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wind's pop-up 86 CRX Si (Electric "Mid-engine" Vehicle)

292K views 505 replies 77 participants last post by  windraver 
#1 · (Edited)
Edit 2:
EV Conversion Update Pictures

Edit:
Since this thread is so long, this summarizes what's documented here. Lots of pictures.

This is a Frankenstein of:
Civic EK armrest/cupholders
2nd gen crx trunk divider
Civic vx D15z1 motor
EM57 Electric Motor
Leaf Battery Management and Inverter
24kWh Leaf Battery Modules (~92 miles range)
40kWh Leaf Battery Modules (~200 miles range)
Resolve-EV Controller
Civic 84 hatch trunk cover
Insight cluster
Some GM car's rear view mirror
Prelude seats
Integra flip lights/signals, part hood/fender
Civic Hx rims
2 different 1st Gen 1986 CRXs

Have fun!

Original:
so back in july 26, 2007, some dude in milpitas california decided to give his 86 crx si for free on craigslist.

i showed up the next day with a borrowed truck and a rented dolly from u-haul and it was mine XD

the car was in pieces.. wasn't running... hatch wouldn't close, hood latch was broken... broken lights everywhere... engine bay looked like someone put oil in a water gun and had lots of fun and thats just the start

got it home, found a piece of rubber gasket that kept the hatch from closing... removed it and the hatch close normally again

put in another battery... car started... dead battery

found that the valve cover gasket was busted and spitting oil like insane

but for the mean, time, i put the project aside til october 2007













 
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#402 ·
Note to self

For the 1995 Civic the idle speed settings are:
D13B2 ENGINE......800+/-50 RPM
D15Z1 ENGINE......700+/-50 RPM
D15B2 ENGINE......810+/-50 RPM
D15B7 ENGINE......750+/-50 RPM
D16Z6 ENGINE......750+/-50 RPM
With the IAC valve disconnected (when setting up):
All Engines (except D15B2)...420+/-50 RPM
D15B2 ENGINE....................625+/-50 RPM
 
#403 ·
Updates! Lots of it!

First, after 10+ years, saving money, I convinced my wife to let me get a car lift.


This is the car raised at half the full height.


Next! As I've shown in the past, I came up with an improved design for the CRX 1G trunk cover using parts from the hatchback civic trunk cover. The issue I found was that the old cabinet clips I used in revision 1 did not hold when I hit bumps or slammed on the brakes. Essentially, the trunk cover would go flying into pieces. Dangerous and simply poor design on my part. I knew the stock covers were better designed so I used them for parts.

Here is the original cover from Ebay:


First you can see here the brackets used to hold the cover. The cover itself is short and thus the brackets are not enough to support the entire trunk cover.


This design thus is to cut and split the bracket into pieces to add the proper support required.


Some additional cutting notes.


Here is the first cut.


And the second cut making 3 pieces.


Design again.


The Civic cover has a latching mechanism which I dissected and installed into my current cover as seen here.


The latching mechanism and the bracket to lock it in place can be seen here.


Latches and cover attached.


 
#404 ·
Its hard to believe I got this car BARed 2 years ago. But I guess having to do a smog check is proof that its really been 2 years.

And I failed. :(


High HC which means I'm running rich. Usual suspect is ignition so I changed out the cap, rotor, wires, and plugs.

Rotor was certainly in need. Cheap Kragen auto part...


The plugs were another story. Cylinder 1 spark plug wire and plug were covered in oil due to a likely leak from the valve cover gasket. This likely caused a misfire but I found myself wondering if the cylinder itself had any oil. No smoke so my hope is no...




And so I smogged again.. but failed for NOx. Bummer...


No more misfire or rich so either I'm running lean(too hot = Nox) or my EGR is not working(Exhaust gases reduce temperature as it doesn't burn) or something....

sounds like an opportunity to do some work! I have a spare intake so I tore it apart. First thing was I pulled out the EGR Port Plugs.


Port Plugs Drilled and pulled


You can faintly see the carbon in the ports. I guess it isn't tooo bad.


Also took off the intake. Might as well do a thorough job while we're at it right?


Lots of Carb cleaner was used... 2 complete cans... I wish I had a sand blaster...


Nice and clean.


Changed all the gaskets on the fuel injectors as well. Going to run some cleaners to further clean them.


EGR Valve clean up with dremel wire brush and soaked in Carb Cleaner.



EGR Ports cleaned




The fuel ports were terrible as well. Now its all cleaned up


I sprayed tons of carb cleaner inside the intake but it seems it doesn't wash away the oil... :(


On a side note, my check engine says the ELD was malfunctioning... so I picked up some. I discovered that the EG and EF/CRX have the same ELD inside their fusebox. Unfortunately, upon coming home to replace it, I discover the ELD had a broken wire which I fixed. I'll find out after putting on the intake if the broken wire fixes it...


Took off the intake on the engine... so dirty


Put together the cleaned out intake. Looks good :)


Waiting on a couple more gaskets for EGR and intake and I'll slap it back on. O2 sensor coming in the mail as well. I better pass Smog!
 
#405 ·
Got some goodies in the mail.

HF Half Radiator
Integra Front Discs
Integra Front Calipers w/Brakes
Prelude Master Cylinder

Pictures to come tonight.

To-do list:
- Upgrade front brakes (Integra Front Rotor and Caliper bolt on)
- Replace Brake lines
- Upgrade Master Cylinder (Apparently prelude 87 carb MC is also bolt on)
- Get Civic EF Water Neck
- Swap in HF Radiator(has a more accessible fill spout)
- Replace Hood spray nozzles
- Change rear shocks
- Go to PickNPull and pull BMW Battery relocation wiring and setup
- Get Integra Power Locks from 1G Integra(Just learned they bolt on)
- Relocate Battery
- Clean up wiring
- Encase EGR Controller and Vacuum Canister
- Clean up Engine bay
- Improve Clutch Innovative MC Mounting Point
- Consider full hydraulic clutch upgrade
- Consider rear integra disc brakes?(supposedly this doesn't improve stopping power but does look nice)
 
#406 ·
Pictures! It took me 2 weekends to do this.

Lets get started!


First off I got fed up with having to remove my hood latch to get to my Civic EG radiator. So I researched and learned that the HF 1G radiator was also a half radiator so I picked one up.






Ordered anintegra caliper with brake pads off rock auto.

I think its re-manufactured but looks good to me!


Here are the old CRX Brakes




Just took off the rotor.


Its hard to see but the integra rotor is underneath


Side by side comparison of integra vs CRX rotor

The integ rotors are slightly bigger


Rotors Installed! literally a bolt on upgrade for bigger brakes! So shiny!


And the calipers bolt on too! Shiny shiny.




Picture without LED headlamp.


Prelude 87 Carb Master Cylinder. Bolt on as well


Big brakes with HX rims :D


Now for my Battery Relocation. So I learned that the BMWs run their batteries out of their trunks just 2 weeks ago (i'm a honda guy, so thats news to me). So I went to pick n pull and found a 323 some thing and sure enough, all the hardware required for a battery relocation including a huge fuse was right there!

First I identified a grommet on my firewall to run the power the cable.


Here you see the firewall grommet I pulled from the BMW




From the inside, the cable connected.


Ran the cable down the side where the old CRX ECU used to run


Took advantage of the carpet being pulled up to clean up my wiring a bit... Was also bleeding my brake system.


Still cleaning up the wires


Fuse box from 2G is easy to work with but its kind of shaped oddly making it hard to mount. Anyone know of a smaller fusebox with built in ELD?


Here is the outside mounting of the battery cable. The rubber grommet will be attached shortly to prevent the risk of grounding. There is also a fuse by the battery just in case the cable grounds.


Here is the bay after further cleanup


The BMW positive post bolted to the side



Battery is strapped down in a box in the back


Took some integra door actuators as well. They bolt right onto the 1G CRX locks!



I recall that batteries emit some kind of gases when charging. What risk does it pose for for me? If its considerably dangerous, I might need to look into the sealed batteries.
 
#408 ·
Wind,

I see that you are still dedicated to the cause. Keep up the good work. When you are done, you will have a truly unique 1G.

In regards to the battery, you definitely want to invest in a sealed battery. Besides the fumes, what happens if it leaks!? I would suggest a sealed gel battery like a Braille or something like that. Light weight, sealed, and less likely to get everywhere in a crash. I personally do not have one but I have friends that swear by them. I will eventually get one when I get my car back on the road and on the track.
 
#409 ·
shorty_boy said:
Wind,

I see that you are still dedicated to the cause. Keep up the good work. When you are done, you will have a truly unique 1G.

In regards to the battery, you definitely want to invest in a sealed battery. Besides the fumes, what happens if it leaks!? I would suggest a sealed gel battery like a Braille or something like that. Light weight, sealed, and less likely to get everywhere in a crash. I personally do not have one but I have friends that swear by them. I will eventually get one when I get my car back on the road and on the track.
Thanks for the input! Any reason why I would go with a Braille battery vs an Optima battery? Also which Braille batteries did your friends suggest? They seem to also have li-ion batteries.
 
#410 ·
A bit of battery research:

Optima suggests the D51 for the CRX.
Battery Model: D51
Part Number: 8071-167
Nominal Voltage: 12 volts
NSN: 6140 01 523 6288
Description: High power, dual purpose engine start and deep
cycle, sealed lead acid battery

Performance Data:
Open Circuit Voltage (Fully charged): 13.1 volts
Internal Resistance (Fully charged): .0046 ohms
Capacity: 38 Ah (C/20)
Reserve Capacity: BCI: 66 minutes
(25 amp discharge, 80°F (26.7°C), to 10.5 volts cut-off)
Power:
CCA (BCI 0°F): 450 amps
MCA (BCI 32°F): 575 amps
Weight:26.0 lb

$200 on Autozone, $160 on Amazon free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries- ... 73-167+D51
Typical Battery from Autozone:
Duralast Gold/Battery $124
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-start ... ckfit=true

Weight: 27.7 lbs
Warranty: 5 YR
BCI Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 500
BCI Cold Cranking Amps Value: Tested to BCI Standard
BCI Designation: 51
Battery Height: 223 mm - 8 3/4 in
Battery Length: 238 mm - 9 3/8 in
Battery Width: 129 mm - 5 1/16 in
Core Charge Applicable: Yes
Cranking Amps (CA): 625
EN / DIN Designation: Not Applicable
JIS Designation: Not Applicable
Positive Terminal Side: Left
Post Location: Top Post
Reserve Capacity (min): 85
Braille is a bit confusing for me. I wasn't sure which would fit my needs best.
B3121
$229 on Amazon

Performance
Voltage 12
Full Charge Voltage 13.2
Pulse Cranking Amps (PCA) 1380
Amp Hour (AH) 31
Reserve Capacity (RC) 75 mins
Life Cycle @ 10% DOD 3100
Weight: 21lbs
Targeted towards being a daily driver, I assume what I would look for are thus capacity and cranking amps.

EDIT:
Definitions
Reserve Capacity: Reserve capacity is the number of minutes a battery can maintain a useful voltage under a 25 ampere discharge. The higher the minute rating, the greater the battery's ability to run lights, pumps, inverters, and electronics for a longer period before recharging is necessary. The 25 Amp. Reserve Capacity Rating is more realistic than Amp-Hour or CCA as a measurement of capacity for deep cycle service.
 
#411 ·
Wind,

I think they were Braille B2015 for the street setup and B106 for track days.

JDMCrx mentioned that the Braille batteries are made by Deka. You may want to PM him as he picked his up for half the price of the Braille. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47014

The thing about the Braille (and Deka I guess) mentioned above is that they use gel suspension instead of la ead acid solution so they weigh less and they are sealed so they do not fume or leak. Once I get my car to AutoCross standards and I have a new daily, I will be upgrading to a light weight battery.
 
#412 ·
shorty_boy said:
Wind,

I think they were Braille B2015 for the street setup and B106 for track days.

JDMCrx mentioned that the Braille batteries are made by Deka. You may want to PM him as he picked his up for half the price of the Braille. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47014

The thing about the Braille (and Deka I guess) mentioned above is that they use gel suspension instead of la ead acid solution so they weigh less and they are sealed so they do not fume or leak. Once I get my car to AutoCross standards and I have a new daily, I will be upgrading to a light weight battery.
Gotcha:
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2-5-liter-l ... ttery.html

Deka are definitely half price.
 
#413 ·
#415 ·
it started with a picture of a nice white crx with red side stripes...

then next thing i know im searching for some bumpers for the conversion but i found that it was either really hard or too expensive to get the side strips found on the first gens.

so i do what i always do. i make them.

over all very simple an i have enough for 10 more cars and they can be any color theres paint for including chrome. anyone need some?


















i have the front and rear bumper but they're still unpainted and require prep.
 
#416 ·
Work is shutting down for the holidays! I've got one week off so let's get working on the CRX!

Few notes:
- fenders were done differently and passenger fender looks off
- nose piece/header panel doesn't have the dip that lines with the hood and the line isn't welded well
- paint job isn't shiny and spotty/rough texture in some places so going to wet sand and repaint

Plan:
12/24 pick n pull integra passenger fender
12/25 cut and join passenger CRX and Integra fender with stitch and resin and cut/reweld nose piece
12/26 smoothen out with body fill the stitching on fenders and wet sand car; prime fenders if time permits.
12/27 mask, build paint enclosure and give a coat of paint
12/28 wet sand and coat again
12/29 wet sand and coat again
12/30 wet sand and gloss coat
12/31 wet sand and gloss coat

Let's see if goes according to plan :p
 
#420 ·
Hey Wind, sorry, haven't been keeping up on your build, I'll catch up when I get some time, just wondering if your interested in a VX/CX tranny and I also have a 1988 CRX HF tranny with 1.95 I believe FD? Just send me a shipping label.......getting rid of stuff. I also have an HF axle too.......
 
#421 ·
PuddleSkipper said:
Hey Wind, sorry, haven't been keeping up on your build, I'll catch up when I get some time, just wondering if your interested in a VX/CX tranny and I also have a 1988 CRX HF tranny with 1.95 I believe FD? Just send me a shipping label.......getting rid of stuff. I also have an HF axle too.......
Thanks for the offer but I'm good. I've been getting rid of parts too haha.
 
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