My '97 Civic Mods

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by vskid3

I prefer not having to look over my shoulder if I don't have to. I was playing around with the blindspot mirror after I removed it and found that one of those convex rearview mirrors would probably make me comfortable enough to completely do without the passenger side mirror.

I'll paint the upper grill block next weekend, I'll pull the whole bumper for kicks and to make it easier to mask.

One change to my grille blocks I plan is to make them flush with the surface of the bumper so that the air moves around them more smootly than it can now. I thought I might accomplish this by reusing old styrofoam and cutting it into small blocks to insert between the grille and the coroplast. Something else you could do that I also want to do is use expanding foam to fill the lower grille. Since you'll be taking it off to paint it, you might try this mod. Would be useful to me to hear your results. Someone on this forum--I forget who right now--did this with their civic. He left an opening on the passenger side of the lower grille for ducting straight to the radiator. Painted and sanded, it looked factory in the photos, though he said it looked a little more DIY in the presence.

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

One change to my grille blocks I plan is to make them flush with the surface of the bumper so that the air moves around them more smootly than it can now. I thought I might accomplish this by reusing old styrofoam and cutting it into small blocks to insert between the grille and the coroplast. Something else you could do that I also want to do is use expanding foam to fill the lower grille. Since you'll be taking it off to paint it, you might try this mod. Would be useful to me to hear your results. Someone on this forum--I forget who right now--did this with their civic. He left an opening on the passenger side of the lower grille for ducting straight to the radiator. Painted and sanded, it looked factory in the photos, though he said it looked a little more DIY in the presence.

Here you go.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...per-10116.html

[beer]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

Here you go.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...per-10116.html

That looks ace.
You could buy a replica bumper up here they cost a measely €26 for a new front bumper, plastic weld it and it will be good for looks and your wallet.

I plastic welded a cover over the convex passenger sidemirror, a thermoplast plastic is easy to mold.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

Here you go.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...per-10116.html

That's the one. Great look. I thought it might be you jedi_sol...

[Pendragon]

Is there anything behind the upper grill opening? (I don't recall when it was that Honda changed things to being a "bottom breather", but had to add the upper grill back because of customer demand (because of appearance). Do keep a close eye on temps when doing this tough as you may have to have different parts for the hot and cold weather.

There was a comment early in the thread about gasoline & mileage. The gas in California is very different, even from one part of the state to the other a well as depending upon the season...and then there is that *%#&! ethanol which gives poorer mileage, is damaging to some engines, takes more energy to produce than you get out of it and is a political boondoggle. Grrr!

[vskid3]

The upper grill leads to the radiator and condenser. I didn't do any scientific testing, but when I had the foam blocks out for a week or two, the intake temp seemed lower, so it must do something. I'm not too worried about it overheating. I have an alarm on the ultragauge that goes off at 210F, so I know to pay more attention to it and make sure it doesn't get too high.

I'm thinking it must be the gas that is hurting my mileage compared to Utah. The next time I have to do a trip of considerable length, I'm going to try not using the Ultragauge to adjust my driving and just drive like I did before I had it. I might be putting too much faith into it. And yes, ethanol is terrible in its current implementation.

[PaleMelanesian]

The upper and lower grilles both open into the same space that feeds the radiator and AC condenser. By blocking one or the other, you're limiting the maximum possible airflow. However, with a small and efficient engine, there's not that much cooling needed. Half the lower grille is the most I've needed in 100+ degree Texas summers, with the Scangauge reporting a maximum 206F coolant temperature. The radiator itself only spans half the width.