LiteraCola

I guess it's about time to start another build thread, mainly so I can document my progress on this new project.

Well, here she is... my new (to me) 92 CX Hatch. B20B/LS Trans etc.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago from a dude that seemed to be in trouble with his wife for buying a Harley without telling her. I guess the trade-off was to sell the hatch. He had only had it for a month or so, so he didn't know a whole lot about it. As you can see, it needs some love. Starting with the body, it has the typical Honda cancer spots that look to have been "repaired" at some point. The underside is basically rust-free. Overall I'd say the body is about a 6. No terrible rust, but three different colors and in need of some attention. The engine is a B20B (the guy claimed it had around 70k miles...right). It's date-stamped 07/99 with a P75 head so that tells me it's not a low-comp or a high-comp, but maybe something in the middle. The trans is an LS, coming from a 2000 GS coupe. The flywheel definitely looks like the light-weight type, as seen from where the inspection cover USED to be.
The interior is a solid 7, I'd say. I shampooed the carpets, removed the mass of badly-laid subwoofer and amp wiring, and am currently in the process of repainting the flaking center console pieces. The stereo is horrible, all the speakers are blown, including the cleverly-installed rear driver side speaker (SEE PHOTO). The head unit goes dark when you plug in a phone charger to the lighter, gonna have to work on that. The driver seat looks like a DC seat, the passenger looks like a vinyl-wrapped EG seat and the rears (the bottom portion fitting badly) look like DC Coupe leathers. It has a Viper alarm, also sloppily wired in. It works okay, and I must say, I enjoy the remote start feature. It has a MOMO wheel with an NRG quick-release, which is cool too.

Lets see, what else? JNC 010 wheels, don't like them. "JDM" Tow Hooks, already removed and For Sale, BWR Coilovers, which actually ride pretty nice for being so low. Also see below for the radiator "mounts". What a ****** car haha.

The major issues thus far... This weekend I (tried to) remove(d) the wheels to inspect the brakes and suspension. On the right front, one of the cheap *** "tuner" locks snapped off below the surface of the stud; I've tried extractors and tried hammering a 12pt socket on there, each to no avail. I'm still trying to figure out how I should get it off. Maybe remove the brakes from the inside, grind down the head of the stud and drive it out from the inside??? Either way, all 16 lug nuts were stupid tight and I had to literally stand on my 48" breaker bar to loosen them.

Also, I noticed before my test drive that the dip stick was hitting the header (Megan Racing? Can anyone confirm by looking at it?). Basically, you have to insert the dipstick and turn is 90 degrees to get it into the pan. The dipstick is broken off about an inch from the bottom. Luckily, you can still see the oil level when full. I have a dipstick on order. My plan was to drain the oil and remove the pan to try and locate the missing piece of the dipstick. I was pumped and start rushing, so I did the oil change and (while empty) used a strong magnet to try and coax the dip stick toward the drain. That's where I think I fucked up. I put oil back in it and everything was fine until the next morning when I decided to move the car in the driveway in preparation for bringing it to work today. The oil pressure light start flashing at idle. So I must have disturbed the metal just enough to get it close to the pickup screen and it's wedged in there somehow. I should've just left it alone until the new parts came in. Oh well, another oil change couldn't hurt, right?!

And she's missing a bolt from the flange just before the test pipe, so she's smelly. I'll be looking into a cat for her before inspection in January. 2.5" x 16.5" long. Any ideas if a CRV or Integra-specific cat might fit? The brakes are shot, the rears are 99% inop. The steering rack (used to be power) is loose and the tie rods are blown, along with the ball joints...although the LCAs have what look like poly bushings. The shift stabilizer bushing is blown out and the bellows seal for the trans shift rod is the same.

Parts on order:
New B20 dipstick
Hood rod keeper and grommet
Rear hatch struts and hardware kit
Exhaust flange springs and bolts
Oil pan gasket
Another jug of Castrol Edge 5w30 and filter
B20 exhaust manifold gasket.
8 new wheel studs and 16 lug nuts



Overall, I've enjoyed the hell out of driving this little car. "Tons' of torque from the B20 and the LS trans is sweet for cruising. My overall plans are an all-out build. B20V, GSR or Type R trans, stripped interior, cage, nasty suspension, the works. And then I'm going road-racing.

LiteraCola

Also, see below for the broken wheel lock. Any suggestions are welcome. I'd rather not destroy the wheel, obviously. Nothing has worked thus far...

punk0mi

Nice project car.

As far as the wheel lock...the only thing I can think of is to disassemble the knuckle to get to the backside of the hub. Drill out the stud head and remove it and then drive the existing wheel stud out of the hub.

Freedo_Civegra

Thats what I was going to suggest, but I remembered how much room there really is not.

tony_2018

tool at autozone can spin that no problem. What I would suggest though is you soak it with some kroil or pb blaster before attempting to take it off.

LiteraCola

As you may be able to see below, much of the leftover lock is below the surface of the stud, so no extractor or 12pt socket would work on it. I decided to start drilling it tonight, but burned through my drill bits, even with cutting fluid!
Tomorrow, I’ll grab a few more bits at work and hopefully I can drill it enough so I can break the remaining stud and lock off with a hammer and chisel. That must be some kind of stainless cuz that **** is hard! The stud was easy to drill into, but once the bits touched the material of the lock, progress slowed to a crawl.

tony_2018

Doesn't hurt to try. I used it on my wheel locks and it didn't need that much to take off. My concern is the rust

Freedo_Civegra

Trying that tool definitely won’t mess up your chances of drilling it out if the tool doesn’t work.

94 Civic Si

Ah yiss! In for the win...

Guy should have dumped the Harley, but his loss is your gain!

2x0

Looks like an awesome starting point for a track build

LiteraCola

VICTORY IS MINE! I was finally able to drill out the stud just enough to knock out the remaining piece of the lug nut! My chisel did scar the wheel up a little bit, but who cares; I'll be trading these for a set of wheels soon anyways. I forgot to take pictures, but I painted out the center console/arm rest pieces last night. The peeling dip looked hideous.

tony_2018

Jesus, nasty gash but you got it out. Yes, the tool would've had enough bite to take that out since it didn't rust. Oh well, rims traded.

Freedo_Civegra

My favorite pic

LiteraCola

You like that, huh? That's what I like to call a "quality install" haha!

If you can't fix it with baling wire and zip ties, t'aint broke.

LiteraCola

I'm honestly afraid to drive it anywhere more than a few miles from the house. It's only a matter of time before the wire rubs a hole in one of the radiator coils.

tony_2018

needs the shroud. It helps big time. If I ever find time I'm going to attempt to build one for the ac condenser for a slim fan.

Freedo_Civegra

will the shroud clear the header?

I have a yonaka radiator and shroud if you need them. They were on my Civic, but I have a VW radiator in there now. It’s used, but it looks pretty good.

DaX

iTrader: (1)

I've thought about doing this too. Have you looked at chopping the OEM shroud and adding brackets or whatever would need to be there to hold a SPAL? If I need the room when I add the turbo to mine, I'll be looking to attempt this.

LiteraCola

Hey, hey what about me?! I might take you up on the offer for the Yonaka Radiator...

Judging by how tight the upper hose is on the radiator, I think it's safe to assume that this is a D series radiator. I've looked into a new Yonaka rad/fan/shroud combo, but I only saw the half-sized model for the D series... Is there a half-sized radiator available for B series that will fit the EG?

Freedo_Civegra

That comment was meant for you. Lol

2x0

The Skunk2 Alpha 349-05-2000

LiteraCola

Sorry man, I figured it was for Tony. I'll PM you.

Thanks dude, I'll look into it.

DaX

iTrader: (1)

Go-Autoworks also has one.

LiteraCola

I'll look at that also. It definitely looks like a cheaper alternative, although the mounting of the fan looks a little wonky... OR am I not looking at it right?

Part of the issue with my radiator is that it was installed without the rubber feet, so it sits about 3/4" lower than it should and the top bracket isn't even touching it. Makes me wonder... all the trouble of wiring and zip-tying the fan on there...Why not just do it right?



Because JDM?

Freedo_Civegra