May 30th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
If you’re still asking yourself why to upgrade your brakes, you can roll right on past this article. I upgraded mine simply because I had the brakes lying around and needed to change out my rotors. The upgrade cost me less than fixing the stock brakes. The rear CRX Si disk brakes from 90-91 are the exact same as the Integra brakes, so you can leave them be unless you’re doing a rear-disk conversion anyway. That’s beyond the scope of this article, so we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty on swapping the front brake system. This article is pretty long, though, so sit back with some tea, coffee, or vodka and enjoy the ride.
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Posted in CRX 2.0 | 7 Comments »
May 27th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
The saga continues. What began as a rattling exhaust manifold is now turning out to be a complete engine seizure. This is a continuation of my project 240z with a small block chevy v8, trying to track down a rattling noise that’s plagued the car since I bought it.
I can’t know what’s wrong just yet, but with a new motor coming in tomorrow (assuming all things go according to plan) I should be able to get this one up on a motor stand and torn down in the near future. Here’s what happened when I decided to show what it sounded like:
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Posted in Anger Project | 5 Comments »
May 26th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
For part I of rattling engine, click here.
I was out and about this weekend, shopping for shoes of all things (my Converses don’t really cut it for tennis, so I needed something that wouldn’t destroy my legs). I parked in the parking lot, looked around, came back, and my car decided it didn’t want to go anywhere. The starter cranked, and a disastrous noise was emitted. Obviously concerned, I tried again. The same world-ending noise came from under the hood, then white smoke from the exhaust.
At this point, I’m ready to call this motor dead and buy a new 327ci or 350ci small block chevy to install, then put this 283ci on a motor stand and building it up while rebuilding it. More updates to come, hopefully with a video clip (with sound) of the deadly noise!
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May 23rd, 2008 the Mad Scientist
People often talk about what will happen to the Earth when we use up all the fossil fuels, and where we’ll all be in 10 years. I’m more concerned with my project cars. Project cars aren’t about to switch over to electric power or hydrogen, all our engineering has gone into one particular gasoline engine or another. What then, is your plan for increased regulations or unavailability of gasoline?
Personally, I seek other projects. A bicycle is just as much fun to work on, and normally less expensive (there are exceptions to this rule), but not as fast. It also doesn’t allow me to be quite as lazy.
What are your thoughts on future transportation? Will you continue the hobby after you can’t afford fuel?
Photo courtesy of freefoto
Posted in Shop Tips | 3 Comments »
May 21st, 2008 the Mad Scientist
I ran into a number of problems this month. First, while going for a nice long cruise into wine country, my alternator hacked apart my upper radiator hose, causing all sorts of problems. After replacing that hose and re-routing it more intelligently, I found that there is now a pinhole in the radiator that leaks slowly when the system is under pressure.
My driver’s side exhaust has also ripped apart the weld that held the mounting bracket on, leaving me with an even louder exhaust (it’s added clanging into it’s symphony).
For electrical issues, it’s actually been a pretty good week. I have a few dead bulbs, and my radiator fan circuit (at least I think that’s what it is) consistently blows fuses. That’s something I can deal with and work out as time goes on. I’ve been very busy with work, but I’ll keep the site up to date as much as possible this week.
Posted in Anger Project, Projects | No Comments »
May 13th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
I have decided upon a new name for ProjectCRX: the Madness Shop Manual. It fits the goals and ideals for the site well, and I’ll be updating all necessary pages during the week. Keep your eyes open for updates!
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