reasonable rock

i am dropping my 99 cx ek and after much research am looking at the following set-up. please keep in mind that i am building a very fast, solid daily driver. this isn't meant for serious racing, street or track. it may see a quarter mile or two eventually but only for fun.

eibach sportline springs

koni orange or yellow. (not sure if adjustable dampening is worth it for me.)

i can't devote the kind of time i would like into my car and therefor parts tend to stay on it for a few years, like it or not. when i do make a change i really have to consider my options.

MPR

For daily driving and the occassional track run, you should be fine with the koni orange dampers. They are designed to be used with softer lowering springs such as the eibach sportlines.

The yellow are for more of the weekend track warrior and even on their softest setting, may be too stiff for the sportline springs.

reasonable rock

that was my preferred set-up.

iTaLiAn_vIrUs

honestly man this is a very grey area
it all comes down to how much you wanna spend, and what your willing to upgrade
cause u could get urself a master bushing set and replace all ur bushings on ur suspension
not to mention LCA
sway bar's
C-pillar
the list goes on bro

but if you get any type of coil over/ shock/strut
i would say make sure u get something with the 5-point adjustable damper

u never know which day u wanna go a little harder or a little softer

MPR

^well, he said he wasn't planning to use the car for serious racing, therefore adjustable dampers aren't really necessary. With softer rated lowering springs like eibach sportlines, adjustable dampers will probably be too stiff for those springs, even on the softest setting. It depends on the range of adjustability. The more adjustability, the more expensive they will be.

reasonable rock

oops. i guess i should have mentioned that i also have the '00 civic siR rear disc brake conversion. will that make a difference with the springs and shocks on the back end? i already know it will. any suggestions on how to get around this without having to buy two sets of springs?

MPR

^The rear disc brake conversion only changes that. The brakes. It has no effect on where and how the rear springs and dampers are fastened and mounted to the chassis and lower control arm. You shouldn't need different springs.

reasonable rock

thats what i get for not doing that project myself. i really have no idea what exactly got changed out. thanks for your assist.

reasonable rock

as i am still waiting for the parts, i have been reading a lot about the conversion. i had every intention in doing this myself. a friend advised me that i should take it to a shop because of the safety issues with compressing the springs. i told him it should be fine. i am renting a spring compresser and will use a vise.

does anyone have any comments?

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

i've done dozens of springs, if you follow simple safety guidelines, compressing the spring won't be an issue.

good luck with the rear LCA bolts...

reasonable rock

thanks for that. i understand they can be quite an issue sometimes. any suggestions?

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

if the bolt is seized to the bushing collar, there is really very little you can do about that. soak in WD40 or similar penetrant spray for a few days before you're ready to do it, then just before you do it, put the right size socket on the head and give it a couple of whacks with a big hammer. good solid hits. then spray it some more with WD40 and wait 15 minutes, then get out the impact gun if you have one, and go to work. don't push on the gun, just hold it there and let it do the work. if there is any chance the bolt will come out, this is your best shot. if it doesn't go after about a 1/2 hour, just break off the head, torch out the bushings, cut the inner ring out and press in new OEM ones (or if those aren't available go OEM style aftermarket but pref not urethane).

reasonable rock

could you go into a little more detail on this? i am a little unclear. this is some awesome advice. i was actually considering swapping out the LCA's if i had any trouble. comments?

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

the LCA bushings are three peices, outer metal ring, rubber, inner metal sleeve. what happens is the bolt seizes to the inner metal sleeve. you need to seperate the inner sleeve and outer ring, which means cutting the rubber somehow. most people torch it, but i don't see why you couldn't use a drill bit to drill holes all the way around the bushing, then use a hacksaw blade to cut around the whole thing. then you could just remove the bolt probably without breaking it. then you're left with the outer ring inside the LCA, so you take the hacksaw again and cut slits into the ring (in a front to back direction). one slit is sufficient to collapse the ring and get it out. some people do two slits. whatever is easy for you. now you have an LCA that's ready for a new bushing and a new bolt.

reasonable rock

so. the job is done but check out this curve ball:

i am already considering new rear lca's as i hear this is a major issue with this job. i have the front end in the air. i twist the head off the second bolt i attempt to remove. it was the bolt that tightens the fork to the strut. i can't remove the strut without removing the fork; at least some of the fork. i get an angle grinder, a nice, thin disc and go to work. out drops the strut.

the next morning is spent on the phone with wreckers all over the city. they all have the strut but with the fork still attached. this doesn't help at all. i call my mechanic (joe@altech) hoping he can help remove the fork from the new strut i am about to buy. he has a torch after all. he tells me to swing by. he may have a fork already to go. awesome. i grab the fork, finish up the front end and jack up the rear.

at this point i am expecting the worst. surprisingly, every bolt came out like a dream. i was so relieved.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

well done!

MPR

Great to hear everything worked out!

All 3 rear LCA bolts came out with zero issues on my car as well. I guess we got lucky...hehe.

reasonable rock

MPR - did you lube the bolts for a few days before attempting the job? i did on the back. i wonder if that made the difference.

jdm ek4

I ust recently replaced my shocks and springs all around and didnt have a problem with none of the bolts, and yes i had sprayed some lube on all the bolts so that may have helped. Only problem i had was the front lower ball joints didnt want to come out when i did the swap and my shafts so i took it from the intermediate shaft. Car feels like it came off the lot now. lol

reasonable rock

niiiice! what a great feeling eh? nice and tight.