AWD Integra GSR build
#1
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
AWD Integra GSR build
Finally getting started on on this. Been doing research for the last 2 years making sure it was something i could accomplish. Now with the time and money, I am finally building the AWD gsr that I've always dreamed of. The motor is already built for heavy boost, I will put up a thread for that w/ pics whenever i get around to it. But for now here is the beginning of the build up of the drivetrain. I will update as i go, and even with all the research i did im learning something new every day i work on it. Im happy to help anyone else along the way but fair WARNING: if you havent taken on large projects and not sure if you can afford/finish the project, dont try it. There are points of no return so to speak, and if you cant finish, the car is junk.
#4
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Things that need to go: Full rear suspension, this includes the control arms, trailing arms, struts, brake lines/cables, abs wires/sensors. the gas tank, the shifter and linkage, the transmission, exhaust, spare tire well (cut), rear subframe cross member (cut).
List of things to do: build a cross member for mounting the lower crosmember for the differential, install new rod and main bearings and oil pump, (old oil pump **** itself, will post how to). modify trans bracket to accept crv transmission, install crv trans transfercase and driveshaft. (will require some tunnel adjustments with a hammer ) align the driveline to ensure proper geometry between the trans, differential, and wheels. pull crv 5 lugs out of trailing arms and replace with integra front 4 lugs (may require machining) build disk brake setup for rear, pretty up the trunk with sheet metal and paint. So many things i cant list them all. i will update as i got
List of things to do: build a cross member for mounting the lower crosmember for the differential, install new rod and main bearings and oil pump, (old oil pump **** itself, will post how to). modify trans bracket to accept crv transmission, install crv trans transfercase and driveshaft. (will require some tunnel adjustments with a hammer ) align the driveline to ensure proper geometry between the trans, differential, and wheels. pull crv 5 lugs out of trailing arms and replace with integra front 4 lugs (may require machining) build disk brake setup for rear, pretty up the trunk with sheet metal and paint. So many things i cant list them all. i will update as i got
Last edited by Blackhalo6; 03-16-2013 at 08:47 PM.
#5
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Dangling motor. jack leaks down. Yes i know i said its built for boost and theres no turbo, but the car has been running na for a while since i blew the turbo to pieces.
Last edited by Blackhalo6; 03-16-2013 at 08:53 PM.
#7
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
the whole driveline is from the crv, i reallize that the crv stuff isnt as tough as it needs to be, but i plan on letting the driveline tell me which parts are weak. then replace them as they break
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#9
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Eventually I may look into hybridizing the crv and wagovan driveshaft to utilize the viscous coupling that the wagovans had, and weld the clutch packs in the rt4wd unit. But for now just going with crv parts because believe it or not most of them fit with little or no modification. I'm a huge fan of the b series motors is why I didn't use the wagovan parts. The motor that's in it now is a built c1 that has full forged internals and the block has been sleeved and bored to 84 which makes it a lil less than 2.0. The entire valvetrain is aftermarket and can hold 9k rpm. And if it happens to explode, I have a spare 12:1 na motor.
#12
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
So it may be slow going for the next week. But I go on leave on Friday for 2 weeks which is when I plan on getting everything done. Maybe little things till then.
#13
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
So went out today and fiddled around a little bit. Jacked the lower cross member up to see where its gonna need to be mounted. Something that i didnt put too much consideration into is that the frame rails are all blind. that means when i try to put a bolt and nut in theres no way to get to the nut. I have a few goals for this build. 1 make it work 2 minimize the amount of metal added to minimize added weight. 3 i want it to be able to be fully disassembled, which serves 2 purposes it allows for repair when stuff breaks, and allows for adjustment or the ability to take things off when the need arises to place something between. so for the sake of all 3 instead of building a custom frame, im gonna use mostly the available frame and modify it by making the holes for the bolts large enough to place the entire nut into and then weld it into place instead of just welding all the pieces together. Which brings us to the next part.
so you'll notice that the lower control arm is set further to the rear on the crv trailing arms vs. the integra ones. this is to allow the cv shafts to enter the hub. the rest of the trailing arm is relatively identical to the integra that it just bolts up with no modification. But because of the lower control arm shift, you cant use the stock mounting location on the spare tire well and the teg control arm. The lower part of the strut is then also relocated further rear, which causes significant negative camber. Not sure how to approach this but it may involve moving the upper mount back about 3 inches. But once both trailing arms are bolted in and the control arms are attached to the lower crossmember from the crv, it pretty much aligns itself. however the width of the original frame is slightly larger than the crossmember, so a bit of fabrication is required here. Not much though. The lower crossmember has 2 bolts on each side that need to be mounted to the frame. one hole matches up right in the middle of the frame, but the other is just inside and aft of the original location of the control arm mount. i decided for the one that matches right up just to drill a larger hole, weld a nut to a piece of stock steel and then weld the entire thing into the larger hole due to the 1/4 inch gap that exists when the crossmember is pushed up against the frame. The one that doesnt meet up with the frame is a little harder. after some measuring, i decided to cut into the frame to slide an angle iron into the slot, allowing the bolt the perfect place to mount and building the beginning of the upper crossmember. i opted not to use the crvs upper crossmember because the only crv i could find it had been damaged, and there isnt much to it. (bar and 2 rubber mounts). nothing that is attached to the rotating mass should be hard mounted. 1 because of road noise and all around ride comfort and 2 because of initial torque when the mass begins to rotate, it could damage or warp the frame/metal. allowing the rubber to flex, even if its stiff polyurethane prevents the metal from having to, which will reduce the chances of busting parts of the drivetrain such as cv shafts or diff case.
another fab point ill hit on is the trans mount. the integra and crv have opposite trans mounts. If your not sure what im talking about just look up some pics ull see. this presents a problem (sorta) i could modify the frame of the car to accept the crv trans mount, or what i decided, i can mod the integra mount to bolt to the crv. the overall pattern is the same, just spread out some so i will build an adapter to accept the integra mount and the crv trans. not too hard but will allow for maximum flexibility say i have to put a gsr tranny back in it or if i have to replace the mount itself.
lastly, you might be able to make out that i bent the edge of the sheet metal in the tire well over on itself. this ads more material to weld and work with, and also it was stupid sharp which made it hard to maneuver around inside the car.
Heres pics to go with what i was talking about
Btw the hole on the left in the picture on the crossmember is not a bolt hole the second bolt hole I was talking about is a little to the left and under the frame rail.
so you'll notice that the lower control arm is set further to the rear on the crv trailing arms vs. the integra ones. this is to allow the cv shafts to enter the hub. the rest of the trailing arm is relatively identical to the integra that it just bolts up with no modification. But because of the lower control arm shift, you cant use the stock mounting location on the spare tire well and the teg control arm. The lower part of the strut is then also relocated further rear, which causes significant negative camber. Not sure how to approach this but it may involve moving the upper mount back about 3 inches. But once both trailing arms are bolted in and the control arms are attached to the lower crossmember from the crv, it pretty much aligns itself. however the width of the original frame is slightly larger than the crossmember, so a bit of fabrication is required here. Not much though. The lower crossmember has 2 bolts on each side that need to be mounted to the frame. one hole matches up right in the middle of the frame, but the other is just inside and aft of the original location of the control arm mount. i decided for the one that matches right up just to drill a larger hole, weld a nut to a piece of stock steel and then weld the entire thing into the larger hole due to the 1/4 inch gap that exists when the crossmember is pushed up against the frame. The one that doesnt meet up with the frame is a little harder. after some measuring, i decided to cut into the frame to slide an angle iron into the slot, allowing the bolt the perfect place to mount and building the beginning of the upper crossmember. i opted not to use the crvs upper crossmember because the only crv i could find it had been damaged, and there isnt much to it. (bar and 2 rubber mounts). nothing that is attached to the rotating mass should be hard mounted. 1 because of road noise and all around ride comfort and 2 because of initial torque when the mass begins to rotate, it could damage or warp the frame/metal. allowing the rubber to flex, even if its stiff polyurethane prevents the metal from having to, which will reduce the chances of busting parts of the drivetrain such as cv shafts or diff case.
another fab point ill hit on is the trans mount. the integra and crv have opposite trans mounts. If your not sure what im talking about just look up some pics ull see. this presents a problem (sorta) i could modify the frame of the car to accept the crv trans mount, or what i decided, i can mod the integra mount to bolt to the crv. the overall pattern is the same, just spread out some so i will build an adapter to accept the integra mount and the crv trans. not too hard but will allow for maximum flexibility say i have to put a gsr tranny back in it or if i have to replace the mount itself.
lastly, you might be able to make out that i bent the edge of the sheet metal in the tire well over on itself. this ads more material to weld and work with, and also it was stupid sharp which made it hard to maneuver around inside the car.
Heres pics to go with what i was talking about
Btw the hole on the left in the picture on the crossmember is not a bolt hole the second bolt hole I was talking about is a little to the left and under the frame rail.
Last edited by Blackhalo6; 03-19-2013 at 04:24 AM.
#15
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Doing some research, came across something i didnt know. the type r rear struts went inside of the lca just like the crv instead of around it with a fork like most civic base cars. pretty much ends that problem that i hadn't gotten to yet.
edit: searching online for type r struts is a lil harder than gsr stuffs, but tokico is having a huge sale if anyones interested. sites not workin right right now tho
edit: searching online for type r struts is a lil harder than gsr stuffs, but tokico is having a huge sale if anyones interested. sites not workin right right now tho
#17
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
even if its stiff polyurethane prevents the metal from having to, which will reduce the chances of busting parts of the drivetrain such as cv shafts or diff case.
#19
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Doing some research, came across something i didnt know. the type r rear struts went inside of the lca just like the crv instead of around it with a fork like most civic base cars. pretty much ends that problem that i hadn't gotten to yet.
edit: searching online for type r struts is a lil harder than gsr stuffs, but tokico is having a huge sale if anyones interested. sites not workin right right now tho
edit: searching online for type r struts is a lil harder than gsr stuffs, but tokico is having a huge sale if anyones interested. sites not workin right right now tho
#20
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
interesting. may be easier to find parts for them vs. the type r. seems like if they were identical, they wouldnt have different part numbers. gonna look into it now
Edit: so after some internet searching, using google images, honda-tech forum, and the monroe struts website and size lists. it seems that only the 88 civic sedan and the crx used the strut inside the lca. 89 and up used the fork. the overall dimensions look a little smaller, but overall its a fit. im afraid that because of the lower mounting point of the lca, it may be too short. i need to do the measurements. heres the webpages with the specs for anyone whos following: integra http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...dStatus=ACTIVE
crv: http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...dStatus=ACTIVE
crx: http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...layPartDetails
Edit: so after some internet searching, using google images, honda-tech forum, and the monroe struts website and size lists. it seems that only the 88 civic sedan and the crx used the strut inside the lca. 89 and up used the fork. the overall dimensions look a little smaller, but overall its a fit. im afraid that because of the lower mounting point of the lca, it may be too short. i need to do the measurements. heres the webpages with the specs for anyone whos following: integra http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...dStatus=ACTIVE
crv: http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...dStatus=ACTIVE
crx: http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPar...layPartDetails
Last edited by Blackhalo6; 03-18-2013 at 06:26 PM.
#21
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Re: AWD Integra GSR build
God I love builds that involve fabricating the existing structure of a car. That's the kind of **** I absolutely love. Wish I knew how to fabricate stuff.
#22
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Its a pain trust me, and a bit nerve racking. Sometimes I find myself looking at something thinking to myself, there is no going back. But words don't really explain the feeling I have when it comes together and is better than expected.
#25
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Thread Starter
Re: AWD Integra GSR build
Btw I appreciate the feedback, info and subscribes. I'm gonna do this project either way, but I wanted the build thread to be helpful for both me and anyone else who might be interested. I didn't want it to just turn into another lost thread on the forums.