bringing the CRX back to the track build/thread

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Yea it's a manual rack. I've been considering it. But it's illegal for HC afaik, it would be a waste to get it then have to get a new rack later down the road.

The rules say you can use any oem rack as long as it bolts up without modification. In the H1 section it says the "power steering system" is unrestricted an open. BUT the crx has a manual rack. Seems strange to leave power steering open and make no mention of what a manual rack can or can't do. But you know how it is with HC rules, if it doesn't say you CAN do something, then you can't. I already know I'll have to ditch my full-race traction bar when I get into HC for real, but that's a lot easier to change run the steering rack.
 
I know. But still it's an easy thing to check if it ever got contested. Just count the turns lock to lock. I think I'm gonna skip on the quaife rack. And be legit.

I'm really not liking the idea of having to get rid of the full race bar though :( at least it won't be for a while.
 
another little update with some pics.

current condition of the car. basically waiting for an asston of parts to arrive so i can get back to work.
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tool box, press, and some random parts. this press is such a life saver for all the stuff ive been doing
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rust that i will try to fix. then prep the car for paint, and either paint it myself or do the maaco $200 job
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after the paintjob i have pretty much all new trim for the entire car.

steering rack right now.
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planning a full clean/grease/rebuild on this thing. lots of new parts coming from honda. gonna just do the boots on the tie rods. they are still nice and tight, just needs boots.

and the rear shocks are off. im going to be replacing the springs to 600lb-ish from the 400 i have now.
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more rear stuff is gonna be happening as well. i mentioned before that the car is going spherical. so toe links, upper camber arms, rear LCAs and rear trailing arms are going to be replaced with arms with spherical joints.

so basically thats all i have for now. a good amount of parts should show up tomorrow, but more importantly the new wheel bearing is among them. so i can get the fronts pretty much finished up.
 
im so glad you guys have decided to move up to full spherical. really rattles your fucking brains out driving on the street but the grip is like no other.

also, mirage guys swap in the quicker-ratio evo rack and pinion from the RHD cars... we literally flip the rack over in the sleeve and it fits perfectly!

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haha thats sweet. i dont think the JDM CRX has a quicker rack though, i could be wrong.

well i got some more parts from honda.

new rear triangle pieces (i broke mine in removal)
new wheel bearing.
some random nuts and bolts and shit that i needed.

i also got my replacement Full-Race traction bar arm, the new version. complete with new Heim joints. didnt put them on yet however since im going to just remove the LCA for sphericals.

i did install the new wheel bearing on the driver side. along with the hub, and rotor. so now i finally have all the ARP studs in and new wheel bearings. im so glad i went through all the trouble. one stock stud in the front was falling out, and one rear stud had been replaced with an incorrect stud and was only pressed in halfway.

still need to:
machine down the pads for clearance, and ill probably have to do some grinding on the caliper too.
then buy the spherical parts, and install them
still waiting on the steering rack parts from honda, then install those, and put the header back on
source some 7x2.5" 600lb springs for the rear and put rear suspension back together
put on the fenders and replacement doors
try to fix rust, and prep/paint car
put on the new trim
buy the track wheels and mount tires to them

i think thats it. damn this is a lot of work lol
 
Just an FYI OEM Honda lower ball joints are press in as you've discovered, they always have been. Most all aftermarket lower ball joints are not press-in, they use a c-clip like the one you removed.


Good to see it moving towards a track car! I'm definitely in for progress.
 
the old ball joints were definitely press in still. i had to press them out. honda just changed the design of the ball joints since the car was released. the helms even mentions removing the snap ring. its not an aftermarket thing, though many aftermarket LBJ may still use the snap ring method. its not really needed, thats probably why honda changed it.
 
8/3/2010:

i got most of the work on the steering rack done. i completely disassembled it and cleaned all the old grease out. i used like an entire can of brake cleaner on the thing lol.

presed the old bearing off the pinion, then the new bearing back on. i didnt see the snap ring at first and almost messed it up bad trying to press it off, good thing i didnt press too hard before realizing something was off. the helms didnt mention it, helms even said you cant replace the bearing lol.

greased the rack up and installed it with the new rack end bushing. then installed the pinion and sealed it all up. i also put on the energy suspension poly bushings. id rather have black, but its the steering rack so red wont matter lol. i also took the old boots off the tie rods and re-greased and installed the new boots. good as new :)

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but i had to stop there. i apparently ordered the wrong washers for the rack ends. i thought i was ordering the lock washers (the ones you have to bend), but i guess i ordered the stopper washers instead. no biggie.

but uh oh, what happened here?

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brakes are coming back off to be sold. and to be replaced with an 11" wilwood 4-pot setup from fast brakes. good stuff :) when i get the lock washers the rack will be finished up and reinstalled. then i can put the header back on and start getting this stuff rolling.

oh and i ordered the wheels from TireRack.com too. gonna paint them when they arive and get the tires mounted.
 
got my wheels and front rotors from TireRack.com. right now still waiting on the rest of the front brake parts. rotors are a 11" 90 VW corrado fitment, but i will need a hub ring to center the rotor. it has a good amount of play to move around.

mock up. hopefully the calipers clear the wheels. i may have to run a spacer.
wheels are 15x7 +42.

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i also got the steering rack finished up. a local honda dealer had the lock washers i needed. installed it too.

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installing the rack was a HUGE pain in the ass. i hope i never have to do that again lol. getting it lined up on the steering column was equally difficult.

and with everything under the car done, i could finally put the header and straight pipe back on.

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yes i know. i dinged up my $700 header :( luckily it is very minor.

now just waiting on brake parts and spherical parts.
 
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They are TR Motorsprt C1's. 12.8 lbs. $89/each. That is the factory paint. I'm going to paint them gold.
 
its ok, your kit probably wouldnt fit my CRX anyway, different brackets.

but mike, with your kit, what front rotor was used? is it the corrado rotor like mine? reason i ask is because this corrado rotor sits really loose. im trying to fond a way to center it so its not wobbling around. a hub ring seems like the answer but im not sure if the fb kit comes with it or not.
 
It would fit with 5th gen knuckles... there's definitely a knuckle that swaps onto the 4th gen Civic which allows you to bolt on all the 5th gen+ brakes. I can't remember which one. It's on one of the EF sites.

Mine is the Corrado rotor, yes. It was pretty tight on mine- no hub ring needed.
 
yea i think the crx kit comes with a hub ring but i wont know for sure til i get it.

and i think you are thinking of the 90-91 civic EX knuckles. stock comes with 10.3" integra sized brakes. direct bolt on to the CRX's with no change in suspension geometry. only problem is ive already installed new bearings and ball joints in my stock knuckles, and EX knuckles are hard to find and pricey when you do.

some people also run DA knuckles, but i dont think its a good solution as they are taller than the stock knuckles.
 
update.

i decided to ditch the illuminas for a better shock. so i bought some koni-race shocks. i didnt go balls out on a set of 3011's or the even more baller 3012's, but the next best thing, 8041-race. also known as spss3. these are revalved for racing and can handle spring rates up to 1000lb/in. The front shocks are 25 mm shorter bodies and have approx. 40 mm of additional rebound stop (droop limiter) compared than the similar Sport shock. The rear shocks have a 15 mm shorter body and approximately 35 mm additional rebound stop.

because i went with the konis, i had to get new ground control sleeves (they have one specific to the konis). so i ordered those as well. and i bought some 600lb springs for the rear off ebay for 36 bucks shipped! score. its only a 6x2.5" where i was looking for a 7" but its ok, ill just raise the perch up an inch.

due to how short the fronts are on the konis, i had to ditch the GC top hats up front. there was just not enough droop travel. i would have had to compress the spring like 1-1.5" (500-750lb preload!) just to get the top hat on. so im going back to stock with poly inserts. still gonna have a bit of preload but maybe like 200 lbs.

at this point i have received most of the parts. the konis, the GC sleeves, rear springs, and my fastbrakes kit. i have the spring/shock combos together and ready to go on, and i did a bunch of test fitting of the brakes to make sure they clear my wheels and stuff. i mocked one side up and the brakes clear the wheels fine radially, but ill have to get a 5mm spacer to clear the spokes. kinda sucks but oh well, its why i have extended studs lol.

i also ordered all my spherical parts. just waiting on them to arrive.

tomorrow i plan to get the brakes fully installed get the lines run and everything then bleed. ill see if i can get some pics tomorrow.
 
some pics from today. got the wilwood kit installed along with the new brake lines.

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you can see the koni/gc assembly on the floor there. just waiting for the poly inserts for the top hats then i can put it together and install it.

also waiting on:
spherical parts
hub rings for the rotors

and i still need to find some stock CRX front shocks that i can rape for the brake line bracket.

i was talking to a friend of mine, and now im toying with the idea of getting rid of the stock seats and belts, picking up a roll bar like autopower or something. and getting a harness and some race seats. not sure if im gonna do it right now, but i REALLY want to get rid of the door belts. so we'll see.
 
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