[automaticRSX]

nice build

 

[Them Witches]

nice build

thank you brother.

 

[Them Witches]

10/6/20

Before I remove the engine harness today, I am finishing the engine harness design on paper to know where to lengthen certain parts and stay true to a "tucked" look. My idea is to remove as much of the Outer OEM Plastic covering as possible and add as much shrink wrap to help clean up the engine harness. Since the engine bay fuse box and the battery are being relocated to the same exact area, the charge harness will be easy to tuck.

I am removing the PRB IM permanently today and test fitting the RBC IM. I will double check, triple check the port matching on the head with the thermal IMG. Once I am confident the RBC IM is what I want it to be, it will come off for the plenum welding. If I have time today, I will start weld prepping the seams and front engine bay, radiator housing area, and the front bumper frame areas.

 

[Them Witches]

I need to get some more Honda Bond, copper seal, and other sealants.

I got the alternator and P.S. pump off today. The bolts on the IM are off except two. The lower and upper radiator cross bars as weak, as well as both vertical radiator housing beams. They could all be improved.

The upper area of the front where the bumper ties into frame ends, are weak as well. I noticed that is the area where the SRS system sensor is located. My second thought voice said, " If you make that area stronger it may throw the sensor when to set off the air bags."

Luckly I have some carbon flat bar. I want to make an aluminum upper radiator mount bar.

 

[Them Witches]

The Speedfactory tucked radiator does collide with the OEM radiator support. I would like to bring the radiator in another 1"-1.5". I will have to come up with something different if I plan to keep the housing in OEM fashion. It would look better to come up with something custom.

I mocked up a piece of 1" Aluminum schedule 40 pipe as a brace and a way to mount the top of the radiator to. I will fab plates on the left and right vertical radiator housing to be bolted to the steel. This will help stiffen up the front of the chassis as well. May weld tabs to the bracing pipe to catch anti-vibration connections to catch the top of the radiator. I bought some anti-vibration pads for the bottom of the radiator to sit on. The bearing weight of the radiator will not rest on the pads.

 

[Them Witches]

I have some antil-vibration mounts that I am going to use to keep pressure down on the radiator from the topside. I am going to weld two tabs to the cross pipe. Then take two short pipcuts from a 2" aluminum pipe and tack them to the top of the radiator. The anti-vibration mounts will fit inside of the 2" pipe cuts, finally the tabs on the cross bar will bolt to the anti-vibration mounts. The bottom side of the radiator is sitting on very thick anti-vibration pads

 

[Them Witches]

 

[Them Witches]

Brand new K-Tuned 70mm x 74mm TB. New MAP, IAVC, purge assembly, and K-Tuned TPS

 

[Them Witches]

 

[Them Witches]

Making templates for the radiator vertical bulkhead to allow the Speed Factory tucked radiator's horizontal clips to bolt solid into solid aluminum. At the same time I can weld the aluminum cross bar to the template brackets. A solid way to mount this tucked radiator on basically all four sides, but really just three sides.

 

[Them Witches]

I quit skateboarding 10 years ago brother. Mobility is very hard having ankle fusions and chronic pain is no fun. I credit skateboarding to giving me the balance I do have now, I use a cane a lot. The best way I can describe my balance is it is like walking on 2"x4" piece of wood - very easy to fall off the shelf if my weight shifts suddenly which creates falling. I am sorry to hear you have the problems you are having with your knees, I am sure it is not easy getting around and not being able to kneel must be hard.

We found out that the chronic pain and acute pain causes issues with my blood pressure.

Sophia is on virtual schooling, I call it home schooling because it requires me to be present. Honestly, I feel it is my duty. We study, read, do homework, and virtual schooling is not as efficient as actual school. There is so much that I have to fill in with.

I almost got the engine out today.

I will be fabricating the following items:

- complete exhaust system. K-Tuned RSX 409 421 race header w/ modified collector (2.5"), megaphone, 3" straight thru exhaust. Straight thru Vibrant Ultra Quite Resinator and Vibrant stealth muffler

- Coolant Swirl Tank modified to relocate radiator cap

- Closed PCV catch can

- PNP RBC IM. Bored TB opening, shaped runner entry, port matched to PRB head & Thermal IMG

- Valvecover Breather System

- OEM fuel rail converted w/ return fuel line

Reactions:KBuilt

 

[Them Witches]

LotusElise - would you like to help design my intake based on the parts I have purchased. In order I have listed below is the order they will be fabricated in the system. The lengths of each section need to be determined.

1) K-Tuned TB 70mm butterfly. 70mm x 74mm taper

2) Thick wall Aluminum pipe 3" x 1ft. long. The ID is 2.9" which equals 73.66mm. My plan is to bore this piece to 74mm ID and lathe the outside to flush with the next piece for a cap weld. The inside line up will be smooth and is the point of going through all the trouble of purchasing these parts to make the ID's line up perfectly, unlike many custom intakes being sold for huge dollars. And they do more harm than good.

The way I see it is this piece needs to be short in length but not too short. It's purpose is to line up the ID's. It's length can help with air velocity by meeting the concentric reducer. I am thinking around 2.75"-3.5" length.

3) 2.5" x 4" (extra long) concentric reducer. I had this made to give me the availability to line up ID's on both sides of the reducer correctly. From what I am figuring the reducer's length be close to 4.185" long.

4) CX 3.5" OD 180 degree long bend fitting with extra long legs on one side. The wall thickness of this section is 1/16"-3/32". I picked this part because the wall thickness was exactly the same as K-Tuned 3.5" velocity stack wall thickness.

I will take some pics for you. The point of the intake is to get away from traditional CAI designs - some of them are too long IMO to achieve getting the filter out of the engine bay, most of them have extreme bends to avoid surrounding oem items/parts (like batteries), and the aftermarket intakes are too thin. Not to mention they are extremely expensive for what they are.

So my take on this is to copy what Honda has already designed as best possible and make a few changes to see if there is some room to make some more power and performance. Honda's intake supply pipe is basically a long concentric "ish" reducer, 62mm ID x 3,2"ish" ID. Honda's piping length doesn't stop with this piece. It travels further into the airbox making a 90 degree turn into a air filter.

I was running a SRI before this build project I am making a thread about. I utilized the Honda intake supply tube at the TB to K-Tuned's 3.5" velocity stack. BY chance I tried to fit it into the large end of the Honda supply tube, it fit well except there was a lip due to ID differences. So I made a transition piece to fix that about 3" long and the intake was good to. This SRI was better than previous CAI's I was using in the past on the same type of K20 builds. The problem I did have was the engine mount vibration slowly tore the thin parts of the rubber supply tube.

This intake is ram air. It cost a coin to build. It is R&D and should help me to discover what lengths are the correct ones. A very good friend of mine owns a Dynapack 3000 and is always willing to work with me on projects, providing the shop is slow or we schedule weekend sessions.

Sorry about the text length, well no I am not. And neither should you worry about how long your texts are on my thread or posts. The whole thing we are doing is about education and R&D, most importantly it is a passion. If you want to throw ideas at me about the exhaust system I am fine with that, however I have already bought all the parts. I got stuck with a lemon header that I am going to have to fix before I can use it. while I am doing that I plan to modify the collector exit. Unless the company steps up and replaces the header.

 

[Them Witches]

have ordered the parts and equipment to switch the oem fuel line supply line to -6AN SS braided fuel line from the fuel pump assembly to the fuel filter, check valve, secondary fuel filter, etc. fuel rail. I also ordered -4AN SS braided fuel line to run a return line back to the fuel pump assembly. I am not using bulkhead fittings.

Removing the engine and transmission has been put on a hold until this upcoming Saturday. It has been helpful having the engine in to finish fabricating the swirl tank & associated piping, the valve cover breather tank, a front upper strut bar that is located behind the backside of the valve cover. Having the engine still in is helping to design and fabricate the air intake filter box.

Today's goals are to finish removing the exhaust system, the header is completely unbolted except one bolt. To finish pulling the the driver side axle and removing the halfshaft & passenger side axle (as a whole section). The lower roll center ball joints are rusted/fused together.

I have my daughter off to virtual school so I am heading off to the driveway to work.

 

[Them Witches]

Some in addition to give you a view of what I mean.

Torque curves of an engine. Blue and black line represent a 280 mm long intake of 74 and 80 mm ID, the other two a 560 mm long intake pipe of 74 and 80 mm. The diameter doesn't change the torque in that magnitude length does it. It's a game changer. But there is no overall win. It is always a give and take. You need to know where your demand is highest.

 

[Them Witches]

with the longer section of piping there is more air "charged" or "available" for the engine for the VTEC crossover. basically because the piping is longer. the loss for the shorter section of pipe is because of the opposite reason. Yes there is always give and take. To me having linear TQ & Peaking TQ is better than falling TQ, typically just the top end gains are falling, and top end is fro a shorter period of time. From your graph I am on the right track.

the overall length of my intake piping 560-590mm. however it is not cut and dry small to big pipe transition. I am attempting to have some decent TQ from 4000-8500 rpm, more usable power. With my PNP RBC IM I think what I have will mix well.

So this is how my intake piping will go :

1) 70mm TB butterfly with a taper to 74mm inside of the TB

2) I have a custom aluminum pipe I ordered from McMaster Carr. It is 73.66mm ID yet it is heavy wall. So I will take it to a lathe and have the wall thickness taken down to the next pipe's OD. I will cross hatch the ID of the this pipe to find the 0.44mm I need. This pipe will be around 114mm long.

3) I have a custom made long transition piece. 63.5mm x 101.6mm. I did this because when I ordered the 89mm OD final pipe section I was not sure what the ID would be. This piece will allow me to trim to the ID's on both sides as needed. This transition should work out to be 101.6mm long.

4) the final section of piping with be 85.45mm ID just like the K-Tuned velocity stack ID. It just worked out like that perfectly. This section will be 381mm long and will enter the airbox and be feed ram air by two ducts - one from the bumper and one from the hood scoop.

Summary
-- The intake should make some decent velocity before the TB and at the TB. The 85.45mm ID section will have plenty of air stored inside of it for the mid-range and top-end. If it does not work I have penty of 80.9mm ID piping (1524mm length) and (914.4mm length) of 85.45mm ID pipe.

 

[Them Witches]

Them Witches said:
with the longer section of piping there is more air "charged" or "available" for the engine for the VTEC crossover. basically because the piping is longer. the loss for the shorter section of pipe is because of the opposite reason. Yes there is always give and take. To me having linear TQ & Peaking TQ is better than falling TQ, typically just the top end gains are falling, and top end is fro a shorter period of time. From your graph I am on the right track.

Yes, what is good for stationary torque must not be good to have an aggressiv transition when load and engine speed changes. There is another point, shorter pipes are prone to suck more heated then the longer ones. Measures like fresh air feeders incl. feed housings has to be taken. Many of the customers have short pipe intakes and see elevated intake air temperatures. The mentioned fresh air approach is a must to get out the optimum. Long horn intakes can solve that, but risk higher risk of suction in of water, dirt and insects. The first is an engine killer, if water level increases too high and you want to "rescue" your car.

When I have time I will look into your options.

 

[Them Witches]

Well I am not into the CAI filter in the lower bumper. I am positioning everything in the engine bay to allow for the intake piping to stay as level as possible with the IM plenum and throttle body. I will post a pic here soon of the intake.

I have to pull this engine today. So I am breaking ball joints and removing axles right now. Then I can hook up the engine hoist and loosen the engine mount bolts by myself. I might not get the engine out today. i would like someone to operate the engine hoist while I handle the bolts

 

[Them Witches]

A status update to the thread. Both the passenger and driver side suspension, both axles, and half shaft are removed. The lower ball joints are pressed out of the knuckles, the exhaust is completely removed, and the engine is ready to be pulled.

Today's goals are to lay out some lines in the engine bay marking the engine's position and height. That way I can continue to fabricate parts without the engine in the bay.

I will begin to disassemble the engine once it is rolled into the shop. This is a milestone for me in many ways doing all the work by myself and am under doctor's orders to not do shit. I just work one day 4-6 hrs, take the next day off to recover, and get back at it. I have so many new Honda engine parts this will be fun servicing it.

 

[Them Witches]

LotusElise said:
Congratulation to you for achieving your milestone under this tough circumstances. I hope and whish you see more ups as downs and your projects help to heal your suffers a bit.

Thank you very much for the kind positive words - they mean a lot to me. Yes yes more ups than downs always is what works for me fine. I can tell you completing these projects on the car heals the mind and the soul.

Today I worked on last minute fabrications before I lose the engine's place in the engine bay :

1) New Similar Swirl Tank design
2) Vertical Radiator Bulkheads w/ strut bar
3) Tucked Radiator Hose locations and routes
4) Valve Cover breather Box
5) Labeling engine harness plugs

First thing tomorrow morning, I am going to layout some extra lines and scribe marks to simulate the engine and transmission still being in the engine bay. This will help out continuing fabrication of custom parts, fuel parts & lines, radiator hoses, vacuum lines, and the plumbing including hangers etc.

I had to change my original swirl tank design. Because of my intake and airbox design, there just wasn't enough room. I didn't want to use the more typical CAI route, I choose to keep the OEM design as close as possible to it's original form. Except the supply duct from the bumper is much larger and the hood will have a supply duct as well. Basically the intake and the airbox are the focal point of the engine bay theme.

Again thank you for the kind encouraging words. This kind of work is not easy on my body.

Reactions:KBuilt

 

[Them Witches]

LotusElise said:
Hello @Them Witches everything alright?

Hey my brother. Thank you for checking in with me with concern -- that is nice of you.

Things have been depressing for me recently of late causing a discord with wanting to be on the internet and social media. The health problems I have made life difficult of late and I have been sick and having less than desirable vital readings. In the past 10 days I haven't touched the DC5 and the engine hasn't received any love just hanging on the engine stand. My dearest and only grandmother whom I am extremely close with has been in an assisted living home for the past 2 1/2 years. Since the time she has been there, I have visited with her 2-3 times per week hanging out with her, doing her laundry, cleaning her apartment there, and helping her with her little dog. Once covid hit the US, the assist living community enforced a rule were visitors were not allowed no matter if they were family. So I have been missing the shit out of her.

Well this past Monday morning we found out she has been infected with covid. Prior to this in the past two weeks her health fell to the floor and recent bed sores were at 0.5 - 1 cm in deflection. Monday morning the bed sores have increased to 4 - 5 cm in deflection indicating she needing to be moved to hospice, she is dying and dying fast. And covid will increase the time span. The fact we are not allowed to come visit her before she dies has depressed me worse. Though all of this over the past 3 days I have managed to get myself back on track and I will be back working on the build daily starting tomorrow morning. I have to process this grief and sorrow into something positive and at the age of 43 I know that beauty is very possible to create in the dark. This is how I will stay in the light by dedicating my build to the long wonderful life my grandmother has lived and her return uniting in spirit back with my grandfather, whom has checked into town to receive his loving wife.

I have one last shipment coming in by Friday or Saturday from the honda part wholesaler -- dowels and some other last odds and ends. I received some cool packages this past week :

-- Hasport Billet 62A transmission mount
-- Blox Racing Subframe Rigid collar kit
-- 0.01mm - 4mm shim kit
-- High temp wrinkle paint
-- High temp ceramic paint for the exhaust header
-- More Hondabond
-- $200 Craftsman 3/8" drive digital Torque wrench 10lb - 150 lb
-- $100 Kobolt 1/2" drive Torque wrench 20lb - 225lb
-- Amazon K20 upper coolant housing with filler neck -16AN ** ( just like the K-Tuned model )
-- (2) sheets of 1/16" thick aluminum 24" x 48"
-- (1) sheet of 1/16" thick A36 steel plate 24" x 24"
-- (1) 4ft. length of schedule 40 steel 1" dia pipe
-- (1) 4ft. length of schedule 40 steel 3/4" dia pipe

I am looking forward to getting back on track and finish my build as far as I can carry it during this cold winter. I may not get everything done I wanted to do at once, I just want the car running again and able to work out any bugs that may need to be addressed. A lot of the chassis strengthening doesn't have to be completed immediately, I want to focus on these relating tasks :

-- radiator bulkhead support brackets w/ pipe bracing
-- pipe & plate kicker bracing to front subframe mounting locations
-- front fender bracing by pipe & plate kicker bracing instead of cookie cutter bolting bracing
-- additional engine bay stitch welding
-- additional upper front strut tower bracing
-- lower A-pillar bracing
-- lower B-pillar bracing
-- upper rear strut tower area welding
( THIS MAY Sound like alot but with the welding machine I have it will not take that long. It will be a nice week of work )

I have noticed Honda guys selling fresh builds after spending good money. I am building this DC5 to pass on to my daughter so there will be no selling mine. Honestly the only things remaining that will not be touched after this build ( at this very day ) is rebuilding or servicing the bottom end and the transmission and the hub bearings. When I tear down the engine over the next week and check for service limits on the block's internals, the bottom end maybe getting rebuilt... lets not hope that needs to be done just yet. I need to get another 50,000 miles out of the block and I am hoping that the work I am doing right now to it will help the engine achieve that