Project Steph's 1978 Honda Civic 1200

[Steph]

I forgot to say, I did the whole mod with some steel plate I found on the side of the road. That's why it has scratches all over it, because I had to hit it with a #36 grit disc to get all the coats of paint off. It'll be smoothed in the final sanding process... so yeah, found materials... for my next trick I plan to start practicing Freeganism... nah not really, I'm a stickler for fresh produce, as our friends in the US like to call it (fruit and veg here)...

... so it's time to start adding strategic weld to strengthen what appear to be weak areas, like around the engine mounts, etc, which only have spot welds to distribute the load to the parts they're coupled to. Often it doesn't make much difference, but there are some obvious points where the force is pulling outward on the spot weld, which is not ideal for heavy stresses, most notably the side engine mount is made up of several pressed steel sections that are spot welded together. When I tapped it with a small poly hammer, I could get a distinct 'ring', it only lasted for a microsecond, but it wass there. I ran a few 15mm welds in areas that wouldn't cause any warping, and coupled all the components together, and now there's just a solid thud when I tap. The same applies to the torque rod mount on the firewall, that has heaps of pressed components that are not secured very well either, so I'm going to place a few welds on that next, and run a steel plate across the top of the firewall where all the spot welds are, so that way I can beef up the lip (like turning it into a strut brace), and hopefully stop the vibration in the firewall, which is nothing more than the firewall flexing at a resonant frequency, which is what I hope to remedy... lastly, I placed a weld at each end of the brackets where the control arms attach to the subchassis. There were only 3 welds in the centre of each bracket, so I placed a short weld at each end to increase the strength... All my welds are carefully placed as not to cause any warpage.

[Bill]

Never had a mount point in the engine room give up, did bend a torque rod into a V shape from too much HP.

Did I really just type that? Too much HP...!

Something is just not right there...

=Bill

[Steph]

It's not the giving up I'm concerned with, just the movement and vibration, especially on the firewall, but even the side mount has movement in it. It's not the HP that is the problem, it's the G-forces that throw the engine and trans from side to side that cause flex. Might only be a small amount, but it all adds up. For me, I just want to remove the flimsy look of the side mount, and make it look more like a solid piece. I've got quite skilled at not warping things that I weld now.

I finished the external part of the sump, and tomorrow I'll finish the internals, then bead blast the outside, before using a high-zinc spray coating (97%), then VHT Engine enamel in Aluminium followed by a few coats of clear. I won't apply the VHT paint until after the engine comes back from the builder. I'll just supply it in the zinc-coat, which I'll blast off again when I get it back, before applying the VHT paint. I've spent a LOT of time on this sump, and the finish is going to be perfect by the look of it. Like you won't be able to tell it was modified by tell-tale welds etc.

[TREVORM]

Did I really just type that? Too much HP...!


=Bill

:burnout :!:

[Bill]

You can always Fab a mount out of aluminum and bolt it in place, you are familiar with aluminum, or is it aluminium down there? Anyway a Machined mount would tie into the engine pieces and really look clean!
=Bill

[Steph]

If I were to do that, I'd only be looking at something like Stephan did with the strut brace, but otherwise I'm only adding a 600mm x 40mm strip of 3mm steel, which weighs very little. Also, I want it to look clean, and a strip of aluminium would be odd IMO.

Now, to my knowledge, there are no elements that finish with a 'num', and to change just one would have to be the dumbest thing to do ever, and obviously not the decision of someone who had any understanding of basic science, and the table of elements. How about Titanum, and Uranum, and Chromum, Selenum, and Aluminum... dum, dum, de dum... dum, dum, dum, dum... sorry, I couldn't resist... but you brought it up! LOL!

<edit> sorry, you wrote mount... yeah sure, when I get my CNC mill worked out, I'll set up a big hunk of billet in there and set it off on its merry way... all 6 or 7 hours of it!

The mount looks really solid now, with edges welded and sanded to give it a solid look.

[Evoboy]

Awesome build!! Def got some good ideas for my build :D

[Steph]

Awesome build!! Def got some good ideas for my build :D

Cheers for that!

Wait until you see the finished product... it's part of my life's work, so it has to be special. I still plan on future mods, but mainly CNC stuff, where I can get my money's worth for all the money I invested in my hobby-CNC mill (~$5000 with all the tooling), as well as take advantage of my CAD skills. I'm so glad I spent all that time and effort learning CAD, what with the plethora of 3D printers about to hit the market (there are good ones already available), and other affordable technologies hot on their tail. Of course all the G-code will be available for purchase, but the real versatility will lie in designing, and 'printing' your own parts. On the CNC side of things, I'm keen to make control arms, like completely machined version of the originals with holes all along the sides, etc.

I did have an idea for fast tracking my CNC development. I was going to ask the Program Director for Industrial Design at uni whether I could set it up in the uni workshop, and take advantage of the knowledge-base there. All I'd ask is that my projects be the class 'demonstration' projects. Where the whole process is explained, then the mill set on it's way to create a part for all to see... after several hours that is... Anyway, I'm always scheming, but this one is almost certain to work. I know the guys in the ID department, and they'd droll over the opportunity to have something like this to play with at work! LOL! Not to mention the teaching potential, and ability to help 4th year students with their projects. We often had part time students with extensive industry experience, just looking to pick up some extra qualification, and they're the sorts of people that can be a huge help... plus they'd likely love the opportunity to show their skills.

[loza]

Hey Steph, I am new to this site and have just finished rebuilding a 79 civic,I am in Brisbane Aust, would love to get some contacts for parts here in OZ, the parts i would like are rear struts......any ideas,

[Steph]

You can still get struts from Pedders. Personally, I'd go with the BC Racing coilovers you can buy from Jap Parts. For not much more money you'll get an exponential increase in value for money and quality, plus you'll be able to raise and lower the car without using dodgey methods, like fitting cut/lowered springs on OEM-type struts, etc. If you have any dreams for your car, then don't waste your money at Pedders. That said, I have a good set of front and rears struts you can have, but you'd find there are a lot of members more local to you that will have the same junk in their garages that they can give you (left over from when they fitted BC coilovers)... sorry, did I say 'junk', I mean't to say, inferior-quality, ugly stuff. :P