Well, I started off on this quest for a suspension build-up about 9-10 months ago when I realized a steering rack boot had torn and I would need new tires soon. Soon after that my left rear AGX blew. I knew the others were probably going to need replacing soon as well. Sometime around then I also noticed a couple ball joint boots had slight tears and were seeping grease. What a maintenance nightmare!

It was then I decided to do a full on suspension overhaul. So this is the list I’ve been compiling for the past 9-10 months:

* PIC Performance "Select" Coilovers 10f/8r
* Driveshaft Shop Level 0 Axles
* Function 7 Rear Lower Control Arms
* Suspension Techniques Front Antiroll Bar Kit
* Tanabe Rear Antiroll Bar TSB018R
* Function 7 Antiroll Bar Heim-Joint End-Links
* Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit
* Mugen Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
* ASR Subframe Reinforcement Kit
* NRG 4-point Front Lower H-Brace
* SPC Adjustable Camber Arms
* Ingalls Rear Adjustable Camber Kit
* BF Goodrich 205/45-16 G-Sport Tires
* Blox Extended Reinforced Wheel Studs & Lug Nuts
* Junk Yard 96-00 Civic Steering Knuckles
* OEM Wheel Bearings
* OEM Lower Ball Joints
* OEM Steering Tie Rod Boots
* OEM Tie Rods
* OEM 99-00 Civic Si Antiroll Bar D-Brackets
* Tie-Rod / Ball Joint Lifter Tool
* Xtractor Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Tool
* Miscellanious OEM Hardware
a) Nuts, bolts, etc

After I had successfully compiled everything I wanted, I had to plan a time that would suit my wife and I the best and this week worked out perfect. I gave myself 4 days to complete the job just in case I got hung up on any unforseen snags (which I did). 3 days @ 7.5 hours and 1 day @ 10 hours. Tomorrow is the last day that I will be working on the car. I would’ve liked to do a write-up on some of the stuff but most things I’m doing are pretty much covered. This is my prelude to this thread and I shall update soon enough.

ThanX 4 staying TuNeD !



Modified by Guam_CiviC619 at 5:33 PM 9/3/2007

 

Here's one pic till next update:

 

somebody is balling.....haha

GL with the build bro

 

Holly sh@t lots of parts!

 

Ok the long awaited update. With the vehicle in its previous state (Weapon-R Dual Spring Circuit Pro Coilovers, KYB AGX) the car felt under damped since day one, around late 2002. The cars handling was improved but ride quality suffered substantially. Later on I added an eBay front lower tie bar, and shortly after that DC rear upper and lower bars. The car felt more solid but it could be improved even further. Understeer was still a characteristic but not as extreme as a stock DX. This was acceptable until that damn shock blew.

With the blown shock the cars handling was twitchy and prone to rear wander. On big holes or bumps you could hear the wheel bounce several times before it settled. I dunno how we drove so long like that? It was well worth the wait though

Here are most of the parts for this install.





My knuckles. Sandblasted, primed with Zinc Rich, 1st coat VHT Caliper Paint, 2nd coat Dupl-Color Engine Enamel. OEM wheel bearings, studs and lower ball joint pressed. New dust shield as well.





I wish PIC would spend a little more on their packaging. There’s too much room for movement and a disgruntled UPS worker wouldn’t have a hard time tweaking an adjustment **** out of wack, rendering the coilover useless. As a matter of fact, one of mine was tweaked a couple of degrees off center axis, but functionally is unnoticeable. HKS vs. PIC vs K Sport packaging.








Old Setup.



Blown.







I wanted to clean it up a little for disassembly so I could sell the coilovers on eBay. I used brake cleaner and the paint started to strip off of the shock. I don’t know if it’s the shock oil, road grime, or combination, but this is the result so AGX owners, beware of brake cleaner.



While I was tearing everything down this thing pulled up just long enough for me to snap a couple photos. The shop recommended not to use a lift because of how low it was.







Everything ripped out the front.



Tech tip. This was the 1st snag I ran into. Getting the new clamp for the air equalizer hose on the steering boots. The clamp is very difficult to pinch with your fingers or pliers without watching it fly somewhere. I was going to put a new hose as well, but this is nearly impossible without dropping the steering rack.

Use a 4mm allen wrench to keep the clamp in a manageable position. Then use pliers to slip it on while holding the clamp on the edge of the hose. Slip the hose on the nipple. Cake.









The second snag came with my ST front bar. They sent me a bar for an Si/EX. Bastards. So this piece will have to wait for later. Here’s the SPC and Ingalls camber kits compared to their stock counterparts. You will note that the front camber arm is longer than the factory piece. This is why people will tell you not get one if you’re planning to go low with your ride, because the tips may end up smacking the top of your shock tower. I got mine because it comes with greaseable poly bushings via zerk fittings, I wanted to be able to dial in camber, and they are beefier. I got the rear for the same reasons, although they are not greaseable.







Tech tip 3. If you follow this guide for your rear trailing arm, https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1589298 , it will tell you to remove the toe adjustment bolt. I found this to be unnecessary, instead I removed the bolt that connects the lower control arm to the trailing arm. All you have to do is loosen both bolts on the compensator arm (toe adjustment) then substitute the bolts in the camber arm with shock bolts to bring the trailing arm out more. Just make sure you thread those long *** bolts far enough for good thread engagement. This is a better option in my opinion but either method will work. Use whatever suits you best.





Mugen vs. Stock. Looks identical.





Front installed. You can see the front of the NRG brace right above the tie rod.



Front complete. Flash and no flash.





Here’s a relic from 1942 that a USMC Captain owns and was working on. Functional and all. The spare wheel and tire is original !







I polished my ASR Bar, Function 7 LCA’s and repolished my DC lower tie bar, then had them powdercoated clear. Before the clearcoat.



The ASR Bar was designed for the ITR/CTR D-brackets. So any bolt-on Civic applications will not fit this without special D-brackets, or fabricating your own. So that’s what I did. I used stock Si D-brackets and chopped the tabs off where the holes begin, then sandblasted them. Then I found some similar gauge steel and shaped it to workable pieces. I had a welder weld on the new tabs. I then measured the distance of the new holes and made a template on paper, and marked and drilled new holes. I planed the tabs on a belt sander to get them flush and worked them to something more aesthetically pleasing. I finished them with VHT Caliper paint.











The reason I went with the Tanabe swaybar is because I felt it would be a good match with the ST front bar. Both the Tanabe and ST pieces are 19mm. Another reason is because I did not like the way the ST bar mounts to the shock towers and they’re fricken green. Also, my wife drives this vehicle 90% of the time so oversteer is not a condition I would want my wife to experience. I plan to upgrade to a CTR/ITR bar when I take over the vehicle 100% sometime in the future.

The mock up. Now before you other tuners get your panties in a bunch about the DC bar, I plan to take it off. Although it does add rigidity, I’m not sure how much of an improvement it adds to the already beefy ASR bar. Mostly it’s there for the same reason people put on Beaks bars.



1st drop. The car is off the lift. The coilovers can still be lowered about an inch. Mad camber shot too!





Before completing the endlinks.



I wasn’t able to complete the install at the shop as planned, but I have a friend that was willing to let me use his garage and tools to finish up. ThanX Dan!!

Endlinks installed. I changed the Function 7 hardware to stainless and used cadmium plated 3/8” spacers to get the proper distance.





Textbook perfect cotter pins.




Not so perfect cotter pin.



Night shot.



Notes: Everything that I could get a torque wrench on was torqued to spec. All bolts with bushings that I could get a torque wrench on got torqued while the suspension was loaded. Rear swaybar was installed with the suspension loaded. All bushing sleeves were lined with PTFE teflon tape, with the exception of the camber kits and mugen bushing (duh). Set back #4, Blox lugnuts were the wrong size, had to go to Discount tire to get some. I used a suspension specialty shop to swap my front control arm bushings. I still have my DC rear upper bar.

The ride quality is dramatically improved. The chassis seems more rigid as well. Turn in is crisp. I haven’t had a chance to play with the other damper settings, but I’m really liking 1 (softest) so far. The PIC’s feel very well valved. Without the front swaybar it does not feel like it is prone to oversteer. The handling is very confidence inspiring all the while feeling very well composed. The car seems more rigid as well. Although I haven’t pushed the limits yet, as I do not want to drive the car without an alignment for very long.

I want to explore further chassis stiffening. I’m going to try either a J’s Racing, Alex, or Silk Road front fender brace. I’m also going to buy a Password JDM 3-point front upper strut bar, and if I can get them, Korbach Frame Locks.

Stay tuned, some finale shots are in the works.


Modified by Guam_CiviC619 at 5:34 PM 9/3/2007

 

Nice!

 

 

Nice suspension overhaul

 

nice work man

 

Why are you using both a DC rear subframe brace AND an ASR brace? Don't you know that the ASR brace is all you need?

 

I've had the DC bar for several years, not to mention that I put more money into it by getting it repolished and powdercoated clear. There's sentimental value in it , but it's coming off next weekend. I got the inspiration from people running the ASR + Beaks.

 

Wow... Makes me want to do that to my DB7... I guess im off to a good start with the PIC Coilovers... I wish I had a shop or a garage like that to do my work... Guess ill just have to stick with the jack/jackstands and my driveway

 

Wow. Must be a handling dream!

 

That set up is dope!

 

Wow... what was your estimated or actual cost?

 

soo. what was your total cost?

 

You guys can figure out retail. I researched all parts online for pricing and purchasing, utilizing vendors here, and online vendors (JHPUSA, Summit Racing, etc). eBay was not used to purchase anything except for the junkyard 96-00 Civic knuckes. eBay was used as "leverage" to purchase some parts. I'll post labor and shops I used to help me with pressing out stuff, as well as other miscellanious costs.

Front Lower Control Arm Bushings, 4 bushings: $90 (charged me an hour for labor)
Wheel Studs, Wheel Bearings, Lower Ball Joint: $150 (for both, dealer and other places wanted at least double)
Sand Blasting Both knuckles: $50
Shop Lift, 34 hours @ $5 an hour. $170
Mounting, Lifetime Balancing, Tire Disposal, Road Hazard Warranty: $163
4-wheel Alignment: $70
Wheel Bearings x2: $94
Lower Ball Joint x2: $67
Steering Tie Rod Boot x2: $23
Tie Rods x 2: $58
Various OEM Hardware (suspension bolts, nuts, estimate): $100
Stainless Endlink Hardware and Galvanized Spacers : $45
Civic knuckles:$55

Subtotal: $1135

$1135 + new parts = ???

 

Double post error.

My poly squeaks and creeks like a ****!! I don't think there is any way around it. I used copious amounts of high-pressure grease along with the teflon tape too. Poly = inherent squeaking.

EDIT: making use of error


Modified by Guam_CiviC619 at 7:16 PM 9/7/2007

 

I dunno, but whenever i see the ES bushing bearing I see a design flaw...

even if you add enough grease in the middle part, and add a grease zerk so you can put more grease in there till it overflows out of the center....

i think the squeaking comes from the metal rubbing against the SIDES of the bushing...

or the SIDEs of the bushings lock onto the shock fork...and then twist inside the lca...

so i think that is why it squeaks..

cause the OEM rubber ones don't sit on the outside of the LCA, or at least the fork attachment point doesn't...

so maybe if you put a washer that is the same size as the bearing inbetween the bearing and the shock fork.. to create a space so that the for doesn't touch the sides of the bushing...

the squeaking could be reduced...

I don't have an ES kit, so i can't try it out...

EDIT: I added a quick gif




Modified by bpr0422 at 7:12 PM 9/8/2007

 

Good idea, but flawed. On many of the spaces where poly is used the "overflow" of poly increases the width significantly so that nothing will fit in between it and the mounting point. ThanX though, your idea is appreciated. Maybe someone will come up with a solution one of these days, for me it's bearable and is only pronounced where the suspension is forced to articulate at extreme angles, such as going over speed bumps and exiting/entering driveway and the like.

Well it's time for a short term review. At this time I still have not installed the front anti-roll bar, and all comments are based on the softest setting unless noted otherwise. My initial impressions still remain, and the DC bar has been permanently removed and will be for sale soon.

1st off, turn-in is razor sharp, steering input is highly accurate as well as steering response, although steering feel is still numb or very light. I'd like to believe this is the inherent nature of the Civic's power steering. The thought of eliminating it has crossed my mind many of times over the years and this seals the deal. While making a turn, weight transfer in the rear seems to lag for a fraction of a second as if the rear is playing catch-up with the front. This is the best way to describe it, as you would have to be an occupant or driver to know exactly how that feels if you've never felt it before. Although this does not hinder the driving experience and a high sense of control still remains. This condition is hardly noticeable during rapid transitional response such as in slalom type maneuvers. Body roll is greatly reduced, and cornering attitude remains relatively flat, all the while handling balance remains very neutral, which is exactly what I was aiming for. I'm looking forward to trying the Suspension Techniques front bar and ITR rear bar in tandem. During steady state cornering the tires grip extremely well and their overall construction seems to positively contribute to the vehicles steering response, all the while the PIC's do a good job of maintaining a contact patch over less-than-ideal tarmac. Overall the car is a delight in the twisty stuff! Can't wait for my 1st auto-x session.

Ride quality is a love/hate relationship. With the new suspension the car feels much smoother than before, even with the poly bushings all over the place. Although it's harsh on stretches of freeway that have a rippled road surface, the rear can't help but have a, dare I say, bouncy feeling to it, this is really exaggerated when the rear setting is bumped to 4. As said around HT before, rear spring rate will have a large effect on overall ride quality. Just about anything else in the road, asphalt undulations and the like, does not feel overly dramatic. Large freeway/highway dips are soaked up, as well as the occasional odd hump in the freeway/highway. The only thing I fear are large pot holes (who doesn't fear those?) and road transitions where the entire road surface makes a sudden shift straight up. These send a very unnerving jolt through the chassis and are met with a loud thud. I feel this setup is an ideal balance for a daily driver and occasional track car. Ask a woman, she'll tell you it's bouncy, ask me and I'll say it's stiff.

This = ouch !

 

Out of curiosity, what kind of alignment settings are you running?

Looks like all you need now is a front crossmember/traction bars and that junk'll be diiiiiaaaallllled!

P.S. I love that you're as particular about the details as I am. Prep is more important as the parts you put on.

 

You appear to be contradicting yourself: <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Guam_CiviC619 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
1st off, turn-in is razor sharp, steering input is highly accurate as well as steering response, </TD></TR></TABLE>

Then immediately followed by: <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Guam_CiviC619 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> although steering feel is still numb or very light. </TD></TR></TABLE>

If you didn't get an alignment immediately after you had all this work done, then I can guarantee that's your problem.

 

Killer suspension set up. Looks really good, nice new oem parts too.

 

Very nice suspension upgrade...if i calculated it out...whew...its a lot...good job...

 

Thanx for checking this out fellas. I was away in Vegas for the weekend for my buddies bachelor party and did not have internet access.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spAdam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Out of curiosity, what kind of alignment settings are you running?

Looks like all you need now is a front crossmember/traction bars and that junk'll be diiiiiaaaallllled!

P.S. I love that you're as particular about the details as I am. Prep is more important as the parts you put on. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanx, glad you noticed that I am particular. If I'm doing mechanical work that has related maintenance items, I am most likely going to prepare to replace associated parts. The place I use for alignments does not use lasers, they do it the old fashioned way, although use precision specialty tools:

Front camber -1 7/8* (maxed)
Front toe 0*
Rear camber -1 15/16*
Rear toe +1/16* (maxed)

I realize these are not aggressive settings and I am stuck with my front camber unless I slot the arm more. So let this be a lesson to those interested in SPC front camber arms.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TPB &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You appear to be contradicting yourself....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Although it may appear to be so, I'd like to believe steering feel and steering response are two seperate handling characteristics. My understanding is that steering response is the vehicles immeadiate behavior to steering input, whereas steering feel is the feedback felt through the steering wheel itself. Yes, that was after my alignment.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gsrob &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Killer suspension set up. Looks really good, nice new oem parts too. </TD></TR></TABLE>

ThanX. Typical wear and replace items should be OEM in my opinion.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hawjboi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Very nice suspension upgrade...if i calculated it out...whew...its a lot...good job... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Oh so broken. Trying to save for more stuff.