Originally posted by eskimo_firefighter
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Thanks Pete, me too! -
Got a bit more work done today on the CR-X, the main thing I got done was removing a lot more interior out of the EF8 to prepare it for the roof swap. After a good look at the underlying roof structure of the glass roof it looks like it's nearly the same as the solid/sunroof models.
The main differences seem to be the additional brace from the cross-member to the leading edge of the glass, where the map light mounts (I'm sadly going to have to get rid of the map light), and a hole in a different spot in the rear cross-member to suit the rear windscreen washer nozzle which is mounted on the hatch in the glass roof cars, but on the rear of the roof on the tin tops and sun roof cars. So I should be able to just strip the skin off the donor and it should fit perfectly over the top of the existing structure in the SiR once I remove the original skin. Then I'll add a rubber bung where the hose for the rear screen washer used to pass through the roof and call it done. I think washing the rear windscreen won't be high in my future priorities when driving this car, so all the rear screen washing and wiping equipment will go in the bin.
Also put the car on wheels to move it around the workshop. Only small diameter wheels though. More updates tomorrow.Comment
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The roof swap project continues. Today I removed the upper skin from the EF6 roof. Here's what I had to start with after stripping off all the paint concealing the spot welds that hold the skin down.
Here's the tools I used, a 6mm spot weld drill bit and a centre punch. Then the situation got out of control and I also ended up using a 5/16 cutter type spot weld remover, an 8mm spot weld drill bit, a dremel, a chisel, a couple of pin punches and a hammer.
After a good few hours, a bit of swearing and 40 or so spot weld here's the result. A roof skin in fairly good condition. Now I can start the same process on the EF8, with less care since I don't need to salvage the panels from that, and then I'll clamp this skin on top and fill all the holes I've made with weld. I'll weld up the hole for the rear windcreen washer while I'm there too.
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Thanks fellow, it tested my patience for sure. About half way through I started to think I actually really liked the glass roof and would be happy to keep itOriginally posted by felixR View Post
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Another small update. Tonight a mate was kind enough to pop round and remove the glass out of the CR-X. First up was the glass roof, which came out fairly easily:
Then we moved on to the windscreen and rear quarter windows, with the right side window proving to be more difficult than the rest put together.
All the glass came out undamaged though, which is no mean feat apparently. Having a spare set of glass will come in handy, though I'll be looking to replace the windscreen if I can source a matching bronze item. The structure under the glass looks a little different to what I was expecting so I might have to transfer over a section of the rear roof cross-member, but that shouldn't be too hard.Comment
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Sorry if I missed this somewhere in your thread, I'm guessing the main reason for the roof swap was for the weight saving and for a stiffer body?Comment
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The basic logic was as follows: I'd decided to paint the car, so I wanted to get any major body work done beforehand, and I knew that I'd want to replace the roof with a normal steel item at some point, so when the opportunity came up to buy the donor car I decided to go for it. Weight saving should be around 10kg according to Honda, but the glass didn't seem that heavy so before I weld the panel in I might weigh all the parts to confirm. I'm not expecting a substantial stiffness gain, since the glass roof had more structure in it than the steel roof.Originally posted by eskimo_firefighter View PostComment
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Update time. Last night I started stripping the roof off the EF8 ready to weld on the donor skin. After a good amount of time spent wire wheeling and drilling I called it a night about 2/3 of the way through. I have about 20 more spot welds to go and the thing should lift off easily, with a bit of persuasion with a heat gun and chisel.
My Eibach helper springs and couplers also turned up. From my experience with the Civic the springs on my Koni Race dampers won't be captive at full droop with the 6" springs and I hate the banging around as they re-seat themselves. I'm just waiting on my rear shocks and then my full suspension package will be complete, just awaiting a car to fit them to. For those unfamiliar with these things, they simply install above or below the main spring to prevent them coming unseated with the suspension at full droop. Their spring rate is negligible so they will be fully compressed in nearly all situations when the car is on the ground.
Sold the glass roof and a few bits from the EF6 donor car which has put a few dollars in the kitty to be spent on CR-X parts, so I'll be aiming to order the remaining major parts I need over the next couple of weeks.Comment
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Another quick update. Last night I removed the roof skin from the SiR, and started cleaning it up a bit ready to weld in the replacement skin. It took a bit of brute force to get it off, as the sides are glued and spot welded from the factory, and there's about 50% more welds in the glass roof than the steel roof. Also the Japanese man that welded this car together in 1989 must have been having a bad day, as the welds were very poor compared to the EF6. About at this point I had regrets and wondered WTF I was doing:
Here's the replacement skin in place, fitting like a glove. It's currently the shiniest panel on the car.
Over the weekend I'll start preparing to do the final weld, I'll be practising on the old skin and frame before I do the install on the EF8.Comment
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Since there's just holes left on the roof skin where I drilled out those welds, I'll simply be filling them with a plug weld that will fill that hole with metal and join the skin to the underlying structure of the roof. If a brand new roof skin was still available from Honda I probably would have taken it to a panel shop so they could spot weld it just like factory, but in this case I'll DIYOriginally posted by felixR View Post
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Panel and paint
I've entered a fancy track day in October, and I'm going to get there with this car so progress needs to be a bit more brisk. So a couple of weeks ago I finished off welding the roof into the car:
Also patched up the rear wiper hole in the hatch, I'll just need to drive faster to push the water off.
To anyone thinking of cutting the roof off their car and welding a different one one, don't. No matter how much I wire wheeled there was still seam sealer and adhesive embedded in between panels that I couldn't get too, and as soon as I started welding it would burn and contaminate the weld. Done now though, and good enough for track car. With all the welding done I finally delivered the car to the paint shop for a makeover, exterior in original colour Flint Black Metallic (NH-526M), interior and engine bay in Satin Silver Metallic (NH-623M). Thanks to all the folks that came around to help me lift the car on to the trailer. For reference, a CR-X shell stripped with doors is a two person lift.
Had to measure the stickers up so I can put the new ones in the same spot.
Pointing out to Stephen the paint guy all the spots where I put holes in the car through my enthusiasm with the spot weld drill bits.
I've also started ordering the final bits and pieces I need to get the car going, including the first exterior part I've ever purchased! 2 month lead time to make it though, which should give some clue as to what it is. Also have a bunch of new seals and stuff from Honda on the way, and the tubing and mufflers I'll need for the exhaust.
More updates as they happen. Thanks to Ying for the photos, and to all the others who helped with the transport.Comment
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So good to see an update on this. Hope everything goes smoothly for your preparation for your fancy track day in October.Comment
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