The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Newcomers → new guy with a 92' civic
Hi everyone,
I just bought a 92' civic (I'm the second owner!) with 170k miles on the clock and a 5speed. I'm no stranger to forums coming from the subaru and factory five world. But I'm a rookie when it comes to Honda's.
Are there any other Honda guys here that might be able to take me under there wing? Our team plans on sticking with the d15 that came in the car and shoot for reliability and good handling.
-Roger
Might be a good idea to let people know where you are. Local help is easier than across the country help.
You are absolutely right.
Updated location.
Roger,
We've been running a Civic in Lemons for more than 4 years now, and I've been playing with them for many years before that. I'm happy to share whatever I know about them with you to help keep it alive. Please feel free to email me (abbottcd at gmail) and we can setup a time to talk or whatever. This week will not be good, as we are about to leave to run One Lap of America this week, but once we are back we have a few days before we go to the NJ race.
If you can possibly make it, take a drive down to NJ for the race that weekend. You will learn so much more in a day at a race than you could through months of reading the forums.
Chris Abbott
3 Pedal Mafia
Thanks Chris!
I will be sending you an email later.
Roger,
If you can possibly make it, take a drive down to NJ for the race that weekend. You will learn so much more in a day at a race than you could through months of reading the forums.
If you can,go there on Friday and watch the cars in Tech and BS inspections....
Generally,teams are more relaxed on Friday (before things get all blow-uppity....)
Invest in spare halfshafts and wheel bearings, make sure you have a good radiator with a strong fan and good ducting, and don't rev it out to redline. Get max camber up front (-3.0) and don't lower it too much or make it too stiff with the springs. Civics are a great Class B platform but can be outclassed in A unless they have cheaty motor swaps and suspension bits. Welcome to the insanity and have fun!
I have a '94 Civic with a D16, and my name is also Roger.
Stuff that I learned about racing a single-cam Civic, in order of importance:
1. Oil temp, know it, keep it under 250. This is #1 by a long ways. Use good oil, change it every race.
2. Do not let it overheat, ever. Know your water temp, have a warning strobe for it. It will blow a head gasket quickly if it overheats.
3. Keep revs low or the sleeves will walk. We dropped our rev limit by 1000 RPM. An $80 block guard will also stop the sleeves from walking and eating your head gasket.
4. Do not let it run lean. Know your AFR. We keep ours at 12 at WOT, which is rich, but I think not too rich. Never run it out of gas while racing. Blox Racing makes a kit to modify your stock FPR for under $40. Several companies sell wideband kits, we use the one from Glowshift.
The stuff that skivittlerjimb said is also really good stuff.
We use a full-width Integra radiator, which required a big hammer, a cutting wheel, and some long zip-ties to install.
Check your bushings and wheel bearings/axles often.
Start shopping CL for your backup engine/transmission, have them ready.
Check your subframe and steering rack bolts at least annually.
Find good teammates who will pay their share on time, turn wrenches when necessary, and not beat up your car.
Have fun
Good luck
I really appreciate the feedback from everyone. We are currently shopping for cages. I remember seeing somewhere to expect to pay between 1500 to 3000… but i might just be imagining that. I have no idea what the fair price of a cage is. Which feels weird to say since you want this thing to be able to save your life.
I really like the continuity of info I am getting. I feel that so much of this info is stuff that I wouldn't learn unless I had a race in this car under my belt, so thank you all.
If Chris Howard in Holliston MA still builds cages, he's one of the best. Don't skimp. Go with someone experienced and good reputation for quality work.
Thank you skivittlerjimb! I will be calling him today. I hope he is still in the cage business.
I love it! Awesome article. You, clearly, are a man of great taste.
You wouldn't happen to be in the market for some stylish vinyl interior, would you?
Thank you skivittlerjimb! I will be calling him today. I hope he is still in the cage business.
Yes, he is still in the cage business, and does a great job...He knows the Lemons cage regulations
Let me know if you need his contact info.
He did a cage for us a few years back, and I recall it was approx. $2000. It probably depends on what kind of car you have...but he seems very fair. He also did some welding upgrades and welded it a seat with sliders for me.
Mike Z
Thanks MZAVARIN.
I have a few rally buddies that used him as well. I sent him an email and he got back to me right away. I will likely go with him since he is the local expert.
Car goes off to cage this weekend!
I have taken all of everyones advice and we are putting it to good use.
I registered for the halloween hooptiefest as well. I do have a question about the registering part. There is a section that asks for a picture of the car. Do i need to add one? The theme of our car has not yet been applied. Would not putting a picture of the car on the register form hurt us?
Just use a picture of another, cooler-looking car. Lying and falsifying documentation is de rigueur in this series.
Car goes off to cage this weekend!
I have taken all of everyones advice and we are putting it to good use.
I registered for the halloween hooptiefest as well. I do have a question about the registering part. There is a section that asks for a picture of the car. Do i need to add one? The theme of our car has not yet been applied. Would not putting a picture of the car on the register form hurt us?
It won't hurt you but go nuts with photoshop for you intended theme!
Wow, I had Chris Howard do a roll bar in my Miata when I lived in MA in about 2002, he did great work then too.
Everything Roger McDaniels said is very true, though we haven't needed a new motor in nearly 18k race miles, and are retiring it now due to low compression, but it still runs OK. I'll add a few:
Port the oil pump, it helps avoid cavitation at high RPMs: http://www.theoldone.com/articles/d_ser … ding_tips/
Run good quality oil, we have had great luck with Rotella T6 5w40
Don't rush your shifts if you want your syncros to live...take an extra half second and keep the trans happy.
Have a spare complete distributor and a spare main relay and you'll fix 75% of running problems
Microsoft paint... Here I come!
Thanks for the tips Sonic. I'll add those parts to the junk yard/eBay/craigslist shopping list.
How often do people not get accepted to an event? Have any of you not be accepted?
I've heard that it depends on the region. Here in the South region we don't fill up events, so people don't get rejected. I've heard that out on the west coast they do fill up some events and have to turn some people away, but I've never tried to race out there.
Microsoft paint... Here I come!
Or just tell them it's a Cotroen Ami and send them this picture. They'll almost definitely let you in:
By the time you show up with a Civic, they probably won't remember who you are.
Thanks Roger. In that case I hope the northeast is like the south and we wont have to worry about not getting in.
Our long term goal is to race a home track (New Hampshire or Stafford, Ct) and one away.
roger.bladek wrote:Microsoft paint... Here I come!
Or just tell them it's a Cotroen Ami and send them this picture. They'll almost definitely let you in:
By the time you show up with a Civic, they probably won't remember who you are.
They will know the wrong car showed up. Ask the team at NJMP who registered a '93 Ford Ranger and showed up with a 2nd gen Integra. They got laps just because it wasn't a Ford Ranger.
I'm under the impression that head honchos that run the event prefer honesty. Even if that means you spent more that the $500 limit.
I watched the Pratt and Miller penalty video too. In reference to selling parts off the car, I had the feeling that bringing all receipt would help me, I just wasn't sure if they would care to look at them or believe that they are real. Sounds like I will need to start taking pictures of all my in person transactions.
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Newcomers → new guy with a 92' civic
