Project updates

Last updated August 16, 2002

July 18, 2002

Junkyard Turbo list added.   Thanks to Randy for compiling all of this information!!

July 16, 2002

Adapters are in stock and ready to ship!  They are $85 with shipping.  Send me a money order to the address below or Paypal to connersg@wi.rr.com!!

June 3, 2002

Well, I will finally have more turbo adapters ready to ship in about 2 weeks!

* The "HF Style Manifold" was available on the following vehicles in the US: 1988-1991 CRX HF, 1988-1989 Civic Std hatch, 1992-1995 Civic VX, and 1992-1995 Civic CX.

March 15, 2002

Ah, spring is just about here!  Now that the weather's warming up, it's time to get the CRX back on the road.  Got a lot to do, though.  When I put the CRX to bed last fall, I still had an oil leak from the drain line and the coolant line seemed to have gotten clogged up.  Should be able to take care of those pretty easily.  I just need to touch up the welding on the oil pan and I'm pretty sure the clog in the coolant line was from the Autometer sensor.  I picked up some parts to move the sensor out of the flow of coolant so it won't obstruct it.  Also need to work on the brakes.  All that extra power needs something to stop it, that I found out real quick at Gingerman!  I picked up Porterfield R4-S pads and a fresh set of rotors.   Also going to install Speed Bleeders and put a fresh helping of synthetic brake fluid in.  Other things on the list include replacing the driver's side axle and ball joint, rack end bushing, and making a new downpipe (well, either Randy or another welder will do the last one)..

Adapters:  I can put an order in anytime for the original style.  But I'm not sure how many people will want the new style we're working on with Drop Shop.   Feedback on this would be appreciated.  I'd hate to make another set and have nobody buy them, or worse, people buy them, then get upset that the new ones came out shortly after.  Drop Shop says he's got a prototype on the way and a drawing in progress.  Hopefully, we'll get this squared away soon!

February 12, 2002

I'm hoping to make another run of adapters in March.  We also may be changing the design with the help of Drop Shop.  We're looking at adding an angle to the face of the plate so that the stock DSM O2 sensor housing (part of the downpipe) can be used.  Not sure if this is possible yet without any modifications to the front cross member.  I'll post any updates here!  Keep those e-mails coming in for the adapters!

January 2, 2002

All adapters have been sold and delivered!  Thanks to all who participated.   If you would still like an adapter, hang tight, we'll be making another run in a month or so.  Check back in a few weeks for details.

November 18, 2001

Slight delay at the machine shop.  They couldn't find the drawing and I didn't find out about it until last week Monday.  Randy and I pulled the adapter off his car and we got it to the shop on Wednesday so they could copy that one.  Delivery is going to be pushed back a week or two unfortunately.  Sorry for the delay.

November 1, 2001

Thanks to our 8 people that got the money in on time!  I have placed an order for 10 adapters, so I'll have a few extra.  I'm also looking into another source that might be a bit cheaper for smaller quantities.  I'll post any more news on that.   Adapters will be shipped in 2 weeks!  Thanks again!

October 29, 2001

3 more confirmed for the group buy!

Christopher Turner (cturner7@avaya.com)
Lawrence Baltus (lbaltus@home.com)
Raymond Tong (rtong1@yahoo.com)

Still expecting at least one more as well!

October 28, 2001

One more confirmed!

My Vo (mykkkk@ureach.com)

That makes 5 for sure and possibly 3 more on the way!  I will place the order tomorrow for 5 and add on as any more come in.

October 26, 2001

The group buy is going very well! As of today, I have the payment from 4
people through Paypal and another 2 money orders on the way! We've hit our
first target of 5 people, let's see if we can hit 10 and all save $20!!
And I see from my a reply to my initial post down below that there should
be another payment coming next week. That makes 7! We're getting real
close to that 10 mark.

I have received payment from the following:

Brian Gladfelter (ilovecrxs@hotmail.com)
William Dalton (w.dalton@appl.ge.com)
David Blundell (blundar42@hotmail.com)
Michael Palm (turborexr@aol.com)

I am expecting payment from:
Oliver Mroczkowski (Norbertscpu@aol.com)
rtong (rtong1@yahoo.com)
Chris (cturner7@avaya.com)

There are still quite a few people that have e-mailed me in the past and
were real eager to get an adapter. Well, now's your chance! Deadline is
noon (CST) October 31!

October 8, 2001

Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent out to all who have e-mailed me regarding the adapters:

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I have updated pricing for the adapter plates. The response to my last e-mail was less than expected so I had the manufacturer requote the adapters for a lower quantity. Group pricing is as follows:

Qty     Price
5         $100
10       $80

Prices include shipping to the continental US and 4 special bolts to attach the adapter to the turbo. The bolts themselves are worth almost $10, if you can find them. Canada shipping will be a bit more, but that can be worked out on a case by case basis.

Terms: $100 is due by October 31. If 10 people get their money in, I will refund you $20 with the adapter.

Delivery: Approximately 3 weeks after all orders are placed. (The manufacturer needs 2 weeks, I'll ship them as soon as I pick them up.) I will place my order for 5 adapters as soon as 5 people get their money in. If 10 orders are placed by 10/31, I will change the order and all 10 will receive $20 back with their adapter. (So the sooner you get the money in, the sooner I can place the order, and the sooner you get your parts!!!)

If you have any doubts about me, please post a message on the CRX Resource or the CRX Performance Forum (http://crx.honda-perf.org/forum/index.shtml) asking for feedback. I have met quite a few other CRX owners, especially those at the Niagara and Road America meets over the years. I have also bought and sold a few parts over the internet with very good results. You may also call me direct. E-mail me privately for my number. I have no problem giving it out to anybody that asks. We're not out to make any money on this. In fact, these prices are just about our cost on the adapters and bolts. There's been so many e-mails and so much talk on the forums about using an Eclipse/Talon turbo on the CRX that Randy and I would like to help as much as possible.

Payments may be made by Pay pal to my e-mail address (connersg@wi.rr.com) or by money order. E-mail me for my mailing address.

Let's get this thing rolling! I know there are many people eagerly awaiting these adapters!

Gary Conners
'90 CRX Si-T
156,000 miles and 8psi

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August 6, 2001

The NW Chicago CRX Meet was a pretty good time, although my car ran a bit warm that day.  Above 70 on the freeway, the temp would rise a bit and it got up in stop and go traffic.  Basically, anytime I ran in boost, it would jump up.  Randy's thought was it may be related to the intercooler dumping heat on the radiator.  Well, I put in some Redline Water Wetter and made sure the radiator was topped off that night.   Hasn't gone above the normal temperature since (about 2 weeks).

Randy's car was going to make it's public debut that weekend, but when he got to my place, he noticed a puddle of coolant under his car.  It appears that the rubber hose for coolant on the back of the turbo got too hot and burst, just a small pinhole, though.   So he had to leave his car and ride with me for the day.

I've got some gas mileage numbers, although they are a bit goofy.  My first tank (using 93 octane now) I got 35 mpg.  The second tank was 30mpg.  They were both the same mileage.  I suspect the first tank wasn't really filled completely, and the second made up for it.  So 32.5 mpg is probably a more realistic number for both tanks.  We'll see how the next one comes out.  Keep in mind that there is plenty of spirited driving going on, but also a pretty even mix of highway and city miles.   I'll be putting up a table and keeping mileage figures for reference.

We've had a lot of questions about the adapter plates.  We're working on having a run made right now.  Randy just finished updating his drawing of the plate so we can have it quoted at a few places.  What I'm thinking for the first run is a group buy.   We'll need probably 20 people to buy in with about half up front.  I don't have prices yet, but I expect less than $100 total (including the bolts).  E-mail Gary if you are interested in doing this.  Right now neither of us are in a good position to put up our own cash up front on this and have the potential of getting screwed (I just bought a house and Randy may have to relocate for work).  Let us know!  The sooner we can get 20 confirmed the sooner we can get these things made!

July 13, 2001

OK, got my car back on the street.  I changed the rubber oil line to an SS AN-4 line.  I feel much better about that.  See the pics at the Gary's Completed Install page.   Randy also welded up some pipe so we can install our blow off valves.  He's got his on, I'll be doing mine tomorrow.  Pics will be added of the install soon.

Randy's car runs pretty well, although his stock clutch can't handle the power.   So he's in the market for a replacement clutch.  He also noticed that he's leaking coolant and oil as the car sits.  Se he's got a bit of patching up to do.

That's about all for today.  We'll be down at the Northwest Chicago CRX Meet on Sunday July 15.  If you're in the area, come on out and take a look!

July 7, 2001

The Turbo Si has been running pretty well for the most part.  I haven't driven it much in the past couple weeks because I've been out of town for work.  It also was running pretty hot after a couple laps on the track at Road America.  I knew I'd have to replace the radiator eventually, it's original.  Adding another heat source and blocking the radiator a bit with the intercooler doesn't help I'm sure.  Randy got his running today.  It needs some tuning, though, it goes lean at 7psi.

Now for my story today.  I took the CRX out to get some parts at the auto parts store.  On the way back, just as I was getting on the freeway, my oil light went on.   I immediately pulled off the highway and shut it off.  I found a nice trail of oil behind me and a puddle growing under the engine.  The oil line I added from the back of the block up to the firewall for my sensors came off the block.  Oil must have been squirting out of there.  Randy was able to come by with some tools and some more oil.  We got it back on the road in about 20 minutes.  I've decided I'm changing this line to AN-4, though.  I don't trust those clamp connections for the high oil pressure we get at that spot.  See Gary's Completed Install for some pictures.

June 21, 2001

It's alive!!!! 
I just got back in from a short drive in the new Turbo Si!!!  I have BOOST!   Peaked out at about 8psi, settled on 6-7psi to redline.  Running the program provided from Zdyne for a turbo d16a6, my A/F meter was in the green all the way.   That boost really caught me off guard.  I pulled away from a stop sign making a gradual left turn.  I pulled away nice and easy on the clutch and quickly got the gas pedal to the floor.  When I hit about 3k rpm, the boost kicked in and the tires just roasted!!.  I grabbed for second and put it back to the floor and roasted them again.  Damn!
Couple problems.  Had a minor coolant leak, but I found that and patched it up easily enough.  I was trying to reuse that metal pipe that sources coolant to the throttle body and is welded to the PCV pipe from the intake tube to the valve cover.  I cut off the PCV pipe and I must have cut into the coolant pipe as well.  But I just replaced that whole section with some 5/16" hose and now it's fine.  I've got an oil leak at the oil drain line, though.  I'll have to fix that tomorrow.  I'm hoping I can just goop some RTV on the flanges at each end to take care of it.  I'm doubting it's leaking out the hose connections, those are cranked on tight.  I also definetely need to install the blow off valve.  I skipped it for now because Randy didn't have time to weld on a nipple to the charge piping.  When I got off the gas, I definetely heard a flutter in the turbo.  I'll have to take it easy for a couple days, maybe try to shift with my foot on the gas so it the throttle plate doesn't snap completely shut.  One thing I could do is try to take advantage of the Zdyne's clutch cut feature.  I haven't been able to get it working yet, I need to run a wire from the clutch switch to the ECU.  That'll allow me to keep my foot on the gas while shifting.  The ECU kicks in a lower rev limit when the clutch is in.

Come on out to Road America this weekend to see the (mostly) finished product!!!

June 18, 2001

I'll make this short and sweet.  I have a completion date in site and I'm on track to hit it.  This Friday, June 22.  I need to hit this date so I can drive my car to my own CRX meet at Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (see the Midwest CRX Club page for details).
Special thanks to Randy for working hard on the oil drain line flanges and the dowpipe.   I have a couple more cuts to make for the charge piping, and the rest is pretty much bolt up.  I have both my oil pressure and water temperature sensors mounted, just need to be wired up and the guages mounted.  Sorry I don't have any more pictures to show.  I work much faster when I'm not setting up shots.  I promise, once it's completed, I'll take a whole cards worth of digi-pics.  Then, assuming things are working well, we should have the adapter plates for sale.  I know many people have been waiting very long for these.  I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

May 11, 2001

I added the section on the radiator relocation.  I actually did all this work last fall, but did not take pictures of it.  Now that I finally have a digital camera, I snapped some shots of it.
I also made some progress on the charge piping.  I have some pictures, but the page isn't complete yet, and neither is the charge piping.  It's basically cobbled together from pipe sections and hose junctions.  But at least it will get the car running. 
Randy also made a flange to match up to the turbo oil drain flange and will be welding on a short piece of 3/4" tube.  This is the last major hurdle  I need to overcome before I can fire up my car.  It won't have an exhaust downpipe, but that's alright for now.  I probably won't be taking it much further than the driveway until I'm satisfied that everything is working properly and some things are cleaned up.

April 12, 2001

Ordered some parts and made an oil feed line from AN-4 Stainless braided hose.   The tough part was finding the right adapter to fit in the turbo.  Everybody was telling me different things.  But the oil port is in fact 7/16" inverted flare.  Adapters are available to convert 7/16" inverted flare to AN-4.   Check out the pics of the oil line.

March 4, 2001

Finally the weather is warming up.  Made a bit of progress in the last few weeks.   I have the manifold/adapter/turbo mounted on my engine and fitting well.  I needed to make a couple small modifications, though.  Recall that the new adapter plate is shorter than our first one to provide more clearance for the front cross-member.   Well, it also shifts it forward a bit more (so the monifold and turbo bolts don't interfere) which put the compressor outlet right on top of the front cross-member with the turbo in it's DSM configuration.  So we needed to turn things a bit.  The T-25 is made up of 3 independent sections:  turbine housing, bearing housing, and compressor housing.  They can be rotated independently of each other.  I was able to loosen the turbine housing (exhaust side) and turn it about 10-15 degrees relative to the bearing and compressor housings.  This did two things that will benefit us.   First, it shifts the compressor outlet towards the engine more and it now sits comfortably behind and just above the front cross-member.  It also put the oil port almost exactly vertical when mounted to the HF manifold.  The compressor housing can be rotated as well by loosening a large retaining ring which requires a special $50 tool.   I don't think we will need to rotate that section at all, but we have the option if it makes things easier down the road.  See the Turbo Alignment section for pictures and details of the procedure.

There is a side effect to rotating the turbo sections, though.  The stock internal wastegate uses an actuator mounted to the compressor housing with an arm that connects to the wastegate linkage on the turbine housing.  Rotating these sections with respect to each other messes up the alignment of the wastegate actuator.  To correct this, I drilled a new hole in the wastegate actuator mounting bracket.  See the Wastegate Actuator Modification section for more details.   Also see Turbo and IC Mounted section for pictures of both mounted on the car.

This week I plan to get all my oil and plumbing parts together from my local racing supply store, Pegasus Racing.  I believe I've identified all the fittings I'll require, but just in case, I have samples of the stock lines to match up to the correct fittings.  The stock DSM drain line is a custom aluminum flex pipe with two flanged fittings on each end.  It is nearly 3/4" diameter.  Pegasus has 3/4" ID oil hose for $0.99 per foot that should work well for this.  I plan to cut the flanges off  each end of the DSM pipe with enough pipe left on each to clamp the rubber hose to.  The coolant ports appear to have a metric fitting.  One of the fittings I bought in a kit from AutoZone fit to adapt it to 1/8 NPT, but unfortunately they were not labeled.  I'll see if Pegasus can help match it up.  The oil supply port is an inverted flare fitting used typically for brake lines.  I plan to use an inverted flare to AN-4 fitting and run AN-4 stainless braided line to the back oil pressure sending unit port on the back of the engine.

I will also be on the hunt for a good place to do some welding for the intercooler.   I would like to have the ports modified so they are easier to run pipe to.

October 8, 2000

The adaper plate is done!  Looks real nice and should work out great!!  While we were waiting, I was working on a way to move the radiator back about 3/4" to make room for the intercooler in front of it.  With very few modifications and using the stock brackets, I was able to get almost an inch.  Pictures of the procedure and of the adaptor plate will come soon.  (Haven't saved up for that digital camera yet ;)   We will be setting up a group buy for the adapter plates soon as well.  Not sure on pricing, but it will depend on how many people want them.  E-mail Gary if you are interested in buying one of these adapters.

September 13, 2000

Well, Randy designed a new adapter plate.  It's a one piece construction 3/4" thick plate.  We sent off the drawings to the machine shop and have been waiting to get it back until about 2 weeks ago.  We got the part, but it wasn't cut right and there was a mistake on the drawing.  So that wasted some time and money.  Rather than go back to the same shop that took forever, we decided to have it made at a local professional shop.  This place makes some quality stuff.   They do a lot for Eaton's Navy controls division.  So you'd see their parts on nuclear submarines and other ships.  I dropped off the drawing, turbo, and manifold last week.  We're having 2 pieces made.  They are kinda expensive, but hopefully should be worth it.  The nice thing is that they use production equipment, so if we buy them in higher quantities, they get much cheaper.  They should be done next week!

July 8, 2000

It's funny, if I'm busy working on my turbo, there's no time to update the website.   But if I'm not making any progress on the turbo, I've got lots of time to put that on the site.  So what does that mean?  We made some progress over the last few months!!  It's not done yet, unfortunately, and I didn't have a turbo CRX to show off at my Road America meet.  I also decided to skip CRXPO-E this weekend because things were getting way too busy this summer.  For one thing, I got married!  Things went great.  We took a nice week vacation afterwards as well.  Then I took some more time off in June for a family reunion.  To top it off, we added a family member last month.  To see pictures, click here. 

Amidst all this, we did make some progress.  First thing, I installed the Zdyne SECU and 450cc injectors.  Installation was straightforward, just plug and play!   Loading the program was a snap as well.  I loaded the provided stock program with a modified fuel map for the larger injectors.  So far it runs flawlessly!   We also got the turbo adaptor finished.  Unfortunately, it has some problems as you can see in the Turbo Test Fit section.  It comes too close to the front cross-member as it is now.  We're going to have to rework it so that it can be shorter.

I also installed an Autometer air/fuel ratio and Autometer boost guages in a pillar mount dual pod.  Installation of these is straightforward, just follow the instructions included.  I would suggest that these be the minimum of guages used with a turbo system.  It's also a good idea to keep an eye on oil pressure and water temperature.  I also plan on using a temperature guage in the intake to see how hot the intake charge is.  One way to do this will be to tap off the stock intake manifold temperature sensor, which is on the driver's side of the intake manifold.  I assume this is a standard thermocouple, so reading the temperature is just a matter of reading the voltage at the sensor.

April 19, 2000

Delays, delays, delays.  Well after calling Cartech almost everyday since the last update, we are still no closer to having our adaptor.  I got a box of flanges from Cartech last week, but they were the wrong ones.  They are supposed to get back to me tomorrow to see if they can get the right ones.  But, now my machine shop friend in IL has some more time.  He should be able to make all the flanges and put together the adaptor by next weekend.

Randy has done some work mounting the intercooler.  It's set to go in and then we can route the piping to the throttle body.  I have several nitrile rubber 90 degree bends ordered from Performance Techniques in San Bernadino, CA.  They should arrive early next week as well.

I also ordered my Zdyne Gold Super ECU.

Wouldn't it be great if things worked out so you could get a project done when you expected to?  I was really hoping to have a turbo CRX to take to the first Midwest Import Club meet on April 29.  Oh well, but at least it should be done this summer in time for my Road America WI CRX meet and CRXPO-E.

March 26, 2000

Randy and I are working on getting the custom parts made we need to adapt the turbo to the manifold.  The adaptor will basically be 2 flanges and a short section of pipe.  One flange will match up to the HF manifold and the other will match up to the turbo exhaust inlet.  We also need the exhaust outlet flange which is a very strange shape due to the integrated wastegate.   I went to see my dad's friend that owns his own machine shop since the last update.  He was willing to make the adaptors for us, but unfortunately, he doesn't have any time to do it right now.   So after some digging and many phone calls, I found out that Cartech of Houston, TX has the turbo flanges.  They can also make the HF manifold flange in a few days if I give him a drawing of it.  So that will be this week.  By next weekend, we should be able to mount the turbo!

This weekend, I helped Randy get his tranny back in his car.  It's been sitting for 6 months.  But it cranked over and started on the second try!   Amazing.  We were really surprised the battery had any juice left.  We also installed the first turbo system component.  While it isn't necessary, we replaced the fuel line from the filter to the fuel rail with AN-6 braided hose.  The nice thing about this mod is it removes two banjo bolts from the fuel system and replaces them with straight AN to NPT fittings.  The banjo bolt on the end of the fuel rail is especially restrictive due to the back flow valve there.  The fuel has to squeeze through tiny holes and then push past a spring loaded plate to get inside the rail.   For low boost situations, the stock set up will provide enough fuel.  But for higher boost, and especially if you are using higher fuel pressure like Randy will be with the rising rate regulator, it may become the weak link in the system.  Here's a fuel line pic.  This one shows a tee at one end, which we didn't use.  That could be used for a NOS system.

While we wait on our flanges, Randy will be mounting his intercooler and figuring out what we need to do to route piping to the engine.  We'll be using 14-guage mild steel so we can weld straight pieces with bends.  JC Whitney has a large selection of mandrel bent tubes available at pretty reasonable prices.  We'll also be using silicone hose to provide some flexibility in the piping.  The intercooler will be mounted to the frame so our piping will have to move slightly with the engine.

It's starting to come together!  I've got half a roll of film taken already and will be finishing it up soon so more pics are on their way!

March 11, 2000

Woah!  February has just flown by!  Unfortunately I haven't made too much progress on installing the turbo.  But I assure you there has been some progress!   Since the last update, I got my CRX back from the body shop.  They did a great job!  Now I have to do my part to keep it looking this great.  It's been sitting in the garage waiting for some attention.  Last week I started taking things apart.   I've got the bumper off, the intake out (resonator as well), and the header mostly off.  I say mostly because it's a stupid one piece design.  It does not fit down through the small space between the frame and the engine without some massaging.  I'm amazed I got it in there without removing an engine mount.  To save beating the crap out of it so it retains some resale value (or reuse on the Civic), I'll remove the driver's side engine mount and see if I can jack the engine up to make enough clearance for it.  I also pulled out the ECU and I'm about 90% sure that I'll be sending it out to Zdyne after things start moving along and I can save up the money for it.

Randy did some work measuring up the piping and flanges we need to make.  He's made CAD drawings of the flanges for the turbo adaptor.  Now we just need to get the parts made and put together.  My dad is friends with a guy that owns his own machine shop in IL, so I'm going to see if he can do some work for us.  The part that we aren't equipped to do is make the large hole in the center of the metal plate for the flanges.  I also got a StarQuest intercooler for myself.  It's pretty dirty, but it should clean up pretty nice.

Randy had a big event last week!  He now has another member of the family, Adam James.  He assures me, though, that we'll still be able to get the project done!   You can see a picture and read the details on his website, Randy's Stuff on the Net.

January 26, 2000

I've been thinking a lot lately about the fuel enrichment, ignition, and timing upgrades I will need for this system. I've already got the MSD 6BTM, just need a coil. I would also need a rising rate fuel pressure regulator that will increase the fuel pressure at the injectors based on boost. So for a given injector pulse width, more fuel will be delivered to the cylinders. I've heard many bad stories about this method, though. While it's very simple and effective for low boost, it's not very reliable or accurate, particularly the fueling. Another alternative is the Super ECU by Zdyne, LLC. This unit when coupled with larger injectors, would solve all the fueling and timing issues in a computer programmable elegant design. Only problem is that the Gold SECU goes for about $900 and the injectors for $250. This alone blows the $1000 budget out of the water. Part of me wants to go for the SECU right away because I know it will make the system so much better. But I also don't want to sink that money into it up front. We'll see. Maybe I will try it with the BTM and FPR first, then upgrade to the SECU later.

January 18, 2000

Project gets a big 'boost'! Randy's wife gave him an early Valentine's Day gift. It's a Millermatic 130XP welder!!!!! Once Randy figures it out, we can start making the custom adapter needed to mount the turbo to the HF manifold and all the other piping needed. It would be nice if the weather got a little warmer too. It's been real cold around here! Lots of nights in the single digits and lower, and several days with highs only in the teens or single digits!

Spearco intercooler sold on ebay for $105, almost what I paid originally. I only got one response back for the StarQuest intercooler. This is the guy that wanted $65 for it. Only problem is he won't ship COD and I don't feel comfortable sending him a money order. There's a big difference between making a deal with somebody over the phone and making a deal over e-mail. So I guess I won't get this one. Guess I'll have to wait for some other replies. At worst case, I can drive up to Sheboygan and buy that one for $125. I was hoping to get one for less, though.

January 11, 2000

Today we did a test fit for the Spearco and StarQuest intercoolers on Randy's CRX. The StarQuest fits real well right in front of the radiator and still leaves enough room above it for the piping. The Spearco won't work as easily. It's taller, so that makes routing the piping more difficult, and it's thicker so it may not fit behind the bumper very well. That's too bad because the Spearco would flow a lot better than the StarQuest. But the StarQuest should flow enough for close to 200 hp, well more than we are looking for at this point. Maybe down the road a bit, though. So, now I need to find another StarQuest intercooler. That shouldn't be too difficult considering all the e-mails I got back from people selling them. Probably better that we didn't use two different kind of intercoolers. If we use the same intercooler, all our piping will be the same.

January 10, 2000

The first StarQuest intercooler arrives! Unfortunately, the guy had an accident with the other one. Apparently his son-in-law was helping him dig out the intercoolers. After he found the first, he put it on the ground and worked on getting the second one out. Well, something got unbalanced and fell right on the intercooler laying on the ground, basically destroying it. The seller left me a voice mail telling me that only one intercooler is on the way due to an accident and included in the box is a check for $100 to refund my money order. In the box I found a note detailing the ordeal. Apparently the son-in-law will be working off the lost $100. Oh well, I got the Spearco one already anyway and I've got plenty of leads now on StarQuest intercoolers if I need another one.

December 29, 1999

Damn! In the past couple days since I agreed on $100 each for the intercoolers I've received several e-mails from people with intercoolers for sale! Prices are $50, $65, $75, and $150. Guess I should have waited! Oh well. Also, I won the auction on the Spearco intercooler at $112.60 plus $10 shipping. I was surprised that I won it, although I was hoping I wouldn't because I already sent the money for the StarQuest ones. But, I'll buy it and if I don't want to use it, I can sell it I'm sure.

December 27, 1999

Last night I did a lot of scouring over the internet for Starion/Conquest webpages hoping to get some leads on intercoolers. I found one page with a classifieds section that looked promising. Somebody had already posted that they needed an intercooler and there were two replies with phone numbers. One of the numbers had a 920 area code. That's in Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee!! So I called both numbers. The guy in WI wanted $125 for his. Not bad, certainly a lot better than what they are going for on ebay. The other guy was in AZ and he had two intercoolers. I offered him $200 for both, he said yes, I'll be sending out the money order tomorrow. He sounded like a pretty honest guy, so I feel pretty good about this transaction. There were also several people advertising parts cars. I e-mailed all these people to see if they had an intercooler available, but didn't hear back from them today. Besides I doubt they will be willing to sell them for $100! So I should have two StarQuest intecoolers next week! Exciting!

December 23, 1999

I've been watching ebay real close lately. There have been a few StarQuest intercoolers for sale in the past couple weeks. I didn't want to spend more than $150 for an intercooler, so I bid on one at $150. Well, that bid got quickly over taken. I decided to wait until the end of the auction to edge this guy out. With about 10 minutes left, I bid $175, but that wasn't enough. OK, $180. Ah! Got it at $177.50. I checked again a few minutes later and he outbid me again! Oh well, I was done with this game. I really didn't want to spend that much anyway. Another StarQuest intercooler was for sale, but this guy really polished his up and it was over $200 real quick. That's the one I have the picture of. I also saw a custom Spearco intercooler that looked like it might work well. I put a bid on it for $125. I got the high bid right away at $100, his reserve. We'll see what happens!

December 16, 1999

Today I got an MSD 6BTM from JOey on the CRX Info Forum for $150. Thanks JOey! This unit is the MSD 6AL ignition system with the Boost Timing Master. This unit increases your spark duration for a more complete fuel burn, has a soft touch rev limit, and an adjustable timing retard based on boost pressure. A must to have some kind of timing retard on any forced induction system to help prevent detonation.

November 1999

I moved back to town in November and found a 1989 Civic Si H/B to use as a winter beater. It needed a new clutch, timing belt, and axles, so getting it road ready took priority. This is a big win, though, because now I'll have another car to drive while the CRX gets some body work and during the actual installation. By the end of November, the Civic is road ready.

Randy's CRX got a set back, though. The stiff polyurethane engine mounts took their toll on the transmission. During a hard shift from 1st to 2nd, a tooth off the main shaft in the tranny got broken off. Now, this isn't the original 220,000 mile '88 transmission. Randy rebuilt a lower mileage '91 tranny and swapped it in for his. So, the 88 Si is garage ridden a little sooner than expected. Randy needed another vehicle quick, so he picked up an 89? Ford F-150 shortbed as a winter/second vehicle.

September/October 1999

No real progress to report here. I got a good paying contract job out of town for September and October. That made working on the CRX difficult to say the least.

Summer 1999

Acquiring the manifolds and turbos: We found a junkyard near Wisconsin Dells, WI (about 2.5 hours drive from where we are in Milwaukee) that was going out of business and having an auction. We found a couple '88-'89 Civic DX 1.5L motors and an '88 Integra D16A1. The Civic DX motors have the CRX HF style manifold (I'll get a pic eventually). The beauty of this manifold is that it is very short, collecting into one tube just before a flange without going far from the engine. This should work very well for our turbo system. The primaries are smaller diameter than an Si manifold or aftermarket header, but with a turbo, that's OK. It's better to keep them on the small side to keep the exhaust gas velocity up, thus spinning the turbo faster. Randy bid on all three engines and won them for less than $40 all together!!! So we pulled the manifolds off both 1.5s as well as some other possibly useful parts. We took the Integra engine with us because we had a buyer for the pistons (which essentially gave us our manifolds for free). The block and head were cracked from the accident, so that was about all the engine was good for.

I found my T-25 for $75 from a local high school kid that put a bigger turbo on his Eclipse (and subsequently blew his motor at the drag strip). Randy paid a little more for one over the internet.

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