake lines, body parts, etc. and slammed it on some eBay coilovers.








Then things started to get interesting.

Because of how the sun hit the car for probably five years before I bought it, the right side was completely faded. It also had a tad bit of rust on the left rear qp, so I decided to repair the rust spot and paint it. That is, rattle can paint it. Flat brown rustoleum. For a DIY job, I will say it turned out great.



I happen to also drive a 97 Saturn SC2... swapped the wheels over to the civic. 4x100, 15x6.5, and extremely light on a decent set of Toyos.




Then things started to get REALLY interesting.

Found this b20z swapped civic si on Craigslist for dirt cheap.



Didn't run, but fired and sort of ran if we sprayed starter fluid into the intake. It had no fuel pressure, which was fine. The car was so horribly rotted out. So for a couple weeks, I tore it apart. Planned to keep the engine swap, interior pieces, a couple body parts, and then part out the rest. Here's the result.



Converted the car to mpfi and swapped her in.



Added a 3" intake, velocity stack/aem filter, and a couple other knick knacks. Hideous looking, I know, but pulls nicely for a stock b20.



Swapped over the si cluster and steering wheel.



Bought a corbeau seat and installed it on a modified civic seat rail. Kept the si seat for passenger.



Installed an exhaust after a very necessary modification.




And then once the snow began to fly, it became time to get going on my winter plans...



Used dry ice/isopropyl (sp?) alcohol mixture to pull up sound deadening ****, cleaned thoroughly, ground down excess glue. Then painted.



Then added an Autopower roll bar.





Then finished up the engine bay this past weekend.



And picked up my new tranny... the ever elusive 92-93 GSR ys1! For those not familiar, it's essentially an ITR transmission, but in cable form. Planning to install an ITR LSD in the next few weeks.





That's where I'm at right now. I should have mentioned, I'm building the car for autocross, so planning to keep the engine relatively stock for now besides a few bolt-ons. I'll be doing DA front and rear disk brakes, suspension work (bushings, rear sway bar, and probably a koni/gc coilover setup), plus about a million other things before spring. Very excited to be back at it. Thanks for looking.

sr20paisa

this build really motivates me

kp

Wow, this is great! That flat brown turned out amazing! I'm very very jealous of your YS1, I've been looking for one for ages...

Pro-SeriesFab

Very nice job so far, already looks super clean

jonGSR

Very cool work going on in here! Keep at it, I'd love to see some updates.

tim_adams85

Thanks guys. Hey KP, I know it's not a ys1, but the guy I bought my tranny from also had two b16 cable trannies if you'd settle for that. I only mention it cus you're in Ontario... he's in the Buffalo, NY area. Shoot me a pm if you want his contact info.

As for my car, here's the only update I have:



I should start by saying this poor engine's appearance was NOT my doing. This is how I pulled it from the si I bought a few months ago. Dropped it in my car as an experiment that fortunately went well. Now it's time to do a little maintenance and A LOT of prettying up.

So last night I separated the engine and LS tranny, inspected the clutch/flywheel, set the engine up on the engine stand and pulled the int/exh manifolds off. My plans for this are very minimal since it doesn't have any big issues. I will be getting a Gates timing belt kit, including water pump and tensioner. Kind of a no-brainer since they're cheap and, from what I've read, good quality.

I'm replacing the crank pulley with something more practical (it only needs to turn my alternator, after all), ideally one WITH timing marks... any advice on this would be much appreciated! I always just ran the stock pulleys back in the day. This one has an obx unit, which makes setting my ignition timing impossible. :-/

And I'll be cleaning all that orange **** off the engine... trust me, it looks worse in person.

Anyway, not so much related, but I'm also most likely adding:

-70A Hasport mounts; the urethane in my innovative mounts is shot.
-a new header, probably something from the 1320 performance guys. Right now I'm eyeing the smsp knock off.
-a 66 or 70mm throttle body... my stock b18 TB has a broken vacuum nipple, so figured I might as well upgrade. Is this overkill on a stock b20z? My gut says yes, but I will likely do a b20vtec next winter, so I'm trying to keep that in mind as I move forward.
-a new clutch and probably a lightened flywheel.
-debating doing my own ITR LSD install on the ys1. I want to, but it might have to wait til next season.
-upgraded fuel pump, likely walbro 255lph.

That's pretty much my plan as far as what makes the car go.

I'm also planning to either get a real coilover setup or stick with the tried and true koni yellow/GC sleeve style coilovers, which I had on my old car. i don't hang out with many people who actually race EF's anymore, so my knowledge of what's out there and working these days is limited. Are there any killer EF coilover packages in the $700-800 range, or am I better off sticking with the konis? Mind you, this is a daily driver and weekend autocross car.

Any advice on any of this is appreciated. Will keep you all posted on my progress.

Bently_Coop

Nice build so far will be following.

Check out Process suspension for your price range. Can't say on the Engine stuff though.

scamp91ex

Subscribed. Also looking for an EF to save. Looking good!

tim_adams85

Thanks guys. Hey Bentley Coop, I assume you meant progress coilovers? Progress Technology: Anti-roll bars, sport springs, coil-overs, camber kits and more since 1995! They actually look pretty good for the price. I like that their site discusses the pros and cons of different spring rates. I'll definitely consider them when I make up my mind in a month or so.

Did some cleaning tonight. Another couple hours with a wire brush, and I'm sure I'll be satisfied with the longblock. Valve cover will be the stock black color, eventually.



I'm pretty happy with how it's cleaning up. Just put in 16 hours at the shop... zombie mode. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

Bently_Coop

Check the vendor suspension section, they are always running a Honda-Tech discount. Nice start on the Engine.

kp

Thanks man, I didn't realize you had the LS YS1, I'm not so jealous anymore. I'm looking for the GSR YS1, the hunt continues...Keep up the work though!

tim_adams85

No, no... my new tranny IS a GSR YS1. Before I pulled the swap out, I was running my b20 with an LS tranny, which will be replaced with the ys1. I'm saying if you'd settle for b16 tranny, I know of two in our general region. I can see how that was confusing.

SlowEF-R

are you planning on keeping it non vtec or add one later?

kp

Ooooh okay, I'm caught up now. I'm back to being jealous.

tim_adams85

I will most likely do a mild b20vtec build next winter once I have everything else dialed in on the car. So for now, stock b20z.

Couple of updates while I wait on engine parts.

I cheaped out and picked up a used pressure plate and clutch disk, 4-1 header, and b16 throttle body (+2mm over LS if my sources are correct) from a friend... paid 90 bucks for everything and saved myself hundreds that I really didn't need to spend right now. No pics of the tb and clutch, but here's a comparison of my severely dented (one lower runner is literally like 1/3 crushed!) eBay 4-2-1 compared to the new no-name 4-1. Looks like I'll be raising my car a tad, but I'm not too worried about it.



In other cheaping out news, I did some research and learned that my Innovative motor mounts have a lifetime warranty. Shipped them out today to have the worn out 60A bushings replaced with new 75A bushings FOR FREE. I just have to pay the shipping, which is a fraction of the cost of new Hasports I was planning to buy.

Other than that, I'm just waiting on my timing belt kit and timing covers to arrive so I can start putting everything back together. In the meantime I've been cleaning like crazy.

Engine is as clean as its gonna get.



And finished up the tranny last night. Sorry kp!



More updates to come.

tim_adams85

Progress has been slow, but getting back on it.

Had a few discouraging setbacks. I sent my motor mounts to Innovative to have new bushings pressed in, and they got lost in the mail... Innovative ended up with an empty box with a big hole in the side. FML. What's worse, Innovatice seems completely unwilling to work with me on a discounted new or used set (given the circumstances). I get it, it's not their problem, but at least responding to my emails would have been nice. So I'm mountless right now. :-/

I had some good fortune earlier this week, though. Found a DA integra at a local scrap yard, called them up, and headed over with some tools. The setup was pretty sketchy, but I managed to pull everything I needed for my front brake swap in a little over an hour...

These were my working conditions. In the mud, 30 degrees, racing sundown.



Managed to pull: knuckles with GOOD pads, rotors, and calipers, brake booster and master cylinder, and 4040 prop valve. All for 75 bucks! Walked out feeling like a rockstar.



I already have DA rear trailing arms, so planning to do a full front and rear DA brake swap... keep it as close to oem as possible.

Anyway, then picked up some slipstreams. Cleaned them up and painted them flat black tonight. I've always loved slips, and got these for cheap.



I'll swap my tires over this week sometime. Just waiting on some lug nuts in the mail.

Finally, I'm about 90% done with my engine. It's still an internally stock B20Z. Did a Gates timing belt, water pump, some gaskets, popped on the timing belt covers, repainted the valve cover and other little items. Cleaned everything up. Also running a VMS crank pulley... I know, no dampener. But I'm only revving to 6500 or so. Bought a cheap xtd clutch and 9lb flywheel, which have had relatively good reviews from what I've read.



So that's about it. Waiting on cheap yonaka motor mounts for the time being, then I'll put it all back together. Probably do brakes this weekend.

Also, I'm looking for a quality used traction bar if anyone knows of anything floating around. Full race, k-tuned, etc. I bought an eBay one and after looking at it, just couldn't bring myself to put the piece of **** on my car. So any leads would be much appreciated.

dylspil

nice work, the b20 is looking so much better than when you picked it up. tough luck with your mounts though, that really sucks

kp

Ugh that trans looks glorious. I'm really liking the direction this is heading, especially the DA brake swap, please show us plenty of photos when you switch everything over!

tim_adams85

Thanks guys.

Since it's cold out and I have no other major plans this weekend, I'm dedicating my time to getting as far on these brakes as possible. Made some progress after work tonight.

PLEASE disregard all my color matched bolts and struts, lol. Whike I was painting, I figured there was no reason to tape them off or remove them since they're being replaced. For the brake lines, I have no excuse. This ain't a show car!!! 🤘



Popped on the new 4040 prop valve. It was actually a pretty pleasant install! No brake lines broke the way they sometimes freeze up on older cars. It's positioned exactly like my stock dx valve, so everything lined right up.

Anyway, then pulled my stock bb/mc. I've never done one of these upgrades, so I just sort of examined and compared both units for a while. Eventually I got to prepping and painting the new bb. Cleaned the mc up, and installed them.



Quite a difference! More on that later. Here's a close up view.



A couple of concerns: I haven't been running a front strut bar, but now it's looking like I won't be able to. :-/ I'll start doing some research later tonight on what's possible with this setup, but the reservoir is looking very much in the way of what I had planned (passwordjdm three-point strut bar)... oh well. Also, the brake booster does not sit flush against the fire wall (the four nuts are tight inside at the brake pedal). From my own comparison to the stock bb, and from what I'm seeing online, thats normal... right? Other than that, there is a slight hood clearance issue. I really hate it, but my valve cover was rubbing as well, so looks like I'll be shimming my hood up at the hinges like a douchebag street racer... what can ya do...

More updates tomorrow. Hoping to get the front brakes all set and the rears at least pulled apart. 🤓👍

kr3w108

Lol looks like you painted the car with the mud .....

kp

Looks good! Will it make any difference to the hood clearance if you swap over the EF reservoir? It might help gain you some space for the strut bar too.

tim_adams85

Oooooh, I never thought the res swap was possible. I'll look at it when I'm back at the shop Monday. But it turns out there is no clearance issue with the hood... I have a good 7-8mm, which is more than enough. The strut bar clearance is to be determined.

So as planned, I started the brake swap today.

But not so planned: I finished! FRONT on the left, REAR on the right.



I had never done one of these rear trailing arm swaps before, but it was incredibly easy and straight forward. The only thing I had to keep from the stock piece was the front-most arm... maybe called the compression bar? The EF one was a little longer and it seemed to align better, so I swapped it over. Used the DA upper control arms and EF lower control arms. And the ffront was a breeze.

Still need to do new rear pads, rotors, and calipers (the rear brakes are JUNK), and planning on front lower ball joints and inner/outer tie rods... hoping for good bearings all around, but we'll see. All the rear bushings were in great shape, which is a plus.

But yeah, pretty stoked to have a real brake setup with very little hassle. Planning to do my rims and tires early this week, and possibly drop in the engine/tranny... depends on how much energy I have by Thursday/Friday. 😎

tim_adams85

Been incredibly busy over the past week, staying at the shop til crazy late only to be back (to actually work) at 8am the next day. So busy that I haven't had time to update this thread.

So here goes:

I did the front and rear brake swap with no major problems. Changed out the rear pads and rotors, plus cleaned the rusty old calipers as well as I could. I have front pads and rotors waiting to go on, just haven't had time. Also mounted/balanced my tires (195/50/15 toyo Extenza hp) on the new wheels. I LOVE THEM.



Time to assemble and install the swap! Brief rundown, it's an internally stock b20z with a fresh gates timing belt and water pump, ys1 gsr cable tranny (more on that later!), new xtd 6 puck sprung clutch and new 9lb xtd flywheel. That's about it. Stock b16 tb, ITR knock off header I got for 30 bucks, 2.5" collector, straight pipe, and mid pipe, to a 2" Vibrant muffler.

I ended up going the cheap route on mounts after losing my Innovatives in the mail. Bought a set of Yonakas for like 63 dollars shipped, and I have to say, I'm VERY impressed! I would recommend them to anyone looking for a stiffer, cheaper, discreet set of motor mounts. I also called them with some questions after I received my mounts, and the service rep I spoke with was VERY helpful and courteous. That was not my experience with Innovatice, unfortunately. So anyway, thumbs up to Yonaka.

Some pics of the install:





All done. This is NOT a wire tuck by any means, but I relocated and rerouted some of the relays and looms. I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. And it started up on the first turn! Extremely juiced at this point!



One of my side projects was a bit of an experiment that turned out great. Found a front lip on I think a 92ish (90-93?) Honda Accord. Grabbed it for ten bucks cus it looked like a similar shape to the EF.

Took me about a half hour to make it a near PERFECT fit.



And finally put the front end back together, and drove her home Sunday night!



Everything felt really great on the drive. Breaking in the new clutch, so I babied it for the 60 or so miles I drove it home and then back to the shop on Monday (I plan to drive it at least 5-600 miles with lots of stop and go before I let her rip). Couple slow coolant leaks, which were easy to spot and repair. So we're all good, right?

Now for the not so great news:

The ys1 tranny I bought had a teeny tiny hole in the bell housing sort of near the clutch side axle seal. The guy said he drove it like that and had no issues with oil leaking into the clutch/flywheel area. As a safety precaution, I did a quick Jb weld patch job over it and called it a day. See below.



Well Monday night I found a puddle of oil pooled below the resting flywheel. So my theory goes one of two things happened: 1) the main seal was somehow damaged while the engine was out and I didn't notice and now it's leaking; or 2) my Jb weld job didn't hold and it's coming from the trsnny. EITHER WAY I'll be pulling the tranny out Friday night. I'm taking it to a local speed/fabrication shop (STM- Street Tuned Motorsports) to have the hole tig welded like I should have done in the first place. But before I do, I'm going to crack it open and inspect the insides thoroughly. If this hole is the culprit, who knows what else the guy might have lied about to make the sale... tho it felt good driving it, I never took it about 3-3500 RPMs so it's hard to determine any wear/tear or weak/aged parts without diving right in.

Then who knows, maybe I'll toss in an LSD and/or LS 5th so my 30 mile commute to work is a little more pleasant. We shall see.

So that's about it for now. I'll keep this updated as things progress. Thanks for reading.

Also my next big purchase is going to be a set of Progress coilovers. And still looking for a quality used traction bar! Inbox me here or find me on Facebook. Tim Adams in Rochester, NY. Thanks.

tim_adams85

Hey all, I pulled the tranny tonight. Turns out my patch job held up just fine. Rear (tranny side) main seal seems to have been the culprit. Ordered a new seal kit, and should be good to go.

Here we are presently:



And now some terribly discouraging news, have you ever seen the innards of an LS ys1 tranny? Cus here is mine! FML.



Yeah yeah, it's not the worst thing to have ever happened, but I've been building this car on a tight budget. I counted the 3 4 5 gear ratios and and it's definitely a ys1 LS transmission. I've reached out to the seller (who is local and known in the community, probably well regarded on h-t too), and I'm waiting to hear back before I put him on blast. I'm hoping this was a misunderstanding.

Deaf_Dougie

wow this hatch definitely came out great!!! Diggin the new setups!