i have a d16y8 with a sri, skunk2 intake manifold, bosch plat.+4 spark plugs, taylor 8mm spark plugs wires, and ractive headers. i read that once you free up and increase the airflow, its good to tune the engine to match that with a camgear and fuel pressure regulator. i need to wait a while before i can get a fpr, but i was going to try and get a camgear in th next week or two. is this a good idea or should i just get the fpr. if it is a good idea, then how serious od a diy job is it to install the cam gear? i have a chilton's manual that gives me a step by step process of how to do it, but im not sure if its worth doing it myself, plus the book is pretty abstract. ive done everything myself so far and would like to keep it that way. also, i dont understand what i am tuning, and how it will affect the engine. if i retard the cam, that means that the valve will open up later right? i hope i dont sound too dumb. anyways, any feedback will be much appreciated.
-I also have read a few things about urethane bushing kits. they seem pretty cheap and sound like they would firm up the suspension a bit, as well as making shock and spring tuning much more effective, which is on my list of things to do. have any of you guys tried this? what kind of a job is it to replace all of the bushings? im more worried about not having the right tools at this point.

 

I don't think installing the cam gears is a problem, it's getting them tuned. I've heard that you should only get those tuned on a dyno. As for the bushings, I did that to my 'Vette and the work sucked, but was well worth it! That car flew through corners!

 

I didn't even want to attempt to do the bushings myself. Since I need my car to get to work. Bumnah did it himself. The shop I took it too took them 10 hours. You definitely need a hydraulic press and lots of patience.

 

When doing the 'Vette I used a C-clamp for alot of stuff and for the things I couldn't remove I took the part down to Goodyear and they removed the old bushing for me.

Also, I've heard that copper NGK plugs are better than platinum + 4's. Way cheaper too!

 

as for the bushings... try a search in either mine or bumnah's name.

The job isn't particularly difficult, but its very time consuming. As far as special tools, all I really needed was a dremel, a hammer, various bashing/hacking instruments--just normal tools.

If you have access to a press, that will make things much quicker and easier. If you DIY plan on having the car out of commission for at least 2-3 days.

 

you can put the cam gear on yourself, but dont touch it unless you take it to a dyno. and i think its kinda a waste with the stock cam.

 

thanx guys
i have a friend with a 91 si that said he was going to do the bushings as well, but that it was a job where you could install some of them and then install other bushings another day. is there a way to rent hydraulic presses?

 

on a Y8 without an aftermarket cam i found that advancing the cam 1 degree was best. 2 degrees better but only if you can handle a slight lope in the idle.

 

on SOHC, retarding the cam moves the powerband up; advancing moves the powerband down.

There is not much to gain w/ the stock cam and a cam gear, however, you will need the gear later on once you get an aftermarket cam.

IMO, if you plan on making this quick with no turbo in your future, leave the motor how it is and convert to OBD1 and run a p28 ecu from a d16z6. This is a mod that you will need once you start making significant upgrades, like cam, headwork, etc...

bushings are not something you want to do until the car is down for a while- they are a royal pain. They are effective, but there are other means to improve your suspension in the meantime. If you feel inclined, as you install a suspension bit, you can install the corresponding bushings from the kit...if you add a nice swaybar set, etc...this way you will not be laid up for hours and hours torching bushings and trying to get it done in one shot...

 

do a search in the civic forum. for rubbing bushings and my username. i did the bushings a while ago. i wrote up a bunch of crap on it.