It’s been an… interesting week to say the least.
We went from making incredible progress on the car to nearly a standstill in the same week. As we went to test fit the CR-V axles, we realized that the bearings were improperly installed. They were loose and crooked. Luckily, our build sponsors over at Soddy Daisy Speed Shop got us taken care of with new bearings, properly installed. Once we got that out of the way, I got the spindles back over to Slightly Mangled. Once there, it was quickly discovered that the CR-V axles would NOT work up front. They are too long by a good inch or so.
So, what now?
We might have the answer here. Since we converted the hubs to accept a larger 36mm axle nut, we need very specific axles. RSX Type S axles are approximately the length we need and the proper nut diameter. So, we have one arrived and test fitted – looks like it will work. The other is on the way with an o ring adapter to prevent the trans leaking.
Rear brakes finally!
Shout out to my friend Dean for the hookup on this brand new Civic SI rear disc brake set. Everything clears (barely) and hooked up to factory components super easily. The end goal is to somehow link up a hydraulic e-brake. As of right now, the e-brake does absolutely nothing. The car is an original drum brake car, now converted to disc.
Running AND driving!
The last piece of this weeks puzzle was the shifter cable. Turns out the original CR-V cable does not match to the Civic body, so we could not use it. We tried an Integra cable, but it had a different transmission termination. The CR-V automatic transmission lever accepts an eyelet with a cotter pin as the termination. Jake figured out that if we drilled out the end of the original Civic cable, it might work. Well, with some help from our friend Josh, who is a wizard at welding & metal fab – it worked. Shortened the end of the cable by 3/4″ and it WORKS!
No video this week, hope you all understand! Will be getting back into my groove next week, so look forward to more Civic content!
Text & Photos by Ben Battles
