1987 HONDA CRX SI Happy 16th Birthday Mad Max! Restoration Rebuild Project

In reply to greasemonkeyreborne_5x1gs :

Watching this. We bought my wife a brand new red CRX SI and loved that car, unfortunately had to sell it two years later when we got pregnant. I bought a black well used example a few years later, but still a blast to drive. I also had a white Civic SI which was basically the same thing in a more practical wrapper. Fun cars that will never be recreated due to all the modern safety stuff required. Your son will have a lot of fun with this and it will be 10 times more reliable than the typical old car most kids drive today. 

 Parts Acquisition.....

I began collecting maintenance parts for these cars when I bought my second CRX in 1996-97.  I'd make a drug deal w my local Honda Dealer parts guy in Long Island.  Would place a sizable order, give "Pete" a 12 pack of his favorite beverage and he'd give me the employee discount.

Moved to Texas in 1998 as the internet was building presence.  Discovered Majestic Honda out of Rhode Island and began annual purchases as I got my year end bonuses.

Here's a folder 3-4" thick of receipts of my procurement to support the CRX's as I was planning to keep on the road over my lifetime.

As the 5 or so Honda US North American warehouses inventory began to dwindle, I began searching Vintage Parts out of Beaver Dam, WI and calling dealerships posting parts on the US Dealer network.  Then I moved to the Canadian Dealership network.  Very different from US system due to privacy laws.  I placed some orders w Honda in Windsor.  They'd post the request to the other dealers, collect the parts and I'd cross the tunnel in Detroit to pick up.  Did 3 Canadian trips.  Each time I was stopped, detained and searched by Customs.  Apparently, there's a heavy drug route coming from Mexico - Dallas - Detoit - Canada.  So I got a lot of attention from boarder agents having TX plates.  I was on vacation, so I had the time to kill.....  witnessed our Government at work.  On one trip I had left a mag from my hunting rifle in the back.  Apparently they found it as I was quickly surrounded by three armed guards in the lobby until they triple checked my car for contriban.  That took off an addition 45 minutes out of my day....  Oooops

Since I'm not searching Mugen, performance parts or hard-to-find accessories, I don't deal  w overseas ordering much.  Did to some Rinkya and Yahoo Japan orders.

Most of the parts to be used for MadMax were purchased 15-20 years ago.

Trying to identify part numbers was a challenge in the early days as I had to call or visit the local dealerships to get the information.

Majestic Honda began one of the first online Honda sites, I copied every page and made my own parts book

This was printed in 2000. I get a kick out of how cheap those parts are compared to now.  The black part is on the fender part price in the book.  It retailed for $215 back in the day.  There are some fine shops making carbon fiber aftermarket replacements for this price range.  

 IstGenCRX gave me an older Honda counter parts book (bottom) a while back.  Then I got an updated version (top).  Great cross reference material.

Repair and troubleshooting material.....

I've never used the Chilton.  Always the Helms.

dherr (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to greasemonkeyreborne_5x1gs :

Watching this. We bought my wife a brand new red CRX SI and loved that car, unfortunately had to sell it two years later when we got pregnant. 

 Just aint a family car.   My wife forbid our babies riding in these cars.  I had to move on to a 4 door for the same reason as yours...  Bummer!

Last month we removed the wheels and began working on the dropping the rear axle.  I placed the 18" breaker bar on the lower shock bushing bolts.  It flexed,... and no go.   I had snapped both of these bolts before on my beater rex a few years earlier.  Forced me to replace the axle since I didn't have time to drill out the hardened grade 8 bolts.  So MM sat

Tonight we got to it.  Heated the net w a propane torch and got both of them loose.  Since this car only has 108K, I'm not replacing the bushing at this time since it'll be a DD.  My other Rex had 245K on it when I snapped those bolts.  I pulled out a spare axle from a car I parted w 98-120K on it (I can't remember now).  She was tight for my purposes, so at 108K on Honda OE rubber, I'll run her a while on MM.

Apparently, the metal insert to the lower shock bushing spun out as it was rusted to the bolt.  Happy to not have to drill out the hole and rethread, but had to chop saw the bolts anyway.

So glad I live in Texas now.  Very little salt and I just don't drive in it anymore.

Going w  KYB Excel shocks as they are made in Japan.   I'm keeping the 108K springs.  My reasoning here is to keep OEM.  And my first car back in the early 80's had a broken spring.  I replaced it at Midas, that one broke too.   I figure if my Beater rex went 245K wo breaking the springs, these 108's will last a long time.  Again, praying to the Honda gods of metallurgy.

I did a science project on the Beater rear springs/shocks a few years ago.  Heres' the link.  I didn't have a photo account at the time, so its not that easy to read.  http://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59214&hl=

 After measuring the rear height and comparing to the Helms manual, both the Beater and MadMax had sagged about 1".  I'm adding the same 1" spacer to MadMax as I did the beater.  I had measured spring rates in a rudimentary method as well.

And the brakes!!!  Wow, the shoe pads disintegrated.  The drums pulled right off.  I was surprised.  As the drum cylinders usually leak after sitting for several years, swelling the pads and sticking the drums.  The drums actually looks freshly turned (22 years ago).  I assume aftermarket shoes??

Heres the link to the Nippon Denso Honda CRX Alternator rebuild project:     http://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59494&hl=

Unfortunalty, the 254K Honda OE alterantor I rebuilt for the Beater Rex failed last month.  I had expected the VR or rectifier,  but it was the rotor.  That one's sitting on the shelf for FAL.   Now I have to travel road trips w a compete alternator just in case.

I miss my '87. Bought it for ~$200 with a seized top-end. Once fixed, I drove it on the street for about a year before I turned it into a race car. With a sub-2,000-pound race weight, the thing could go a full season on a set of brake pads. The only mechanical issue I had was the Panhard bar mount, which snapped off the bottom of the car (it was a 125K mi New England car). Rebuilt the mount with a bunch of angle iron, and it was good to go...

Nlevine,  Growing up in the rustbelt, I know what you mean.  Looks like you had a blast w that little guy!!

Installed the new lower shock bolts I picked up at the locak Honda Dealership.  Installed the Excel shocks and 1" spacers to counter the spring sag.  Spacer is just left of the white box.  P/N on the box if interested.  35 year old springs ( sitting on blocks since 2001) cleaned up better than I thought.  Rear axle back together.  Not replacing bushings at this time, not sure if I really need to for how were using the car.  Will compare CRX#1 w 278K to MadMax w 108K on some road tests to see how they feel different.  Got too much other stuff to do.

Tomorrows project: Digging out rims tossed here and there over the years.  Sorting through and spinning the rims to check for straightness.  Need to pick a set for MadMax, then a road trip set and finally some crap sets to leave on the other CRX's for barn storage

Spent the day digging out 20 years of stashed phone dial rims planted all over my house.  Power washed them.  Serialized each w metal stamp dyes so I can track condition/history.  Placed each on the rear axle and spun tested to see what I have to work with.  Apparently, only 3 are straight w good surface paint (this is why I don't want my cars lowered/stiff suspension, I feel it adds to kinks and bends).    1/3 of the rims are crap.  The rest are decent and can be straightened.  But its what i get for junkyard parts, right?

I had followed a guy on youtube who made a jig, used a torch and hydraulic jack to push his kinks out.   I did this successfully on several lexus rims last year.  Heres the set up

When stamping the lexus rims, I also did several CRX rims.  The Honda rims are a much harder alloy.  And the CRX rims seemed much thicker.  It just feels like they really made these 80's hondas/acuras way, way better than they had to for the time compared to today.  Harder aluminum alloy compared to modern.  I don't know if soft aluminum rims aides in performance???

When finishing up the rear axle, I noticed the rear bumper support looked very straight an free from accidents/impacts.  But rusted a bit more than I'd like.  So we'll need to remove, treat and paint.

Been a long, hot summer.  No fun working wo AC

Working 3 sub projects in parallel.  Picking up the pace w great fall temperatures.

1) Rebuilding exhaust system.  Pulled out old piping and cat.  Going to delete the cat due to the theft craze going on .  Started a more detailed post on the process when I redid CRX#1 a while back for more detail if interested   https://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59488&hl=exhaust     Goal to keep it like the OEM bolt on system for easy future repairs as these systems tend to rust out fast.   Muffler pipe doing just like this pix (from CRX#1).  No welding.  Pipe clamps for ease of swapping a muffler later.

Need to work the resonator pipe and cat delete next.

2) AC system rebuild.   MadMax's been driving CRX#1 all summer wo AC.  Time to get it running.  Sorted out the AC parts in storage and selected 2 systems to rebuild for each car.  Winter long project.  Detailed post in process if interested...  https://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59527&hl=

Keeping R12/mineral oil.  Completed my research.  have most of the parts now to rebuild.  Need flushing fluid and to send out the hoses for rebuild.   Working this over the winter.  Easier to do 2 systems at once to make it go faster.

3) Rims.  Finally got around to straightening the phone dial rims.  had done lexus rims previously.  These were easier, + I have more experience now.  happy w how they spin.  Need to sand down the tire beads.  MadMax wants to paint them black w red highlights.  Selected a set w salt corrosion and surface imperfection.  

Rim straightening post for more detail if interested.     https://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59484&hl=

I'm been over pushing the inner edge w the jack creating an outward kink.  This pix had a 1/4" piece of flat bar I curved w a hammer to prevent this.  Feels like I"m able to get these true to .005-.010' when spinning on the rear axle.  Very happy w results.  Took time thought.  Some do have side to side wobble I can't correct, but good enough.

I don't post much, but I always follow your thread. 

THnx Slippery!

Been off line driving my original CRX cross county this year clocking over 6000 miles on 3 different trips.  I have a post on GRM for this car.  Sorry to be redundant.  The trips consumed a lot of my free time.  My son came long for the Michigan trip.  Hes getting the itch

MadMax will be a car freely driven across country as well when finished.  With less than 110K on the clock, she's got a lot of adventures ahead of her.   Fun, Reliable, economical.  Hard to find in one package nowadays.

Colorado

michigan

Kansas.

My work slows down in winter.  Time to get at MadMax again......

Im not a fan of aftermarket parts.  But normally use aftermarket brake pads and clip sets.  I have purchased BCA rear hubs from my other CRX.  MTM bearings w NOK seals - I'll take that.   Alister of Civic Duty was selling off more NOS Honda stock.  Got a Nippon Denso radiator w cap.  Thnx Alister!!   Been buying off Civic Duty for about 12 years now.  Great guy.  He had bought out a Honda dealers old stock like 15 years ago when ownership changed.  The original owners just kept buying parts here and there, tossing them in the warehouse.  They didn't realize all the unnecessary inventory

Will be working/rebuilding the entire brake system shortly.

Got MadMax chrome tips for the muffler.  Left are my originals from 1993 aftermarket.  Right are NOS Honda.  Center (Google p/n "150188 SET" to find them) are for his car.  They look nicer than OEM while keeping period correct and matching what was available at the time.

MadMax was purchased around 2000.  Somewhere 2002-2004, I removed all the exterior plastics, parts of the interior and placed them in long term storage in  conditioned rooms.  Keeps the UV, heat, temperature swings and Ozone away for preservation.   I had since parted out other cars and collected misc parts from junkyards/friends.  Spent the past 2 weeks sorting through buckets/boxes/storage rooms unraveling the mental madness created.  Created inventory lists best I could.  I forget all this by next year.

Here are all the labeled baggies filled w various sub assembly fasteners over the years grouped by car or junkyard visit.   Coming from the north, I'd try to find corrosion free hardware from Texas yards.  Now I can get to them in an organized fashion for this restoration and the others planned down the road.  What I did learn: they made Zip-Locks much better 20 years ago.....  And this is a mess.

Here are the  nuts/bolt/small HW packages  for reinstallation of  the fenders, bumpers, etc..  When I parted out #9 and partial #7, I photographed each assembly w HW so I'd remember what type/size fastener went were.  After 15 years,  memory drift loss is in full swing.

One more pre-restro task outta the way.  Least desired task of the project.