Important: The following is a text only archive!
For full features; Go to elchango: Finally finished his photoshoot!!!! (56k=ok)
So it's been over a year since I did a photoshoot and there's a good reason
for that. I've been really busy getting her to where I'm happy. And I'm
glad to say she's so much closer now than she was back in May of '06. Some
of the changes include complete new paint (finally fixed that rear panel
and rust), lip, wheels, sidemarkers, engine bay makeover, etc.
The Old Gina (http://www.car-forums.com/talk/showthread.php?t=22700)
Introducing the new Gina...
(click on images for 1024x768 res)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-alley-sears-center.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/f70acbd4.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-alley-sears-right.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/57efc32e.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-rear-alley-sears.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/3e16c0bd.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-one-6-garage.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/edb071d0.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-invisible-hood.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/ac7b2348.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-one-6-garage-close.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-one-6-ga
rage-close.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Chi-Neon-glow.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Chi-Neon
-glow.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-alley-dock-tilt.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-alley-do
ck-tilt.jpg)
elchango36
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Spillway-1.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Spillway
-1.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-spillway-no-hood.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-spillway
-no-hood.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Engine-outside.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Engine-o
utside.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Engine-Shot.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/a3797b43.jp
g)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/Sunset-EG-Devils-lake.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/bee3164e.jp
g)
elchango36
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Spillway-3.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Spillway
-3.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Spillway-2.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Spillway
-2.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-Spillway-rear.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-Spillway
-rear.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-SIUC-night.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-SIUC-nig
ht.jpg)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/Forum%20pics
/EG-SIUC-night-rear-.jpg
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e300/elchango36/EG6/Facelift/EG-SIUC-nig
ht-rear-.jpg)
1994 Honda Civic VX
Engine /Drivetrain:
JDM B16A
Home-made Short ram air Intake
DC 4-1 Headers
MSD SCI, MSD Blaster Coil, MSD 8.5mm plug wires, NGK plugs
SNL Twin-Loop Muffler
Flowmaster High Flow Cat
Custom 2.5 in. Exhaust piping from flex pipe-back
ACT Bronze Clutch
Polyurethane Engine Mount Inserts
Powdercoated Valve Cover Wrinkle Red with polished letters
NRG Carbon Fiber wire cove
Chassis/Suspension:
H and R Race Springs
Koni Yellows
Function7 rear LCAs
Skunk2 front upper control arms
GSR front lower control arms (sway bars coming soon)
Wheels and Rubber:
15 in. Konig Britelites wrapped in Falken Ziex ZE912's (195/50R15)
Exterior:
NH0 Championship White Paint
JDM SH!t WWRS Style Front Lip
JDM Vision corners
Red/White Taillights
JDM OEM Wing
JDM OEM Amber Sidemarkers
Interior:
JDM OEM Gauges
JDM OEM Clock
JDM OEM ITR Shift boot
DIY amber defroster switch
GSR black Leather Seats
GSR Armrest
Full Black interior swap (almost complete)
Skunk2 Dual bend short shifter and Skunk2 weighted shift knob
Sony CDX-GT7100 Head unit with Ipod capability (Sony XA-110IP)
Pioneer 400W 4 channel amp
12 Kenwood 600W max subwoofer in sealed box
Kenwood 6’s up front, Panasonic 6x9’s in the rear
Comments Welcome! :wink2:
elchango36
Not that it looked bad a year and a half ago, but it looks great now!
chris_knows
Looks awesome, but can you adjust the hood so its flush with the fenders?
It looks a hair too low. For such a clean, tight car, thats my only
beef.
Also, interior pics?
Mathew
Looks very good what do the wheels weigh I need some cheapish track wheels
for next season and i dont trust rotas (heard stories about them breaking
on the track) and gramlites and traklites are too much $$ for my blood.
Thanks and keep up the work
newyorker
Looks great.
And new yorker a friend of mine runs some koseis for the track on his
miata, they are pretty damn light and he pick them up REAL CHEAP.
Find some used gram lites. My buddy grabbed some to put the slicks on for
the tC. 400 for a set of 4 in mint condition./
Enthusiast
Gram Lites arent cheap to come about, especially in the lug pattern/offset
I want and size (I will probbably be running with a wilwood or brembo big
brake kit up front and some ep3 rear disks), so I am looking for a 16x7
with a 205 50 16 tire, and im not sure what offset it needs to be to clear
the brakes up front, plus the cost of tires (which I am still undecided on,
but either the re01, rt615, or re070, if I can get them in that size, the
re070 might not be made that small). Generally gramlites around here are
500-600 a set, at least. Kosei K1 are a very popular choice and can be had
pretty cheap, but it seems like everyone runs on them..I want a functional
wheel but I dont want to be like every other person at the track. Id love
to get the Enkei RPF1 because I think they personally look amazing, and are
only 13.5lbs IIRC in the 16x7, but they are a bit pricey, 199 a corner i
recall. I might have to go out to a few winter autocross events and see if
people are selling anything, and I am interviewing with a rather expensive
car dealership for a job hopefully saturday, they are interested in me, so
I will see perhaps they can get me some things at "dealer price" even
though I dont think they deal with any aftermarket...I might try to snag
that little sponsorsip out of them at least, if they can cover anything
even slightly I am happy with that, hell even one set of free tires per
season would be a world of difference seeing as a single day at the track
is 275, if you have your own helmet lol I can go on and on. I am just
looking at different setups right now, I have all winter to dwell on it,
and since I dont plan to do road racing this year I have the extra time to
practice more in autocross and get some attention. I will see how I am
doing mid season, if I can snag a 1.8 miata for cheap, I will just do the
wheels/tires/brakes/etc. on that instead, seeing as it would prove more
rewarding on a miata than my civic
sorry for block text, its late
newyorker
You want something Cheap but you want to be diff. There lies the problem,
the cheap stuff that works is popular for those very reasons.
How large is the rotor you want to run up front?
Enthusiast
Thanks!:thumbs:
Interior pics are coming as soon as I have some time to mess around with my
camera. I took some pics but didn't like any single one so I'm going to do
them over. As for the hood, I'll bring it back once I install the front "H"
emblem I got for Christmas.
Thank you. The wheels weigh 12.6 lbs, they're a little heavier than my old
Rotas which weighed around 10 lbs. As Enthusiast said, cheap and different
don't exist. The cheaper the wheel, the more people rock them. Hence why
Rota's and Drag wheels are so popular.
Thanks.
elchango36
Yea I know lol its gona be hard. The HP brake kit is 12.5, says that it
requires a 17 inch wheel so thats out. I emailed my guy eddie, he still
hasnt gotten back to me about the wilwood and powerslot kits. A lot of
people say that even if I run with brembo blanks up front and EBC/Hawk
pads, and an EP3 swap in the rear with the same rotor and pad I wont get
brake fade anyway.
I found this as well, Dezod does a lot of work with cars that are usually
"hard to find" stuff for, but its a bit much money
http://www.dezod.com/pd_brembo_sport_brake_kit.cfm
As far as wheels, its a pain in the ass because I dont know if I should
trust rota and drag or not, I can get them for 300 a set through some
connection, and the rt615 tires are 92 a piece from the same guy, g-Force
r1 are only 168, and advan a048 medium or medium hard are 151 a piece, but
they can only get them in a 205 55 16, I wanted to run a 205 50 16, I dont
know how much or how little that will change the performance.
Then again I might be able to get away with a 225 tire on the track because
Pocono raceway doesnt have any turns where I will hit full lock anyway, so
rubbing shouldnt be too big an issue...i hope..cause wider with the same
series sidewall the sidewall is still gona be a bit bigger, and I hope it
doenst rub the perch on the strut, or rub in the back, I dont want to run
staggered tires :(
newyorker
Damn ElChingy Gina looks absolutely gorgeous! That is by far the cleanest
Civic I have seen in a long time. :thumbs:
99integra
Thanks Steven! Nice to see this thread get back on topic:wink2:.
elchango36
I Love the R1s they are a hell of a tire and provide TONS of GRIP.
Especially in the 315/35/17 flavor haha.
The a048s are pretty badass too, Ive never had much firsthand experienc
with them as mostly import guys use them, but Ive read some reviews and
they are probably right up there with the R1. Doesnt the elise come with
them? Or maybe Im thinkin of the wrong tire.
A taller tire will give you a taller effective gearing. But theoretically
there is only a ~10mm difference in height of the two size you posted, so I
seriously doubt you would notice.
Id probably just go with whichever one I could get for cheapest, they are
both going to be a hell of a tire and I doubt you are good enough to fully
explore the slight advantage one may have over the other.
Enthusiast
Only thing I am concerned about with the R comps is the wear time...I would
like a set to last me about 7-10 track days, dont know how many laps I will
be running, and I dont know if I should get them heat cycled or just slap
em on
newyorker
Well On the Red Demon he had a set of R6s and A6s (315 all around), and
with a 40 tread wear he actually got a lot of life out of them, from
everything to daily driving and track days. I think he did a few autocross
sessions but that was on the KDs I believe.
As far as I know now hes street driving on his R1s and he has never said
anything about them wearing quickly, but then again I dont think he cares.
Shit his brake pads (Panther Plus) rarely last past 10K miles.
Ill call him ask him tomorrow and see what kind of life hes seeing from th
R1s.
Enthusiast
Thanks, just shoot me a PM I dont want to clutter Chango's thread anymore
newyorker
Thanks, I appreciate your concern.
elchango36
the car looks great,
how much horsep0wer do you think you're putting out currently?
I know the car is light as hell (as long as you didnt replace the interior,
but still its a hatchback civic lol)
if you lived in my town you would have by far the cleanest and believe it
or not the fastest civic in town :laughing:
nighthawk
whoopsie
nighthawk
with the engine work I have to guess somewhere in the area of 160-180whp
maybe...if he got a smaller exhaust it would probbably feel and perform
better, those motors need backpressure, and 2.5 for the b16 is usually a
good size if you are running a bit of boost, otherwise 2 or 2.25 is just
fine, and that mere .25-.5 makes a big difference
chango, have you considered a lighter flywheel?? it lets the motor put down
more power (frees up power that is usually lost), and since you are running
most of your power in the higher RPM, and arent boosted it wouldnt be too
big of an inconvinience in daily driving, check out the line of Exedy, ACT,
and especially Fridanza flywheels they are good stuff. You on stock timing
too?? Id save for some skunk2 cams, or something along those lines, along
with adjustable gears, you will feel good gains with that, but youll have
to run 91+ octane with the different timing, I think its worth it
newyorker
Changing pipe diameter doesnt change back pressure only velocity.
Enthusiast
explain how.
feel free to use terms like inertia (and the moment thereof), kinetic
energy and fluctuating torque.
windsonian
I dont understand what you want me to explain...
newyorker
the bit i quoted obviously, but in case your own writing doesn't make sense
to you:
can you please explain to me how a "lighter" flywheel will free up lost
power, allowing the engine to produce more.
also how their would be "not too much inconvenience" in daily driving
because of a lack of boost..... which leads to a follow up of why would
there be more inconvenience if he WAS running boost?
Also, why does the fact that he is "running most of his power in the high
revs" impact the "inconvenience" of daily driving, with specific reference
to a lighter flywheel?
windsonian
Since you seem to want to act so smart, why dont you explain it, since you
do no real useful posting here, just try to confront me on shit. Thanks
dipshit, I cant wait to read your post. Ive driven the different cars with
the different flywheels, and I mean exactly what I say, I know its hard to
understand for someone as intelligent as yourself. :rolleyes:
newyorker
I can't explain it, because I don't understand it. That's why I asked.
I could explain to you my understanding of flywheels, but this would have
no bearing on what you said, so it would be of little relevance here.
windsonian
Sounded like you were just trying to nitpick my post
Here is a small post from another forum, the question was
Please discuss facts about ...about flywheel weight. I have researched, and
found primarily that a lighter flywheel as opposed to stock will not make
any change at all as far as power output - HP or torque. I've read no
change will be seen on a dyno when comparing a light flywheel with a
standard weight flywheel.
In my way of thinking, the rotational mass of the flywheel with the heavier
flywheel of course will have more inertia than the lightweight one, and
that inertia would contribute towards torque output in a positive manner.
People keep saying that you get nothing but benefits from a lightened
flywheel other than the con of driveability due to the dampening effect
being lost of the flywheel when dampening acceleration and de-acceleration.
From what I think a light flywheel makes the car "seem faster" because it
gets the power output to the wheels quicker. I'm sorta against it. I think
there are good reasons as to why lightweight flywheels are no good. I can
only see it being good for counter-acting turbo lag.
My reply
My take.
A lot of autocross guys use them cause you can accelerate a bit quicker and
decelerate a bit quicker, but as you go up the gears, the effect dies off.
A lot of people have said that after 3rd gear (honda owners), you can
hardly feel any difference.
Basically, it allows the car to rev a bit quicker, and get to the power
zone a bit faster. There are negatives to this, and turbo guys usually dont
get light flywheels, youll understand why.
With my car now, I can get off from a light even at 1000RPM with hardly any
judder.
With a light flywheel, since the RPM goes up quicker, it goes down quicker,
so I would have to rev higher to keep the RPM from dipping into the stall
zone.
Turbo guys dont want this because since you have to rev higher, it causes
traction problems.
a. you may try to take off normally from a light and hit boost (depending
on how your car is tuned)
b. if you are at the track (drag) and are launching, you have to also rev a
bit higher, and again you may hit boost too fast and just spin...this is a
problem for FWD guys, probbably some RWD guys too.
Basically, as I always say, there is always a tradeoff to any mod.
A lighter flywheel wont harm your motor, but can wear your clutch out
faster because you are always revving higher to get moving, and clutch
slippage sucks.
It can be usefull in autocross since most of the time, you never get past
2nd gear (at least the ones ive been to)...my car hits 62 in 2nd, and on an
autocross, you dont have room to hit that speed. Then again you have to
remember that its going to cause a pain in the ass during daily driving.
Its the kinda thing that I can see being done on track only cars, because
for them its a good benefit without the drawbacks of daily driving the
cars. A lighter flywheel WILL increase performance, but not to a point
where your car will be flying, so for a daily driven car, I say no.
addition
The whole flywheel thing is one of those that is done by choice..some
people will run them on turbo cars just fine and like them, others wont,
its sort of a matter of preference
newyorker
if you want a more technical explanation, i cant give it to you..i make my
posts and advice and such based on the things i have heard (and in most
cases then read up about on my own) or experienced (helping someone,
driving a car, etc). In this case ive driven plenty of cars with different
engine and drivetrain setups and my explanation and understanding only goes
as far as Ive said, google will do you better with info.
newyorker
I don't need a more technical response, I know the best part of the theory,
but I wanted to see some technical backing for your seemingly unrelated
topics of boost and flywheel.
I see there is some thought there, although I don't believe you need to rev
higher with a "lighter" flywheel, just better control of revs. You're
talking about having to rev higher because the revs will drop quicker (i
assume you mean when you release the clutch). So boost shouldn't really
matter, you just need to find the point in the rev range where de-clutching
will result in your appropriate take-off revs.
And now I'm really concerned that you're contradicting yourself
again.....
Why did you say it was something worthwhile for him to look at doing then?
windsonian
Thanks nighthawk! As for hp I have to agree with newyorker, guessing
somewhere around 160-180whp.
Newyorker, I have considered a lighter flywheel, and opted against it. I've
had the displeasure of driving a 99 Civic Si with a 8.5 lbs. flywheel and
absolutely hated it. Yeah, it revved faster. It was also a pain to get
moving from a standstill. If you let off the clutch like you normally
would, you'd stall. You let off too quickly and you'd chirp. Rev high and
let off, your putting more strain on the clutch which is bad. Rev high and
let off quickly and you'd just sit there on a rainy day spinning in a big
cloud of smoke. Chirping and burning out is not something I want to be
doing at the stop lights especially when sitting next to a cop. I also
don't want to mess up the amount of rotating mass that Honda engineers
deemed necessary for the health and happiness of my motor. I'm fine with
how my motor revs, I don't dread being stuck on an uphill. Lastly, I'm
building another JDM B16A excpet this one's getting boosted. Some of the
things I've spent money on on this motor I will also use on the boosted
motor (things like transmission, MSD, valve cover, ...). So I don't really
see a point to getting a lightened flywheel.
On the subject of timing, already looking to source some toda cam gears,
but still deciding on cams though (not sure if I should get custom turbo
cams made or if I will be able to afford them). As for 91+ octane, I
already have to run that high an octane being as how it's a high
compression motor that knocks with anything less.
Oh, and the exhaust has plenty of back pressure, that's what the twin loop
is for. :wink2:
elchango36
Nice set of wheels. Those are actually some pretty impressive pictures. Did
you shoot them yourself or did you have a professional do them?
DSMer
WOW, that's one hell of a compliment! Thanks! I took them and edited them
myself. :thumbs:
I could have taken much better shots if I had a better camera. All I could
afford for my birthday was Sony DSC-H3. I really wanted a Canon Digital
Rebel XTi.
elchango36
You should get into photography, at least as a hobby. The way you used the
ambient light in the first 2 of pictures is actually pretty impressive.
Also the engine bay shot with the light subtlety reflecting off the valve
cover. The one where the car is reflecting off the body of water is a cool
idea, but you should have change the shutter speed so you don't get such a
reflection off the body of your car. But I assume you did that all in one
day so the sun was just at that point where you can not do anything about
it. Trust me, I know:cussing:
This months issue of Modified or Import 2NR (or whatever) has a JDM white
hatch just like yours. I remember thinking, "Great, another issue with a
JDM Honda. We get it, Honda's are cool and they are also sold in the worlds
most overpopulated piece of land" (Not against you, I'm just sick of paying
$30 year to see the same Honda over and over). But a few of those photos do
look professional quality.
I've been using the Cannon S5 SLR for most of my photos. I originally
bought it for my business, but it has progressed into actually shooting
models with merchandise for catalog/online purposes.
Anywhos, nice car and great pictures.
DSMer
Thanks DSMer for the wonderful comments, I really appreciate them. I've
actually been wanting to get into photography for a few years now. I've
just never been able to afford it. This is my first camera and I'm still
learning how to use it. I think my photography skills are far from
professional. Do you have any tips for an amateur such as myself?
elchango36
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/46-honda-civic-members-rides/280151-logic
wavelength-drew22mader-dirtysamurais-guide-automotive-photography-new-pix.h
tml
Very good guide, for cars anyway
newyorker
I'm no professional, I'm just able to afford some decent equipment. I
actually learned a lot of "techniques" , so to speak, from a photographer
that I hired to do a few catalog pictures. My best advice.... head over to
your local book store and pick up a few on photography. This is just to
learn your basics about aperture, exposure, light settings, lenses
etc...
Then start taking pictures. You have a digital camera, so just go nuts.
When I got my macro, wide angle and zoom lenses I must have taken about
1500 pictures of just random things using different settings and options.
DSMer
Thanks for the link newyorker!
DSMer: Thanks for the tips. I need your opinion on lenses and filters. Is
brand name important? Sony makes lenses and filters for my camera, but
they're really expensive. I have found lens and filter kits on ebay for
cheap, but they're not Sony lenses. Is brand name important when it comes
to lenses?
elchango36
Like with anything else, you're always going to get what you pay for. Then
in some instances you're going to pay for more than what you get. Sony
"generally" makes good lenses, however I'm not a brand whore.
Check out This Place (http://www.dpreview.com). They have good reviews of
cameras and camera related accessories.
DSMer
aww man shes a beaut. nice job man
DARKtEAGLE
Thanks:thumbs:
elchango36
