Howdy,

I just traded an SV650 I had for a very rough '89 CRX Si I'm trying to save.





This is after fitting a set of Miata wheels I had on it. The stock sawblades had horrible rubber on them, and they had been flat blacked like the rest of the car. Guy had spraybombed poorly, huge runs and tons of orange peel.

So I commenced to wetsanding it all down.



Horrible paint job:



And some damage that will take a good bit of work to iron out:




A quick recoat that is "freeze curing" LOL.



Just needed to cover what I'd sanded down while I go around fixing all the rough spots.

I'm not sure what color I'll spray it with the compressor, but have seen some really dark almost gunmetal pics I like, or may try a medium blue shade, but not sure about contrast with black trim.



I come from the turbo Miata world, and have a few goals for this project. First order of business is engine management and weight reduction. Being that it's an '89 and not the easiest to chip I found a '91 ECU on CL and ordered a chipping kit, eprom burner, and datalogging cable from Xenocron. As it will be naturally aspirated in the meantime I'll hold off on the wideband until I really get to tuning.

I've removed most of the rear interior, rear wiper and motor, spare and tools, the useless ricer foglights, passenger seat (daughter's carseat there now), radio and monstrous sub box, broken A/C, and am currently replacing the moonroof with plexiglass. I may take the plexiglass treatment a step further, but am trying to weigh the cost against how well I can do the fit and finish for the side, door and hatch windows.

Further down the road I plan to turbo the D16. Looking for a spare head to port and rebuild, and debating buying a cheap cast mani or welding up my own. Looks like I'd have to fab my own downpipe anyhow, so if I'm cutting and welding I might as well make it like I want it. It is hard to pass up decent manifolds for $70 though...you don't see anything like that below $300 in the Miata world.

Overall goal is sub 2000lbs and at least 200whp. So stock internals, but upgraded clutch and axles. Anybody know what the stock axles will handle with some mechanical empathy? PO did install new ones, and I'm not looking forward to that cost just yet. I usually try to have all supporting systems in place before applying boost though, so who knows, I may just go ahead and spend there.



For suspension I'm trying to decide between the Tein SS which I loved on the Miata, or Konis and GCs which are highly recommended, but which I've also tried before. Lots of Miata guys swore by this exact setup and I wasn't impressed...the Tein was miles ahead in daily comfort and still just as controlled in the twisties.



Anyhow, enough rambling. Sorry this post is all body shots...but I wish ya'll could have seen how ugly this Rex was in person when I got it...so cleaning it up means a lot to me. Will take some shots of the sunroof job and ensuing mechanical upgrades.

 

got some work cut out for u but a least its all there a good start good luck

 

Thanks.

I actually found a cheap clean shell locally, and am considering starting with a cleaner slate.

I wetsanded and buffed the spray I put on though, and it looks pretty decent. Just wish I could get that back end straightened out. I can handle the cosmetics, but not sure what to do about the crooked and non-closing hatch.

It also seems to have some suspension issues as even with a new tie rod and better wheels/rubber it makes a little grumbling noise going down the road. No symptoms of CV joints going bad, and the axles are new, so not sure where to check next.

 

Well I got the hatch to close today.

The way the hatch was coming down the latch ended up an inch too high, and an inch over towards the passenger side.

I had to completely remove the hatch, open up the bolt holes on the roof to be able to rotate towards the driver's side, and stack a ton of shims underneath the latch pin.

Ghetto fix, but it works. It appears that this body will never be anywhere close to straight again.



I did buy some sheet metal today to cover the damaged quarter panel. I didn't want to build it all the way up with bondo, so I'm going to construct a panel piece and rivet it on, then smooth out with the filler.



Oh yeah...my brake pedal went to the floor today while trying to make a stop, and I had to take an off-road excursion. I had checked the fluid level first day I had the car, and it was filled to the brim with perfectly clear fluid. Dry as a bone now.

Gotta love the endless supply of surprises.

 

Sounds like a cool build man. I just traded my sv650 for a 89 crx si about a month ago. Haha what are the odds. You should post up some pictures of the Plexiglas moon roof when its done.

 

It could just be uneven wearing on your tyres, i've had wheels that caused high levels of road noise (sounded like a worn wheel bearing) due to bad wear.

 

This is good to hear as that's exactly what it sounds like.

I had an appointment with a precision alignment shop that will let me dictate specs for tomorrow, but I caught a good deal on some suspension parts last night, including camber kits, so I'm going to wait until it's all in.

Hopefully it will ride and drive fine after all is done. If not I'm going to probably go for the Energy Suspension kit to firm everything up.

Anybody know if that kit includes the trailing arm bushings... or do they have to be bought separately?

 

no on the trailing arm bushings. i need to purchase a set as i seen that my passenger side is starting to rip.

 

Looks like you've got a y49 hiding in plain sight there. That explains a lot.

 

So I found out today while trying to put a D16 timing belt on the car to replace the old one that was flapping around wildly that the PO was kind enough to swap in a D15....

 

its the curse of the yellow crx...

 

nice crx

 

haha...not really. Your reading comprehension sucks *****. Good way to up the post count though.



I also got an alignment on it yesterday before tackling the timing belt and the front end is still grinding...so time to take a look at the wheels bearings that were supposedly replaced.


Oh yeah...the brake fluid leak was a dead caliper seal on the front driver's side. Replaced the caliper...all is good now...but still pissed the PO didn't tell me about the brake fluid leak, a potential safety issue.

 

mean!.. lol. Im saying that its nice you have a crx. not talking about the paint bro..

 

Oh...cool then.

Sorry...I'm a mod on mt.net...and always in moderator mode.

I like having a CRX...but man how I wish I'd started with a cleaner shell. Knowing it has a D15 I'm weighing motor swaps...but then I think why put the effort into this one when I can buy a straight motorless shell and work off that.


Anyhow, I replaced the upper control arm and wheel bearing on the front passenger corner finally...and that and a good alignment cleared everything up. Drives nice and smooth now.

The KYB GR-2s and Tein S-Tech springs are on, and it handles nicely. The rear springs are a little stiff and low for my daily comfort level...so I may try and find/fab a spacer there.

The eBay top hats seem to be working well and there's plenty of travel, even at this height.


Will update with pics soon.