ITA Honda Civic EX

Christian Shipp is having Conover Motor Sports build this early-'90s Honda Civic EX to SCCA ITA specifications. The EX is unusual because it's basically the proven CRX Si in a 4-door chassis.

The car is being prepared with an emphasis on endurance racing - for events of up to 24 hours in length - applying lessons learned from Conover's ground-up build of Kirk Knestis' VW Golf III.

In the image to the right, the suspension and wheels from Shipp's existing (but damaged) CRX have been mocked up on the new chassis, for delivery to the CMS shop in Burlington, NC.

Chassis Preparation

Of course, the first step in the process of building a racing car is to remove all of the parts not necessary for racing.

However, Conover goes beyond that with a build like Shipp's - stripping the car to its bare chassis in advance of installation of the rollcage. All new or reconditioned parts will be bolted to the newly caged chassis after it's had a trip to the painter.

The engine bay, interior, and trunk area are stripped completely of trim, wiring, and insulation. Doors are removed to gain access for rollcage installation. All running gear is removed to be reconditioned, in preparation for race service.

Seat Installation

Prior to beginning construction of the rollcage, it is necessary to determine where the driver will be located, and mount the Recaro racing seat. A special tubular steel mounting subframe was designed by CMS partner Competition Cages (Hillsborough, NC).

Competition Cages fabricator Chris Schimmel tries to locate the driver as low as possible, and as far from the door as space permits.

Rollcage Construction

The rollcage is built to SCCA specifications, with additional triangulation designed by Schimmel, based on European rally and touring car designs.

The cate incorporates a full-width dash bar, hidden above the steering column; short diagonals from the forward downward legs to the firewall; a central roof bar; tubular gussets at the tops of the A and B pillars; and Competition Cages' unique "Siamese X" door bars with "taco gussets" for additional strength.

The cage in Shipp's EX is even more unique because the 4-door design leaves the main hoop several inches behind the rear edge of the front door openings.

Fuel Cell Installation

Competition Systems also performed the modivications to the body shell and reinforcements necessary to install a large ATL fuel cell.

This piece is a concession to the endurance racing future of the Civic. It would be overkill for 20- or 30-minute sprint races but should support stints as long as 3 hours, giving Shipp and his codrivers an advantage in races of 12 hours or longer.

The fuel cell fills through a NASCAR-style quick-fill, mounted inside of the trunk and reached thorugh a hole in the lid. This "dry-break" filler allows rapid refueling during stops, without spills that might create unsafe conditions in the pits.

Wiring Harness

While the Civic was at Competition Cages, the Conover crew started cleaning, inspecting, and refreshing the parts that will bolt back onto the tub when it is complete.

The wiring harness will be completely inspected for faults, and repaired and re-wrapped where necessary. Where individual parts of the entire harness are associated with components that may be removed under SCCA Improved Touring rules (e.g., the audio system), they will be disconnected and left out upon reassembly.

Tub Preparation

Back from Chris Schimmel's shop, the Civic's chassis is being cleaned to bare metal and inspected. Undercoating is ground off using an air-powered tool made for precisely that purpose, but sealer between seams is left intact.

This would not be the case, were a chemical stripping process used, so while it is more labor intensive, Conover prefers the grinding process as it is thought to leave seams as strong as possible. It is not permissable to reinforce the stock spot-welded joints in Improved Touring.

Removal of undercoating, grease, and dirt also brings to light any rust damage that might be present in a body shell. In the Civic's case, some minor repairs will be necessary, as Conover will grind and chemical treat the rust then weld in replacement sheet of the same thickness as stock.

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