The Integra Project

[The Rooster]

Hello again everyone!

I've been around for a short while now, and contemplated various ideas from buying an older CRX hf to a 1st gen Insight, but as far as saving money goes, it's tough to beat keeping a free car that's a good platform for starting a hypermiling project with.

The mods I've made have been pretty modest so far, from adjusting the tire pressure to max sidewall (44 psi) and installing a front grill block prototype (my abs custom grill block is being made at Tap Plastics in Stocton as I type). The third, and most important mod has been adjusting the loose nut behind the wheel. I still have some improving to do, but I've slowed down, started coasting down hills, used higher gears more often and all in all so far I've gained roughly 4-5 mpg over where I was before I started.

Here's a pic of the grill block;



There's a number of things I have to accomplish on this car, one of which will be repairing the damage to the front end thanks to trees deciding to test the laws of gravity out on my hood and fenders. I'll be replacing the hood with a carbon fiber unit, and the fenders will be regular steel aftermarket bits. While I'm at it, I'll be repainting the whole car. Since I'm an automotive painter, this is no big deal to me, I can do the whole thing for under a grand.

Other mods I have in mind;

*MPGuino
*CF rear hatch and plexi rear glass (this would delete the rear spoiler and rear wiper)
*CF convex racing mirrors, smaller/ligher/areoer
*Power Antenna delete (replace it with a modern stubby antenna which I'll mount on the roof where the current rear window squirter is located)
*Coroplast Undertray
*Front Spoiler/air dam, Wings West makes a nice one
*Adjustable (Lower) Suspension
*Lightweight aftermarket wheels and tires that can hold more air pressure (I'm also going for looks here, I am single and occasionally escort girls in my car, so having a cardboard boat tail or pizza pan hubcaps is out of the question)
*Most Ambitions Civic VX engine/trans/steering/brake swap. The theory is to take the parts out of a car that already gets 50 mpg, throw it into the much cooler looking Integra, then put the integra parts into the Civic and resell it, possibly at a profit. And this way I get to keep my power windows/door locks/sunroof/etc.
*Anything else I can find for free

Completed Mods;
Tire pressure to 44 PSI
Grill Block (Prototype)
Rear Seat and Seat Belt removal
Mud Flap Removal

5/1/2010 Update:

All the mods I have made to this point have had virtually no effect on fuel economy. My driving habbits have been the reason for my improved economy. I plan on returning my car back to the way it was, spare tire and rear seat back in at least. The grill block will stay gone. However, all is not lost, I still believe a Lean Burn Civic VX engine swap would be the most ideal change for me. It would be simple and relatively cheap. Hell, if I could find a whole running car, I could just swap the drivetrains out and potentially MAKE money reselling the Civic to some rice head.

[The Rooster]

First Free Mod

Rear Seat/Seat Belt Delete

Wight Savings Apx 35 lbs

Time invested: Apx 1 hour

Today I undertook the task of trying to save some weight, but since I'm a little cash poor, spending money at the moment will have to wait. So, here's what I did.



There's the rear seats, on their last day getting a free ride and doing nothing for the privelage.

Getting the seats out was a very easy and straightforward process. The seat backs aren't even bolted in, you just kind of push each side towards it's respective side of the car and it pops out. The seat bottom was also easy, held in by a single 10mm bolt, once you unscrew that, the seat rotates up and forward 90 degrees, pops up about an inch, then rotate it back and it's out. Then you're left with something like this;



Next was to remove the seatbelts with their retracters and all the hardware. This is the more time consuming part, but still rather easy. All I had to do was remove various bolts and screws from the plastic side panels, some of these screws are behind the speaker panel and shock tower access panels. Pull the plastic panels back and unbolt the seatbelts.

One side with the seatbelt, shortly before its demise;


And the other side, already poached;


The best part about this mod, is how clean the final product looks, the trunk rear carpet is the same piece as the seat backs, which are just held in with clips. So, pop the clips out of the seatbacks, and lay the carpet back over the empty space, and voila!




Reasonably clean modification. I can only estimate the weight savings since I don't have a hanging scale...yet. But I think I pulled out something like 35 pounds of dead weight. Not a bad start! And I also found the ABS computer behind the passenger side rear plastic panel, so when I do delete the ABS system, there's some extra free weight removal I can come back to later.

[The Rooster]

Second Free Mod

Mud Flap Removal

Weight Savings: Apx 5 lbs.

Time Invested: Apx 20 minutes

Dual purpose mod, improve aerodynamics and reduce weight.

Before;


After;


Aftermath;


Form and function! Looks good, hopefully it works good too.

[The Rooster]

Here's the tire and wheel package I'm considering going with, should lighten the load (each wheel weighs about 15 lbs), increase my tire pressure (the max sidewall on those is 51 psi, as opposed to the 44 psi of my current tires), and look way cooler to boot.

Wheel; Wheel Details - Discount Tire



Tires; Tire Details - Discount Tire

[Backtobasics]

I like the progress, the method, and the overall direction. I also appreciate that the modifications are done with a nod to appearance. While many find the boat tail a sexy thing, I prefer the "clean" OEM lines of your car. Ditching the mud flaps made a nice visual difference + MPG benefits.

[nimblemotors]

those seats can't weigh that much, i'd say 20lbs.
have you removed the spare tire? that can be 20-30lbs.
and run with less gas in tank instead of filling up can shed 75-100lbs

[The Rooster]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

those seats can't weigh that much, i'd say 20lbs.
have you removed the spare tire? that can be 20-30lbs.
and run with less gas in tank instead of filling up can shed 75-100lbs

Not just the seats, but the seat belts also. It all adds up, the seat bottom isn't very heavy being that it's mostly foam, cloth and some steel wire, feels like it might be 10 lbs, but the seat backs have steel plate backings and actually have some weight to them, each half must weight at least 15 pounds. Then of course the seatbelts and all the hardware, probably about 5 pounds each.

I keep the spare tire, a set of tire chains, jumper cables and the jack and tools. I consider those survival items and I'm not about to drive around in snowy conditions without them. I may take them out over the summer, bur for winter time, they stay. The donut spare isn't very heavy anyway, feels about as heavy as the seat backs.

As far as fuel goes, I have to make a slight detour to fill up, so I have to drive more miles every time I fill up. Also, I live in the mountains and fill up on my way to work on my way down the hill. This way I burn off about 80 miles of fuel before I come back home and have to go back up the hill. I used to make the mistake of filling up on the way home, then carting a full tank of gas up the hill.

[nimblemotors]

The ford mustang steel donut spare is 24lbs as I recall, I have a scale and measure everything for my MGeo project.
I wonder if the seat backs are part of the car structure if they weigh that much??

Good job on the gas fillup strategy, it makes a difference.

Originally Posted by The Rooster

Not just the seats, but the seat belts also. It all adds up, the seat bottom isn't very heavy being that it's mostly foam, cloth and some steel wire, feels like it might be 10 lbs, but the seat backs have steel plate backings and actually have some weight to them, each half must weight at least 15 pounds. Then of course the seatbelts and all the hardware, probably about 5 pounds each.

I keep the spare tire, a set of tire chains, jumper cables and the jack and tools. I consider those survival items and I'm not about to drive around in snowy conditions without them. I may take them out over the summer, bur for winter time, they stay. The donut spare isn't very heavy anyway, feels about as heavy as the seat backs.

As far as fuel goes, I have to make a slight detour to fill up, so I have to drive more miles every time I fill up. Also, I live in the mountains and fill up on my way to work on my way down the hill. This way I burn off about 80 miles of fuel before I come back home and have to go back up the hill. I used to make the mistake of filling up on the way home, then carting a full tank of gas up the hill.

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

and run with less gas in tank instead of filling up can shed 75-100lbs

Since gasoline is roughly 7.5 lbs/gallon, he'd have to have a pretty large tank to shed 76 lbs! I'd basically be empty in my CRX (mechanically pretty close to the 'Teg) if I left 10 gallons out of it.


BTW, I recommend against removing the ABS. Going lighter is good and all, but ABS is a Very Good Thing Indeed (TM). It could save your life someday, or at least your front bumper/hood/radiator support.

-soD

[The Rooster]

I need to get a scale still, I do want to track my weight loss.

I just went upstairs and piled the seatbelts, hardware and seatbacks onto the bottom seat cussion and lifted it, and it felt more like 35-40 lbs. I think my biggest single gain will be the switch to the carbon fiber rear deck, plastic rear glass and getting rid of the spoiler, rear wiper, wiper motor and rear brake light.

And the metal in the seatbacks don't add any structure to the car, I think the point is mainly to provide structure to the seat to support passengers, and also to prevent items in the trunk from flying right through the seats and into the passenger compartment in the case of an accident.