Dee

Get comfortable because this is long!

This story actually started Feb.25 when I ordered a new Cusco super single clutch instead of just ordering an overhaul kit for my OS Giken super single. Why did I order a new clutch? The aluminum cover Cusco version of the OS super single has more clamping force and is slightly lighter. The Cusco clutch also only comes with a 215mm disc which has a HP rating of 400whp. The OS SS comes in two sizes. 204mm for NA(250whp) and 215mm for turbo(400whp). Since I never checked the size of the disc and I didn't want to drop my tranny just to measure the clutch I just bought the Cusco clutch. The Cusco clutch was supposed to be in before my Mar 2 installation.

BAD LUCK #1 I stopped by the shop friday night (Mar1) to pick up my clutch and overhauled LSD. LSD was finished but the shop forgot to place my clutch order. This put a serious hole in my plans because I wanted to install the clutch and LSD at the same time since both items require atleast 100km of break-in before driving hard. I already had (2) Hondata ROMs that needed to be tested before my Mar.10 race and I was anxious to get them datalogged. A "rush" comment was added to my order in hopes that the clutch would arrive the next day. No deal! Monday evening is the expected arrival date! I picked up the shiny blue clutch monday night and made plans to do the install tuesday after work.

BAD LUCK #2 There are no lifts available when I get to the auto hobby shop. It is 3:45 and the place closes at 7:00. The auto hobby shop has (10) rental bays with (6) flat stalls and (4) lifts. One of the two post lifts was being used by a friend doing a engine/tranny swap on a FWD Toyota. The other 2 post lift was occupied by a submoronic MR2 owner who also pretending to do a clutch install. It was his second day and he still hadn't dropped the tranny. The four post lift can not be used to change a FWD tranny since the tires rest on the lift rails and the tire/oil change lift just didn't like my car. Since it only took 1.5 hours to change my clutch on a lift I figured I could do it in a flat stall in 3 hours. An hour after I got started a friend with a B18C-R Civic stopped by to give me a hand. Once the tranny was dropped he tore it apart for the LSD install while I did the clutch change over. I got the clutches swapped in 10 minutes and then proceeded to finish the LSD install. It took about 40 minutes to swap the diffs, clean the case halves and re-assemble the crap. Take your time when re-assembling the case halves because you WILL crack the case if the pin for the gear selector assembly does not align itself properly! Lining up this stupid pin took 15 minutes because I don't have a spare case half tp waste. 7:00pm... with the exception of the starter install, the (2) 19mm rear mount bolts, checking all bolts and adding 2.2 liters of 80w-90 GL5 everything is done. Those final items would have to wait until the next day since I was out of time. Damn was I pissed! The thing that really got to me was the fact that the idiot with the MR2 spent more time asking about my setup than working on his hunk of junk. I love MR2's but his car was a straight up beater!

I finished the install the next day which gave me a 4 hour clutch/LSD install without a lift. Idiot boy with the MR2 dropped his tranny at 6pm that day. WTF?? 3 days just to drop the damn tranny.

It is now Wednesday and I have two days to drive 100km w/o getting stupid. I hit the 100km mark friday night and did a couple spirited runs just to test the new setup. All I can say is: Like Butta baby!! The 12.5kgm intial torque Mugen LSD keeps power to both wheels and the clutch clamps like a ******!

Saturday was supposed to be a morning of helping a different friend finish the T04E w/stain mani and HKS w/g upgrade install on his SR20DET 180SX that I designed followed by an evening datalogging the ROM changes that Doug from Hondata suggested.

BAD LUCK #3 Day before the race, saturday morning 11:00am. After picking up Hugh the engine bounces thru the 8400rpm rev limiter and hits 8977rpm. Engine stalls and then makes a live chicken stuck in a blender sound when I try to start it. ENGINE DEAD ! I am only 5 minutes from the hobby shop but the tow truck is hours away. I get a friend to tow me back to base! The idiot with MR2 is still on the lift and the other lift was taken by my friend who blew his GTR motor. I call another friend and beg him to sell me his low mileage B18C(36k km) since my other engine is still in 40 million pieces. Things are looking bad because the hobby shoppy closes at 6:00pm on saturdays, I have to use a flat stall for the change over and I will lose about 1 hour when I go get the replacement engine. There are were too many problems to write about but with the help of teh friend who sold me the engine and the friend who owns the B18C-R Civic I finished the change over at 12:00am sunday morning. The 6 extra hours put a minor dent in my wallet! 12:30am~3:30am in my apartment parking lot was spent checking bolts, fluid levels, temp readings, volt readings, tie strapping wires and cables and getting ready for the race. I crashed for 1 hour after scrubbing the layers and layers of grease and oil from my skin and woke up at 6:15am.

06:30am sunday my trek to the track begain. I used this time to reset the boost controller and check the engine for problems. Since all three of the hobby shop's timing lights had bad strobes the first part of the trip was spent listening for pinging since I used the eyefuck method to install my distributor. No pinging = set the boost FOOL! Damn, this engine is really strong. I was roasting the tires in third gear. EGT's are reading good, AF is reading 12.0 under boost, water temps and oil temps are good. About 30 minutes after setting the AVC-R a '02 WRX STi tries to block me at a light! All I can say is.. I killed him horribly! I bet that guy hates Hundas now !

8:00 am arrive at the track and hunt down a timing light! Timing is only off by 1.5 degrees (17.5 instead of 16). Because there isn't enough room for GTR's and high HP cars to stop this track is only 150meters instead of 200m(1/8mile). The timing sequence for the tree is so slow you can bake a cake before the green flashes.

1st run: redlight because I launched at the top of the third yellow.

2nd run: I cut a .186 RT but bogged since my launch rpm was only 4500.
RT .186
60ft 2.55
ET 8.034

3rd run: best ET and 150m but worst RT
RT .583
60ft 2.337
100.55m 5.857
150.00m 7.397
ET 7.980 @ 120.96kph

4th run:
RT .477
60ft 2.35
ET 8.099 mishifted at the light

BAD LUCK #4 No reverse gear when I got back to the pits! 5th gear is crunchy! The mis-shift from 2nd to 5th gremlin strikes again! I make it to the finals but I couldn't do a dry hop at the line since reverse didn't work.

I finished 2nd in the FF class.

BAD LUCK #5 blew a turbo oil seal because I blow smoke at idle and the tranny is totally fucked. I had to drive 60km with a tranny that makes noise in every gear and lacks 5th/reverse.

Hopefully I will get the LS gearset and FD installed this saturday. My best ET at this track is 7.65. A friend with stock Pulsar GTiR placed 3rd in the FR class. Both Friends with FD3S RX-7's broke and I think my friend with the FC3S RX-7 took 3rd in the open class. I was the only Hunda at the event. I have 6 weeks to get ready for the next event so I hope I can procure some BFG drag radials by then.

Thanks for reading my bad luck story and I hope it didn't make you too sleepy!


[Modified by drealgsr, 8:45 PM 3/13/2002]


[Modified by drealgsr, 2:48 PM 3/14/2002]

Xerxes

wow, you are HARD CORE

that's pretty cool that they have places you can go to rent a bay or a lift.. that would be so nice out here.

Have you figured out what caused you to over-rev?
I can't believe you would go to all the trouble of buying a spare block the day before a drag race just so you could still race. Are you trying for a whole season's worth of points/wins?

-Xerxes

Dee

I had already spent money on the entry fee and there was a EP91 Starlet there that I really wanted to race! He beat me because of my sub shitty reaction time. That molasses slow christmas tree kills me! The car that beat me is setup for 1/8 mile only because it pretty much runs outta juice at the light. It was also boosting 1.5bar while I am only boosting .55bar.

I needed an extra engine anyway! So, now I'll have two backup B18C's for my 2.0liter B18C after it is finished!

Smashback

Every military base has them! Ah, the good old Hobby Shop! Too bad I was only making like $650 every two weeks when I was in...not quite enough to fund a turbocharged car!!!

Dee

The hobby shops over here are awesome they have pretty much everything you need to repair a car. They even sell aftermarket parts and will order anything for you as long as you provide a catalog or contact source.

$650 every two weeks??!! OUCH, that hurts! Hell, I spend $300 month on gasoline alone!

Dee

I updated my third run time w/correct info from the time slip. My reaction times and crappy 60ft times killed me.

hybrid901

Damn you were running a 8 flat in the 1/8 mile on street tires? Or am I mistaken.

Xerxes

wait so is that hobby shop a normal japanese thing or is it at the army base? how much does it cost to use?

-Xerxes

Dee

Xerxes... I use the USMC hobby shops since I have access to them.

Flat stall is $2.50/hr tools included
Lift is $3.50/hr tools included
Welding is $10hr if you do it yourself but more if Shop welder does it.

Hybrid... This track is 50m shy of the 1/8mile mark for saftey reasons(it's 0-150m instead of 0-200m). My ADVAN A048 SS compounds aren't true street tires since the wear out faster than a Pamper on a 2 year old with the runs!

If I get my RT down to a constant .180 or below and launch at the correct RPM I should be able to run constant 7.4~7.6 ET's. 5 weeks until the next race!!