It's been raining front end, and front lip threads lately, so I'll try to chip in my 2 cents.

I'm doing a B18C swap in a while, and I concluded that I needed more hood clearance.
Since it looked like "just" cutting the frame wouldn't work on my car (I welded my B series mounts) I opted to do a VT front end swap instead.
Keep in mind... I'm in EDM land...so swapping a front over is regarded just about as dumb as doing a RHD conversion. So I'm officially considered a "faker" now.

Anyway a short writeup on doing the front end swap, wich is basically the same as doing a JDM front swap.

Parts you'll need:
Front bumper
Hood
Blinkers (the wrap arounds obviously)
Headlights (I have the yummy glass ones with power adjustability)
Corners that match the headlights.

Let me start with debunking a couple of myths:
The Si corner lights will NOT line up, altho they will bolt-up. It's just nasty because the curvature, and the angle is a little off compared to regular CRX headlights.

You do NOT need the JDM locking plate.

The JDM hood latch is EXACTLY the same dimentions as your regular SI one, except for some visual discrepancies. The JDM cars have a different radiator, and different airbox. The locking plate has a hole in it for the air duct. It's also different from the Si one.

I bolted on a Si plate onto a real VT/SiR car..and the hood closed fine.
I swapped the VT/SiR one onto mine... and it still didn't fix the hood latch problem with the JDM hood.

All you need to do, is slightly bend the latch plate, and put a half inch worth of spacers underneith the plate to fix the offset issues. I opened up the bolt holes a little, because using spacers will raise the plate a little. The rest I just adjusted woth the spring loaded thread on the hood itself. It locks fine now.

The headlights bolt up fine. No modification needed.
Bolt up the proper corners.
The bumper bolts up too. Only problem with it, is that because of the different shape, you can't re-use your stock bolts. You need longer ones.
The bolts from the dizzy are exactly the right length.

The radiator bolts up fine too. All I had to do, to re-use my stock rad mounts, is dremel a tiny slot in one of them. They usually wrap the locking plate, and we just moved it.

Here's the pictures. Write-up on the lip is below.









So...to make the civic lip fit... you need a couple of self tapping screws, a heat gun, a few spacers and a hacksaw.
The front 5 bolts of the civic lip bolt right up to the crx. Wich pretty much instantly solves any problems lining it up.
before you put it on however, you need to completely hack the thing up. The civic lip is not just a lip, it has a large support part on the corners wich you need to cut up to make the lip bend. Heat it up so it's flexable...and start matching the shape to the bumper, putting in self tapping screws as you go. Because the shape is a little off at the end, you need a spacer or so between the bumper and the lip..to make the angle more like the crx. The civic bumper slopes differently.

Well..the result it above. I'm not sure if I like it yet...but it took me 20 minutes..and it's "different".

 

clean

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a VT front end? Any cheaper than the JDM front end?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SETI20 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> So I'm officially considered a "faker" now.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You know thats not true.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SETI20 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Well..the result it above. I'm not sure if I like it yet...but it took me 20 minutes..and it's "different". </TD></TR></TABLE>

the arch in the middle is nice, id rock it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by N1ghtM0nkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Excuse my ignorance, but what is a VT front end? Any cheaper than the JDM front end?</TD></TR></TABLE>

They had the glass lights I believe so I would assume its more.

 

thats a clean ride

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by N1ghtM0nkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Excuse my ignorance, but what is a VT front end? Any cheaper than the JDM front end?</TD></TR></TABLE>

VT is just the EDM name for the 90-91 B16 Civic/CRX. In Japan it's called an SiR, but in most other markets including the majority of europe the SiR was called a 1.6i-VT. So a VT front end is just an SiR fron end (with small differences depending on the market)

It had the longer lights (glass) and the bumped out hood along with the "around the corner" bumper lenses.

In the same relation the JDM Si has the ZC engine as most of you know, but the name for it in other markets where it was available the ZC 88-91 Civic/CRXs were called 1.6i-16. Those are the outcasts that had the plastic lights (same size as all USDM) with the bumped out hood (only bumped for the cam gear clearence)

1.6i-VT front ends are not any more or less expensive, and in fact, some of you who bought "JDM" front ends may be rocking EDM front ends and not even know it.

 

can you pop the hood and let us see the hood latch/radiator support

and you used your stock fenders?

 

wow nice

 

Good wirte up, thanks!

So there is noting that you have to do with the radiatior support like I keep reading aboout???

P.S. Your car is sick, that is what I want mine to look like, great work!!!

 

mucho sexy

 

just a silly question, but did u write "crx" on that blue service door in the second picture
btw really nice car

 

like the hood

 

1: EDM fronts would be a little more expensive, because of the headlights. These go for considerable amounts. They're also more rare in glass. They're also LHD, instead of RHD.

Yes, I used my stock fenders.

3: I'll make a picture of the latch plate in a minute. Looks ghetto now, and not painted

Yes, you can just use your own rad support. I did.

5: About the blue door...damn man..good eyes. But I went to check...and I don't think it says CRX. Can't make it out really.
big picture here

 

You have a damn nice crx, but can you explain me to the functionality of that hood. I don't understand how it can be functional when air is going to run over the top of the hood. ?? I'm not trying to rip on I'm just wondering.

 

damn, your car looks good. i like it a lot.

 

The general idea for that style hood is to extract hot air that has just passed through the radiator, by giving it a path of least resistance (as opposed to circulating back thru the engine compartment). Depending on the way air flows over the nose of the car, it could also be in a low-pressure zone which would effectively pull the hot air thru, if I remember correctly.

Nice looking CRX, by the way...very clean. How are the headlights power-adjustable?

 

meept is right on.
Also, it's a fibreglass hood, without a frame underneith. Wich leaves more clearance for the B18.

The headlights have a motor in them that allows you to physically tilt the mirror in the headlight. This way you can adjust the beam of the car.
for example; high up for freeway, down low for city. Keeps you from blinding ppl that way, and that little bit of extra reach is handy IMHO.

 

yea that doesnt say "crx" but from a far it does and it kinda looks neat thow

 

GOOD STUFF

 

Sent ya pm