My Project

[JDoors]

When I bought the Mustang I ordered it with "go-fast" in mind (hence the Cobra model) so I didn't get cruise control (I also deleted things like the center console, etc.). I later added an aftermarket cruise control and I used it CONSTANTLY. My Explorer has it and ... I use it CONSTANTLY. I could go on a long exposition on why I use cruise control so much but suffice to say, if I'm going to be going one speed for any length of time I'd rather just punch in the number and there's one less thing taking my attention off my driving. Plus, of course, you don't "accidentally" drive over the limit so, less chance of getting a ticket.

[isteve]

"Don't accidentally drive over the speed limit" isn't that the whole purpose of having a Cobra.

[JDoors]

"Don't accidentally drive over the speed limit" isn't that the whole purpose of having a Cobra.

Oh, I didn't say I never purposefully drove over the limit ...

[Honda_Boy]

Gonna prep the car today for Import Alliance. Just got a new battery today (old one was nasty and corroded), gonna wash it, clean the inside, vacuum, Armor All the dash, clean and shine the tires, redo the lip (rear is a little low), pop off all the center caps on the wheels (one is missing), try to clean up the engine bay, and maybe some other crap. Problem is, it's trying to rain right now so it's screwing up my whole plan. I won't have time tomorrow, cause I'm leaving the house at 6:00 in the morning.

[Honda_Boy]

I've got most of it done. I'm gonna vacuum and clean the crap out of the interior an call it a day. I'm overheating and feelin kinda sick at the moment so I'm gonna cool off, eat and finish up later. I even cleaned the inside of the muffler tip so it isn't all black (looks like I use a higher grade racing fuel , well for now). Man I'm so glad I don't have to do this very often though I should do some of it a little more often so it doesn't wind up being one huge ordeal later down the road like today.

[JDoors]

I've never been able to bring myself to have someone else do it for me, but there ARE people who detail cars that'll do all that stuff for ya. At a price.

But then, there are people who will come and clean my house, do the yardwork, fix the little things, etc, and I'm too cheap to hire any of them, either.

[Honda_Boy]

Today was the first day of Import Alliance 2008 at Nashville Super Speedway. Carma Performance was out there with their Dyno Dynamics mobile dyno. I thought "what the hell, I brought money to spend". When I went, not many people and no line. When I got my car on the dyno, suddenly there were a few cars in line and a TON of people around it. They prepped my car, asked some questions, gave me forms to sign and got to it.

The Motor:

B16A2 from a 99 EM1 Civic Si

10X,XXX miles on the 9 year old motor

STOCK Internals

AEM Short Ram intake with a filter that's never been cleaned (about a year and a half on the car)

Exedy Stage 1 Racing Clutch

Clutch Masters light weight flywheel (7lbs I believe)

STOCK Exhaust Manifold

Custom Muffler shop catback

A'PEXi World Sport II Muffler

Now, I was hoping to break 130 at least. I guessed 135WHP TOPS.

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.

.

.

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Run 1: 144WHP

No friggin way. AWESOME. I broke 140WHP........

Run 2: 148WHP

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At that point, everyone started asking me what all mods I had, and I heard a lot of people say "woah" when they saw the 148. Apparently neither I nor anyone else expected it to do that well for what it is.

I've always heard 1 year = minus 1 HP at the crank. So that would have put it stock at 151HP at the crank. Add a coupla HP for the intake and exhaust. Then the power lost getting to the wheels, accounting for the flywheel, I just didn't expect near that much. I'm supposed to get an email with the dyno chart sometime (SUPPOSED TO, no guarantee they could read my hand writing).

[Bubba Bob]

Pretty impressive!!

What were the torque numbers?

[Honda_Boy]

I didn't see them. They might be on the charts when I get them. I only saw HP on when it was on the Dyno. I'd be lucky to break 100WTQ though. It's got to have at least 110 at the crank though. Factory crank torque should be 111 minus age plus mods. My intake and exhaust are both more oriented to low and mid-range torque than high end HP though. I have a Short Ram intake instead of a Cold Air Intake and the A'PEXi WSII muffler is an oval canister designed to be a little quiter and provide more torque for daily driving than the circular canisters like my old one.

Lemme say this though, the WSII is most certainly quieter while cruising (OH so much quieter, enough so I can actually talk to a passenger without yelling) but when it was on the dyno wide open, it was deafening. I mean I watched a few cars on the dyno and they were moderately loud but man, after the crossover into VTEC on mine, it was insane (I've never heard the car wide open from the outside before).

[Honda_Boy]

a friend of mine did some approx math taking into account the error margin of the Dyno and the power lost getting to the wheels. I have somewhere around 175HP at the crank. The stock rating at the crank is 160HP. This engine has had a rebuild sometime in it's life with a performance valvetrain or cams or something.

[Honda_Boy]

pic that another member of TennSpeed took of my car

I'm sure there'll be more soon. I know quite a few folks took pictures of my car amazingly enough. It's like my car was so ghetto that it is was totally awesome and got quite a bit of attention. Today, I had various large groups of people looking at my car all at once when I had the hood popped, many of which were taking pictures. Even when it was closed, I had some random people walk up and take pics even with nicer cars around it. I was amazed with my car this year at IA. I had such an awesome time both days. I get to dyno the first and participate in a revving exhibition the second, and the whole weekend my car was getting far more attention than it ever has before.

It was funny though EVERYONE from TennSpeed or Honda-Tech that's seen me post knew that it was my car immediately. That color is rare and mine was the only one with JDM yellow square fogs (of the Midori Green Civics that is), a primer hatch, and an off color front bumper.

Edited July 28, 2008 by Honda_Boy

[Honda_Boy]

Booyah!

[JDoors]

Your torque curve, doesn't! Amazing.

[Bubba Bob]

Your torque curve, doesn't!

LOL!

THat's quotable right there...

[isteve]

So Honda_Boy do you drag race or auto-cross?

[Honda_Boy]

NEITHER!!!! I'd expect the transmission (or at least my differential) to explode if I drag raced and my suspension to snap if I Auto-X'd. I'd prefer Auto-X sort of. My personal preference is road course Time Attack which I SO wanted to do at Nashville Super Speedway during IA. I just didn't trust my car with a completely stock suspension minus H&R OE Sport Springs, bad synchros in 3rd and 4th, bad diferential, and tires that could use replacing. My motor is strong as hell according to everyone I talked to about it, just everything else is messed up.

[Honda_Boy]

Well, ran into another problem yesterday. I started getting a lot of play in the clutch pedal and the clutch was engaging too quick. I started pumping the pedal at a red light and the clutch got more pressure and the play disappeared. Today it was much worse and I had to pump the pedal at every red light. I stopped by the O'Reilly's down the street from my work after I got off and bought a new clutch slave cylinder. I knew this was it cause it's happened before about a year and a half ago. Last one I got at NAPA. This time I changed it though. My brother did the last one. I remembered to keep the receipt for this one and put it in the box and then left the box in the car so if this one goes out, I can get it replaced for free since it has a lifetime warranty.

[isteve]

Two masters within a year, are you sure it's not the slave this time.

A lot of times it's because there is crap in the fluid if you don't get it all out they wear out pretty fast. Make sure you bleed all the old fluid out.

[Honda_Boy]

No I said 2 SLAVE cylinders in a year and half. And yes I bled all the old fluid out and put fresh DOT3 fluid in.

Edited October 6, 2008 by Honda_Boy

[Bubba Bob]

Can't get any better than "GOT3" fluid.

Master/Slave cylinders seems to be one of the most common items that fail either right out of the box, or shortly there after. Good idea keeping the proof of purhcase...

[Honda_Boy]

typo that I fixed before you replied

[Honda_Boy]

Wow, I just got a PM on TennSpeed asking me what it'd take to get my car off my hands. I told them something to the effect of a crapload of cash cause though it frustrates me, I love it.

[Honda_Boy]

Well the new Slave Cylinder didn't completely fix the problem so either A. I didn't bleed it correctly B. I have a tiny leak or the more likely C. My Clutch Master Cylinder is going bad. Crap.

Edited October 8, 2008 by Honda_Boy

[Honda_Boy]

Been a while since I've updated. The clutch pressure problem disappeared ages ago. Guess I didn't bleed it right or something but it's perfect now.

Recently, my car hasn't been warming up while moving (in this cold weather temps 40 F and less). I could leave it idleing for about 15-20 minutes and it'd warm up but once I got moving the temp would plummet. The temp gauge would drop below the C mark. Now this meant I would FREEZE MY @$$ OFF while driving most places cause the heat wouldn't get going right. While talking to my dad I realized it was thermostat cause my 1985 Pontiac Sunbird had the same problem and my brother and I swapped the thermostat, problem gone. Went to Advance Auto and got a new thermostat and gasket went home, popped off my radiator cap and realized I wasn't working on a 1985 Pontiac Sunbird. The Sunbird, the thermostat was in the radiator cap. The Civic, backside of the block. Crap. So today, my friend came by and helped me swap it out and MAN are those bolts inaccessible and when you get them undone and get the old thermostat out, it makes a hell of a mess. I guess that's why the crap I looked up suggested you drain the radiator. We didn't do that cause the inaccessibility of the drain plug for the radiator (I think I needed to take the front bumper cover off). Still we had a metal pan underneath the car that caught most of it and we poured oil dry on the rest. We refilled the radiator, started the car, let the fluid get into the system, and topped it off.

My friend left cause he was about to freeze (it was 30-32 out, I have a higher tolerance for cold) and I test drove the car. Not only did the temp stay where it was supposed to, I found out that my car's heater freakin ROCKS!!! You can cook crap with it, it's so hot. I never knew how good it was cause the dern engine would never warm up. Now, I need to get the nerve up to change the oil cause I forgot to do it before it got cold. I also need to after Christmas to buy some tune up parts and do a good tune up. Then I need to take it to Jimmy (my Honda Specialist mechanic) and have the timing belt and water pump changed.

[isteve]

I feel you pain. I got rid of my Ranger and picked up a 2001 Cherokee sport. It had a valve cover leak. So yesterday I decided to change the gasket and throw in some new plugs. When I started working on it the temp was about 45 within a hour it was in the 30's and shortly after it started to snow.