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Xan's CRX technical posts

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  dohcman 
#1 ·
So I figure for the sake of neatness and organization I'm going to load up my showroom post with progress pictures and keep my technical questions to this thread.

The questions I'm asking here are ones I have not been able to find clear answers to from previous research. Usually I'll trial-and-error stuff if I can't figure it out but all of these things have decent impact on my wallet and therefore I want to be certain of certain things before I spend money.

The car in question is a 1989 CRX DX

I have gotten rid of all of my projects besides this car, so no more distractions. I'm going to funnel my energy and resources into this vehicle and make it as nice as I possibly can.

Cosmetics:
It has a carbon fiber hood, which I like a lot and plan to sand down and re-clear to freshen it up.
The body will be going back to its factory color, Blade Silver with the usual black trim.

I found out that they sell a carbon fiber rear hatch for the CRX which is intriguing for obvious reasons, and my old hatch is kind of a mess. The seams are rusty, the flat top panel is warped badly, etc.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with those carbon fiber hatches, the only instructions I could find was not to use the factory pistons to support it. It's a decent chunk of change, but if it functions like a factory unit (glass and hardware installs the same) its money I'd happily spend. Then I would paint the roof a charcoal color to tie the two together.

Brake system
I have rear disc brakes from a 94 Integra, along with adjustable UCAs to get my alignment right.
I plan to follow this guide viewtopic.php?t=13990
My question being, When they say you need 90-91 SI cables, do you need the whole cable all the way from the brakes to the handle?
I also plan to install a hydraulic handbrake, which seems simple enough (fabricate a bracket, extend brake lines to and from handbrake using a Y to and from the handbrake prop valve) and was wondering if anyone had experience with this and could give me some pointers on installation and how you did it and with what parts

Interior: My interior is mostly complete and relatively undamaged, its just a victim of sunfade.
The seats in it are destroyed beyond saving. I have a somewhat worn (no rips or tears though) set of SI seats in my garage, but the fabric is showing its age and it has had at least one bolster re-sown. They did a good job but the stitching is noticeable.

I understand CRXs are weird cars to put seats in due to the fact the stock seats sit so low. I'm 6'1 220lbs so I'm a bit on the larger side and would like to maintain that low seat profile for comfort sake.
The way I see it, to make it nice, my options are either A: Re-upholster my "fair" condition SI seats, or go aftermarket. I wouldn't mind going aftermarket I would just have to buy something that's commonly used in the chassis so as to not cramp myself. If anyone has aftermarket recommendations from personal experience I'd appreciate it greatly.

Thanks in advance guys. Most of my best resources are threads already on this site, so hopefully this can help someone down the road as well.
 
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#2 ·
I haven't seen a CF hatch in person, but regarding CF parts in general, they typically don't fit well unless they are authentic pieces made by an OEM partner or higher end shop.

For the hand brake, if you use the integra cables you probably won't need to extend anything for the hydraulic setup.

Seats, just get something comfortable, and get the appropriate rails for your model/year. You might like the OEM variety Recaro seats given your size.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the reply.

I may make the CF hatch my gamble. The shop I work at does some custom stuff and with enough work you can make poorly cut aftermarket look like it belongs. If I do I will report back and hopefully put up a sort of guide.

Unfortunately in my haste to get the donor car stripped before work the next week, I cut the e brake lines assuming I couldn't use them. If there's no practical difference I would rather order up a set of DC cables for simplicity sake, to reduce the risk of ordering for a 91 si and getting a 91 hf. I hate ordering parts online but sometimes that ends up being your only option.

Honestly CRX seats are pretty comfy. My drivers seat is practically missing the bolster and i still like to sit in when i do interior work, so I may do as you said and find a very nice oem pair of seats. I'm seeing decent deals on japanese and european SI seats, the kind with the "CRX" lettering in the back.
 
#4 ·
I'm in for any feedback you may wish to share if you pull the trigger on the carbon fiber hatch. This has been on my list of wants for some time along with the carbon fiber fenders, hood, and sunroof.

As for seats, I personally like the OEM Si ones. Not sure where you are at but I happen to have two extra sets of the grey stripes from the 88/89 cars.

E-brakes... I know nothing about. I actually has a shop do my drum to disk swap using donor parts from a 91 Si.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
#5 ·
Regarding the E-brake cables, if you buy the '91 SI cables, they will be from the rear disc up to the handle inside the car. This is what you need for a rear disc swap.

The seats, I am in the same boat and about your size. My SI seats I have in the fine, except the driver's seat needs reupholstered for obvious reasons but my passenger seat is perfect. I want to replace the driver's seat with something aftermarket for when I track the car but am worried about my helmet hitting the roof. I don't mind spending the money for a good seat but, like you, don't want to be cramped.
 
#6 ·
As far as a CF hatch goes, most of the weight in that thing is the glass. Now if you could get a lexan window in a CF hatch.....

Hydraulic e-brakes: good for track, not so great for everyday use. If you have experience with cutting, bending, flaring and testing brake-lines, making this part is cake. If you don't have experience, it'll be a pain in the (butt); be prepared to clean up brake fluid from your car and garage floor in haste.
 
#7 ·
jacksonww said:
I'm in for any feedback you may wish to share if you pull the trigger on the carbon fiber hatch. This has been on my list of wants for some time along with the carbon fiber fenders, hood, and sunroof.

As for seats, I personally like the OEM Si ones. Not sure where you are at but I happen to have two extra sets of the grey stripes from the 88/89 cars.

E-brakes... I know nothing about. I actually has a shop do my drum to disk swap using donor parts from a 91 Si.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
I'm located in Florida, near Tampa.

Myriad said:
Hydraulic e-brakes: good for track, not so great for everyday use. If you have experience with cutting, bending, flaring and testing brake-lines, making this part is cake. If you don't have experience, it'll be a pain in the (butt); be prepared to clean up brake fluid from your car and garage floor in haste.
I'm just curious how the routing should go, do I just do 2-1 "Y" from the rear brake lines to the handbrake, and another 1-2 "Y" back to the rear brakes?

I'm imagining something like
|front brakes|====|master cylinder|====>--|handbrake|--<====|Rear Brakes|
If that makes any sense at all
 
#8 ·
CRXanatos said:
Myriad said:
Hydraulic e-brakes: good for track, not so great for everyday use. If you have experience with cutting, bending, flaring and testing brake-lines, making this part is cake. If you don't have experience, it'll be a pain in the (butt); be prepared to clean up brake fluid from your car and garage floor in haste.
I'm just curious how the routing should go, do I just do 2-1 "Y" from the rear brake lines to the handbrake, and another 1-2 "Y" back to the rear brakes?

I'm imagining something like
|front brakes|====|master cylinder|====>--|handbrake|--<====|Rear Brakes|
If that makes any sense at all
Oh dear lord, no. I mean, there's several ways to do hydraulic e-brakes, but tying it into the lines already there is not a popular option. Often you'll have a secondary brake cylinder attached in the cabin directly to the e-brake handle; 2 lines run from that cylinder to your rear brakes and the front lines are directly ran from the master cylinder. I guess you could have the secondary lines run to the prop valve, but the hardware for that is real funky.
 
#10 ·
I see... I thought the handbrake itself had a prop valve attached to it that allows fluid to pass through and lets the brakes operate normally, but when you pull it the valve closes and locks the rear brakes allowing you to get sideways easier. I used to use the regular old cable handbrake in my Integra to get sideways but I never liked the feel of it so I was thinking hydraulic might be my solution.

Bodywork is coming along. Lots of rust and old damage on the quarter panels, and around the hatch area. One more qtr panel, and some patchwork on the rear body panel and it will just be roof, doors and fenders left which imo are the easier ones. I figured I'd do the more difficult ones first. The bodywork is coming out very nice so far though, I'm excited to see what it will look like when it's done.

How do DC2 Recaros fit in the CRX? There's a decent set of red JDM ones at a local importer
 
#11 ·
Lexan hatch sounds nice. Wonder if it wouldn't bend when installing because any slight bend will make it hard to see out the rear view or behind you.

I Have Installed the little triangle side windows using Lexan from Home Depot, going home and tracing the glass window which is more a 3-dimensional shape into a flatter 2d shape to the lexan. Cut out with a saw zaw and cutting wheel. had a window guy install my front windshield Glass of course and the side small triangles windows lexan, he put a bead of caulk on the inside that isnt symmetrical but i am going to limo tint the whole vehicle when the krx is finished!

The Lexan is pretty clear and see through i was surprised and might as well get a cf hatch install lexan then just swap out cus the hatch is heavy.
 
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