Simple Plan

  Looking at other RSX builds for new ideas and stuff I notice pictures of the front swaybar endlinks hitting the inner unidody when longer endlinks are installed or with an ultra low ride height.  So while I was changing tires at the last Calclub autox I check out the potential problem area on my car and yup, my longer than stock Hotchkis endlinks are making slight contact with a inner body seam.  As I go to adjust the endlinks shorter and re-install I realize the front swaybar will not rotate by hand more than an inch or so.  I knew the EM2 Civic swaybar was close to the header and occasionally made contact, but I finally saw the really bad news.  The way the bar hoop rotates at the curve of the header causes severe binding in both fore/aft directions. Also interferes with the shifter cables and bracket at the upper left tunnel and this interference will only get much worse if and when the swaybar is properly centered in the chassis.  The recently replaced rear motor mount may have worsened the situation by propping the engine upward a little.  Handling is good, so I keep the bar installed and manage to shorten the endlinks and tweak the mounting brackets enough to give the bar a little more movement.  I have a few other front swaybar ideas and hope to have something different soon.

  With only one week until the next autox event in San Diego, I use my day off work to catch up on a few simple items.  Mugen supplied three of the motor mounts last year but the rear mount was never replaced at that time.  Engine movement and wheel hop was still a concern so I bought the Vibratechnics rear motor mount and had my mechanic pop it in.  I immediately noticed easier shifting with only a slight increase in NVH.

 I then drove to the muffler shop to have the exhaust modified to clear the swaybar.  Lets just say the workmanship quality is high, but the new pipe routing now interferes with the swaybar arm.  So now both my front and rear swaybars are binding.  Yay.   Going back Wednesday to have this corrected.

 Password JDM makes an RSX battery relocation bracket that mounts to the frame rail low down next to the transmission.  It is designed to fit the Odyssey PC680 but can be adapted to fit other similar sized batteries. Not currently in production, so I bought a used battery bracket with a missing hold down brace. Battery Mart sent me a PC680 with SAE terminal adapters.  The install was easy but the positive cable does not have enough slack which places the positive battery terminal and clamp closer to the frame and other metalic bits than I am comfortable with.  Some cheap aluminum and miscellaneous hardware completes the top mount and firmly secures the battery.  Weight savings should be about 13 pounds.

  More again on the rear swaybar; I replaced all the mounting hardware and made spacers to keep the bar brackets in the upper most location.  Clamping collars are installed to keep the bar from moving side to side.  Longer rear adjustable end links are installed but there are potential interference issues with the ABS brackets, upper control arms. and various fuel and emissions hoses.  For these reasons I go back and install the very short 2.25" oem end links.  I have a few ideas to relocate the LCA endlink mounts which will allow use of longer adjustable links for more articulation and wider range of adjustment.  Never did I anticipate so many issues with something as simple as sway bars.