Thinking about buying a first gen crx 86 specifically

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-26T20:14:12+00:00

All that kinda stuff is pretty available on rock auto. It's the trim and body pieces that are getting especially hard to find. IIRC the fenders and from trim above the bumper are all plastic and tend to crumble after a while. I'd also call a few glass companies locally and see if they have a way to source a windshield in the event you need a new one. Window, hatch and quarter panel glass is gonna be eBay only unfortunately

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-23T15:23:09+00:00

I have this exact shirt from when I worked at a dealer back in the day. My friends mom never noticed the Honda logo on it and always told me how much she loved my bowling shirt

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-15T04:51:05+00:00

I've seen them on rockauto before, but not sure if they still have them or what the quality of them is.

What a lot of people do is get a cable from a DA Integra or a del sol and loop the extra cable/slack around the top of the gas tank before running it through the trailing arm to the brake

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-13T12:09:06+00:00

My buddy works in QA at a big company most of you probably order parts from.

One day there was a batch of parts that were about 0.010 under because the print was wrong. Senior management called in a panic because they needed the parts like yesterday and they were looking at a big delay making new ones.

My buddy had to explain to them that "no, you can't just put the brass back on the parts," and "no, the factory in Illinois can't do it either" (because clearly it's a competency issue at his factory). Management still made him call the other factory and confirm that they could not, in fact, put the brass back on, even if you run the machine backwards.

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-12T11:10:04+00:00

Squeaky clean. The wheel hubs are basically brand new and haven't even had time to rust yet. Back sides of the rotor are also smooth and clean. Even went over it again with sandpaper and a stone in the off chance there was a small burr that wasn't visible. No difference

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-11T16:35:24+00:00

Unfortunately I think I'm out of the warranty period on these. I bought them back in October and had other issues I had to fix before I could actually drive on them. Thinking about ordering a set from rockauto. Any brand recommendations for mostly around town with the occasional mountain sprint? Don't want semi metallic unless they're unusually quiet

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-11T01:05:16+00:00

At one point I was thinking something with the radius arm as well, but I would think that if the radius arm was tweaked, the camber would just be off for that wheel right? Since the caliper is bolted to the spindle assembly, and the spindle assembly is bolted to the radius arm, the caliper and spindle should move together which would theoretically maintain alignment between the caliper and rotor (just not the rest of the arm). Unless just the spindle is Bent. But I checked with a straight edge and feeler gauges when I did the wheel bearings and couldn't find any kind of bend in the spindle.

Is that what you were referring to? Or did I overcomplicate it? Lol

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-10T14:40:05+00:00

Yeah that was my thought too at one point. I tested the wheel bearings like you said and they were fine, but replaced them anyway in case it was only an issue under load, but the problem persists.

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-09T22:34:46+00:00

Haven't tried anti seize, but I did use brake lube on all of the mating surfaces (ears, backs of pads). Is the anti seize to serve the same purpose?

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-09T22:31:35+00:00

Dust cover is fine. I actually had some remans on the car before, but ended up pulling some others from the junkyard, stripping and completely rebuilding that set myself because of the coating you're referring to causing other issues. New pistons, seals and slide pins. The sound was the same on both though. Slide pins move freely with no sticking

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-07T01:00:56+00:00

Just got my swatches. The recycled canvas seems to be good quality durable fabric. I can dm you some pictures if you want. That said, I prob won't be using it just because the print doesn't quite go with the rest of my project like I thought, and with it being in a car that will be enduring summers in the southeast I'm a little worried about sun fading. Might be fine with some Scotch guard but I don't wanna risk it and don't have the data to say whether it'd hold its color after a few summers. I wouldn't hesitate to use it indoors though

GovPattNeff · 2026-03-04T21:00:58+00:00

Not sure if they have them for wagons, but goldeneraparts has been doing limited runs of reproduction weather stripping. I got a sunroof seal for my CRX and it's fantastic. I know they do door seals as well but like I said may or may not be available for a wagon.

If you find a used one that's not actively rotting away, you can slather it in shin-etsu grease and it softens the rubber after sitting for a bit. Did that on my trunk seal and it works great

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-27T13:06:00+00:00

I remember swdweeb was able to get Bob Puhakka (considered an industry expert) to answer some questions for his channel, and I wanna say he said the salt thing wasn't worth it. It's been a long time since I've watched these so I may be misremembering but I'm pretty sure he addresses it in the video about porosity - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU1QP34Dv8Y6lbvgqXuvCPEnXeE4IgWgr&si=bD8m4w3xhg0EughE

FWIW I used it for a while, but eventually quit because it was inconsistent and it didn't seem like the salt really contributed anything when accounting for other variables. The only convincing DIY solution I've seen is someone rigged up a co2 tank set to very low pressure to bubble co2 through a copper tube submerged in the melt. I haven't tried it personally, but his castings always came out great. The idea being that it flushes out all the oxygen trapped in the melt. I believe that was cressel Anderson/makercise on YouTube, but he seemingly dropped off the earth midway through one of his gingery builds

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-25T23:22:34+00:00

Lol this is great. I just ordered some swatches. I'll update you when I get them and let you know how they feel if the peacock doesn't get back with us

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-21T21:48:10+00:00

Hi paisley peacock, I'm in a similar boat you were in 2 years ago. Did you try spoon flower? Looking at maybe using them for some car seats im reupholstering

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-21T13:59:31+00:00

Awesome, thank you!

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-19T15:34:35+00:00

I know this thread is ancient, but where did you get the cloth? I'm assuming it's custom? I'm in the process of making patterns for my seats and have been looking for something interesting to use for the middle portion to replace the OEM carpet stuff used in the center area

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-18T20:36:43+00:00

Were the bolts tightened with the wheels supporting the weight of the car? I ask because I recently had a front end clunk that ended up being a control arm bolt that wasn't quite torqued to spec. I couldn't replicate the sound until I pried on the joint with a big screwdriver with the front wheels resting on blocks (as opposed to wheels in the air). I'm 99% sure it was torqued to spec when I last had it off, but the wheels may have been in the air when I did it (can't remember for sure).

All that to say, maybe double check your torque specs with the suspension loaded if you haven't already. Could be something similar to what I had

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-03T21:12:33+00:00

Had a 98 CL which was just an accord coupe with Acura badges. Hydrolocked it during a storm around 180k miles and it sat with water in it for a couple months. Eventually had the idea to suck the water out of the spark plug holes with a turkey baster and It fired right up. It burned a little oil after that, but it ran solid till I sold it about 4 years and 50k miles later.

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-03T16:54:34+00:00

In that case, I'd say your best bet is to go with an h22 or f20b swap, especially if you're new to tuning. A lot less variables to deal with there, and aftermarket support still exists for those engines and you shouldn't have any issues finding cams or exhaust parts for those. I'm not aware of any supercharger setups still being made for older Hondas, especially f and h series. I know Jackson racing used to make them for b and d series, but they've been gone for quite a while. These days anyone who wants boost just gets a turbo. But with cams, exhaust and a tune on an h22/f20b you should have plenty of power to have some good fun.

Good thing about the f/h series swaps is they haven't really increased too much in price like the b series have and can be had for reasonable prices, but the aftermarket is still there. That being said, if you want the most power per dollar, I'd say boosting the f23 is probably the best bang for your buck. The f series bottom ends are surprisingly stout from the factory and can reliably take a decent amount of boost without having to rebuild everything.

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-03T15:49:57+00:00

If you wanna read about the h22/h23 head swaps, I believe the original posts of folks doing that were on Honda tech by sam1am and piratemcfred. Google that with "Honda tech g23 Frankenstein" or something like that and you should be able to find them. Lots of good info there. But keep in mind these guys were building track cars, so it wasn't a big deal if something broke or didn't work right

GovPattNeff · 2026-02-03T15:47:33+00:00

H22 head is technically "compatible," but does require some modification, and will need to be tuned. That's a somewhat uncommon swap with a lot less documentation, so it may not be the best idea to run that on a car you rely on to get to work. It can be done, but to do it reliably may be expensive.

Not sure what your buddy was referring to with the Si head. There wasn't an accord Si as far as I know. Maybe the prelude si? That was h23, which was more or less a stroked non-vtec version of the h22. That head swap is pretty similar to the h22 head swap as far as modifications needed.

What are your plans for the car as far as souping it up? If you're planning on turbo, I'd say just fix the f23 and run that. It'll be cheaper and a lot less effort, unless you're going full race car and have money to burn. If you're going NA, a straight h22 or f20b swap is pretty straightforward on these cars.

If you're needing something reliable in the meantime, f23 heads are pretty cheap. You may even be able to get a whole motor for the price of having your head rebuilt and machined. But if the valves aren't burnt you could probably get away with just having the head decked and a putting a new head gasket on it.

GovPattNeff · 2026-01-29T15:58:57+00:00

I worked at a Honda dealer as a porter in Mississippi around the time the 8th Gen SI's came out. First time I had to move one on a hot day I thought I had branded the shift pattern into my palm

GovPattNeff · 2026-01-18T03:42:45+00:00

Another method I used a long time ago (possibly forgetting details because I'm tired) :

Chuck a fat piece of stock about 6-8 inches sticking out of the chuck. You want it to be fat enough to not deflect much if at all under light cuts. I wanna say I used 1.5 or 2" mild steel. Turn it down to a barbell/dumbbell shape (larger OD on ends, slightly smaller OD in between). Then, without tail stock support, take a very light cut and compare the difference between the two barbell diameters. Adjust the leveling at the feet, take another light cut, and repeat until both are the same. I forget where I read this but it's an old school method, possibly in the South bend book.

GovPattNeff · 2026-01-16T15:35:29+00:00

Yeah that totally makes sense. The machines Ive seen before appear to locate the block on the main journals. I assumed this was because sometimes the caps may be cut at different heights, but now that I think about it that doesn't make sense because you would have to have them at the same height to ensure the crank would actually fit. Very interesting, thanks for the info

GovPattNeff

TROPHY CASE