Tips and Tricks
Engine:
1) Advance the timing as far forward as possible and drive the car. If it pings back it off until there is no more pinging. I also recommend removing the vacuum advance air lines if you do this.
2) The large black box (Cold Start Unit) in the drivers compartment with all of the hoses can be removed with out hurting emissions. There is only one component that you must keep from it however. It is a round electrical device called the IMA (Idle Mixture Adjuster) that has a round electrical plug connected to it. Unplug it and cut it out of the box and relocate it in the engine compartment being sure to plug it back in. Be sure to plug up all the places were vacuum lines were to avoid idling problems. The other rectangular wiring plug is left unplugged.
Suspension:
1) Loss of front suspension travel is a large problem in lowered 84 thru 87 Civics and CRXs here is a free fix. First with a marker place a vertical line on the shock tube in relation to the side facing you. Second remove the shocks and remove the brake line holder that is welded to the shock tube. You will need a Dremel and chisel to do this. Grind the welds down and you should be able to pry it off the tube, be careful not to puncture the shock. With the bracket removed file down any left over welds leaving the upper most weld as is. Now the shock can be lowered in the knuckle giving you about an inch more suspension travel. With the shock in place set it so the bottom is about an 1/8 inch above your cv boot. Use the bolt that clamps the knuckle and put it in place it should not slide through. Turn it a few times to mark the tube for the slot. Remove the shock and with a file make a slot where the mark is to allow the bolt to pass by. Repeat on the other side and you have fixed the problem for free.
2) For quicker turning set your front toe to 1/8 inch toe out. If you have adjustable camber and caster plates in the front set the camber to -1deg. and the caster to 3 deg. positive.
3) If your car is pushing or under steering badly at an event lower the rear tires in 2lb increments and this should help the problem. If you have adjustable shocks stiff the rears and soften the fronts before trying the tire pressures.
Brakes:
1) On the front brakes there is a backing plate to keep dirt and rock from hitting the rotors. With a screwdriver push it away from the rotor to allow for better air flow and cooling.
2) Before an event adjust your rear brakes so when you pull up on the parking brake it only clicks three or four times. By doing this you are adding rear brake bias which will allow you to brake deeper into the turns without spinning.
Tires & Wheels:
1) If you are racing on street tires start your tire pressures at about 35psi on the front and 30psi in the rear, race tires will be about the same as factory specs. Take shoe polish or chalk and mark the side of the tire where the tread and sidewall meet. What you want to see is how far the tire is rolling over. Make a run and see how much of the mark is gone. You want the mark to end about 1/8 inch from the edge of the tread. If all of the mark is gone you need to add air to the tire. If none or very little is removed you need to remove air from the tire. Add or remove air in about 2lb increments until you get really close and fine tune from there.
Miscellaneous:
1) The gutter molding on the CRX has always been an eye sore for me. The plastic coating cracks off and then they rust. The trick is getting the molding off the car, so here is how: You will need two flat head screwdrivers and some patience. The process reminded me of removing a bicycle tire from its rim. Open the door and start at the bottom of the A-pillar. Wedge the screwdrivers between the molding and the rubber door molding, so you can pry up on it. You will slowly be able to peel the molding off the car. Peel the plastic off the molding and use a sand paper to remove any rust. A little etching primer and black paint, good as new. They snap on from the bottom so installing is easier than removal.
