We all use WD-40. I tend to use it a lot, and I tend to get annoyed when I run out. This weekend, I had to take a special trip down to Lowe’s to get some, and found that they had gallon jugs available. That seemed like a solid idea, so I picked one up and started looking around for refillable spray cans of some sort. It finally dawned on me that I could use a pistol oiler (like the one used on the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz), and after I finally got it home, was extremely impressed with how effective the little oiler was.

I decided to run through the math on whether I was spending more to have the convenience of a massive jug of WD-40 around, or if I was actually saving … and was astounded at how the math came out.

As I’m sure you already know, buying anything in convenient small quantities is expensive. A 3oz spray can will cost you $1.21 per ounce of oil (at $3.64 each).

Buying a gallon at a time (at $19.99 per gallon) comes out to $0.16 per ounce. That’s almost 90% off.
WD-40 Gallon

You’ll definitely want a pistol oiler to go with it, but even accounting for that, you’ll spend $0.23 per ounce of WD-40.

Pistol Oiler

The downside to this plan? You’ll need to find some use for a full gallon of WD-40 before it expires … which is never, according to their website:

What is the shelf life of WD-40 Multi-Use Product?

Indefinite. While some products may have an expiration date, WD-40Mullti-Use Product lasts so long that a “use by” date isn’t necessary. When bulk product (e.g., gallon) sits for an extended period of time, the product may separate into two phases. This will readily remix upon agitation.

Everyone loves a vintage Z car.

As the owner of a 1975 280z, I can say that half the fun of these cars is that they’re a blank canvas of speed. They’re well balanced cars as long as they’re kept in good working order and they have loads of performance potential. That’s a double-edged sword, though. They’re very easy to make absurdly quick, but they need to be able to stop quickly as well.

Luckily, we’ve got a special treat for s30 owners. Toyota trucks happened to have incredible brakes, and shared the same caliper bolt pattern as Nissan cars. If you own a S30 (240Z-280Z car) then there’s a good chance you’re on a budget, and it doesn’t get more “budget” than these options. Toyota’s brakes were significant improvements over the s30′s right from the start, but kept improving as the trucks matured. This means there are several options available. We’ll organize them by the casting codes embossed on the side of each caliper, to make it easy to identify which we’re talking about

S12+8  Calipers (’79-’85 4×4 + ’86-’88 4×4)

This caliper comes in two varieties, a solid disc and a vented disc version. Both are based on the same basic casting, but there are key differences to note between the earlier (solid-style) and later (vented-style) calipers.

Toyota 4x4 s12 caliper compared to stock Datsun s30 caliper

Solid-disc calipers were made on the earlier Toyota 4×4′s, from 1979 to 1985. Without machining, they will only fit solid, non-vented discs, since the slot is not wide enough to accommodate wider vented discs. Although these are the least performance-oriented calipers of the Toyota lineup, they’re a noteworthy upgrade from the stock s30 calipers.

The later vented-style caliper (1986-1988) is machined with a thicker gap for the wide vented rotors. The vented-style caliper will fit on solid discs without issue, but the solid-style caliper needs to be machined to fit around vented discs.

S12W Calipers (’89-’91 4 Runner) + (’89-’95 4×4)

This is the big daddy of the Toyota caliper swaps. This caliper has larger pads than either the S12 or S12+8 as well as larger diameter pistons. These only came in a vented-disc width.

Decisions, Decisions

The biggest decision that will greatly affect your brake swap is whether to use solid or vented rotors? Vented rotors not only have more mass to hold more heat, but they’ll dissipate heat more quickly as well. Performance is increased across the board. Although opting for a vented setup adds extra complexity, the additional performance will prove worthwhile to most owners who need better-than-stock stopping power.

The second important aspect of this swap is what master cylinder you want to use. A larger brake master cylinder (MC) is recommended for all caliper upgrades, otherwise you may plant the brake pedal on the floor without getting 100% of your braking potential. You can use either the 15/16ths MC from the 79-81 Nissan 280ZX or the Willwood 1″ MC (part #260-8794). The only reason not to go with the Willwood is that you’ll need to convert the threaded outputs the metric ones to match your Z car, then elongate the mount spacing so it mounts to your booster. You can find the right outputs here, or use the outputs from your Z car MC.

Here’s a shot of the Wilwood master cylinder:

In comparison, here’s what the Nissan 15/16″ master cylinder looks like:

You may also be able to get away with using a Toyota master cylinder as well, with a shared dual-reservoir (which makes maintenance easier). It will cost roughly $80 plus shipping, making this the best price point for your upgrade:

The third (and least important) consideration is the brake dust shield. You may either trim it so it doesn’t interfere with the larger caliper, or remove it entirely. Many race classes actually require removal of the dust shield for full safety compliance, but if you do remove it keep in mind that many recommend more frequent inspection to make sure you haven’t gotten any debris in your caliper/pad area. Here’s what your dust shield should look like, if you decide to trim it down:

Quick Recap

Better than Stock/Light track duty – S12+8 Solid-style Calipers: Stock Disc, trim/remove shiled. Larger MC

Heavy track duty – S12+8 Vented-style Calipers: 4 lug 300ZX Rotor (84-86 non-turbo), spacer between hub and rotor, trim/remove shield. Larger MC

Just below FastBrakes/Wilwood – S12W (big daddy) Calipers: 4 lug 300ZX Rotor (84-86 non-turbo), spacer between hub and rotor, trim/remove shield. Larger MC

 My ‘new’ car was dead.

As I sat in the parking lot of the derelict wood stove supply store, I came to terms with the fact that an electrical fire wasn’t something I could solve while I was out there. I called AAA to get my money’s worth out of them, and had them tow the sad-looking s12 back to my house.

The facts:

1. No spark
2. No fuel
1. No fuel injectors
2. No fuel pump power
3. Starter motor cranked
4. ECU wasn’t blinking

I’m colorblind.

I cut looming and traced wires individually from end-to-end before I finally found the problem. The EFI Control relay had shorted internally and burned out the wire that controls power to the ECU. The Factory Service Manual had mislabeled the ends of that wire, which constantly threw me off the trail of the problem. After several days, I labeled where each wire should have connected to the melted relay, and could take another small step forward.

After all this diagnosis, I decided that I could live without a relay for a 10amp circuit, and wired in my switch panel directly. The startup process for the s12 is slightly more involved now (I need to flip switches before I can start it), but the bottom line is that the car can move on its own power again. While I was prototyping the solution, things looked pretty scary, with exposed wiring dangling throughout the cabin. I assure you, nothing that’s going on in this picture is actually safe.

This diagnosis, testing, and prototyping process took nearly two months to finish.

It took another week of putting up and down the driveway to find the original source of the short. One of the ‘fixes’ from a previous owner was to cut the wires to the o2 sensor. The signal wire had shorted out on the ground, and ended up drawing too much current through the relay, which started the failure. Eventually the relay became damaged enough that it shorted itself out, and when it finally went up in flames it took the surrounding wires with it. I sealed off those stray wires and haven’t looked back at them.

Even when compared to rebuilding transmissions, engines, differentials, steering racks, and suspension systems, this was by far the biggest challenge I’ve faced while maintaining my own vehicle. Similarly, few experiences can compare to the happiness I felt when that engine fired up again for the first time. The next challenge is going to be legalizing the s12 and putting it back on the road.

All good things must come to an end.

I had hoped for more than a week before the good times with my s12 came to an end, though. After a few short days of driving the s12 around every day, I rolled up to a stop light and noticed some smoke puffing out from the cracks around the hood. Just as I decided it was time to pull into the next parking lot, the engine died and I was stuck.

It was HOT out, and I just wasn’t feeling up to pushing the car up a hill at the time. I popped it in gear, released the clutch, and cranked the starter motor over to limp it out of the way.  Disappointed and feeling pretty frustrated, I took a look under the hood to see where the problem had begun.

I quickly realized that some wire had shorted out and caught itself and possibly another wire on fire.

Thinking the relay that was all melted together was the source of the problem, I ran across the street and purchased a replacement relay. That didn’t solve anything, and the ECU wasn’t receiving power, so I broke down and did the unthinkable. I called AAA.

Once I made it back to Boston and had a chance to really look at the s12′s condition, I decided it was time to start cleaning things up. A pile of excess parts had been plopped in the trunk that needed to be sorted out and either installed or tossed out.

The wiring harness was a huge concern. Components had been mounted willy-nilly (or not mounted at all, just floating around the engine bay). I was also concerned to find that everywhere I looked, I found new wires that had been (badly) spliced into the wiring harnesses. One at a time, I traced and removed these excess wires and cleaned up mounting locations, and every day the car became a little more lean.

I also took some time to add in new parts, like the dashboard from my previous s12. The car began to take shape, and things were looking up.

Stay tuned tomorrow for further updates.

I flew down to Virginia, visited a friend, and picked up the car. It was missing quite a few things that would make it drive-able, but they were all sorted out within an hour. It still didn’t have a dashboard, only sported a boost gauge, and the shift knob wasn’t actually attached to anything, but I was driving from Virginia Beach to Boston, and that was that. This is what the cockpit looked like for the 10-hour trip home:

After starting the trip though, more problems reared their ugly heads. The running lights and directionals didn’t work, and one of the headlights was inconsistent and fluttering off and on. On top of that, the battery was slowly draining itself and actually needed to be replaced along the way.

Aside from those minor hitches, my copilot and I made it back to Boston in just under 10 hours. It was a dedicated overnight drive, and some parts were more fun (and/or exciting) than others, but we both felt exhausted and satisfied at the end of it.

‘Men have become tools of their tools.’

~Henry David Thoreau

In my quest to own the perfect daily driver, I’ve been through a lot of vehicles. The perfect daily driver is built to be reliable, safe, efficient, and potent, all at the same time. For some, ‘aesthetically pleasing’ or ‘comfortable’ could be added to that list, but I see paint as rust prevention and gauge seats based on the effectiveness of their side lumbar bolsters. The core values always remain the same, and my quest has prompted me to purchase a simple, lightweight, efficient, rear-wheel-drive Nissan 200sx turbo. It’s one of the ugliest cars I’ve ever seen, but it fills out all my technical requirements in spades.

I had owned another s12 previously, but technical issues kept that car from ever seeing the road. I needed a daily driver that I could just drive and not dive into head-first as a project. I just needed ‘a car’ that I wouldn’t hate owning, and that wasn’t rotted with rust (New England winters tend to be pretty hard on cars). This particular car is powered by the ca18et engine, rather than the ca20e that was in my last s12. The turbocharged engine produces roughly 25% more power, which should be a noticeable change, and it also ran from the start.

Out of State purchases

I sourced the car on a forum in Virginia, and started preparation to go pick it up and drive it back. Buying an $800 car and driving it 500 miles home as an inaugural trip is always an interesting proposition, so I made sure to ask a bunch of questions:

1. Does it run?
2. Do the lights work?
3. Are the tires ok?
4. Do the brakes work?
5. Does it steer?
6. Does it spontaneously combust?

 As far as I can see there are two main types of gumption traps. The first type is those in which you’re thrown off the Quality track by conditions that arise from external circumstances, and I call these “setbacks.” The second type is traps in which you’re thrown off the Quality track by conditions that are primarily within yourself. These I don’t have any generic name for…”hang-ups” I suppose.

-Robert M. Pirsig

I was dealing with a big setback on the starter motor for the s12, having tried three separate starter designs and have still been unable to find one which fits correctly. It was killing my productivity, and it turned my mindset into an unproductive mass of pessimism. Everywhere I looked, I saw problems, not solutions.

When you’re caught up on a setback, it’s a good idea to find something else to hold your attention for awhile. Pick a ‘low-hanging fruit’ problem that will be easy to solve but has been nagging you. Whether it’s replacing that dashboard light that died a few months ago, or going through the vacuum lines to see if any are cracked or broken up, just find something that you can take care of to put your mind back into the right place.

Keep your low-hanging fruit easy to solve, and don’t stray from it (no matter what other problems you discover). The idea is to solve a problem to kick off the flow of accomplishment so you’ll continue to get things done. Your goal is to refill your reserves of Gumption, and prevent a setback from becoming a hang-up.

Start with a daily driven car.

I can’t stress this enough. If you start modifying a worn-down, tired old car that’s not completely reliable, you’ll definitely regret it. As long as all the major systems are in good working order, you don’t have much to worry about. If your engine, suspension, or electronics have been flaky, sort them out first. If you can’t drive it every day now, your modifications will only exacerbate your existing issues.

Establish a plan and a budget.

With a car project, no matter how large or small, you need to have a clear idea of where you’re going before you fire it up. I’ve put together budgeting tips previously, but the basic idea is to break down your plan into stages, and keep each stage drivable.

Power isn’t everything.

Especially with a daily driver, increasing peak power output is hardly ever the best way to spend your money. Instead, focus on upgrades which make your car more responsive like tires, improved shocks, and more responsive street brake pads.

Power is something, though.

A lot of tuners try to produce more power, when they should be focused on producing better power. For a daily driver, improving torque output and widening the power band should be your top priorities. Trying to make massive amounts of power often leads to peaky power that is difficult to apply on the street, adds considerable strain to the drivetrain, and requires more rigorous maintenance.

Simply retuning the ECU can improve your power curve considerably, without spending any money on new hardware. A more accurate fuel map and ignition map have the potential to make your car much more exciting to drive.

Bolt-on upgrades (such as an air intake, exhaust headers, and a cat-back exhaust) will make the engine sound more aggressive, but do not make a big power difference on most engines by themselves. After re-tuning the ECU, the difference they make will be much more noticeable, both on the dyno and on the road.

Weight where it matters

Most people think I’m silly for preferring a gutted interior to a lush, fully-carpeted floor in my cars. I admit that tearing out all the creature comforts is an extreme way to lighten a car, and that there are more important components to upgrade first. Lighter brake rotors, wheels, and tires will decrease overall rotational mass and improve acceleration, braking, and handling considerably without adversely affecting your car’s comfort level.

Removing excess rotating mass from the engine will put less strain on the engine, and free up more power to be directed to the wheels. This only really applies to older cars, since components have become much more efficient in modern cars. Old engines used crank-driven cooling fans and belt-driven air pumps, mechanical fuel pumps, air conditioning pumps, and power steering pumps. Utilizing electronic cooling fans and underdriving or removing belt-driven accessories frees up power that will go directly to your wheels.

Further Reading

A few weeks ago, I came across an excellent article with some awesome advice, if you’re still looking for more quality information:

A beginner’s guide to car modification

I purchased a 1986 Nissan 200sx (s12 chassis) a little while back to convert into an effective daily driver.  I haven’t even driven it yet, but it’s safely inside my garage, and this is the documentation on how I build a daily driver.  My definition of a daily driver is more like most peoples’ track car builds, with the exception that I plan to use street brake pads, tires with tread life, and fuel efficiency is a higher priority than power.

Buying the 200sx

I was in the market for a simple RWD car that was small and light enough to be turned into a great daily driver.  I was already a fan of Nissan because of the Datsuns I owned previously.  It’s a straightforward car, but it really is one of the ugliest designs the 80′s produced.  I decided on this platform because of its technical merits and the ease of fixing its critical downfalls.

It isn’t a Toyota

The 200sx looks almost identical to the iconic AE86 Toyota Trueno hatchback, and both were underpowered from the factory, but that’s where the similarities end.  First, most s12′s were outfitted with independent rear suspension, but all AE86′s had a live (solid) rear axle.  The s12 had an array of engine platforms available (n/a 4cylinders, turbocharged 4cylinders, and even a v6 option), while the AE86 was limited to the 4a-ge family (that really isn’t a complaint, though).

Common Modifications

Engine swaps seem to be the biggest concern for most s12 owners, and a lot of cars end up with ka24de’s or sr20det’s under the hood.  It’s not uncommon to see more radical engine swaps, but it’s important to note that the biggest downside of the s12 is the suspension platform.  There’s very little aftermarket available, so many people convert to s13 suspension.

A few modifications had been made to it by previous owners, so my first order of business is to fix the existing problems.

• Build a lexan replacement for the broken rear quarter window
• Re-align the door windows
• Fix the messy headlight sleepy-eye modification
• Rewire the ignition tumbler
• Install a starter motor

Beginning the Project

Of all my projects I’ve ever owned, this is the most straightforward.  It will make a perfect daily driver once I’m finished with the initial pass of fixing problems, and I’ll be able to focus on a real project car after this.  I have not decided if it will see any track time or not yet, but I can guarantee it’ll be built with the same barebones mindset as a track car (but with heat).

I forgot to mention this back when I owned an s30 (240z, 260z, or 280z), but Datsun wheel lugs are threaded exactly the same as tie rods.  That means that in a pinch, you can use a lug nut to hold a tie rod on.

I wouldn’t recommend keeping them installed for long periods, as the factory castle nut has a cotter pin securing it.  I never ran into a problem with them, but I checked and re-torqued mine regularly.

Small tricks like this could save you a lot of time and effort if you ever break a component on the side of the road and need a way to limp home.

I’ve always been a fan of manual controls on my vehicles, mostly because they make maintenance so much simpler and more straightforward.  Here’s a short list of unnecessary features that end up on most cars.

Power Steering

Power steering is one of those features that distances the driver from the experience of driving..  Otherwise, a power steering pump and lines, and the possibility of the car becoming much more difficult to drive in the event of a power steering failure mean that I prefer not to have power steering racks in my vehicles.

The exception is large vehicles, like big trucks.  They’re difficult to turn while moving slowly, and almost impossible to turn while still.  Couple that with a long wheelbase and a broad turning radius, and power steering becomes a necessity.

Traction Control

I’ve had traction control on a few of my vehicles, and I don’t like that they have potential to limit my input to the car.  I would prefer a limited slip differential over traction control in every case.

For winter driving, traction control is a great idea to keep around, but as long as you’re paying attention while driving (you should be), you don’t need it.  Learning to control your right foot will give you more control than most traction control systems.

ABS

Anti-lock brakes are one control that I’m happy to have a computer control, but I think most ABS systems are over-active.  Under extreme braking conditions or limited traction conditions, ABS evens the playing field.  Everyone can brake reasonably well as long as the wheels are pointed forward and the brakes are held.

Especially in New England, ABS is an absolute must-have feature, despite adding complexity to the vehicle and distancing the driver (slightly).  I just want ABS systems to wait slightly longer before taking over braking controls.

Cruise Control

I hate cruise control.  Any time it’s active I feel uneasy and out of control.  The real problem is that cruise control failures are frequently catastrophic.  For example, on my BMW the cruise control system opens the throttle plate and is resisted by a spring.  At any time, it could malfunction and slam shut.  If that happens while getting on the highway or while passing another car, or even in the middle of a corner, it could very likely lead to an accident.

Windshield Wipers

After owning my e36 for a few months, I realised that BMW went completely out of their minds with taking control of the car.  On the intermittent setting, the wiper speed is controlled by a computer.  The computer checks the car speed and computes a wiper speed.  There is no way to manually control how intermittent they are.

Power Windows, locks, and mirrors

I don’t like electrical troubleshooting, and like using my hands.  Therefore, manual glass and locks makes a lot of sense for me.  It simplifies maintenance considerably, and slightly decreases the overall weight of the vehicle (which improves everything).

Automatic Transmissions

My major complaint about automatic transmissions is that releasing the gas pedal does not cause the car to decelerate.  The brakes are more strained because they’re constantly fighting the engine power, and this is reflected in the poor efficiency of automatic cars versus manual-transmission cars.

*I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted.  The site has had a few backend technical issues that really need to be solved, so I’ll continue posting sparsely until I’ve finished working those out.  Thanks for bearing with me.

I’ve always been a big fan of having both summer and winter wheels for a car.  One narrow set with winter tires for driving in cold weather, and another wide set for spirited driving in the summer.  My tires were badly worn down and were only 15×7, meaning the widest tires I could realistically put on it were 205/50-15… not a very effective contact patch for the winding roads of Western Massachusetts.

Because the tires were worn on the outside more than the inside (shown above), I thought I had a positive camber condition (meaning the tops of the wheels are farther apart than the bottoms of the wheels) but it turns out that the rear trailing arms (which control which direction the rear wheels point) had completely shot bushings, and were causing the car to handle oddly as well as wearing the tires down extremely quickly.

I replaced them with wider, meatier wheels off a BMW z3, increasing dimensions to 17×7.5 in the front and 17×8.5 in the rear for the price of $300.  The 15×7 wheels will be great for the winter, as they’re just the right size to get the cold-weather tread down to the ground without “skiing” on top of snow and ice.

Overall, the car feels much more stable and planted now, and although larger wheels weigh more and slow the car down in every way possible, I think it was a great way to spend $300.  Now I just need to get some fresh tires on these wheels, replace the trailing arm bushings, and lower the front end a little, and this car will be ready for anything.

I’ve always been a big fan of simple cars that are easy for owners to maintain.  Older cars with carburettors and distributors are wonderful first cars to work on, since they don’t have any complicated electronics to work on.  A test light and timing light is all that’s needed to test the electronics for owners, and the mechanical tools you’d need really aren’t required.

I have to agree with Kenwood Tire (a local tire/repair shop) when they say that shadetree mechanics are a dying breed though.  Pretty much any vehicle made after the obd2 standard was created requires special scanners (many obd1 cars also require specialized tools).  It’s more important than ever to go with an old car to keep the tradition of working on cars by hand alive.  They’re less expensive to buy, less expensive to own/maintain, and offer a special kind of class that newer, more complicated cars can’t offer.

I love wide, sticky tires.

Now that they’re finally becoming economically priced, I don’t see a reason not to add a wider contact patch to your car.  While most people are into skinny tires on wide wheels, I’m into filling the wheelwells with traction.  Wider tires decrease wheelspin during acceleration, prevent wheel lockup when braking, and increase cornering traction.  It’s a simple concept at heart, but so many car builds seem to miss out on my core principles.

In my book, traction is at the top of my priority list, and since tires are the only part of my car that are designed to touch the ground, I’ll take as much as I can get.

They’re finally starting to come into popularity, with 315/35-17 sizes becoming commonplace so I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m going to have to order some wheels to mount them up on my next fun daily.

Back by popular demand, a wiring diagram for the obd0 b18a1 in an MPFI 88-91 CRX (that’s HF and Si, not the DX).  This should also apply to EF/ED Civics, but I’m running on memory here and don’t have a car to verify this on.

If there are any questions or corrections (as I’m sure there will be), feel free to leave them in the comments.

My BMW just rolled over 200,000 miles, and I realized that the 200k mile mark is a defining point in a car’s life.  A vehicle that’s survived for 200,000 miles has been through a lot, and came out on top.

So at this point, I’m dealing with problems as they arise and doing normal maintenance.  I need to finish budgeting exactly what I want this car to be when all is said and done.  I think the final build plan will end up in the USD $5k-$10k range.  For not, I’ve just been performing routine maintenance and keeping costs low.

Have you crossed the 200,000 mark?  How many miles have you racked up on your daily driver?

After moving back to New England, it was apparent that I’d need my own car.  A bicycle was actually a pretty good way of getting around in the San Francisco Bay Area, but that obviously won’t work here.  California is condensed, with tightly-packed cities spaced extremely far apart.  As long as I stayed in one area, a bicycle was just perfect, it even solved the massive parking issues California is plagued with.  In New England, towns and cities aren’t condensed, and overlap with each other.  There are no super-malls, and doing errands requires a fair amount of driving.  Since driving everywhere is so beautiful here, I’m not about to complain about it, but I had to decide on what to get next.

Craigslist is always my go-to for purchasing parts.  Aside from the occasional flake, it’s a simple procedure of finding what you want, showing up with cash, some light negotiation, and strike a deal.  It doesn’t have to be a production if done correctly.  First, figure out exactly what you want.

Price: $800-$2500 (I don’t want a complete rust-bucket, but I’m on a limited budget)

Things I want: “manual”  Other than that, I’ll have to go on a case-by-case basis.

Things I don’t want: “-automatic -minivan -wagon”

Specific cars/manufacturers I outright refuse to own: “-vw -volkswagen -audi -saab -saturn -neon -hyundai”

I ended up with the following page:  Craigslist Search

Unfortunately, only a few cars caught my eye on the first day I searched.  I found an s13 Nissan 240sx (I know/like Nissan’s rear wheel drive engineering products), a Suzuki Samurai (tiny 4wd fun-mobile), and a Mazda Miata that was at the very top of my price range and needed a lot of work to be trustworthy.  I didn’t get any replied to my emails, and the posts didn’t include phone numbers, so I called them a wash.  I wasn’t too concerned.

The best way to shop Craigslist is through RSS feeds.  Essentially, you can choose to be notified whenever someone posts an item that matches your search terms.  That means you’ll probably be the first to reply, and you’ll have a much better chance of a positive response.  Every time you search on Craigslist, there’s an RSS button on the bottom-right that lets you subscribe however you want (Firefox LiveBookmarks is the simplest way to do this, but I prefer to use Google Reader).  I subscribed to that search, along with a few other similar ones (searching for turbo, awd, etc).  The RSS feed for the search above is:  Craigslist RSS

It looks like gibberish if you try to read it by itself, but if you paste that feed into http://reader.google.com you’ll get automatic updates that you can sift through with your morning coffee.

Fast-forward a few days…

As I was sipping my morning coffee, looking through my personal RSS feed for news that I might want to share, I was surprised to see a ’94 BMW 325is coupe for sale for $2500.  It had 190k miles, but otherwise looked pretty solid and was right down the street from me.  After a phone conversation, I headed over to test-drive it and found a few problems (ammunition for negotiation).  When I left, we had agreed on $1600 as a fair price that I was willing to go with.  I picked it up that night, and started the tear-down.

In the end, I bought it and brought all its little problems into my garage.  More updates to come soon.

I’ve always been a big fan of the CRX HF as a platform to build upon.  It’s lightweight and lacks the extra luxury components from the Si, yet is outfitted with MPFI (multi-point fuel injection) instead of the CRX DX/STD’s DPFI (dual-point fuel injection).  With a little creative swapping, the CRX HF shell can be made into a lighter, more purposeful driving machine than an Si or a DX with less work.

HF Rear Brakes

The stock CRX HF brakes are small, light, easy-to-maintain brakes that suit the stock 1900-lb HF perfectly.  The stock drums do suffer from brake fade as soon as the car is driven moderately roughly, so an upgrade isn’t a bad idea.  The problem is that the trailing arms (which are the parts that your brakes bolt to) are completely different designs.

Si Rear Brakes

The CRX Si rear brakes use a stronger, heavier trailing arm to mount onto.  The whole assembly needs to be swapped for it to work on the CRX HF.

At the end of the day, this setup just makes maintenance simpler and decreases brake fade.

Installation

These images offer a look at the differences in the rear braking system setup between the CRX HF and Si.  The first notable difference is the trailing arms, the part that supports all of the bearing housing and the area that the brakes bolt to are in fact different.  The holes around the si “axle” hold the brake “plate” on, then the caliper covers that and the brake system is complete.  Also, in doing this swap, be aware that the brake lines will be vastly different.  I think the parking brake is shorter on the HF also.

Just for reference know that the lower control arms are also different.  The parts are interchangeable (you can fit SI lca’s on the HF) but the HF lca’s don’t have the hole for the rear sway arm.  If you are switching everything from an SI to HF the sway bar also wont bolt up to the body.  There are holes for it, but they are only empty holes and are not threaded..

I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked, so if you do this swap and don’t mind sharing your pictures let me know and I’ll post up more details.

It’s no secret that the first-gen suspension is mushy and leaves much to be desired. The aftermarket suspension for the 84-87 CRX leaves much to be desired as well, so you may think your options end there.

You’d be dead wrong! You simply need to get a little creative with a hybrid setup. First-gen Integra parts are still commonplace as well as third-gen Civic parts.  The second-gen CRX stole the first-gen’s fire, so to speak.

A full rear end can be used from the Integra, which gives the added bonus of rear disks (unless you race heavily, the only difference you’ll notice is the ease of maintenance). The front end of the first-generation CRX is respectable, but the rear really needs lots of suspension love. Focus on stiffening the rear with a strut bar and upgraded sway bar, and if your budget allows, move on to springs and struts.

If possible, search for a full set of matched coilovers or a kit that includes struts. Remember to drive safely, and keep speed on the track.