OEM Auto Parts

Think I may have hit the mother lode here.  Just found this site, and it looks like they have rockers and other structural panels that I’ve been searching for.

http://www.oemautopartsandaccessories.com/catalog/parts/view/n/rocker-panel-04631sh2a50zz/v/honda-crx-1989/vtec/94214/pid/3a55577287f8cae4/

Looks promising.  If this is the real deal, this is going to save me a ton of fabrication work.

Looks promising. If this is the real deal, this is going to save me a ton of fabrication work.

First Parts Orders

This is skipping ahead a bit.  I have pulled the old engine out of the car, sourced a new one, and drove to South Bend, IN, to pick it up.  Those updates will follow shortly.

I ordered stuff from Rock Auto and from Majestic Honda.  The idea is to have the parts I need to get the engine in and the car put back together to get it drivable.

majestic_honda_order_1The parts from Honda are (left-to-right, top-to-bottom)

  1. 90120-SB0-003 – new pinch bolt for the damper fork.  This replaces the one that I broke on the passenger side.  The old one still needs to be drilled out.
  2. 24316-P20-000 – Shift Rod Boot – The old one was all dry-rotted and torn when I removed the shift rods from the transmission.
  3. 74172-SH3-030 – Lower radiator cushions – These are what the radiator sits down into.  The old ones were rusted away.
  4. 90164-SH3-010 – Engine mount “Special Bolt” – The manual says to replace these special bolts, others say they don’t.  I have new ones just in case.
  5. 90183-SH3-000 – Engine mount “Special Bolt”
  6. 90215-SB0-003 – Self-locking nuts – For the large bolt connecting the damper fork to the lower control arm.  I bought four of them but only need two.  This is so if I take the forks off again, I will have some spares on hand.
  7. 91512-SR3-004 – Mounting clips for the Honda hood emblem
  8. 75700-SG0-000 – New Honda emblem for the hood!  I could have probably pulled one off of a junkyard car, but this one is brand spanking new and shiny.
  9. 31117-PM5-A00 – Alternator belt tension sticker for the timing belt cover.  This was the “frivolous” part in the order, but it will be a noticeable detail when showing the engine bay off.

I also purchased parts from Rock Auto for the “new” engine work.  Was going to take pictures of that as well last night but didn’t get around to it.  New valve-cover gasket kit, oil pan gasket, rear main oil seal, rear cam oil seal, thermostat and gasket, water outlet gasket, timing belt, water pump, tensioner.

The only other major items that I will still need to buy are

  1. Spark plugs
  2. Radiator
  3. Radiator hoses
  4. Exhaust system (work with what I’ve got or get all new)

Still need to degrease and clean engine bay.  Also, still deciding on whether or not to drop the whole front suspension so I can get at the cross members and rust treat/repaint them.

I think that I’ll get it driving again and then start the body work, then look into updating/upgrading the suspension parts (ball joints, bushings, dampers and such).

 

Pulling the Engine: Last Steps

Well, it was a night of victory, capped off with a terrible defeat. I removed the speedometer cable and the left front damper fork, but the right one was a different story. The bottom fork bolt came out OK, but the 14mm pinch bolt at the top just snapped right off. I joined the Broken Bolt Club tonight.

Here’s a picture of the damper fork I was able to remove.   The one stuck on the right side has a broken bolt where you see the left “pinch bolt” on this one:

An act of random social media brought an old acquaintance into my life.  He runs a small auto repair shop out west.

So this broken bolt is the 14mm pinch bolt at the top of the right front damper fork.  He says to ream out the broken bolt and put a new bolt/nut combo in there, but since it’s a learning experience I’m going to be stubborn and drill the thing out, and try to put a replacement bolt in there.