Update on the Civic:
I didn't get near as much as I wanted done this weekend, but at least I made some decent progress on the engine tear-down. I've got it down to the block, crank/rods/pistons, and main cap. The sucky part about this is what happened when I trailered it home earlier this year. I went through Illinois and it had recently snowed. I had to drive about 50 miles through a salty, slushy mess. It has caused surface rust and a think layer of grit on everything. It's going to require a lot of cleaning before it gets reassembled. Anyway, here are some pics:
Very cool!
I have no idea what I want to do with my car(Mazda2) after STF... part of me thinks if I build beyond that I'll have to accept the fact I'll be trailering it... so might as well go stupid fast by making it super light. I'm taking a very hard look at EP because most of the "fast" part comes from just gutting it and sticky tires.
What kind of power are those older Civics/CRXes capable of? What kind of weight can it get down to before adding ballast for min weight?
In reply to flatlander937:
That's definitely what this car is all about. If I recall correctly, the car weighs just under 1500lbs. The previous owner went to great lengths to remove weight. The factory EW3 engine in the civic has had work done to it, and is putting out about 125hp (stock is 99hp). I've seen these engines run up to 130hp. That's the Civic Si 1.5L fuel injected engine. With the car at approx. 1500lbs, 125hp is more than sufficient.
Here are the weight restrictions from the 2016 ProSolo SCCA rulebook:
E Prepared (EP)
Minimum weights are determined by engine displacement. Increases in engine
displacement resulting from legal overbore are not considered in these
calculations.
Wheels up to 10” wide are allowed with no weight increase; a maximum width
of 12” is permitted.
Weight Formulas (lbs.):
Piston Engines: 1.00 x displacement (cc)
Engines with 3 or 4 valves per cylinder and displacement less than or
equal to 1667cc: .........................................................1.06 x displacement (cc)
Engines with 3 or 4 valves per cylinder and displacement greater than
1667cc: .....................................................0.91 x displacement (cc) + 250 lbs.
Engines with 2-valves per cylinder: .....................1.00 x displacement (cc)
Level 2 (Limited Prep) vehicles: ............................1.00 x displacement (cc)
Weight Adjustments (lbs):
Wheels greater than 10” wide up to 12” wide: .................................................+100
Regardless of the weight formulas above no car may weigh less than 1350
lbs. or be required to weigh more than 2200 lbs. prior to addition of
weight adjustments defined herein and in Section 17.
Hey folks, I'm having a difficult time finding an engine shop who can do what I need for this engine. The aftermarket crank bearings are all the same size, however the crank journals are not (I have not measured them myself yet, this is what I was told). OE crank bearings are no longer available from Honda. In order for everything to fit together correctly, I need someone to either make me a set of custom bearings, or machine the crank journals to match the bearings I have. I live just north of Atlanta. Does anyone know of a good engine shop in the Atlanta area, or at least the southeast who could help me with this issue? Thanks!
As far as nice machine work, Goza Machine Shop in Acworth (North Cobb) is excellent.
I'm not sure if Mainstream Motorsports in Powder Springs is around still since I've moved but they built some pretty incredible Hondas (N/A 11 sec drag cars and such)and I'm sure they could point you in the right direction.
If you were at the Mitty, you would have seen the CRX. It's gorgeous.
And thanks for the sunroof, ClassicHondaGuy 
Keith Tanner wrote:
If you were at the Mitty, you would have seen the CRX. It's gorgeous.
And thanks for the sunroof, ClassicHondaGuy
I actually was at the Mitty and saw the CRX! I took the green S30 with AK plates. 
crankwalk wrote:
As far as nice machine work, Goza Machine Shop in Acworth (North Cobb) is excellent.
I'm not sure if Mainstream Motorsports in Powder Springs is around still since I've moved but they built some pretty incredible Hondas (N/A 11 sec drag cars and such)and I'm sure they could point you in the right direction.
Thanks for the tip. I'll look into both shops!
Keith Tanner wrote:
If you were at the Mitty, you would have seen the CRX. It's gorgeous.
And thanks for the sunroof, ClassicHondaGuy
Hey, thanks Keith! You're welcome for the sunroof... did it work out for you?
I have to admit I have not yet torn the interior out of the car to access the roof yet. I know how big the job is, so I keep putting it off.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
I hear that. It's a serious pain.
While I understand it's not the subject of this thread, I'm having serious first-gen CRX envy.
Would it be easier to find another crank from a junker and start from scratch?
ClassicHondaGuy wrote:
In reply to Keith Tanner:
I hear that. It's a serious pain.
It's mostly the heartbreak of having those irreplaceable blue 30-year-old fasteners snap.
1st Gen CRX envy is a real problem.
In reply to Jerry From LA:
Lol! Thanks. The crank is 'new'... out of another engine.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Ooo, yeah... that. 
I had the 1G CRX envy for quite a while from this guy...
Then I just made my own. :)
Keith Tanner wrote:
1st Gen CRX envy is a real problem.
Is there a rehab program available?
In reply to Jerry From LA:
Oh, I'm sorry, this isn't helping your problem at all
Jerry From LA wrote:
Keith Tanner wrote:
1st Gen CRX envy is a real problem.
Is there a rehab program available?
Obviously I have no idea.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Ugh, I love a clean factory SI. Awesome.
Hello all, I apologize for letting this thread go essentially dormant for the last 6 months or more. Not a lot has happened as far as physical work to the car, but a lot of planning and decision making has been done.
Since my last update, I was able to find a machine shop that checked out the long block, rebuilt it as well as resurfaced the block. Since then most of the work has come in the form or research and preparation. I spent way too much time than I probably should have, looking for the best wheel and tire package for the car. I even contacted a company in Europe who makes reproduction DTM turbo wheels. They make them to order for what ever application you have. They only responded to two messages and then they went silent sadly. I don't think they though I was serious. I was. Anyway, after searching to the darkest and dustiest corners of the internet, I ended up deciding to go with Enkei RPF1s with Toyo Proxis. Yeah, not as rare and obscure as I wanted, but they're light and meant for the track. I will make my purchase after my other wheels sell (at least that's what I told my wife ;) )
I've been in contact with ARP to see if they have, or will make a set of head studs for my engine. I've filled out their spec sheet and I'm waiting to hear from them.
I acquired an adjustable cam gear as well. It's a OBX five bolt cam gear that is actually a really nice piece. It turns out that if you look for cam gears for an F20 or F22 (Can't remember off the top if my head) they will work on the D15a3 because they have the same amount of teeth. Sadly, there aren't many people that make cam gears for those engines, so I had only two to choose from. The OBX one was the only 5 bolt out of the two options, and it had a warranty. Done.
I also decided to do my own port and polish on the head. This meant tracking down the right tools for the job. I found a nice piece from Dremel that I think will do the trick. It's all set up next to my bench and ready to go... and that's where things sit at the moment. I'm about to disassemble the head, clean it and port and polish it. To those who are still following this thread, I appreciate your patience. I hope to have a steady stream of updated in the near future.
Below is a shot of the car on it's new garage rollers, my newly purchase Dremel tool, and the head waiting for a porting.
Any tips on how to secure the cam gear while trying to get the cam gear bolt out?
