take 2 (posted in HC, but I'm really curious for an answer)


The swap is not possible with a stock bar. A custom or oem bar swap is needed, and as you can see.. even the oem is pushing it. I suppose I can cut a fat U out of the DA bar and have a plate welded in to make it flush, but.. how is this already going to look in tech with a non-original bar?

 

Not sure if it is HC legal. But for header clearance on mine i took the torch to the stock bar and heated it with torch and gently massaged it in until i got the clearance i wanted. Still looks stock just more curved now. No structure lost and no giant bash marks.

 

10.2 H2 Limited Preparation Vehicles Only
The following additional modifications are allowed:

p) Engine support cross member may be modified (not replaced) for the sole purpose of
engine/header fitment.

cut rite out of the HC rules..... hope that answers your question

 

Could you cut the middle suction out and just tube it? Keeping the stock mounting points for the radius rods and mount to the frame?

I have a CRX and I'm currently using the FR bar, but I'll need to do something else if I get into HC.

 

i posted on Nasaforums too.. but

Just notch the frame there and fill it in with some metal.


Although i would suggest getting another car, buying something built already and something with more aftermarket support.

A h1/h2 car should have a TON of development, and parts. If you stick with your car you will be behind the "8 ball" so to speak.

I know its not the answer your looking for but it is the direction i would take.

 

I am torn between making my car what I want it to be and just running where they put me, or following the HC rules and getting to run with Hondas only. The things I do from now on I will be saving all parts to go back for just that possibility. Do you think that DA bar will be ok as my stock bar? If I do hack a chunk out of it who would know right? It is.. complicated to find 2gen ludes in junkyards anymore to even get an original bar.
But, I've always sworn to myself I am keeping this car til I roll it . It was my first car and we have quite a history together. Besides, there are enough Civics out there. The car is a really good platform beyond the rear susp.


Then why not tube it from the oem bar at the frame. At which point there is no stock left except a 2" square of oem bar with bolt holes. So, no. I don't think that would be ok with a tech. If you could do that then an ESP should be fine, but it isn't.


I posted that in my op too. The point being stock can't be used, and even a swapped oem has to be hacked up, what is the point? It is changing nothing about a car that doesn't already have a radius rods with sphericals.

Really.. the more I think about it, the more I feel like to hell with HC. It is becoming not worth it to me and I've never even been on the track yet.

 

I'm talking about doing somethig like that. Would that be legal? To me it seems to be compliant as it's the stock member just modified for engine/header fitment.

And OP, I think the reason that traction bars are not allowed, is because it technically moves the mounting point of a suspension component (the mount point of the radius rod to the crossmember) Something HC doesn't want to allow at all. And If they allowed it, im sure some people would get butthurt about EFs being allowed a suspension Mount point move and no one else is. Although i personally dont see the big deal because there is no advantage to it, just more header space. It's not so much to do with the spherical joints, since bushings can be replaced with whatever.

If the above is legal, I plan to do that, then use spherical bushings in the radius rod bushings and make a custom radius rod setup that is reverse threaded like the FR for easy adjustable caster.

 

that's probably part of the problem, you don't realize what the effects of what 'you' want could/can/will have to everyone else that currently races and future racers.


If you want to "do whatever you want" to your car go ahead and move forward, but don't expect to land in a favorable class where your car stands a chance.

 

I only bring up sphericals because a traction bar has heims. I wouldn't know how else to compare it. If that much of a mod can be done then I will find someone that can do it for me. *BUT* that removes my front torque mount and I am undecided if I want to do that.
My front suspension is oem adjustable in all 3 directions, I don't want to mess that up either.



Obviously I mean within reason. I mean I fully understand my motor can't be used and I have no problem with that. But could I get some allowance on what takes to put something other than a 120hp 12 valve in my car? I await an answer to GSR's pic above.
I also meant that, apparently pt/st is the place to be around here.

 

You don't need the front mount. Just get poly in the other 3. Engine mounts are unrestricted.

What car do you have anyway? And which HC class are you trying to run in?

 

2 or 1.
I've toyed with the idea of putting the 12 valve back in for ***** and giggles and maybe running 3 or 4, but I dunno much about the other 3 classes yet. And I would actually be unable to put it back in without having a front crossbar to bolt to. Those engines do not have a trans side frame mount.

I currently have 3 mounts and 2 torque mounts (crossbar and firewall).
car
|
|
V

 

Oh ****. I agree with slammed. It would really be better to get a different platform. But I know that's not always in everyones budget.

What engine do you have in there now? You really don't need all 4 mounts. Almost every swap kit uses 3, engine, tranny, and rear.

 

B20v. ~12.5 pistons, ported, pro 1's, big tube header, blah, blah. not HC compatible but fun fun in <2000lbs of car.
So I will be doing lap days only for a while getting my suspension and safety together.

I'm gonna prove all you bad platform people wrong :D



edit time: ok but really, why? I'm confident I can match up bushings. Is a macstrut rear that detrimental? Why is everyone so sure the car isn't gonna cut it?

 

you will find that racing is not what you thought. both in driving and in car prep. there are alot of things out there that are easily done in most chassis people are running that will be hard in yours. not what you want to be doing when your also learning some racecraft. before u dump money in a cage and prepping that chassis, take a minute and listen to what people that have been down this road before are telling you.

 

Like what? I would really like examples, for the theory of it anyway. I don't have the budget to be a competitive class racer, but I want to take my car to the limits of what I can do with it.

But besides that, what are actual reasons why, if I could take it all the way, the car would hold me back? From my perspective, all I have are people that see "85 Prelude" and scoff at a car few people know anything about. Yes, it requires some more thought and planning as most of the aftermarket is Civic nutswingers, but I am ok with that.

 

spring rates, damper set-ups, alignments will all have to be figured out basically from scratch, parts availibility is nill so alot of things like splitters will have to be made from scratch. not sure, but brakes will become an issue if you havent sorted them out already. plus the 'hey, i broke this. do you have one?' aint gonna work in the HC paddoc cause no one has spare 85 prelude parts unless you have put civic/integra parts on it or newer prelude parts.
its not like you cant make it work but you are gonna have to figure out alot on your own and make alot of stuff yourself because no one makes it. having gone the way of the 'chassis not so supported by the aftermarket', i enjoy my EG alot more when i need a part.

<---civic nut swinger

 

RACECRAFT! the driver... Working on being a better driver, learing how your car works is to me, and im sure Spence the most important part of the equation.
Even pro's have driver coaches/mechanics. You can never learn enough about being better at driving/ wrench turning.

Just because there are go fast, and handle better parts out there doesnt mean you should buy them all and put them on, and think that it will go fast and handle better.

Its easier to go with what the majority of the series uses because of the proven chasis' that have run, and still run in the series.
There is a lot of support out there for it. When you bring in an off the wall chassis you find less support and you basically on your own.
You find yourself behind the power curve and searching for answers where there are none.
Why?? nobody is using it.

 

perfect example-hyperfest 2010. i had more 'handle good' parts on my car then shane but we ran dead even. in my pos car from the last season we were also dead even (on saturday). it doesnt matter the car, but more the driver. but making the car easier to deal with helps as its less to think about.

 

Sorry, was watching a movie and forgot to come back to the fun here.
And I did not mean any of you for the swinger comment (unless you are volunteering), just Preludes were always the red headed step child and relatively ignored.

I was looking at Hotbits, who have a setup for my car, but they are apparently completely an unknown outside of rally. And their ease of rebuilding vs Koni made me second guess that. I was trying to get a hold of gran as he went from a Leda setup to custom Koni, but no luck yet. I am looking to start off at the limits of the yellows around 500/650ish and I can get 861x inserts (double or single adjust and a civic/teg shock to work in the front.
My F alignment is oem 3 way adjustable, so bonus there. But I think I am limited to a -2 - -2.5* camber without some extra slotting. The rear I of course can't know yet. Still need to get measurements.
Brakes.. did bigger master and rotor long ago. Stock was 9", swapped to 10.1. Which was extra fun because bigger rotor meant bigger hub, which meant bigger axles.. which meant bigger differential. Was a rather involved brake upgrade to say the least. Anyway, now I can get Hawks and take any brake upgrade as the rest you.
Aero stuff is way out on my list of things to care about, but I could possibly get a CRX splitter to work.
I will likely end up with some 949 wheels and I think I will have more room on sizing as my wheel wells are not round like a civic.

Ya, there isn't really anything I haven't thought about. I wish I wasn't so far away from all of you in pretty much every direction. I would welcome your opinions on adjustments with an actual ride someday.

 

I can tell you for sure you will need more front camber, probably more brake (which u should be ok with now) and good luck getting a crx splitter from kiwi

 

I could also add more camber with an LCA offset bushing. The 88-91's fit if they are around for that car, but I think I'd rather have a hardrace rubber in it.
My car will be pretty light while I only do DE's. Brakes should be fine til I have to add weight.
I understand the splitter thing. Perhaps if I can prove my car and if the dimensions are close I can talk him into it (with $$ of course :p). I'm sure by the time I am ready to look into it demand will be down. But all square nose 80's Hondas should be manageable.