test run

I filled the radiators with fluid and fired up the engine. The throttle control is a little touchy, but the engine seems strong. after about 15 min, the coolant started flowing through the radiators and after another 5 min, it started flowing out a crack on the bottom of the large radiator. oops. one more thing to fix... i guess it wasnt meant to drive before christmas this year.

transmission done

after months of waiting for the custom final drive ring and pinion, they finally arrived. But unfortunately they werent made very precise and the first and second gears fit very loosely on the shaft. I did some research and found, with my dad's help, I could make a custom bearing sleeve to fit over the shaft and make 2nd gear fit better. So we bought some 52100 bearing grade steel and my Dad took to the CNC. A couple hours later and he made 2 custom sleeves that would compensate for the final drive being too small. Then they were sent to heat treat and precision ground. In the mean time, i studied up on how to assemble a transmission. This was my first try, so i put it together and took it apart 4 or 5 times and finally figured out how to line everything up just right in order for the 2 halves to fit perfectly and keep the shift forks from hanging up. I finally was ready and carefully spread the RTV sealant on the mating surfaces and lifted the top half of the cover when , clunk, disaster... a bearing fell out and hit the ground knocking all the ball bearings in every direction on the shop floor. it took 20 minutes to find them all in the greasy nooks and crannies of the warehouse. just in time too, since the sealant was drying.

thanks to the help from the honda forum, the transmission rebuild was much easier than i thought.

Now 9 months later, the engine and tranny are finally back in the Car. just need to hook everything up and try it out. the thought worries me for some reason.