Ren: My '92 Civic

[Sven7]

More foam! Grille and mirrors. 7 hours more to cure


Ren Aeromods by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr


Ren Aeromods by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr


Ren Aeromods by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr


Ren Maintenance by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr

Also... adding my truck in the "garage" just for fun. Maybe I'll get to drive it some this summer.

[2000neon]

I like the idea of the foam. Is it there anything that actually "holds" the foam in the bumper, or does it just expand and form into place?

[Sven7]

The foam is just setting to the shape there. I took it out and will shape it, then later secure it somehow.

Guess who's going on insurance and daily driver duty tomorrow! The grille block is out and I painted the whole grille. The foam didn't cure on the foil side so I'm going to have to work on that some.

Ready for the Road by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr

Next steps
1. find out what alternator it has, and get ready to order a new one
2. schedule an appt for an inner tie rod end installation and wheel alignment
3. attach wheel covers for real
4. put door card and related stuff back together

probably going to get the alignment set up more sporty than hypermiley

[Sven7]

It's on insurance and daily driver status now. The steering is kind of scary, but the D16 is actually pretty peppy. It's difficult to attach wheel covers to 11 spoke wheels, but I have two on. The other two are in paint. The grille block will get finished when the grille block gets finished.


Ren by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr


Ren by Tyler Linner, Intergalactic Man of Mystery, on Flickr

Working on getting an alignment appointment.

[Sven7]

First tank is 36mpg... and that's almost all the previous owner's doing. I think I can top 40 without mods or EOC

[slownugly]

40 should be easy. The cold weather is probably your biggest enemy. Block heater is a fantastic idea. I've noticed ~3 mpg increase while using it. Others have reported similar results. (in civics) Curious to see the baseline for the car without the grill block and then what it jumps to with it installed.

[2000neon]

Originally Posted by Sven7

The grille block will get finished when the grille block gets finished.

That seems pretty reasonable. I think you will be able to do 40 with decent driving.

[ChazInMT]

Ha, I love this line.

Ren & Stimpy Classic

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Ecky

If it's a CX/VX, it should have a super-tall transmission (=yay). The DX has a shorter transmission. You'll know once you get on the highway, because a CX/VX transmission with the correct tire size will run about 2250rpm at 65mph. A DX tranny with the right tire size will be about 2750rpm at 65. This isn't too bad though, I still get 35-40mpg with a 1.8L B18 engine in my car (which has worse aerodynamics) on the highway screaming down the road at 4000rpm.

I noted the RPM today but forgot you said 65, not 55. At 55mph it is at about 2300rpm with 175/70/R13 tires.

Alignment results (I went to The Alignment Guy):

I did not have to use the inner tie rod ends because the steering u-joint bolts were loose. Easy fix. Returned the TRE's today.

Instead of the rod ends he installed a new passenger front lower ball joint since the old one was toast, then did a front wheel alignment.

Notes-
L/F Strut mount to LCA bushing is cracked
R/F Motor to frame horn mount is cracked
R/I C/V boot has a hole in it
Ride height 1" taller on R/F fender than L/F fender
Nearly 2 degree camber split in front- may be result of ride height difference
Bad R/R upper control arm bushing (bushing may not be sold separately)
Bump steer is 2 degrees toe out with driver

"This car is beyond an alignment job. It can either be driven as it is once the rear control arm is replaced, or I can try to find the cause of these other things. It will get fairly expensive since there is no way to know how long it will take to find the answers."

---

That last part is disconcerting.

I bought a reman alternator today.

The next step will be to buy the upper rear control arm bushing (or possibly just a new control arm with bushing installed) and get that in. Then inspect the CV boot and probably buy a new one before the CV gets ruined.

I'd like not to have to do much until it's warm out. The handling is a bit unpredictable at the limit. I'm still driving the thing daily but aside from the grille block and mirror delete panels I won't be putting much effort into aero until the suspension is up to snuff.

I did not know this thing was so messed up.

[Sven7]

Also, does anyone know where to find a D16 BSFC map? I'm considering joining the HondaTech forums for some help/info on certain things.

from the local forum

Originally Posted by hamradio

so you have a broken or ****ed up spring, and some shot bushings (not quite sure what you mean by 'cracked'). you can probably go get a reman axle for $60 or so from napa, which is far far more worthwhile than spending $30 on a boot kit and changing the boot. I'd probably just run the torn boot if it's an inner until the joint starts clunking and shaking the car.

sounds like a couple hundred bucks and a weekend of work with proper tools. not really a big deal IMO. Such is life with a 20 year old cheap car.

Those are Jeff's words... I just copied from his note sheet. I'm guessing cracked is practically the same as "shot" or "needs replacement". It'll be something to look for next time I get under it.

The springs did not look broken to me but that sounds reasonable. Too bad the Ebay springs didn't fit. Still planning on doing coilovers and more bushings in a few months, all at once. Hopefully that would get rid of some issues and give it more racecar.

Thanks for the CV advice. I'll go for that then. Says Right Inner so I will do that until it gets warm outside, then replace it for peace of mind. Maybe have a bonfire and beer for those who help out.

As far as not a big deal, I've never done most of this stuff before so it's a big unknown. Kind of scary but I'm not opposed to trying.

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In non-depressing news, I worked on the foam grille block and mirror delete panels yesterday and they should come together ok. There were lots of huge air pockets I had to go back and fill with more foam.