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boywonder
01-27-2009, 01:19 AM
I just bought my first track car, and first Honda - an ITC '85 CRX.
Since this is my first Honda I don't really know all the best Honda specific forums and would appreciate it if someone could share them. Also, where is the best place to find body panels, namely all the brittle plastic on the front of the car?

Thanks!

Chip42
01-27-2009, 08:46 AM
I'm not 100% on the pre-1988 models, and I know that the plastic nose and fenders can be a real PitA to find, but for anythign else, try redpepperracing.com and welcome to the party!

Steam Corners
01-27-2009, 10:45 AM
I noticed your other post, and saw you're from Columbus--as am I! While I'm no Honda expert, I've worked on several, though I'm building an ITA Miata slowly as my first car.

I hit a lot of the local junkyards, and I've found that Woody's on McKinley Ave. tends to have a few 1st Gen CRXs every once in a while. Cantley's might have some to pull stuff from too. If you'd like, get me a list of what you might need, and I could check for you next time I go.

Heck, if you just need a hand, I might be able to help you out. . .

R2 Racing
01-27-2009, 11:14 AM
I replied to your other thread in the General Discussion area, but I'll answer a couple of the questions you've got here too....

Like Chris said above, finding those plastic nose pieces for the first-gen CRX's can be real tough. Yes, Woody's for some reason likes to get old Honda's like that, so maybe keep an eye out there. If you're not familiar with the place, bring wadding boots and get a tetanus shot before going - haha! redpepperracing.com is a great resource for finding old Honda parts and asking questions to old Honda guys. roadraceautox.com is another than many of us are on as well where there's lots of IT Honda racers who will be willing to help out. Good luck!

mc-integra111
01-27-2009, 12:09 PM
Honda-Tech (http://www.honda-tech.com/zeromain) is a good one too. I would stick to to the Road Race / AutoX topic. It is mostly NASA racers, but advice for Honda's will work no matter what sanctioning body you run with.

tom91ita
01-27-2009, 01:21 PM
okay, we have the same basic car. i have the 86 crx si in ITB.

I just got a header panel from Auto Body Panels for $114.30 shipping and tax included. it is pretty good. i had to file the outer holes some to fit but the front of my ITB crx is tweaked and so it was mostly on my end.

the invoice has them listed around and a website www.abpanels.com (http://www.abpanels.com/)

i dealt with them at 5111 Miller Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49048 and a local number but also at 800 537-2161.

i have not replaced fenders yet but had picked up some second hand. the header panel had just got to a point that i was tired of trying to patch together.

you might pick up a parts car and for ~ $250. that will get you much of what you want in terms of a spare motor/trans, etc.

and i have some stuff from the carbed cars too. i got 4 engines in various stages of unknown condition.

i was getting ready to pull the heads off and put them FS on redpepperracing.com along with distributors and such. if you come to the IT fest as an entrant, i will give you the carbs and intake manifolds and a distributor. don't know if it works but you might be able to turn it in for a core.

i got some of this for free and would like to pass some of it on. still looking for some good carma.

spnkzss
01-27-2009, 01:30 PM
If you're not familiar with the place, bring wadding boots and get a tetanus shot before going - haha!

When I first read this I thought you were talking about the sandbox ;)

boywonder
01-27-2009, 02:41 PM
Thanks for all the info guys. I haven't hit up Woody's or Cantley's before but will be sure to do so. Right now I'm mainly concerned with finding sources for all the plastic body bits as mine has definitely seen better days. Once I stock up on those bits is there a way to prep them as a preventative measure? While I have no desire to put carbon fiber fenders on my car (and yes, I understand that would be illegal) I also don't want to be constantly replacing fenders every time someone leans against them, especially if they're hard to come by in the first place.

I don't want to get in trouble for posting the same stuff in multiple locations on this site, but in my other thread under General IT Discussions I asked about necessary spares. What do you think the minimum spares package would contain? Again, you can post the answer over there so we don't have mirrored threads going at the same time.

Also, which manual is considered the Honda bible for these cars? The guy I bought the car from still races another CRX so I have no books, manuals, etc...

Thanks!

gran racing
01-27-2009, 02:49 PM
You'll need to get yourself a copy of the factory shop manual per the GCR. Plus it's the bible of how to fix your car. I also picked up one of the simplier Haynes or such manuals as well.

Ed Funk
01-27-2009, 03:40 PM
If Kevin Ruck is anywhere near you, lean on him, he apparently knows how to make Hondas run reasonably well!

Replace the rear hubs as a maintenance item, we do ours about every 5th race weekend, easy to replace and not to expensive (unless they break!)

The first gen CRX is fun to drive and competitive in class, the most important thing to remember is HAVE FUN!! You should get out of the car every time with a big ol' s*** eating grin on your face!:happy204:

tom91ita
01-27-2009, 03:44 PM
You'll need to get yourself a copy of the factory shop manual per the GCR. Plus it's the bible of how to fix your car. I also picked up one of the simplier Haynes or such manuals as well.

go to redpepperracing.com and you might be able to find an electronic version of the manual there. not sure if it meets the GCR requirement or not but if you had a laptop and a CD, i am unsure why not...

Ed Funk
01-27-2009, 03:49 PM
myhondapartsstore.com has a lot of new and otherwise unobtainable parts, not much of the fragile plastic stuff tho.We got all of the bumper support hardware for the front of ours, new, still with original honda tags. Reasonable prices too, IMHO.

R2 Racing
01-27-2009, 08:17 PM
If Kevin Ruck is anywhere near you, lean on him, he apparently knows how to make Hondas run reasonably well!
Awww, shucks.... :D

iambhooper
01-27-2009, 09:00 PM
redpepperracing.com
the haynes manual has some of the stuff, but the factory book is much better. it is on the faq at redpepper, and you might be able to print it out.

the plastic bits that you are going to have the most difficulty in finding would be the rocker panels.

the CRX is a fun car and capable of winning in ITC.

hoop

tom91ita
01-27-2009, 11:57 PM
not sure if you are thinking about a H&NR but you might want to read this:

http://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?t=20133&page=9

the offer for the $99 version is for a short while. this is not approved for NASA. read the thread.

not sure what you have for brakes but the best value ($ per race) for my ITB crx si has been the Raybestos AP 256 ST-43. i worked with Wendy at Porterfield Brakes.

boywonder
01-28-2009, 01:56 AM
Fortunately I already have a HANS from rally so that's one less expenditure I have to make.

Good to know about the Raybestos pads, I think Carbotechs are currently on the car. I've heard that Carbotech made good pads and has excellent customer service but that they've been having trouble lately with quality control.

Thanks for the links, advice and offers. I appreciate it all and will try to reciprocate when the time comes. Right now I'm just trying to quickly get up to speed and get my ducks in order.

iambhooper
01-28-2009, 07:24 AM
not sure what you have for brakes but the best value ($ per race) for my ITB crx si has been the Raybestos AP 256 ST-43. i worked with Wendy at Porterfield Brakes.

Bang for the Buck might be understated on these pads... They provide awesome grip, while not eating rotors or pads. Everyone says Hawk Blues, but they don't make a pad for our cars anymore, everything that is available is a cut down pad.

hoop

hondaracer48
01-28-2009, 05:53 PM
I remember those crx days. I've gone through about 15 crx's in my days, 6 of them were 85-87 Si's. I remember bouncing off the guard rails or tire walls, get off the track, pull bumper off, put it back on, and get back on the track. Those plastic bumpers and fenders made my racing budget very inexpensive.

Those cars are so light, you don't need crazy mad race pads. I did use porterfield pads and I loved them, but I think in ITC the CRX can probably out brake any other competitor with any good street pads. I do have some vintage Lightspeed Carbon Metallic pads for the CRX Si and DX, but I think the HF is different. Not sure, look into it if you're interested. Oh, I also have some AEM pads too. They will also work great. The Lightspeed and AEM pads all will cost $25 or less.

Ed

hondaracer48
01-28-2009, 05:55 PM
One more note about pads......back in the days, we put pads in the oven and bake them. You could do that too, but make sure you clean up the oven afterwards so you won't poison your entire family :)

dazzlesa
01-28-2009, 06:20 PM
i was surprised that i was able to buy parts from the dealer to rebuild my shift lever assembly. other wise ebay or http://www.redpepperracing.com/ (http://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?)

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/catdisplay.jsp?inputstate=4&catcgry1=CIVIC&catcgry2=1987&catcgry3=3DR%20SI%201500&catcgry4=KA5MT

jdraper08
01-31-2009, 08:34 PM
hondatech.com seems to be a good place to get lots of replys whenever you post a question
also, majestichonda.com has just about every part you could ever need
not real sure about body panels though
but they def have all the parts you will surely need in the future

ITC Racer
03-03-2009, 02:21 PM
For the service manual, I believe these are still available from helms- http://www.helminc.com/helm/welcome_retail_ahm.asp?Style=&mscsid=R3P8PUD8VV1B9KLXU440BGNTN1XB3WV2 this is the good one!!

With brakes, if you will run Blackhawk Farms regularly, I would strongly suggest Hawk Blues with some brake ducting. The blues can be ordered from Porterfield but are custom so be prepared..

ITA_honda
03-03-2009, 04:20 PM
Welcome to Improved Touring!:happy204:
As far as Honda's go, you have a solid and reliable car:026:

go out there and have fun man!!!!:D

:eclipsee_steering:

boywonder
03-04-2009, 05:20 PM
Thanks guys.
The car is coming along fairly well. Thought it had a blown head gasket, or worse, but after running a compression and leak test it seems everything is fine. Hoping it was just water in the oil from sitting for a year... :shrug:

Been cleaning it up inside and out and re-doing things that were done in a rather hodge podge manner before I bought it, including the wiring and master switch.

After finishing that and mounting my seat and harness I should be good to go, pending a successful annual tech of course. On a side note, I recieved my Novice Permit paperwork back from SCCA in the mail yesterday and everything is in order! :026:

Still looking for spare body panels for it, namely all the plastic bits.

Any of you local guys know any good body/paint shops that would want to partner with a newb at cost in exchange for lots of exposure for their shop??? :D

gran racing
03-05-2009, 09:11 AM
Do you or any of your friends have access to a decent air compressor? If so, I'd probably recommend that you do it yourself or possibly a better option, prep the car and bring it to a shop like Maaco. I did the whole body shop sponsorship thing and while I learned a lot, in the end it was probably more of a PITA than worth. Your car will always be the very last to be worked on (wonder why? :) ) and in my case it resulted in me missing a couple of races. Then when touch-ups were necessary, you are dependant upon them. They did do one super cool pear paint job that used several pearl colors, that is until we needed to repaint something and none of us wrote down what we used. LOL

That body shop was sold and I tried a different approach that works much, much better. I contacted an auto paint supplier and they sell me products at cost (paint, materials, a nice spray guy). If you use Fleet paint, it's not too expensive. They didn't want me to put anything on my car because of fears of having many other racers approach them for sponsorships too. At least I don't think they ever saw my car and that's the real reason. Could it have been purchasing body filler in bulk? :eek:

R2 Racing
03-05-2009, 10:24 AM
Ryan, have you decided what SCCA school you're going to do this spring? I'm going to be up at Blackhawk Farms for the April 24th-26th Double School & Single Regional event helping two track n00bs get their licenses. So if you're doing that one, I could probably help you out a little bit too. We'll have our ITC '85 Civic there, so I've got a bit of knowledge about these cars.

jjjanos
03-05-2009, 11:43 AM
Thanks guys.
The car is coming along fairly well. Thought it had a blown head gasket, or worse, but after running a compression and leak test it seems everything is fine. Hoping it was just water in the oil from sitting for a year... :shrug:

Been cleaning it up inside and out and re-doing things that were done in a rather hodge podge manner before I bought it, including the wiring and master switch.

Still looking for spare body panels for it, namely all the plastic bits.

I'm 99.999% certain that it's water from sitting a year. When we parked the car in fall 2006, the oil was a wonderful color. When we looked at it in spring of 2007, it looked like latte. After an oh shit moment, we drained the oil, replaced it with fresh and never saw latte the rest of the season.

We think that it's the heat/cool/heat/cool cycle. Interior gets warm in the sun, temp drops at night and condensation occurs, drops into the oil. Repeat for 17 months.

Sorry about the hodgepodge stuff. We fixed alot of stuff as we found it - e.g 4 bolts 2 metric and 2 english - but never got around to the kill switch or the door locks.

The plastic bits are impossible to find otherwise we'd have replaced the broken trim. If you find a source, let me know.

RacerBill
03-05-2009, 11:52 AM
Thanks guys.

Any of you local guys know any good body/paint shops that would want to partner with a newb at cost in exchange for lots of exposure for their shop??? :D

Ryan: Give me a call. I will PM you my contact info. You need to take a look at my 50/50 racer (looks great at 50 feet, 50 mph!!!:eek:).

mc-integra111
03-05-2009, 01:36 PM
You need to take a look at my 50/50 racer (looks great at 50 feet, 50 mph!!!:eek:).

I suggest being very careful about a 50/50 racer and the "Neat and Clean Appearance" rule. It is a subjective decision and some regions/clubs may be more lenient than others. You are welcome to read about my first experience with SCCA at http://72.167.111.130/forums/showthread.php?t=24778.

boywonder
03-05-2009, 03:00 PM
Yeah, my neighbor has been pushing me to just paint it myself. I have a decent (?, this one (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916760000P)) compressor I think, and the car was painted with rattle cans by the previous owner and didn't look too bad, so I think I could do it. My main concern is with the body work–it was rolled the last year it raced and while they did a decent job of pounding it out I don't want to run into some scrutineer on a power trip and fail on a neat/tidy note. Plus there is a decent amount of rust and I'd like to have that taken care of properly and never have to give it a second thought.

Dave: you're right, I already decided to stay away from fancy pants colors, no desire to be trying to match paint later in the year because I had an off. Good point on working with a body shop, maybe I'll just try to hook up with a paint shop instead.

Another thought I had was to try to partner with a vinyl shop and have the rear half wrapped as it's the "rough" part of the car. I think a nice wrap would hide a lot of the blemishes...

R2 Racing: thanks for the offer. Right now I'm shooting for the double school at Nelson Ledges (Apr 18-19), it's much closer to me and the rally that originally conflicted with those dates got moved up a few weeks! My hope is that everything goes well at that school, but if not I like the idea that the Blackhawk double school is still an option.

Jeff: I'm really hoping it's just condensation. Of course when I first looked at the oil and saw milkshake I immediately saw red and cursed your name thinking you tried to pull as fast one on me. :shrug: The wiring and such isn't such a big deal but since I have the time, and that's really all it costs to re-do it, I figure why not? Plus then I can label everything and learn more about the car. Re: plastic bits–what about all those CRXs in Martin's yard? He has a CRX breeding ground there, are they the wrong gen?

Bill: I will definitely be giving you a call when I get a chance, thanks for your continual offers of help.

mc-integra111: That's the exact kind of experience I want to avoid. How was the situation resolved?

jjjanos
03-05-2009, 04:40 PM
Jeff: I'm really hoping it's just condensation. Of course when I first looked at the oil and saw milkshake I immediately saw red and cursed your name thinking you tried to pull as fast one on me. :shrug: The wiring and such isn't such a big deal but since I have the time, and that's really all it costs to re-do it, I figure why not? Plus then I can label everything and learn more about the car. Re: plastic bits–what about all those CRXs in Martin's yard? He has a CRX breeding ground there, are they the wrong gen?

I'm sticking with sitting in a field for 16 months. It did it in the 06-07 winter and that was only 5 months. Not certain why the dew problem hits this car worse than others, but that seems to be the case.

Those are the right generation. You'll need to talk to Martin about the plastic bits. I doubt he'll let any go as a bunch of those cars are spoken for as future race cars and the remainder have some of the last good condition plastic on them. I never asked him if they were for sale because my intent was to paint where the trim was missing. Let me know if you need his contact info. . One thing to consider is that you will need to modify the trim because of the way Kirk installed the cage - that's why the damn things kept breaking and finally got to the point that we couldn't save them.

spnkzss
03-05-2009, 04:59 PM
I'm sticking with sitting in a field for 16 months. It did it in the 06-07 winter and that was only 5 months. Not certain why the dew problem hits this car worse than others, but that seems to be the case.

Those are the right generation. You'll need to talk to Martin about the plastic bits. I doubt he'll let any go as a bunch of those cars are spoken for as future race cars and the remainder have some of the last good condition plastic on them. I never asked him if they were for sale because my intent was to paint where the trim was missing. Let me know if you need his contact info. . One thing to consider is that you will need to modify the trim because of the way Kirk installed the cage - that's why the damn things kept breaking and finally got to the point that we couldn't save them.

I doubt Mr. Burke would allow any of that go.

RacerBill
03-05-2009, 06:14 PM
I suggest being very careful about a 50/50 racer and the "Neat and Clean Appearance" rule. It is a subjective decision and some regions/clubs may be more lenient than others. You are welcome to read about my first experience with SCCA at http://72.167.111.130/forums/showthread.php?t=24778.

Jared: I will read your tread when I get home. One of my objectives when I started preping my car was to have a good clean look. As with any painting, prep is most important step. No, my car does not look like a brand new car or a $5000 paint job. But the body parts are all straight and it looks clean. And I don't freak out when someone leans on the car in the paddock, or when the nut behind the wheel does something stupid!

I was actually contemplating using that paint that gives a 'hammered' look!!!!! But decided to use the original traditional paint sceme.

mc-integra111
03-05-2009, 08:27 PM
mc-integra111: That's the exact kind of experience I want to avoid. How was the situation resolved?

Unfortunately, the final resolution was me running the other side into a wall much worse than the previous damage, which forced me to get the whole car fixed right (I am actually picking it up from the body guy this weekend :happy204:).

The main message I try to convey to people is to be ready because the rule is subjective. From popular opinion (you can see from reading other racers' posts) my car was about 50/50 on whether it should be raced as is or be fixed.

boywonder
03-06-2009, 01:51 PM
I guess I need to become more intimate with the rules but if I recall correctly...I'm allowed to remove all that rocker/trim plastic, yes? And does that include all the trim on the doors? That would be awesome from a "not having to replace stuff all the time" aspect, but I suspect the car would look a bit odd with all of that removed.

jjjanos
03-06-2009, 03:57 PM
I guess I need to become more intimate with the rules but if I recall correctly...I'm allowed to remove all that rocker/trim plastic, yes? And does that include all the trim on the doors? That would be awesome from a "not having to replace stuff all the time" aspect, but I suspect the car would look a bit odd with all of that removed.

"Body side moldings, rocker panel moldings and wheel opening trim pieces (not stock flares) may be removed. Resulting holes may be filled."
- GCR Page 340

boywonder
03-06-2009, 04:03 PM
Sweet. Why didn't you ever just rip that stuff off then and run w/o it?

I was impressed by your zip-tie craftsmanship though. :023:

R2 Racing
03-06-2009, 04:47 PM
Ryan, here is the link to a .pdf version of the GCR. Download it to your computer so you always have it.
http://cms.scca.com/documents/Club%20Rules/09%20GCR/2009GCR.pdf

If you haven't got a hard copy of the GCR, you'll need to do that too before you go to any events. To order one, call SCCA Merchandise at 888-267-2187.

boywonder
03-06-2009, 04:54 PM
I received my hard copy in the mail earlier this week but I'm at work. Forgot about being able to dl the pdf, duh.

Ed Funk
03-08-2009, 10:17 AM
"Body side moldings, rocker panel moldings and wheel opening trim pieces (not stock flares) may be removed. Resulting holes may be filled."
- GCR Page 340



I know it doesn't specify in the GCR, but IMHO molding and cladding are two different animals. I hate reading the GCR between the lines, but molding is going to be those chrome strips around fenders and under doors, and in the case of the 1st gen CRX that red trim that goes all the way around the car, ~1 1/2 cm wide. Cladding is the big chunks of plastic on the doors, bumpers, rocker panels etc. I don't think you can remove those. Hell, if it was OK to remove the plastic from a CRX, you'd have to run in some open wheel class.:D

jjjanos
03-09-2009, 09:38 AM
Sweet. Why didn't you ever just rip that stuff off then and run w/o it?

I was impressed by your zip-tie craftsmanship though. :023:

Until the car got parked, there was enough of the stuff to hold together with zip ties.


I know it doesn't specify in the GCR, but IMHO molding and cladding are two different animals. I hate reading the GCR between the lines, but molding is going to be those chrome strips around fenders and under doors, and in the case of the 1st gen CRX that red trim that goes all the way around the car, ~1 1/2 cm wide. Cladding is the big chunks of plastic on the doors, bumpers, rocker panels etc. I don't think you can remove those. Hell, if it was OK to remove the plastic from a CRX, you'd have to run in some open wheel class.:D

Perhaps true, but the rule doesn't say fenders... it specifically refers to rocker panels, etc.

Besides, there's this -

"Body repair shall be performed using every reasonable effort to maintain stock body contours, lips, etc."

AFAIK, the parts aren't available through ANY retail supply source and people who have spares and a 1st gen would required handing over a testicle and your teenage daughter in exchange for the bits that maintain the stock body look. They aren't structural - they are cosmetic. In my mind, that makes putting these back on if you don't have 'em firmly in the unreasonable effort to maintain the stock body contour category.

Ed Funk
03-09-2009, 01:56 PM
But the stuff is still available, if you look. Hard to get is not the same as impossible to get.

jjjanos
03-10-2009, 11:54 AM
But the stuff is still available, if you look.

Proof please. Provide the name and contact info for the distributor.


Hard to get is not the same as impossible to get.

Being listed as available is not the same as being available.

wbp
03-10-2009, 12:06 PM
Thousands of salvage yards have the body clading but it will take some shopping to find the good stuff. Anyone who finds themself unable or unwilling to use salvage yard parts really should reconsider a plan to race a car over 20 years old.

jjjanos
03-10-2009, 02:47 PM
Thousands of salvage yards have the body clading but it will take some shopping to find the good stuff. Anyone who finds themself unable or unwilling to use salvage yard parts really should reconsider a plan to race a car over 20 years old.

Name and contact number of one that has these plastic pieces because most people running this generation CRX would love to have spare plastic. Claiming there are thousands of salvage yards with useable pieces is not equivalent to actually naming one. Go buy all the useable pieces you can find and sell them at redpepper for more money than you can imagine.

These plastic bits do NOT age well. They become about as brittle as my patience.

Ed Funk
03-10-2009, 04:51 PM
I have a c CRX and two parts cars and a fair amount of stock plastic. You want to talk difficult stuff to find? We use to run an Opel in ITB, at least 10 years older than the first gen CRX and not as many sold! If you're going to run an old car, you have to scramble for parts.

If you want to buy stuff, tell me what and how much you want to pay. There---it's available at my warehouse!:)

boywonder
03-16-2009, 11:50 PM
I picked up a complete parts car on Sunday for a decent price in KY and now have a set of good plastic, (minus the header piece) plus a spare nut and bolt for nearly everything on the car. And today I made a friend at a body shop so hopefully the car will be going into the shop this week and will come out less "cosmetically challenged." Woo hoo! :026:

This weekend I painted the wheel wells and finished painting the interior/cage. Also reinstalled the distributor (note: if installed 180º incorrectly it will shoot fireballs...), replaced the battery and with the help of my rally buddy ripped out the mess of unneeded wires. Ordered all the necessary bits to wire everything correctly including the master switch so that it conforms to the GCR.

I also ordered my seat, harness, and personal safety gear today so now I'm totally broke. :(

Slowly getting there...

spnkzss
03-17-2009, 08:31 AM
....so now I'm totally broke. :(

Slowly getting there...


Don't worry. You're THERE. Welcome to racing. ;)

boywonder
03-17-2009, 10:44 AM
LOL, thanks!

boywonder
04-20-2009, 10:57 AM
The driver's school was awesome!

Saturday morning I was very nervous about the car and myself and wasn't totally comfortable with anything because of overall inexperience, newness of myself to the car, never driving that track, and my experiences of repeatedly spinning around and around at Putnam in the rain a few weeks ago. So every turn for the first session I was just waiting for the car to kick out, but it never did. They impounded us after every session and after the third session we noticed a large puddle of fuel under the car when my guys went to move it back to the paddock. So they hurried up and fixed it while I was in class, turns out it was a pressure/venting issue. Sessions 4-6 were uneventful; except that coming in from the first session after lunch the car wouldn't idle and didn't for the rest of the day. Otherwise the car was fine and I was getting more and more comfortable in it and on the track. I was getting passed a lot, I was easily the second slowest car at the track but found it a lot of fun when I realized I was carrying way more speed through the corners and could catch and pass people through them. Of course those passes only lasted until the other car found the gas pedal. Practice starts and the race went well on Saturday and I took two seconds off my previous best lap during the race. By the end of the day on Saturday I was feeling very comfortable with the car/my lines and was able to run nearly all the turns flat out, only having to brake for 4, 12 & 13 and feather a bit in the carousel.

After the end of Saturday and my first completed school we took a look at the car and with the help of David (the BMW driver) fixed the idle (vacuum leak) and adjusted the float level.

Sunday was very fun. I felt comfortable from the beginning of the day though I did take it easy the first session because it was overcast and quite a bit cooler than Saturday and I didn't know what grip was going to be like. I was hanging with the faster cars a lot more in the corners and there were several cars that I'd pass twice in the same lap in the turns, only to have them pass me on the straights, so that was a lot of fun. The car was good but started to develop a stumble during the sweepers in the first session so I had the guys keep the fuel level a bit higher thinking it was the pickup in the tank. By lunch I had brought my best time down another second. At lunch we put on the shaved tires (I had been running my full tread RA-1 "rains" at the school because they're lousy in the rain) so I could feel the difference between the tires. We also played with the carb a bit and that fixed the stumble in the turns. My times improved dramatically with the shaved tires, I was three seconds faster in the first session with them. I even passed the Firehawk (ITE 420+hp, sweet car) - I was trying to pass the BMW and the Firehawk came flying up and passed me going into the kink but got stuck behind the BMW going into 12. I managed to secure the inside line coming into 13 and passed him at the apex of 13 and came up beside the BMW. Then the Firehawk slid beneath me and passed us both three wide in the front straight at a gazillion mph while I was almost up to 60mph. But all I care about is that I did pass him! :eclipsee_steering:

The practice starts and race went very well, I qualified 5th I think (I don't have the sheets and it's not up on MyLaps yet) and finished 4th. The last race was a lot of fun, especially the last few laps. I was feeling more confident so I started trying to push the braking zone back for 12 after carrying the biggest head of steam that my little car could muster and pinched 12 two laps in a row, running over the curb and lightening the rear end and drifting the turn. Ahhh, good times! :eek:

The car held together with some help from my great crew (Scott, Scott, and Steve) and I now feel comfortable on a track with much faster cars. I also feel comfortable getting passed (that happened a lot you know) and feel fairly comfortable passing - depending on the guy I'm passing. Most of the other guys were fairly consistent/predictable but there were a few that were a bit sketchy and kinda scary to pass. The best part is that I passed both schools and now officially have my novice permit and the car is still in one piece.

All in all it was a great time and I think everyone passed. On Saturday the BMW had a fun off at the carousel - went too high and away he went into the tires and the ITA Civic forgot(?) to brake to make 4 and also went off into the tires. And one of the Spec Miatas and the Integra both spun once on Sunday. Otherwise it was fairly uneventful in the offs dept.

Just want to say thanks to my instructor Bill, the other instructors that gave me tips (Karl, Christopher), the workers and everyone else that helped put on the school. I thought it was run very efficiently and I feel much more comfortable on the track now, which is probably a sign of a good school. :happy204:

Now I just need to get more seat time and work on the motor a bit. I still don't think it's running at it's potential (20hp less than stock on the dyno is a bit of a clue). I don't know how fast it should be able to go but exiting 7 (80mph, 4th gear) with it pinned to the floor all the way to the braking zone at 12 (103mph max, still 4th gear), I thought I'd at least top out 4th. :shrug:
Maybe you other ITC Honda guys can chime in. But even as is, it's a fun car and I really want more seat time.

ITA_honda
04-20-2009, 11:53 AM
You held your own this weekend.
And I LOVED the pass under the firebird in turn 13! that was sweet and put on a heck of a show for us up in the tower.:happy204:

Sunday before the practice starts I noticed you having trouble getting the CRX started...what was up with that?

I was the pace car driver both days too :D

boywonder
04-20-2009, 02:48 PM
Yeah, that pass was one of my favorite parts of the weekend, only wish I had it on video.

Still not sure what's going on regarding the difficulty starting the car on Sunday. It's always started right up but it did that a few times on Sunday - each time it took just long enough starting to scare me into thinking I was going to miss out on a session. I'll tear into it this week and see what's up.

ITA_honda
04-20-2009, 02:56 PM
Yeah, that pass was one of my favorite parts of the weekend, only wish I had it on video.

Still not sure what's going on regarding the difficulty starting the car on Sunday. It's always started right up but it did that a few times on Sunday - each time it took just long enough starting to scare me into thinking I was going to miss out on a session. I'll tear into it this week and see what's up.

Honda's usually start right up:D
did it act up at all on Saturday? or just that one time Sunday?:blink:

boywonder
04-20-2009, 03:44 PM
It started fine on Saturday, but didn't want to start two or three times on Sunday.

ITA_honda
04-21-2009, 08:13 AM
It started fine on Saturday, but didn't want to start two or three times on Sunday.


hmmm thats odd. just keep an eye on it.
maybe a fuel pump relay going bad?
cause thats what happened to my car like 5 years ago. I couldnt figure out why it wouldnt start (only when the engine was warm, not cold):blink:
Traced it back to the relay for the fuel pump. That little dang relay!! put a new one in and its worked fine ever since:eclipsee_steering:

boywonder
04-21-2009, 10:56 AM
It could be something we did to it too. The carb wasn't acting right, (car seems down on power and the thinking is that the secondary isn't opening) so we fiddled with it a bit while at the track and we may have adjusted something too far.

ITA_honda
04-21-2009, 11:26 AM
It could be something we did to it too. The carb wasn't acting right, (car seems down on power and the thinking is that the secondary isn't opening) so we fiddled with it a bit while at the track and we may have adjusted something too far.


that may very well be. Now that you're a new racer, you will see how valuable track time is for practicing and adjusting your car!!:026:

iambhooper
04-22-2009, 10:02 PM
Nelson Ledge's is a blast. I had my school there in the X1/9.

As for your fuel problems... a couple of things... what fuel pressure are running? do you have a guage and an adjustable regulator? if it's a stock carb, i'm thinking i had mine set a 4 psi. the stock carb does have a float issue typically in left hander's. i would suggest rebuilding it for sure. you also want to find a new or newer issolator. make sure all your vac plugs are in place and zip tied.

have the jets been changed in the carb? what about the fuel pump, what are you using?

when you get a chance to go through the car, and are ready to make some decisions, email me. i have a stock carb that has been well sorted, along with a newish issolator and a mallory marine fuel pump that i could probably be talked out of for a fair price :D

hoop

iambhooper
04-22-2009, 10:05 PM
one more thing. the HP number's. the stock number quoted by Honda was taken at the flywheel, where the number that your dyno reads was taken at the wheels. i believe my car turned 67 at the wheel when i built the .040 motor 3 years ago.

hoop

RacerBill
04-22-2009, 10:15 PM
Ryan: Congrats on getting your schools signed off. You have to post the pictures your crew took getting your certificate. Let me know if you are thinking about the Cincy PDX at Bluegrass in May.

jumbojimbo
04-22-2009, 11:51 PM
Bluegrass pdx cancelled. Nelson Ledges, here we come!

boywonder
04-23-2009, 11:26 AM
Bluegrass pdx cancelled. Nelson Ledges, here we come!

I guess that makes that decision easy. I was really torn b/c while I've grown to love Nelson the thought of more seat time and at a brand new track was very enticing.

Hoop: Not sure about the fuel pressure because I don't have a gauge/regulator installed yet. We were screwing with the float level at the track because it seemed very high and maybe we lowered it too much - though the issues were in right handers...
Still running the stock mechanical fuel pump and I need to dig into the carb and probably rebuild. I'm hoping to be able to talk Kevin Ruck (psst, oh Kevin...) into coming over and having a look/see.

Bill: Thanks again for the instruction this past weekend. I'll get photos up soon. See you at Nelson for the race? What about O'Reilly?

iambhooper
04-23-2009, 08:52 PM
heck, come to think of it, it was the right handers where the float tends to stall out... i've not been in my car since october.

let me know if i can help. i will be having lots of nice things for sale in the next month or so. i've been concentrating on my build and haven't taken the time to list anything.

hoop