- Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:08 am
#324054
Hi everyone, my name's Brian. I've been lurking on this site for a few years but never signed up since I didn't have an EG. Well around August of last year I acquired a 92' CX shell that needed a decent amount of work. It sat at the shop for a while since I didn't know exactly what I was going to do to it. I was still occupied with my K-swapped 00' Civic DD that I owned for 4 years so I wasn't in a hurry to do any work to it.
After my countless attempts of my cousin trying to push me put my swap into the hatch and start working on it I finally pulled the trigger.
In its condition at the time, the hatch needed a decent amount of body work. The previous owner had the car painted Lamborghini Orange and attempted to pull the rear fenders (and failed miserably). The rear quarter panels were rusted and stuffed with what seemed like 50lbs of bondo, the hood was completely rusted and the front bumper was primered black.
I ordered all new rear quarter panels and when they came in sent the car out to my friend's uncle for the bodywork. Initially I wasn't a fan of the Lambo Orange, but everyone kept commenting on how much they liked it. I was still dead set on painting it gunmetal since I got a pretty decent price from my friend's uncle to respray it but while he had it he upped the price by another $600 (thought he could get more money out of me). I just said f*** it and decided to keep it orange. I'd change the color later down the road.
I didn't get to see the car in person while the bodywork was getting done but my cousin stayed on top of the body guy, and from what he told me the car looked great and he was happy I decided to keep it the current color. I still wasn't too fond of the idea of driving a bright orange car around but I trusted him and his judgement since he's built A LOT of great cars (2 of them featured in magazines). Then he sent me some progress pics:
I was sold. The body guy cut out the old rusted out quarter panels and welded the new ones in place perfectly. He saved the rusted out hood after I was told by two other bodyshop guys that it couldn't be saved. It came out looking like it was brand new!
He finished the car up and we brought the car back to the shop. All the bodywork was done in about 2 weeks with him taking his time.
IMG_3146 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3143 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3140 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Now it was time for the hard part, removing the parts from my 00' coupe to transfer them into the hatch. Like I said I've had the coupe for a little over 4 years and built it from being completely stock to what it was. It went from a D series to B series to K series and I learned a ton doing all of the work on it myself. So to take it apart and have it off the road was going to be hard for me, but I pushed on.
Here are a few pics of it:
IMG_3194e by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3189_1280 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3200flm by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Engine out and ready to be put into the hatch
Almost there...
Finished
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
I also swapped over the wheels, suspension, interior etc...
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Since 96-00 Civic LCA's and subframe won't fit an EG (and also red wouldn't look good with orange IMO), I bought new polished Blackworks LCAs, subframe brace and Beaks bar. Also, instead of using the 3" exhaust piping from the coupe and cutting it to fit, I just decided to get new 3" exhaust system. And no I'm not keeping that N1 style cannon on there, I'm swapping it out for a flat black Vibrant stealth muffler (I just need to stop being lazy and weld it on).
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Since it's the winter, I threw on my Si's with snow tires.
Since the rear bumper already came cut with holes and I couldn't get a new one and have it repainted at the time, I got an IPG rear diffuser. I would have gotten a Golden Eagle rear diffuser, but since that's the most common one used I decided to go with a different brand. I was a little disappointed when I received it however. It was about half the thickness of the GE version and wasn't packed very well when they shipped it to me (just wrapped in newspaper and thrown in an empty box). When it came in, it was a little bent due to it being flimsy but I straightened it. Didn't feel like going through the whole process of sending it back to IPG and arguing for a refund so I just said screw it and put it on. Had I known that's what they'd send me, I would have gotten a GE diffuser instead. It doesn't look bad on there though lol.
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Going from the coupe to the hatch as a daily was a big change for me since I've never driven or even really been in a hatch until I got mine up and running. Compared to the coupe, everything is pretty much basic in the hatch. I don't have any pics of the interior, but the dash was grey and kinda beat up. I have no idea what the previous owner was trying to do but he removed the a/c vents and air ducts from inside the dash so when I tried to use the heat, air would be blowing at my feet, through the radio hole and out the sides (everywhere except where it should be blowing out of). None of the buttons on the dash had any lights and it looked like he tried to mess with the mileage on the cluster so that was broken as well. There was also no harness for the radio. I got a new black dash and that made a huge difference. The lights worked, all of the vents and ducts were in tact as was the radio harness. I also got a new working cluster.
I can definitely tell the difference in weight between the hatch and the coupe. The coupe felt more planted and stable, but needed some time to get its weight moving. The hatch on the other hand feels light and nimble and doesn't hesitate at all with the slightest push of the gas pedal.
It is a bit unstable though. My alignment guy was booked for a week so I had to wait to get it aligned. As soon as I accelerated a little hard, the rear end would start to wobble pretty bad and it felt like I was about to lose control. When I got the alignment, the front wheels weren't too badly misaligned, and neither was the passenger's side rear wheel. The driver's side rear wheel's toe was pretty off though. Everything was set back to where it should be and things improved a lot.
The car still feels a bit unstable anywhere above 50mph though. I'm still trying to figure out why that is. I'm not sure if it's the combination of it being a much lighter car and the snow tires (I know they are definitely a contributing factor since my coupe felt unstable at higher speeds with them on) or if my rear camber angle needs to be adjusted since from day one I've noticed that the rear wheels are a bit too straight and almost look they they may have positive camber (even though it's lowered).
I am going to order a rear camber kit regardless since I plan to lower the car a little more and will need some added clearance for the wheels I am getting. Hopefully once I put on the camber kit and put on the different wheels and tires the car will handle and feel the way I think it should. In the coupe, I knew it's limits and was confident knowing how fast I could take known corners, but with the hatch I have to be really careful even on the slightest curve and make sure I have a firm grip on the steering wheel since it feels like I'm about to spin out and I hate that. I also haven't installed my ITR rear sway bar from the coupe yet since I'm waiting on new endlinks to come in so I'm hoping once I put it on it'll make a big improvement as well.
Another problem is that even though it has slotted disk brakes all around, it doesn't stop as good as the coupe. I replaced the stock masted cylinder with a bigger Integra master cylinder and that definitely help, but it's still not stopping as it should. I'm not sure if I should also change the proportioning valve to an Integra one as well. My cousin said that he believes the rotors may be glazed since I only changed the pads so once I change them the problem will be solved so I'm hoping that's the case.
I love the hatch and everything, but I also miss the coupe. The coupe actually felt like a car. I liked the interior and loved the way it handled. It didn't make any weird noised while I drove it (other than some things rattling from the stiff engine mounts) and it was nice having a sunroof.
I just don't get the feeling like I'm driving a "real car" with my hatch. It feels like a tin bucket, I'm still trying to get the handling straightened out and everyday there's a new annoying sound to greet me when I drive it (a rattle, creak, clunk). The dash made a big improvement, and the addition of rear speakers helped a lot too, so I'm hoping with more interior improvements (I took out the rear seats and still need to make a rear floor and put my subwoofer back in), solving the handling issue and taking care of all the stupid little annoying sounds I'll feel more satisfied driving it as a daily.
Putting the negatives aside, the car is definitely a lot quicker than the coupe. I struggled getting low 13 to high 12 second passes in the coupe, but I know I definitely won't have a problem hitting mid to low 12's in the hatch and even high 11's. It just goes, and I'm really anxious to get the handling problem straightened and for the track to open so I can see what it can really do.
Looking at the cars on this site, I'm definitely getting inspired and hope one day I can get my hatch to the level of some of you guys. I'm looking forward to learning a lot about my car on here and get advice and help from you guys.
As for the coupe, I gave the shell to my cousin and he threw in another K20, suspension and interior so now it's driveable again. He is selling it, and it kinda hurts to see it for sale. I don't want it to see it go to some douchebag and hear that it was wrecked or stolen or something. I've been entertaining the idea of buying it back from him, but at the same time I've always wanted something newer and nicer so I'm keeping that in mind and just waiting.
So yea, that's my whole story, sorry if it's kinda long lol. Looking forward to hear from you guys and see what you think.
Here's my mod list:
Engine:K20A2
-229whp|167lb-ft
-Hondata K-Pro tuned by Eric "Yosolo" Medina
-RBC intake manifold
-3" Intake w/ Spectre filter | Custom 3" CAI w/ velocity stack (track)
-Blackworks race header
-Karcepts throttlebody spacer
-P2R intake manifold gasket
-Karcepts fuel rail
-Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator & gauge
-Russell SS braided fuel lines
-Karcepts SS clutch line
-Hasport EGK2 mounts
-Karcepts shifter box mounting plate
-Exedy lightweight flywheel
-Exedy Stage 1 clutch
-Hybrid Racing harness
-3" Straight exhaust piping w/ N1 style muffler (Vibrant Stealth muffler to be installed)
-Blackworks aluminum radiator & 14" slim fan
Suspension/Wheels
-Driveshaft Shop hubs
-Driveshaft Shop Lvl 3.9 race axles
-Function & Form Type 1 coilovers
-22mm Integra Type-R rear sway bar
-Blackworks Racing subframe brace
-Blackworks Racing LCAs
-Beaks lower tie bar
-RE Works strut bar
-16x8 Rota Auto X Wheels w/ Falken ZE912 205/45/16R tires (street) | 15x7 Rota Slip Streams w/ Hoosier A6 race tires (track)
-15" Si wheels w/ 195/55/15 General Altimax Snow Tires (winter wheels)
Exterior
-CF Spoon style duckbill wing
-Ek sideskirts
-Spoon style front lip
-Black housing headlights w/ smoked amber corners
-Smoked 50/50 rear tail lights
-Yellow foglights
-DDM Tuning Hi/Lo 6000k HIDs
Interior
-NRG short hub
-NRG quick-release
-NRG Steering Wheel
-NRG hub lock
-AEM UEGO wideband
-Glowshift triple pillar pod and gauges (Oil Pressure, Volts)
-Wink Mirror
-Vision Motorsports weighted shift knob
-CTR shift boot
-GSR seats
Electronics
-1 12" Kicker 07VCVR122 sub (to be installed)
-1 Hifonics TXi7508 amp (600w rms @ 1ohm) (also to be installed)
-Pioneer DEH4300UB headunit
-Pioneer speakers all around
Here are few other pics. I added a Spoon style front lip and EK sideskirts but haven't taken any pics yet.
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Let me know what you guys think.
After my countless attempts of my cousin trying to push me put my swap into the hatch and start working on it I finally pulled the trigger.
In its condition at the time, the hatch needed a decent amount of body work. The previous owner had the car painted Lamborghini Orange and attempted to pull the rear fenders (and failed miserably). The rear quarter panels were rusted and stuffed with what seemed like 50lbs of bondo, the hood was completely rusted and the front bumper was primered black.
I ordered all new rear quarter panels and when they came in sent the car out to my friend's uncle for the bodywork. Initially I wasn't a fan of the Lambo Orange, but everyone kept commenting on how much they liked it. I was still dead set on painting it gunmetal since I got a pretty decent price from my friend's uncle to respray it but while he had it he upped the price by another $600 (thought he could get more money out of me). I just said f*** it and decided to keep it orange. I'd change the color later down the road.
I didn't get to see the car in person while the bodywork was getting done but my cousin stayed on top of the body guy, and from what he told me the car looked great and he was happy I decided to keep it the current color. I still wasn't too fond of the idea of driving a bright orange car around but I trusted him and his judgement since he's built A LOT of great cars (2 of them featured in magazines). Then he sent me some progress pics:
I was sold. The body guy cut out the old rusted out quarter panels and welded the new ones in place perfectly. He saved the rusted out hood after I was told by two other bodyshop guys that it couldn't be saved. It came out looking like it was brand new!
He finished the car up and we brought the car back to the shop. All the bodywork was done in about 2 weeks with him taking his time.
IMG_3146 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3143 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3140 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Now it was time for the hard part, removing the parts from my 00' coupe to transfer them into the hatch. Like I said I've had the coupe for a little over 4 years and built it from being completely stock to what it was. It went from a D series to B series to K series and I learned a ton doing all of the work on it myself. So to take it apart and have it off the road was going to be hard for me, but I pushed on.
Here are a few pics of it:
IMG_3194e by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3189_1280 by RedPanda11, on Flickr
IMG_3200flm by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Engine out and ready to be put into the hatch
Almost there...
Finished
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
I also swapped over the wheels, suspension, interior etc...
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Since 96-00 Civic LCA's and subframe won't fit an EG (and also red wouldn't look good with orange IMO), I bought new polished Blackworks LCAs, subframe brace and Beaks bar. Also, instead of using the 3" exhaust piping from the coupe and cutting it to fit, I just decided to get new 3" exhaust system. And no I'm not keeping that N1 style cannon on there, I'm swapping it out for a flat black Vibrant stealth muffler (I just need to stop being lazy and weld it on).
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Since it's the winter, I threw on my Si's with snow tires.
Since the rear bumper already came cut with holes and I couldn't get a new one and have it repainted at the time, I got an IPG rear diffuser. I would have gotten a Golden Eagle rear diffuser, but since that's the most common one used I decided to go with a different brand. I was a little disappointed when I received it however. It was about half the thickness of the GE version and wasn't packed very well when they shipped it to me (just wrapped in newspaper and thrown in an empty box). When it came in, it was a little bent due to it being flimsy but I straightened it. Didn't feel like going through the whole process of sending it back to IPG and arguing for a refund so I just said screw it and put it on. Had I known that's what they'd send me, I would have gotten a GE diffuser instead. It doesn't look bad on there though lol.
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Going from the coupe to the hatch as a daily was a big change for me since I've never driven or even really been in a hatch until I got mine up and running. Compared to the coupe, everything is pretty much basic in the hatch. I don't have any pics of the interior, but the dash was grey and kinda beat up. I have no idea what the previous owner was trying to do but he removed the a/c vents and air ducts from inside the dash so when I tried to use the heat, air would be blowing at my feet, through the radio hole and out the sides (everywhere except where it should be blowing out of). None of the buttons on the dash had any lights and it looked like he tried to mess with the mileage on the cluster so that was broken as well. There was also no harness for the radio. I got a new black dash and that made a huge difference. The lights worked, all of the vents and ducts were in tact as was the radio harness. I also got a new working cluster.
I can definitely tell the difference in weight between the hatch and the coupe. The coupe felt more planted and stable, but needed some time to get its weight moving. The hatch on the other hand feels light and nimble and doesn't hesitate at all with the slightest push of the gas pedal.
It is a bit unstable though. My alignment guy was booked for a week so I had to wait to get it aligned. As soon as I accelerated a little hard, the rear end would start to wobble pretty bad and it felt like I was about to lose control. When I got the alignment, the front wheels weren't too badly misaligned, and neither was the passenger's side rear wheel. The driver's side rear wheel's toe was pretty off though. Everything was set back to where it should be and things improved a lot.
The car still feels a bit unstable anywhere above 50mph though. I'm still trying to figure out why that is. I'm not sure if it's the combination of it being a much lighter car and the snow tires (I know they are definitely a contributing factor since my coupe felt unstable at higher speeds with them on) or if my rear camber angle needs to be adjusted since from day one I've noticed that the rear wheels are a bit too straight and almost look they they may have positive camber (even though it's lowered).
I am going to order a rear camber kit regardless since I plan to lower the car a little more and will need some added clearance for the wheels I am getting. Hopefully once I put on the camber kit and put on the different wheels and tires the car will handle and feel the way I think it should. In the coupe, I knew it's limits and was confident knowing how fast I could take known corners, but with the hatch I have to be really careful even on the slightest curve and make sure I have a firm grip on the steering wheel since it feels like I'm about to spin out and I hate that. I also haven't installed my ITR rear sway bar from the coupe yet since I'm waiting on new endlinks to come in so I'm hoping once I put it on it'll make a big improvement as well.
Another problem is that even though it has slotted disk brakes all around, it doesn't stop as good as the coupe. I replaced the stock masted cylinder with a bigger Integra master cylinder and that definitely help, but it's still not stopping as it should. I'm not sure if I should also change the proportioning valve to an Integra one as well. My cousin said that he believes the rotors may be glazed since I only changed the pads so once I change them the problem will be solved so I'm hoping that's the case.
I love the hatch and everything, but I also miss the coupe. The coupe actually felt like a car. I liked the interior and loved the way it handled. It didn't make any weird noised while I drove it (other than some things rattling from the stiff engine mounts) and it was nice having a sunroof.
I just don't get the feeling like I'm driving a "real car" with my hatch. It feels like a tin bucket, I'm still trying to get the handling straightened out and everyday there's a new annoying sound to greet me when I drive it (a rattle, creak, clunk). The dash made a big improvement, and the addition of rear speakers helped a lot too, so I'm hoping with more interior improvements (I took out the rear seats and still need to make a rear floor and put my subwoofer back in), solving the handling issue and taking care of all the stupid little annoying sounds I'll feel more satisfied driving it as a daily.
Putting the negatives aside, the car is definitely a lot quicker than the coupe. I struggled getting low 13 to high 12 second passes in the coupe, but I know I definitely won't have a problem hitting mid to low 12's in the hatch and even high 11's. It just goes, and I'm really anxious to get the handling problem straightened and for the track to open so I can see what it can really do.
Looking at the cars on this site, I'm definitely getting inspired and hope one day I can get my hatch to the level of some of you guys. I'm looking forward to learning a lot about my car on here and get advice and help from you guys.
As for the coupe, I gave the shell to my cousin and he threw in another K20, suspension and interior so now it's driveable again. He is selling it, and it kinda hurts to see it for sale. I don't want it to see it go to some douchebag and hear that it was wrecked or stolen or something. I've been entertaining the idea of buying it back from him, but at the same time I've always wanted something newer and nicer so I'm keeping that in mind and just waiting.
So yea, that's my whole story, sorry if it's kinda long lol. Looking forward to hear from you guys and see what you think.
Here's my mod list:
Engine:K20A2
-229whp|167lb-ft
-Hondata K-Pro tuned by Eric "Yosolo" Medina
-RBC intake manifold
-3" Intake w/ Spectre filter | Custom 3" CAI w/ velocity stack (track)
-Blackworks race header
-Karcepts throttlebody spacer
-P2R intake manifold gasket
-Karcepts fuel rail
-Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator & gauge
-Russell SS braided fuel lines
-Karcepts SS clutch line
-Hasport EGK2 mounts
-Karcepts shifter box mounting plate
-Exedy lightweight flywheel
-Exedy Stage 1 clutch
-Hybrid Racing harness
-3" Straight exhaust piping w/ N1 style muffler (Vibrant Stealth muffler to be installed)
-Blackworks aluminum radiator & 14" slim fan
Suspension/Wheels
-Driveshaft Shop hubs
-Driveshaft Shop Lvl 3.9 race axles
-Function & Form Type 1 coilovers
-22mm Integra Type-R rear sway bar
-Blackworks Racing subframe brace
-Blackworks Racing LCAs
-Beaks lower tie bar
-RE Works strut bar
-16x8 Rota Auto X Wheels w/ Falken ZE912 205/45/16R tires (street) | 15x7 Rota Slip Streams w/ Hoosier A6 race tires (track)
-15" Si wheels w/ 195/55/15 General Altimax Snow Tires (winter wheels)
Exterior
-CF Spoon style duckbill wing
-Ek sideskirts
-Spoon style front lip
-Black housing headlights w/ smoked amber corners
-Smoked 50/50 rear tail lights
-Yellow foglights
-DDM Tuning Hi/Lo 6000k HIDs
Interior
-NRG short hub
-NRG quick-release
-NRG Steering Wheel
-NRG hub lock
-AEM UEGO wideband
-Glowshift triple pillar pod and gauges (Oil Pressure, Volts)
-Wink Mirror
-Vision Motorsports weighted shift knob
-CTR shift boot
-GSR seats
Electronics
-1 12" Kicker 07VCVR122 sub (to be installed)
-1 Hifonics TXi7508 amp (600w rms @ 1ohm) (also to be installed)
-Pioneer DEH4300UB headunit
-Pioneer speakers all around
Here are few other pics. I added a Spoon style front lip and EK sideskirts but haven't taken any pics yet.
Untitled by RedPanda11, on Flickr
Let me know what you guys think.
Last edited by RedPanda on Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
about the previous owner trying to paint it lamborgini, wouldnt agree with any thing else but lambo trying to be lambo stlye, but you made it work out cool 
hate lambos lol
. So now I have even more work to do to correct his f*ck ups.
