I was able to do the toe links with a vice and some sockets. The camber links put up much more of a fight and required fire to remove the original bushings. Fortunately my cousin let me borrow his acetylene torch.And that’s pretty much it. We reinstalled all of our arms and links and torqued them to spec. We’re really excited to try out our new suspension. With all of our new bushings and bearings our car should handle like a dream. Next up, we’ll show off our new brakes, then move on to the cooling system, interior, and other details.
Place some plywood under those jackstands. I know the Civic is a featherweight, but that tarmac looks paper thin, and it doesn’t take much for the feet on those stands to sink right through. Hot day, or water saturation in the substrate combined with a tiny contact surface. It can topple, if you’re lucky it won’t be when you’re wrenching on it. Ask me how I know.
Loving the EF content!
I have the same chassis with a D15b, and we just replaced the rear drums with disk brakes
Struggling a bit with the pedal feel though
Should we upgrade to a 15/16″ master cylinder? (Current is a 13/16″)
Booster is the factory 8.5 inch
You’ll be seeing our brake work in the next few weeks. Not sure when Mike is planning to run it, but it’s been written and submitted.
I would not go to the larger MC. Both disc and drum Civics used the 13/16″ cylinder. The 15/16″ was for the Integra with bigger calipers. It will make the pedal firmer but the brakes will be a lot harder to modulate. I actually tried the Integra MC on this Civic and did not like it at all. The brakes, especially the rear, were very easy to lock. Not a fun way to drive.
There are two things you should try first: 1) make sure the master cylinder isn’t leaking. If it’s new then move on to: 2) make sure it’s been properly bled. Master cylinders either need to be bench bled or vacuum bled. Using the brake pedal usually doesn’t get the full stroke of the piston and will leave an air bubble at the very end. If you have a new, properly bled master cylinder then try 3): make sure the pedal travel is correct. When I went back to the stock MC on my car the pedal travel was a lot longer than the Integra MC, but the brakes would still lock. I lengthened the pushrod on the back of the pedal by 3 turns and it made a world of difference.
If none of this works, you’re better off just removing the booster. A number of companies offer kits that make it a (relatively) easy process. The booster location in the Civic is awful and doing the actual swap requires a lot of contortion. Some of the kits use the 13/16″ MC, others use an aftermarket MC that’s usually 7/8″. I’d try the free home fixes first though.
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Place some plywood under those jackstands. I know the Civic is a featherweight, but that tarmac looks paper thin, and it doesn’t take much for the feet on those stands to sink right through. Hot day, or water saturation in the substrate combined with a tiny contact surface. It can topple, if you’re lucky it won’t be when you’re wrenching on it. Ask me how I know.
Pavement is 60 years old. It’s not thin, but it has sunk a bit. It’s getting repaved soon. Appreciate the concern though!
Looks great
Loving the EF content!
I have the same chassis with a D15b, and we just replaced the rear drums with disk brakes
Struggling a bit with the pedal feel though
Should we upgrade to a 15/16″ master cylinder? (Current is a 13/16″)
Booster is the factory 8.5 inch
You’ll be seeing our brake work in the next few weeks. Not sure when Mike is planning to run it, but it’s been written and submitted.
I would not go to the larger MC. Both disc and drum Civics used the 13/16″ cylinder. The 15/16″ was for the Integra with bigger calipers. It will make the pedal firmer but the brakes will be a lot harder to modulate. I actually tried the Integra MC on this Civic and did not like it at all. The brakes, especially the rear, were very easy to lock. Not a fun way to drive.
There are two things you should try first: 1) make sure the master cylinder isn’t leaking. If it’s new then move on to: 2) make sure it’s been properly bled. Master cylinders either need to be bench bled or vacuum bled. Using the brake pedal usually doesn’t get the full stroke of the piston and will leave an air bubble at the very end. If you have a new, properly bled master cylinder then try 3): make sure the pedal travel is correct. When I went back to the stock MC on my car the pedal travel was a lot longer than the Integra MC, but the brakes would still lock. I lengthened the pushrod on the back of the pedal by 3 turns and it made a world of difference.
If none of this works, you’re better off just removing the booster. A number of companies offer kits that make it a (relatively) easy process. The booster location in the Civic is awful and doing the actual swap requires a lot of contortion. Some of the kits use the 13/16″ MC, others use an aftermarket MC that’s usually 7/8″. I’d try the free home fixes first though.