Project EF Civic Racecar: Improving the Interior

The interior of our Civic racecar is not the most pleasant place to be.  When we bought the car it was still using the original steering wheel and shifter.  We serviced the shifter when we did a quick once over on the car, but it was stiff and the extension we used made the gear throws so long it felt like we were rowing a boat.  The seat and harness are worn and expired.  And on top of all of that, we have a broken windshield which is a safety risk.  Let’s address all of those things and make the interior of this car a little nicer and safer.

Driver point of view of the Civic with a broken windshield and the old steering wheel
This Civic has factory manual steering. Honda put on a gigantic steering wheel to make parking easier. Because this is an 80s car the rim is very thin making it uncomfortable to hold with driving gloves. The vinyl and foam are also falling apart after years of exposure: the foam is so bad you can actually twist it around the rim. Also with the rollcage and high seat bolsters, snaking between the seat and the wheel is a pain. You can also see the giant crack in our windshield here. A piece of debris starred the passenger side of the windshield and it split all the way across the width. This is a tech fail for track days, but local autocross tech inspectors let it slide.
The old expired Recaro seat and G-Force 6-point harness in the Civic
Our car had an old Recaro seat and G-Force 6-point harness installed. The harness had expired in 2018 and the seat was manufactured in 2003. The seat has seen a lot of wear and it’s a bit gross. Both need to go on safety grounds: harnesses and seats expire for road racing use every 2 years (SFI rated) or 5 years (FIA rated). For insurance reasons even HPDEs require up to date safety gear so we will have to replace these if we want to go on track. In New Jersey, where our closest tracks are, up to date safety gear is required by state law.
Removing the Honda logo on the stock Civic steering wheel
Removing the stock wheel is pretty easy. Take a small screwdriver and remove the H logo in the center of the wheel. Then loosen the 19mm nut in the center and pull hard. The wheel should pop right off.
Used Momo Competition steering wheel showing the outer diameter with a tape measure
I originally picked up this used Momo Competition steering wheel for my old 240SX but sold the car before I installed it. It’s been kicking around the garage for almost a decade. It’s got a nice fat rim and is the perfect 240mm for spirited driving.
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