What up HT! I recently bought one of my dream cars the other day, yes, a fun little 1988 Honda CRX. I was influenced by a friend to check out hondas a while back and became very fond of the older civic models, especially the CRX. Step forward 3 years brings us to the other day when i picked up this fun little guy which only put me back about $950. My main reasoning behind getting this guy is the fact that one, the little bro needs a new car (a.k.a. my current ride: a '90 Nissan truck lowrider), as well as me, a poor college kid getting a new project for the long summer time. The result was the CRX.

The car itself is in pretty just ok shape. It is an SI, so got the sweet door panels, fun little sunroof(fo the ladies), and most important: the D16. The plan so far goes along the lines of general maintenance, and hopefully alot more. The goal of this is not to have a pretty car, however fun that may be, but moreso a project which focuses on performance and phenomenal audio. This included doing a mini-me head swap with a d16z6. The z6 has vtec, so were looking at a nice increase there for not to much of a punch in the budget. Plus you get to learn more about working your engine(in case you hadn't noticed I'm a bit of a noob in the realm of engine work...), and set it up for a turbo kit (next summer...). Also need to fix a fuel issue, which I believe to be a bad o-ring at the fuel filter. Hoping to also throw some newer lightweight aluminum rims on it, with some low-profiles. As far as exterior, it will need some body work (bondo anyone?) on the rear drivers side as well as some custom altezza or euro tail lights. Hopefully not to ricer though. In regards to interior, not a ton other then adding a vtec controller and racing tach on the dash and keep the whole thing lookin clean. In addition, the crown jewel of choosing the CRX: acoustics. Planning to throw dual 12s in the back with a custom box (did I mention I work for Bassic Sound?), some 6x9s in the back corners if we leave the trim in, and new stereo, amps, and speakers all the way around. More may be added to this list as I remember and/or as the need arises. No it unfortunately isn't as extensive or in depth as
many other builds on HT (such as Corksil's phenomenal work here: https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...ight=crx+build), but it will be a fun project, and hopefully with an entire forum's assistance, a successful one as well.

On that note, on to pics:

Here it is at the guys house. Pretty sketch guy if I do say so myself, but made it outta there alive and with the car, soo....


Showing it off:



Going to need some serious body work...




The d16a6



Stripping the interior




Picked this guy up from a friend for $200. It happens to be a d16z6, of which we have plans to pull the head off and swap it on the a6 stock block, thus preventing having the pull the whole engine. Guy was gonna give me the head for $200, then offered the whole thing for that much...how could I say no? All i need now is the gaskets, FPR, and vtec controller. Btw I'm following these build instructions: http://crx.honda-perf.org/articles/z6swap/z6swap.html
The guy also had these on his 92 civic. Back tires are no good, but was hopin to throw on low profiles or racing ones anyway, sooo... is $200 a good buy for
wheels and 2 good tires?

So that concludes the first post on this thread. Will continue to add pics and info as to the status of the build as it progresses. In the mean time, please voice your props, critiques, and concerns. Thanks for looking!

 

hope you have a grinder and welder. The z6 should make a nice swap for it.

 

lol, sure do. Gonna redo the whole body hopefully, but thats post-swap, so we will see. As of right now, the swap is going down... just finished cleaning up the z6 head, and am pulling off the old one

 

Update 6/18/12. Pulled the newer z6 apart with a friend the other day, and got a feel for how the d16 in general is designed. Got the head off and power scrubbed and degreased that thing. The stage 3 clutch was shot on it though, so no swap there The flywheel is in pretty good shape, and am considering pulling it off. Found out the FPR was missing off the fuel rail unfortunately. The build I am following says you need that FPR, or an AFPR, however those can get expensive. Is it possible to reuse the regulator which is on the a6 rail?
Anyhow, disassembled the z6, then got right on to pullin off the old stuff. First of all "JDM"ed the hood, with holes for the brace lower so it sits higher, then ended up taking the whole thig off. As it went, right as we were getting into it, our part of town lost power, so we had to pull it outside to see(no generator ). Managed to unhook most of it, get the timing belt off, and exhaust manifold. The intake turned out to be a b!+(# however, and we ended up leaving it on, and opting for taking off the whole head/intake combo. Old electrical and tubing also tended to be a pain, and as it turned out we weren't able to get the whole thing off until today(mostly due to an incredibly stubborn head gasket...). Anyhow, the pics show it all:

Intake off the z6

To bad the stage 3 clutch is done for... Flywheel's good tho...

Cleaning up the outside
And off with the valve cover...
Cam is pretty shiny... Thinking of a repaint and leaving off the upper timing belt cover...?
And off with the head!
Z6 block and pistons. Not to much carbon buildup here....I think it may have been recently rebuilt?

On to the main project: pulling out the old a6 head. Got the valve cover off. Wondering if this may be a swap or rebuild as well, as it is not the stock a6 valve cover(different color), with "no oil" scratched in. Just a possibility.
Its a hovercar!!
As the guide ssaid, having an impact wrench would be ideal if not impossible to work without. Well, as I do not own one, we sort of...improvised. Head bolts were taken off with a longer rachet attached to a 4 foot pipe. The pully was done in such a manor as well, and actually came off significantly easier then expected.... The head gasket was horrible to get off though; far different from the z6 gasket. Ended up hooking it up to a ceiling winch, and jumping on the front of the car frame. That got it...


And finally got the dang head off. Didn't realize how much oil was still in the head as I carried it with the intake manifold across the room, but there was a veritable trail... Anyway, now that the top is cleared away, this is my current engine bay:



Thats all for today folks, except for the fact that I ordered a new gasket kit. Oreilly was asking $120, but I found the IDENTICAL kit on ebay for $40. I hate to go that way, but on a budget, it'll work. Also looking at vtec controllers. Simple vtec adjuster vs. full apexi controller and fuel moitor. Worth it? We shall see.
See you later this week!

 

I hate the paper style gasket that came with the a6. Mine was so baked on I couldnt get it all of the block surface without scratching it. Good luck with the mini me!

 

Hey guys, got the weekend update for ya. So we got all that old head gasket, and gnarly stuff off, and cleaned up the block a lil bit to (nice n shiny "d16", then got straight down to business. Painted thing here and there, making it at least worth a second glance, then got right to mounting the new head on. Put the intake on before mounting, which helped with the process, and snugged it all up with new gaskets. torqued the head to spec, then got the exhaust headers back on. Left the old valve cover seal on, even though I got a new one, as were going to sandblast and paint to match the accents. Threw the stock rad. back in, because the half rad. I picked up from a friend was to tall for the hood. Still considering some michevious fabrication however... Anyway, on to pics:

fitting the new head:

keeping it TDC. The "new" timing belt off the z6 is 2 teeth shorter then the stock a6 one, but we managed to get it on and tensioned

VTEC hookups. For now were running just a switch hooked to 12v to actuate it. Also going to run a light off the sensor to indicate pressure timing. Keep in mind, only a temp to test out the vtec until we get a good vtec controller, or chipped ECU. Aiming to stay away from converting to OBD1...
Painted the motor mounts
All torqued down and in place Got some new nuts for the exhaust manifold to. Broke the old ones

Valve cover on and spark plugs in place. Threw some new coolant and oil change in there for good measure to Also leaving off the upper t-belt cover. Show off that cam!

Anyway, thats where we got yesterday. Finished hookups today, and ran into our problems. First, when the key was in on, aka fuel pump running, we had an injector eak. After switching rails TWICE, go that fixed. The the FPR was leaking! Discovered that it actually requires an o-ring to stop... which had been lost in removal. Was rummaging through the gasket kit and found a thick o-ring that fit though, so rigged it up to work. Bam, no leaks. Fuel system optimal. Problem 2: Spark plug wires to short on new head No el sparko= no el engine starto... Planning on testing the wires on an old plug tomorrow to see if the dizzy is even working. Also, I dont believe the engine is turning over when trying to start it. Starter just whirs... Gave up for the night. Planning to troubleshoot tomorrow. Will keep you posted. Any tips and tricks, please let me know!

 

Glad to see another CRX getting saved. Do you know how to do body work?

 

Awesome to see another CRX being saved from the crusher. Looks like the bodywork will be your biggest challenge. Good luck!

 

Looks like a fun project

 

Thinking about getting a CRX si myself. Z6 swap is a pretty decent way to perk the older models up.

 

oh ya i know right? junkyards just going to town on these babies, so super stoked to have one(even if it doesnt run...yet). But ya the body work is gonna be a pain. Not goin to get it in perfect shape, but i've done enough dent pulling, welding, and bondo on another car in the past that I think we'll be able to get it. Plus, I found another peeps screwed up 91 SI to pull some body parts off Now just gotta get this mini-me to work. Got spark, fuel, and compression... Still wont start though. Will keep you updated!

 

Very cool project. Great work so far. Running it without that timing cover is risky, but it does look good!

Also, I applaud the redneck engineering you used to get the head off!

 

WOW! it has been a crazy last couple weeks(since the last post). Ran into waaayyy more problems then expected, and still dont have the thing at 100%, but its going. One thing is for sure though, if ever this project reaches its end, it will be a very appreciiated car.
So heres the story. The head and full engine we had got(the d16z6), turned out to be bad all the way through... The valves were shot, and my frined who took the block said no good there either. Gonna try and get my money back... Anyway, so I was watching ebay or somewhere for a new head, as this one would be at least $200 just to fix, so it was totalled. Anyway, put a call into The Russian, and got hooked up with a whole new head for $100 So we threw that in, ran a compression test and got favorable results. Hooked errythang back up, and timed it all and whatnot... Started up, and....ya, not so hot.. Plumes of white smoke out the back, idle at 2000, rev limited to 3500...ya not so hot. So we pulled it back off, and it turned out the brand new head gasket was leaking. So we resealed and checked the head to see if it was warped(it wasnt), then set it all back in(right this time), and got the torque right to Started it up, and ya! Idle was good, smoke was gone, but still stuck on the rpm limiter. Also somewhere along the line, the speedo stopped working...thats a minor issue which will be addressed later.
Next thing, worked on the security system a little bit... got it up, but the thing is crazy(it was already in the car, and I have no idea how it works...). The got on to the good stuff. Did a battery relocate just yesterday(finishing today), and then put on the new cold air intake! While doing the battery relocate though, ran into some crazy problems... Basically hooked the whole thing up, and the cars electronics went crazy! Like i was hitting the brake, and the ebrake light would come on, and the temp gauge would go up. Like wtf is this? Anyway, put a power dist. block with an 80 amp fuse in, and took the 60 amp fuse out(i kinda blew it...), and shebam!, we are back online. Now all that had to be done is fix the stupid rev limiter, and we have a running car... stay tuned! To tired to put on pics now...check tomorrow

 

WHERE'S MY PICS!?

Just kidding. Great work staying with it and hunting gremlins.

 

allways enjoy seeing a rex in the garage getting buffed out....good luck on the body

 

Ok, if you insist so much...lol, here ya go. Will attempt to throw in narration, but if a picture makes no sense, well, think of a caption...

New z6 head($100), with the older shot one. Less clean, but more working, lol
And hookin that intake right up in thar
and got it timed right(for once, sheesh)
Captain, we have compression!
Showing that off(ignore the fact there are no spark wires in...)
Battery relocate going down...
And there is a bracket there, it just kinda...blends in...ya
New intake! Ya, i know your all thinking *cough* cheap ricer boy*cough*, but hey, ya take your wins where ya can. And I'm not gonna fight $35 even if all you get is good looks...

And there you have it. Btw, on a couple side notes, we reworked some of the wiring today. The 60 amp fuse in the back went away, and was replaced by and 80 amp one in the front power block, which heads to the main car electronics. The massive power hog starter wire was replaced with some leftover 4 gauge and connected directly to the main wire headed to the positive batt terminal. Problem: all electronics check out golden, so Except for when you try and start the car, it gives off a super-dead battery start... After it cranks a sec it starts like a champ, but its like wtf? Is the 4 gauge to small? Is the batt to far away to crank the starter effectively? Note that it did this before and after the new starter wire, but only started once we did the relocate. Any tips are awesome.
So other than that, heres our list of PROBLEMS that are not of utmost importance, but NEED to be fixed:

1. Engine revs ONLY TO 3300 RPMS! It drives just fine until you hit that, then feels like it hits a rev limiter. Like the frickin Need For Speed when you're supposed to shift... This is our main problem. Also have a CEL, which I'm guessing is related to such...
2. Coolant leak. The rad is bad I think, and probably some hoses to. Anyway, the more you drive it, the more it leaks. Comprende? Got a newer half rad thats to tall, but might do some mods or "creative welding" and get that shizzle in place.
3. Alarm system. The guy had an aftermarket system in, which appears to have been installed at a local shop. The owner after this guy D/Ced it though, and it seems a little gnarly to put back together. Underdash wire cluster is crazy...
4. Sunroof. Yes, i know, who needs a sunroof. Well, apparently chics dig these things, and moreso it bothers me to have something not working correctly in the car. It appears to have been disconnected, and ya... Not sure about fixing this, just thought I'd let you know.

And thats about it. Any suggestions, comments, or critics...hit me!

 

Get the CEL code and then let us know whats up. PLEASE do yourself a favor and convert to OBD1. The jumper harness is $80, and a P28 ECU will work wonders for you. I own and use a VAFC and they suck. yes it will work for what you're trying to do but it wont work well. Trust me, convert and use the new ECU.

 

i fully agree!! I have every intention of doing this exact thing(i checked prices tonight). But were planning to do that in a bit. Gonna run the car on the pm6 for now, maybe play around with turboedit just for the heck of it, but no, i fully plan to go OBD1 in the not to distant future. Like I may have said above, this setup will have a turbo on it, and it seemed easier to just go obd1 when installing the turbo, and then tune everything. I happen to be in a part of the country where its pretty hard to get access to any sort of tuning equipment, but we will see. Thanks again for the input tho!

 

On another relatively AWESOME note, we got the dang thing running right! It was a code 4 btw, aka i was being an idiot and attatched z6 dizzy to the pm6 ecu...just...dont...ask. Anyway, modded the a6 dizzy a little, wired it up, and BAM, we have action! Runs actually really well. Took it for a spin and felt great! Doing a little more engine-bay work tomoro. Pics up soon. Thanks guys!

 

So after getting it running, thought I'd spice the engine bay up a bit. Nothing a little high-heat paint can't help...


And put the hood back on. Fun to see such it sitting stock on top, and shiny underneath

Planning on ordering an AFPR and adjustable cam gear to get it tuned right. Will keep ya posted!

 

Love the green. Congrats on getting it running.

 

Ya me to! Chroma black green n blue...snazzy. The paints good up to 500 degrees, but actually melted a little on the manifold cover. All good though cuz were getting new headers and exhaust so just gotta get an afpr now to get a good fuel tune in, fix a busted coolant hose and speedo cable, and bam we are in business! Also had some JDM tail lights come in today. Rice? Yes but hey it your gonna rice, gotta make it nice pics up later...

 

i can see you put a lot of time into this and not afraid to just do it, good job bud and ill be round yo house again to help finish it up/tune it up!
post some pics of that exaust you got goin too!

 

thanks man! Ya its def gonna need a tune, but in the mean time, she runs, so happy day Ya, theres a lot that hasnt been put up yet. Pics coming up on recent developments tomorrow! Check back then!

 

That Rex is gonna need a lot of bodywork.