Hatchie

The wrap up.

2005-11-22T23:20:00.001-05:00

Well here is my final information post about my whole bloggin experience. It was a fun time, and a great learning experience about what to expect when creating and managing a blog. here is my list of comments so that you may be able to see my progress in becoming part of the blogging community

Comments:
American Car makers-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=112604017825190191&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=113254181124752274&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=113217645729281721&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=113156191585785209&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=113097441194598009&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=112949269159595348&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=112977962702251132&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16430790&postID=113045543573693794&r=ok
Celeb Gossip-http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16466908&postID=112610697427878010-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16466908&postID=113244745515705098&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16466908&postID=113267503929098632-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16466908&postID=113244232950281615&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16466908&postID=113123399628615034&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16466908&postID=113123161548296844&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16466908&postID=113035711916854547&r=ok

Prof Athlete Breaking law-http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16518379&postID=112682697551355233-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=112915278537856281&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113045062231438682&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113096425163913200&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113192224218733728&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113252984697240354&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113209765241535368&r=ok
http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16518379&postID=113261591300821526&r=ok
Recipes-http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16081313&postID=112663269045436393-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113224891670680288&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113207970407188545&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113150348462448410&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113099781142454420&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113080831031202911&r=ok-http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=113021475133374972&r=ok
http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?blogID=16081313&postID=112961951612038998&r=ok
http://www.blogger.com/publish-comment.do?logID=16445529&postID=112985297362707647&r=ok

I will also be sending you an email with these attached.

The wrap up.

2005-11-22T23:20:00.000-05:00

The aftermath

2005-11-21T23:53:00.000-05:00

Well as it would happen, today I took the car out in the rain to let it get pelted by the natural rainfall. As it sits there getting soaked, i prepare in my raincoat with my cleaning supplies to give it a wash down after a hard run. After the car is cleaned on the outside, I bring it in to the garage to give the interior a nice wash and finally the engine bay.

As I am cleaning the guts of the engine bay, I look down only to find every tuners nightmare. A drip of oil seeping from in between the head and the block. [img]http://www.makingapril.com/greg/Oil1.jpg[/img][img]http://www.makingapril.com/greg/oil2.jpg[/img]

Anyway, after a day of hell and getting on the honda boards I found out that its the gasket in my vtec solenoid. So after a hard day of work I will pick up some gaskets from the dealer to fix the problem.

Secondly, I have started to get synchro grind in my transmission. I completly relate this back to the crap fluid used by the shop that did my swap. So I will also be stopping to pic up the friction modified Syncromesh fluid at the GM dealer (the only american car part ill ever buy...sorry kyle) for a quick fluid change

Finally, my brakes are getting worn and it is time for an upgrade. But the bigger rotors and calipers will have to wait until after the winter, as they are a precious part affected by the cold. Stay tuned!

A sunday Drive

2005-11-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

After driving the slow single cam beater for a week it was time to break out the hatchie for a spirited drive out in the backroads of Maryland and Delaware. I push the car out of the garage, clean it from top to bottom, and grab my favorite cd from the book and head out, strapped down in a 5 point racing harness securing myself deep in the MOMO bucket preparing for the drive of a lifetime.

The CD blarin on 273 as I find my way deeper and deeper into Marlyand an finally I find it. I look to my left and see the windiest, twistiest swirliest road. I stomp on the brakes, and make a quick U-turn at the next street. The Radio gets turned off as I shift into 2nd at 6000rpms. I take to the turns gear to gear as the red light flashes at 8000rpms telling me to shift. I slam gears hearing the engine whine taking my car up through the hills and around turns as if it was on a track. For a half hour it was up and around until i couldnt make my way back. I find the nearest road that leads towards 95, slow down, pop the cd back in and relax as I loosen up the seatbelt as I head back home.

7 exits into Maryland and 2 tolls later I arrive back at my house, the car safe in the garage...dirty from a hard day at work.

The latest!

2005-11-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Light at the end of the tunnel

2005-11-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

Well, as you may have read, the hatchie was at risk in the past couple of weeks due to money owed for a drag racing ticket. However, there has been a spectacular turn of events in which I am now able to keep the pride and joy and still make it through the court date. Last Sunday, the daily driver was picked delivered at the King of Prussia mall to a fellow named skip for the great price of 1700 bucks. Split between my roomate and I that is 850 each. heres the best part...He didnt want the winter wheels...which are a valuable asset. They can be sold or traded for money or goods up to 350 dollars.

So to the next development...do I play it smart and take the cash? Or go for a trade for parts that can make the hatchie a faster more tuner race car? Tough decision...but not really. I think I am gonna play it smart and take the money and run....right to the lawyer cause I owe him a buttload of cash.

http://www.7ent.com/images2/KAD1012070.jpg

or this

http://www.fenews.com/fen37/topics_act_analysis/dollars.jpg

eh tough call but I have the rest of my life to build a car.... but only one time to hid a drag racing ticket from my parents!

2005-11-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

The Sad development

2005-11-07T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today has officially been marked as the worst day for my hatchie tuning. As I may or may not have stated, June 1st 2005 was a night to be remembered...and regretted. A night out on the town, I found myself challenged by a friend at a stoplight. Not only was he my friend, but we had known each other for 8 years and we are roomates. That being said, we decided to take a dig from a stoplight to see whos faster.

As we pulled off to the side, to meet up with a friend or two from earlier in the night, we were confronted by a near by bicycle officer who had witnessed the whole race.

Where am I going with this? Well, 900 bucks later, and a court date at the end of this month, I happen to be strapped for cash. This means that I have to find a way to come up with a decent amount of money in order to make ends meet. The Hatchie mush be sold!!!!!!!!!!!

As we speak a member of our nations military is gathering together the finances to come and take the hatchie off my hands. I am now back at square one, making the beater my permanent daily driver. Completely stock. OUCH.

Which brings me to my next point. Dont drag race in front of police officers. And if you want to save yourself some embarassment, dont get busted by cops on bicycles. Its pathetic.

Until next week....

The Competition

2005-10-31T18:49:00.000-05:00

Well, for the longest time, the hatchie owned the tuning game at 9 Courtney Street. It was the fastest, most extreme wildest ride we had to offer....but unfortunately it has been dethroned. An all wheel drive, turbo, 2Liter Subaru has come along and dominated what has been an exceptional run.

On the eve of this Halloween, my roomate flew down to Atlanta to pick up a car with one of the most rare motors ever to be found in the United States. A JDM version 7 Spec-C (which means nothing to the majority of the world) motor with a monster turbo upgrade pushes an untuned 325 wheel horsepower (comparable to that of a ferrari, however this is to all 4 wheels, not just the rear 2) With the highest flowing head Subaru has to offer, and anther half liter of potential this car has the ability to be the fastest car that I have ever driven/driven in.

Mods:
JDM Spec C motor
18G turbo upgrade
Blitz front mount intercooler
Aquamist water injection
HKS headers
Carbon-Ti Exhaust
Uppipe/downpipe
EcuTek Tuning

The video of the dyno run can be found here

www.makingapril.com/greg/GregDyno1.WMV

Impressive.

Stay tuned for updates

The Beater!

2005-10-24T18:38:00.000-04:00

As winter steadily approaches, I cant afford to keep plowing snow with the front of my car because it is so low lke i do every other year. That being said, a fellow roomate of mine and I decided to purchase a winter car. a 1995 civic coupe with monster truck style winter tires was acquired from my old boss at a summer job for only 800 bucks! Thats 400 a piece for a running clean honda civic coupe.
http://www.makingapril.com/greg/A.jpg

The reason we got it so cheap was the thing needed a little bit of work, however, with my previous knowledge and a garage full of parts removed from the hatch I got this thing up and running in a jiffy.

It needed brake pads
http://www.installuniversity.com/mb/install_graphics/amg_brake_drsp/brake%20pads%20removal.jpg

As well as a heat shield to be removed to stop an annoying chatter when the car idled
http://eliteone.com/civic/heatshield.jpg

Finally it needed a bushing to be replaced on the steering rack because the steering was looser when turning side to side.

http://www.suspension.com/8-304-b.JPG

And with 50 bucks in parts I had laying around I upped not only the drivability of the car but the overall value. After a nice snowfilled stop and go winter, I will be able to sell the car for twice what I had purchased it for.

Photoshoot!

2005-10-17T23:07:00.000-04:00

Got bored and went out with my fathers work camera to have some fun around the Jersey back country that I live in. It was a good time. The shot above is an old one with a camera phone, but is a good shot of the cage. The rest are just some generals taken at about 4 pm. Sun was going down and was the perfect light so you cant see some of the asthetic defects in the paint and fender. A buddy of mine will be using a computer program called photoshop to bring out some more of the lines and shadows that will be put in the video that will hopefully be done sometime at the end of this year. As for the rest of the car it is still awating some new parts for the 06 season.

The races!

2005-10-17T22:44:00.000-04:00

Well, after a few new parts, and an axle on its way out, its time to hit the track. And by track I mean street... for the Central Jersey/Philadelphia street races. Here the stakes get big, and some of the fastest cars on the street duke it out for winner take all wages. Well tonight was no different.

While I didnt partake in any of the high stakes racing (my car being a road car not a drag car) i decided to take my seat high in the parking lot of a shopping mall hill to watch the faster guys run.

Supra V Cobra

These 2 type of cars go at it as the kind of top of class drag cars from both the import and domestic world. Both with a ton of potential its always fun to see them go at it. The rumored numbers on both of them were approximately 1000 and 1100 repsectivly. Both running huge turbochargers (forced induction) and massive slicks the races was the most exciting 9 seconds of the night.

The Bust!

Just after the last of the hondas are finishing up, a swarm of cops come to block in the road! Its a mad house! Everyone runs away, those who are able to make it around the cops who were actually racing run with complete disregard for anything that makes them slower. Most of the racers have been caught so many times that their liscenses are either revoked or non existent. My friends and I had parked in a back alley behind the shopping mall and booked it as soon as we saw the lights over the hill.

My car is very noticable and suspicious (with a cage and all) so we had to make a quick getaway. All in all it was a fun night...with plenty of excitement to keep us going back for more!

More Parts

2005-10-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

During a race an axle broke (the part of the car that takes power from the transmission to the wheel). Well, for starters, not only did I not get a chance to get the axle done, I got pulled over, and one of the parts didn't fit because it was year specific on the car.

The Parts:

Axle replaced (didnt happen)
Lower Tie Bar/Sway Bar
Antenna block of plate
Winter wheel/Tire Package

After about an hour of trying to take off the nut that held the axle nut on, we had come to the conclusion that a few weeks ago when the wheel bearing was replaced, the tire company used an impact gun that was on such high pressure it was frozen on. So we scratched that plan (as i now ride on an shimmery axle) and moved on to the rest of the parts.

The antenna block off plate was a simple mod...2 screws on the exterior of the car replacing what used to be the remote control like panel antenna on the side of my car. The tie and sway was a little more effort, pulling down the rear suspension, but went on with ease. All in all it took about 2 hours and a lot of brake dust and grease.

Another buddy of mine, who had my exact style car stolen from a car show in Newark New Jersey, had a bunch of extra parts laying around from his old modifications. Among those was a much needed set of winter wheels with the best winter tires money can buy. Now all i have to do is raise my car up high enough to avoid being a snow plow once it piles up past 2 inches.

Racing Season

2005-10-12T19:14:00.000-04:00

Well, just to clarify the past events were all worked out. They fellow who had "scammed me" was actually just a very bad seller. I received my product in decent condition but not perfect. One of the mounts was broken, but I had the bushing left over from the zillion parts I have acquired from working on hondas for so long.

As far as racing goes, my car is about 2 grand away from being eligible from being on the circuit tracks. Thats before all hidden costs. However, what was just brought to my attention was the Mid Atlantic Grand Prix http://www.midatlanticgrandprix.com/leagues.html. This is a indoor karting track that was opened 15 minutes away from the UD with the sole purpose of training track hopefuls like myself to be great racers.

It opened Saturday the 8th and has some of the best equipment out there. The forums are buzzing about the potential this track has for a sport mainly reserved for out west. The last time I was on a track, it was a level above what this track is, on an outdoor course in New York. With the karts which are literally an inch off the ground and can accelerate to 90 in under 4 seconds, it was great training for driving my car. With no seatbelts, ruthless competition, and the desire to learn the 150 dollar entry fee for the season is peanuts compared to what i will be getting out of it!

The Scam!!!!!

2005-09-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

Ok so heres the story. Sad to say, but for the past couple of weeks I had my car up for sale out of frustration with minor problems but mostly the fact the car has no A/C in the summer. Anyway, I dont feel comfortable selling it without it running 100% so I had to order some miscellaneous parts just to get it up to speed. Some of the stuff was parts I took out to weight strip that I lost, but the main thing I needed were Motor Mounts.

Motor mounts have one end that attach into the motor, and another thats held onto the frame with a bushing. When I had changed out the motor, I was running 4 out of 5 which isnt bad, but isnt good. The 5 mounts are the 3 rear "main" mounts and the front "torque" mounts. The front mounts are for extra rigidity and support under hard acceloration, turning and braking. Being that this is what the car is made for, they are much needed.

Long story short, a forum that you can find in my links section in this blog honda-tech.com... has a classifieds section. Its basically ruled by the people...meaning us as members regulate if someone fails to complete their end of the sale...i.e. a SCAM. So as fate would have it I would fall on a dishonest seller when I am in need of these mounts.

Before I buy anything from anyone offline, I do research... and his past wasnt anything to be afraid of. Numerous completed sales, as well as no complaints. Unfortunately I may have caught this person in either a time of need, or most likely is getting off the forums and doesnt care about his name being tarnished. Anyway, 3 weeks ago I had paypaled him money, and still no sign. Right now I am in the midst of a Paypal complaint and am waiting to either get a refund or for this guy to finally come through.

The worst is that I really dont want the money, I just want the mounts. So now it has been close to amonth of wasted time, as well as time i couldnt have sold my car. On the upside...I used this time to seriously reconsider selling, and may continue out my hobby and passion.

Clearing it all up....

2005-09-16T17:42:00.000-04:00

I have gotten plenty of posts, or comments in forums other then blogger related to why people think that my car is not a race car. Granted...yes, it is a 13 year old car with ajust a 4 cylinder motor however, racing is always categorized in "classes".

Also, there are many different types of racing. First being drag...which is the one people refer to when talking about race cars. Obviously my car isnt in that category. Second, there is circle, or circuit racing which involves skills in taking turns, while competing with others who all have the main objective....be in first. To learn more about the dynamics of circuit racing you can read a bunch at www.skipbarber.com.

That being said...my 13 yr old honda with a 4 cylinder is being set up (and not finished) to be raced in a circuit called the Honda Challenge. For that particular season, when my car has all of the proper parts i.e brakes, steering rack... i will be put up against 10 cars that have the exact power to weight ratio as i do.... and it will be a contest of whos driver is best.

Below is a blurb cut from a popular Honda forum about driving on a real race track taken from http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=972109

The organizations below run driving events called a "HPDE" (High Performance Driving Experience,") or "time-trial." This is where you can take your stock or modified street car on a real road-racing track and drive as fast as you want in a safe environment. You'll see all kinds of cars, from Mini's, dune-buggies on slicks, Cobras, to Hondas, Toyotas, to Ferraris. It's great fun to go out with your buddies and see "what's what." You can show up with just about anything; turbos, oversize tires, NOS, big brakes; it's all welcome unlike SCCA events where you'd get reclassed or banned.
Consider what it costs to build up a decent drag race car and driving for 10-13 seconds at a time. Now consider spending about the same or less and driving in 3-5, 20 minutes sessions in one day! That's what you get to do at HPDEs, and no tickets! A pretty good deal if you figure driving time / money spent. At the end of the day, you are spent, with any urges to speed gone from your system for a while!
Requirements are usually (but not always) better seatbelts, helmet, cotton clothes, 18 years old or older, and that's about it. More safety equipment is a good idea (roll cage) but usually not required. Since you will be driving fast for quite a while, it is strongly suggested you check your tires, bleed the brakes, and check the pads.
There is no official scoring other then recording your lap times. Costs (see last paragraph too) differ widely, from $200-$300 per weekend depending on the event, but for that cost you get a lot of track time. If that's too expensive, some tracks offer mid-week "test days" where you pay a reduced fee of $100-$200. Of course since testing sessions are for testing there is no timing, nothing is organized, but you get less of a crowd and you can do your own thing. Keep in mind the costs above only get you on the track; don't forget about motel, food, gas, tire and brake expense. It can be an expensive weekend if you don't watch things.
While a HPDE is not true wheel-to-wheel racing you still have to be careful. Passing is usually restricted to straightaways which keeps MOST accidents from happening but it won't prevent you from "doing yourself in" by dropping a wheel off and overcorrecting. Occasionally people do ball up their cars. Is this your only car, driving it to work or school? Also consider most insurance companies will not insure damages incurred at a timed event. Can you deal with the consequences and responsibility if you break it?
Again, this is not true road-racing. If you want to get into the real thing, start at http://www.scca.org And note all the above is "in general." Contact your local HPDE organizer to get their exact rules.
Normally these events are announced months in advance and you must reserve a place ahead of time. In general, you are not allowed to just show up.
Notes:Racing can be very expensive; here's a thread on what it costs to go "real" roadracing: http://www.honda-tech.com/zero...age=1A HPDE will be less expensive because presumably you aren't blowing up high-strung racing engines, going though a set of pads each weekend, or buying a set of tires every event... but it can still be expensive.
Driving your car on a real track risks wrecking it, and possibly yourself. If you cannot afford to ball the car up, climb out, and walk away, leaving it there, rethink if you should really be doing this. This is an activity very much meant for a second car - not your sole means of transportation! As enlightenment, here's a thread on people's track accidents - it isn't if it can happen, but when: http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1342480

Aside from that...I have new motor mounts coming in as well as a tune up to keep her running until next season. If you have any questions or need help building your own...feel free to contact me whenever.

Eric

maintenence

2005-09-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

Above was just something to get me overall acquainted with the blog system...but heres something more in depth for anyone whos interested. Last year at about this time i purchased a bone stock 1992 civic hatchback for 900 dollars. Pretty much the ugliest car money could buy but the value could be seen by anyone into cars. Performance is based on power but power can get expensive.

Tuner Rule of Thumb:
Cheap
Fast
Reliable

Pick two. if you want something cheap and fast, it wont be reliable. If you want something cheap and reliable it wont be fast. And finally if you want something fast and reliable it wont be cheap.

The way to get around it is weight... and the hatchback only weighs 2100lbs in stock form. Once i took all the interior out as well as bumper supports, radio, uneccessary lines and tanks (such as washer fluid) It dropped the overall weight after the swap and cage to 1950lbs. While this is significanly lower then most other performance cars out there, in refernece to the sport car world, my car is by no means fast. Essentially my power to weight ratio is the equivalent to that of a stock 350z.

The motor that powers my car is a b16a. This motor comes "stock" in the same cars available in Japan. The reason this engine is readily available is that in Japan there is an inspection period called Shaken...basically a much more strict system that makes it cheaper to sell an old car to a junk yard and buy a new one, then continue putting money into the old one to meet the extremely high standards of shaken. The average amount of miles on the motors that come over are under 35,000.

Now if you know anything about a b16a its not that fast but its reliable...and has potential that could be unlocked but not without the rule of thumb. But there will be more to come....

Welcome to my blog

2005-09-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

So for class we have to make a blog about somethign that we are passionate about. I am making making mine about my 92 civic race car. Any comments are welcome as I am sure it matters for our grade....

Heres the list:
Engine
JDM B16a
SCO motorsports J's Replica Intake
Spoon Header
Test Pipe
Worldsport Exhaust
AEBS cam seal
Uberdata Tuned p28 also included is a skunk 2 chip

Tranny
B16a nonLSD tranny
exedy stage 1 clutchno grinds
Napa unbreakable axles

Suspension
Omni Street Coilovers 10k front 8k rear
15x7 Kosei K1s w/ Kuhmo 712s

Interior
Fully Stripped Gutted and painted to match exterior
One momo rookie seat
Corbeau harnesses Both included
Voodoo Shift knob
Broadway MirrorKirk Racing Roll Bar
ExteriorOEM Passenger side view mirror
Spoon Style ABS front lip
Ricks S badge on the hoodamber corners