Index:

Project Beginnings

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 32 & 34) Rice removal - 4 wheel 5 lug conversion finished, turbo manifold production begins here and completes here Hello all!I wanted to share my Mid engine Del Sol project car with the H-T community. I've spent countless hours reading threads (mostly for technical info) on here I thought I might as well give something back. Any questions or comments would be appreciated.Since the first time I read about the Top Fuel Del Sol featured in Superstreet magazine I was fascinated by the rear engine swap. I had recently purchased a Del Sol and was preparing to put a turbo H22 motor under the hood. Preparation took over a year but in May 2004 I swapped out the D16Z6 for my fully built, turbocharged H22a4. The car hauled ***, but tuning, traction and suspension issues left much to be desired. So beginning in July I started researching the RWD swap, mainly because I wanted something different than the thousands of other boosted hondas, and because I love the feel of mid/rear engine platforms.Unfortunately I found little information regarding the rear suspension of the Top Fuel Sol. Originally I was interested in the CRV rear setup, but was unconvinced it would work.. which is when I stumbled upon Cody's (Tinker219) RWD Del sol project . I was struck by the pure brilliance of it! Cody used the front suspension from a 92-95 civic, and a extensive tube frame to mount the engine rearward. Along with Dave's (RaceCity_USA) Mid engine Integra GSR I was inspired to do more with my own vehicle using an amalgamation of the two principles. I should note that I have the utmost admiration and respect for both other mid engine RWD projects. My own project was in no means meant to duplicate their exact process or results. I delayed releasing any information regarding my own project until now out of respect for the work which Dave (RaceCity_USA) has been doing on an on-going basis since August 2004 - A true testament to his inginuity, knowledge and dedication to the project.At the end of October 2004 I commenced my own Mid engine project.Engine pulled for rebuildHere is the donor vehicle 1993 Civic DX HatchbackWell.. at least the front half(October 31st 2004)Since I wished to use the frame from the civic instead of a tubeframe; I started tacking supports to the inside of the bay so nothing would shift once I started trimming it down to fit.For every hour I've spend in my tiny (12'x 20' ish) garage on this, I've probably spent a good 3 hours thinking on my next move. The hardest part of this project thus far was the frame itself. Of the many issues to consider before starting, the three major ones were track,wheelbase and alignment of the rear suspension and frame. I decided the first order of business was to level the car with jacks and build a jig.(November 8th 2004)I'm still looking for the pictures of cutting the Del sol trunk to peices, I will post them when I find them. At any rate it was the point of no return. Once cutting was complete on both donor and Sol, I dropped donor suspension under the body and started to align it using the jig and measurements from the front Del Sol suspension. Having identical suspensions was key to having the proper frame position. Floor to cross member heights, floor to frame heights everything was measured and matched at the rear of the car.(December 11th 2004)Pic of boxing up the frame rails with 1/4 inch mild steel plate (January 6th 2005)Because the outer frame rail (what the fender mounts to) was cut from the donor suspension I decided to beef up the strut towers by tying it into the del sol. I'm glad I did too, upon welding to it I discovered how thin they really areIt made for a very long night of very slow work. Without this added support I am certain it would buckle.(January 25th 2005)Heres a better view of the jig once the car was moveable. (February 12th 2005)Type R hub conversion with brembo slotted rotorsSheet metal and frame work (no specific date)(This is my mock up engine)Thanks for looking! This is far from the finished product, much more to come!-Scott P.