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Because the budget doesn't allow for it, we won’t be building a dog-box for the B18. We’ll be running a standard synchronized B-series gearbox instead. Because we’ll be running a synchro box, we’ll get a small weight break, which will help us offset the added weight required to run the B18 and also the weight penalty for adding the IRS. While we may lose some of the advantages of the dog-box, we’ll gain a great deal of flexibility with the broad range of OEM gear ratios available in this transmission series, as well as good aftermarket support for things like upgraded synchros and LSDs.
Out with the old. I’m going to pirate a few parts – the oil pump drive, and probably the ignition trigger wheel and sensor.
Here’s a shot of the naked front. Note the extensive reinforcements added to the original tub. Since this isn’t a full tube-frame car, this added structure keeps the front suspension mounts from experiencing any flex.Since the original mounting system for the EW motor was still intact, except for the rear mount, a call to the guys at HASport was in order. They make a B-series engine mount kit for the first gen CRX. If you’re going to do a Honda/Acura engine swap, they have every detail ironed out. Everything is well-engineered, and the quality of manufacturing and materials is second to none. They even have the capability to manufacture the front axles in-house, insuring a perfect fit. Since this was a custom application, they loaned me a dummy axle so that I can measure for the proper axle lengths. I’ll cover the engine swap in a little more detail in a future segment.
Fortunately, most of the original engine mounting points are still intact. Here’s the drivers side, fitted with the new HASport mount for the B series.
With a little bit of grinding of the reinforcement added to the frame, the passenger side HASport mount went in without any fuss.
The rear mount will require a little fabrication in order to create a mounting surface, since the original structure was modified, but with the front end laid bare, that should be pretty easy.
