CyborgGT : 1993 Accord EX wagon

[CyborgGT]

Taking a break from working in the heat right now, assembly's going well. I'm actually really enjoying the slow, methodical work. Aside from having the factory service manual on hand, I'm stopping to research every other part I pick up, so it's slow going, but I suppose that's how it should be.

Luckily I've always been very organized, so there's no questioning where anything goes, despite it being so long since this engine came apart:




Until it's cooled off this evening, this is where I've stopped. I started with the easy exterior pieces just to get rid of as many of those labeled bags as I could. That's a block heater next to the oil cooler, in case I ever need it. It does get properly frigid here, and even the RSX doesn't always like starting up on those mornings. Part number for that kit is 08T44-SJA-200A.




Crank is in and double-checked with plasti-gauge. So smooth. And damnit, looking at this picture I just realized I'm probably going to have to take that bridge back off to get to the rod bolts. In the moment, I was thinking I wanted the crank properly secured before I torqued the rod caps to spec... let's hope there's room for an extension to get in there.



*ED. - That's probably as far as I'm getting until my next weekend. The rod caps are really stuck on, so I'm taking them back to the machine shop hoping they have the right tool to separate them, rather than risk damaging something myself.

[CyborgGT]

Thanks for the confirmation

Engine's still in pieces, assembly starts this weekend. I'm sure there are a handful of small parts like those bolts that I'll need to pick up along the way.

[Grumpys93]

That awesome you got the bottom end back and together!

As for the flywheel bolts, yes you are correct, I documented this in my MR.

Left side is automatic and right is manual. A good bit longer which like you said holds the thicker flywheel vs the automatic Swiss cheese flywheel

[CyborgGT]

Just got the bottom end back from the second machine shop. Crank polished, piston rings file fit, line hone checked, new bearings and thrust washers, and the rotating assembly was balanced.

One problem we ran into was that the flywheel bolts were barely long enough for him to thread in to balance with my Competition flywheel. Could that be because the bolts I have are from my old automatic setup - are the manual's longer? It'd make sense, flywheel vs flex plate thickness.

I might have to settle for an Accord transmission after all, though. Not sure how much longer I can hold out!

[CyborgGT]

^ With how fast even basic cars these days are getting, I'm so glad this engine will be able to handle a turbo, if I eventually cave and go that route.

[excalibur02]

I love where this is going especially for a wagon! Lots of go fast parts. I hopefully can do the same for my heavy ass wagon. Need a bit more power.

[HenRoc]

Wagon looks really good man!

[Raf99]

Nice, thanks for the update! I'm jealous of the tool box.

[CyborgGT]

Dug into the budget some more and finally got a proper tool box-slash-work bench. I still need one or two more of something like this for the massive amount of random tools I have, but I was able to cut down a bit on shuffling through a bunch of small boxes within my tight work space every time I needed something.




That meant the car also finally came out of the garage for the first time since all the exterior work was done, to be able to get a proper look at it. It's coming along nicely, I think. I discovered the A/C condenser has a hole in it. The A/C does seem to work, but the gas leaks right out.






Tomorrow I'm taking the block and crank into another machine shop to have all of the bearing surfaces polished and measured for new bearings. I'm considering having the rotating assembly balanced before assembly as well. Sounds like the smart thing to do, since the rods and pistons are both different from stock. *ED. - took the bottom end in. To be polished, balanced, they're going to source bearings for me (Kings or ACLs), check line bore, double-check cylinder bore against pistons, file fit rings. Said it could be done within a week! We'll see. Nice talk with the machinist, though.

[CyborgGT]

Was going to take the block back to a machine shop for more work surrounding the crank but ran out of time. I replaced the cat in my RSX last year, and finally got around to selling the old OEM one to a specialist cat recycler and got $205 for it. Nice budget boost! I then went to check out a BB6 that was being parted out, hoping to buy the transmission, but it was cracked and JB Welded around the drain plug. It did, however, have a gauge cluster so I can attempt that again.

[CyborgGT]

I think a good cleaning would take care of that head surface, it feels perfect.

[Grumpys93]

I would be upset about the bearings as well. I agree is the block smooth, sort of looks stepped up? most shops usually hit it with pressure washer or parts tub, then hit it with paint.

[Rilas]

Maybe it's just the tooling from decking the block. But the deck of the block just doesn't look smooth in the picture. That sucks that your having a lot of small issues. Although missing bearing I would be grumpy about, if OEM that's a small pile of cash.

Otherwise your making great progress.

[CyborgGT]

Half of the time in the junkyards they're broken, and a couple times they've broken as I tried to remove them. Maybe the plastic's just become brittle from age?

I'll grab a half shaft when I pull the trans. I've already picked up a new bearing and seals from Honda.



I got the block back. Sleeved, bored, honed, and head surface redone. The sleeves have a step designed into them, so no worry about sinking. The crank was "checked," but the bearing surfaces all look untouched. My original request to have the crank polished evidently got lost at some point. And the pistons weren't marked to match up with specific cylinders. And my rod and main bearings are all missing, so I'm going to have to start from scratch there and go to a machine shop (a different one) for measurements. Hopefully I can source new OEM bearings in the right size. The guy didn't bother to really clean the block either, like how the head guy seemed to put the complete effort into his work. Between this, and the tiny garage I'm working out of that's barely got enough space to walk around, let alone work in so I'm constantly tripping over crap... so many little frustrations piling up.

[Fleetw00d]

The manuals use a stationary half shaft across the back of the engine and a short axle on both sides (vs. long left axle for automatics) - you have the half shaft?

What is the issue with lighter sockets and bezels - do people break these regularly? I've sent several out in the last few years.