is it completely unrealistic to believe a swapped CRX can run as good and drive as smooth and quiet as a stock car? i want to pick up a crx for a "fun" daily driver, swap in B16/B18 and make it run like a stock honda should, no engine builds or turbo or any engine mods whatsoever. is this even possible? a quiet exhaust, an even low idle, not afraid of it breaking down every month, air conditioning.... is this too much to ask for? i have had many crx's and they all had some annoying quality about them that pissed me off on a daily basis.

this sounds like i have something against swapped hondas ... which i don't, i think i'm just gettin too old for this crap

 

Sure. It's just that nobody does it.

 

dont you just love the joy of EF's?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by efracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> i think i'm just gettin too old for this crap </TD></TR></TABLE>

u just answered ur question.

 

i don't understand why ... i hear all the time how everyone hopes Honda brings back the CRX .. there seems to be a new thread every other week .. and how they are going to be first in line to buy one .. so why just half *** and drive around a POS? fix it right so it is practically "new". ... maybe its just me

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TIRENECK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

u just answered ur question.</TD></TR></TABLE>

tell me about it i just look at all the new cars out and think its rediculous to spend $30-40k on a car that i like no more than a $2k crx ... maybe i'm just cheap too .. direct result of the getting old part probably

its rediculous to think how much money we waste on depreciation of our automobiles ... so many better ways to waste our money

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by efracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i don't understand why ... i hear all the time how everyone hopes Honda brings back the CRX .. there seems to be a new thread every other week .. and how they are going to be first in line to buy one .. so why just half *** and drive around a POS? fix it right so it is practically "new". ... maybe its just me </TD></TR></TABLE>
Nobody here will buy a new CRX if it were made available. That's why Honda doesn't make it. These people don't buy new cars because, well, like me, they can't afford them. They're all talk and no action.

 

plus we can't forget that they can't remake the crx exactly like it was. it would have to have a million things that weigh it down... airbags, better bumpers and unibody for crash purposes, obd2, hell the list could go on so long but i'll stop here. if they tried to bring it back, it wouldn't be what everyone loved it for.

 

I think you could do it if you took the time and spent the money.

You could:

-Do some fabbing to use the stock engine mounts
-Replace all the suspension bushings
-Find some kind of sound deadening that won't add too much weight
-Get an hks sport or rsr exhaust (supposed to be really quiet)
-Generally replace wear parts/snug everything down to reduce rattles inside

If you do a swap right and buy a good engine I don't see why it wouldn't be reliable. I've been told converting to obd1 makes an engine run better. Obd1+hondata or uberdata I'm sure would be very reliable.

Just some ideas..

 

My car w/b16 drives/runs like it came with it from the factory. There is no gear grinding, no out of the norm drivability problems, no engine vibration. I have no engine mount kit because the previous owner cut and rewelded the mounts on the body and used filled stock Honda/Acura engine mounts plus the front tranny mount. So yes it is possible if you take the time to do it right.

 

easily possible

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bagpipe goatee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">plus we can't forget that they can't remake the crx exactly like it was. it would have to have a million things that weigh it down... airbags, better bumpers and unibody for crash purposes, obd2, hell the list could go on so long but i'll stop here. if they tried to bring it back, it wouldn't be what everyone loved it for.</TD></TR></TABLE>

...but a K20 would be nice

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by efracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i don't understand why ... i hear all the time how everyone hopes Honda brings back the CRX .. there seems to be a new thread every other week .. and how they are going to be first in line to buy one .. so why just half *** and drive around a POS? fix it right so it is practically "new". ... maybe its just me </TD></TR></TABLE>

That is how I feel, but I think I am going to wait until I have a more secure (and higher paying) job before I get to that point. I want the first car in my "collectors garage" to be my CRX modded the way I want it to be and restored to be as close to new as possible. I just have to finish college first to get that job I want.

If you want a new car, buy one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ProjectCRXtacy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

If you want a new car, buy one.</TD></TR></TABLE>

" i just look at all the new cars out and think its rediculous to spend $30-40k on a car that i like no more than a $2k crx "

i already said i did not want a new car ... i'm cheap and they are not. i have the money to buy one if i wanted but i just don't. i would rather take a vacation every month the way we have been and spend the money that would be a car payment on my family.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kurinto &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
-Do some fabbing to use the stock engine mounts
-Replace all the suspension bushings
-Find some kind of sound deadening that won't add too much weight
-Get an hks sport or rsr exhaust (supposed to be really quiet)
-Generally replace wear parts/snug everything down to reduce rattles inside
</TD></TR></TABLE>

or just import SiR or something. but really, i did most of that stuff... 100% new OEM honda suspension bushings, kept all the sound deadening, replaced just about every piece of weatherstripping and molding possible... new paint, a bunch of new interior parts, new shocks/springs (H&R OE Sports on illuminas, ride's real nice). the big obstacle is the mounts... my hasports rattle the hell out of my car, but i wasn't sure enough of myself to bother with fabrication when i started the project. oh, and my 2.5" exhaust is pretty loud, but i'm addicted to horsepower.

the bottom line is, when everything's added up, my 95% restored crx cost about the same as a used rsx-s, and is only slightly faster, but with no warranty. if i didn't have an irrational love for the shape and weight of my car, i'd be driving around in an rsx right now.

 

you got any pics of your crx? sounds like you and me are on the same page

 

Contact user Wes V. He has the car u want. Its a perfect example, plus he is an older guy as well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fourthgenhatchB17 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Contact user Wes V. He has the car u want. Its a perfect example, plus he is an older guy as well.</TD></TR></TABLE>
haha i was waiting for someone to mention his name. he has one clean hatch. and i bet it rides real smooth!

 

yeah i did all that stuff; new bushings, bearings, full Suspension, xsi obd1 swap, full interior, ac, invidia cat back, magnaflow cat, rear disc brakes done the right way, and anything else i could think of. the down fall is the mounts hasport shake rattle. its the trade off. the 6 puck solid clutch doesn't help any either. it really doesn't give me any real problems. ok there is this bouncing idle thats killing me. ok ok the more i go on the more i make your point. but its FUN. its not bad till i drive my m3 for a couple days and get back into it and then i think " was this thing always this loud"? if you could get some rubber bushings pressed into your mounts and go down to the local muffler shop and have them weld in the lamest flowing muffler they have and it might be bearable. or knowing that by the time you sign your loan paper work and drive you new car off the lot you just lost 20% of the value of the car, you could just get a newer car that will maintain some of its value and still have new car qualities. i recommend a low mileage 99 bmw m3. getting old is a bitch. i remember my first car a 66 vw bug dropped to the bump stops with shitty brakes and motor but i loved it 16 years ago.

 

i definately understand what you are saying .. i just can't seem to get away from wanting another crx .. the damn thing seems to haunt me!!

 

I guess I should jump in here what with my name having been thrown out there.

There are a couple things that have to be faced!

The first is that you are dealing with a car that is 14 years old. Just getting it back to close to original ride quality is going to be an issue.

The other issue is that most individuals out there are building an EF due to the fact that it fits what they can afford, and that's a very limited budget! Most are younger guys that don't have the ability, desire or tools to take some of the steps required to make a car ride like "stock". I'm NOT bad-ragging anybody! It's just that most are at the beginning stages of "car building".

All that said, I'm 52 and have collected tools over the years due to project cars I've built. I wanted to build an EF due to the light weight, good suspension design, and possibliities of legal engine swaps. I wasn't willing to have a swap that transmitted engine vibrations beyond what an original car would.

What I did was install a B18C (GSR) engine and fabricate my own mounts using rubber inserts. The car is fully CARB legal and converted to OBD1. The suspension is Neuspeed springs and Koni SP3 shocks. The brakes are (simply put) from an Integra (larger front disks and rear disks). Other than the rims, the car looks totally stock.

So, the answer to your question is that it's totally possible. It's not however cheap and you really have to have a love for the EF (or CRX) to make it worth while.

Wes Vann

http://www.performanceforum.co....html

 

This is how I'm building my second CRX. I already have one built for performance, so now I'm building a "driver" for comfort and reliability:

1990 HF.. completely rebuilt engine and tranny to stock specs:


Dynamat throughout (used 2 "bulk packs" = 50 lbs)


All wear items are being replaced and the car will receive a new paint job as well.

I stuck with the HF because Fuel economy was more important than performance but you could do the same with an Si and just keep the origional D16A6 in there. My "performance" car is still running a D16A6 and it gives me plenty of power to keep me happy. Plus I don't have to worry about problems w/ engine mounts.

I put together a CRX for a customer of mine that was an older gentleman in a similar fashon only I used a D16Z6 head on his A6 block. everything else was left stock and that car is a blast to drive! nice and quiet and smooth until you get on it and dip into VTEC then it comes to life!

 

Have you looked at '99-00 Civic Sis?

 

Louie is a good person to listen to. He REALLY gets into this stuff. If in doubt, go to his web site and check out the "roof swap" pages!!! He gets "hero" points from me!

Wes

 

If a engine come is lets say a 99 Si and that car runs as good as you want why do you think putting it in a CRX will make it idel high, break down and be untolerable?
Try doing a swap right and you will have no problems, all of mine have ran and driven like stock unless modified otherwise.