Archive for 2008

1993 Honda Civic Blog Recap of 2008

– December 31, 2008Posted in: Blogging & WordPress

It was a great year for my 1993 Honda Civic and my Blog as many good things happened. Early January of 2008 I got my 1.6 Liter D16A VTEC engine installed and working while learning a lot of things and posting my complete swap on this blog. In the spring I went to a bunch of car shows and posted the great looking photos on my blog and also picked up a 2nd Civic Hatch back just like mine but a 1995 CX model. I starting looking at body kits in May but in June I raced my Civic on the 1/4 mile and decided to wait on the body kit and paintjob and start looking at turbo kits and what it takes to set one up. I did OK in the 1/4 mile at 16.40 secs which is respectable with my setup and the 15″ wheels I was using. I was excited to go to Import Invasion at Mission Raceway in early June but unfortunetly it rained out and the event was cancelled. In June and July I did a complete tranny swap on the 1995 civic and posted all the info needed for anyone else that might be doing this on their car. In August I went to the Pitt Meadows Airshow and took some great pictures of some tuner cars, and also posted a complete rear brake job on the 1992-1995 Honda civic. Early fall I did some extensive research on turbo kits and also found and posted a writeup about the quality of eBay turbo kits and why they are not worth the money. At the the end of the year I finally started my D16 Turbo Build and made some good progress, later in December I changed the name of the build to the RC D16 Turbo Build to honor my 2 dogs that died this year. It was a great 2008

Getting Through The Holidays and The Crazy Snow Fall

Bart Piotrowski

– December 29, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

The XMAS holidays were very different this year with Rocky’s passing and the crazy amount of snow, so I wasn’t really into doing anything on my RC D16 Turbo Build. I had 2.5 feet of snow over the week so I spent a lot of time just plowing my driveway. XMAS eve was great to spend with my family and I even got new floor mats for my Civic.

I did get stuck in the snow with my Honda Civic at work so after that I had no choice but to borrow my brothers AWD Mazda CX-7 and park my Civic. The snow was so high that my Civic was plowing it with the front bumper and hitting my undercarriage.

I think next year I will get a beater civic to drive in the winter and keep my turbo one in the driveway under a car cover. I always said I wanted my car to be a daily driver even after performance mods but seeing how this years winter was on my car and the stupidity of other drivers in the snow, I think it would be better to park it for the 3-4 months during winter.

Tags: 1993 Honda Civic Project, 92-95 Honda Civic

Back on World of Warcraft, Here We Go Again.

Bart Piotrowski

– December 29, 2008Posted in: PC & Console Gaming

It was a crazy XMAS holiday with lots of snow, so seeing as I had some free time and couldn’t do much outside I started playing Word of Warcraft again. My interest in that game comes and goes and right now I am excited to play it again. I leveled from 69 to 70 and started saving for my flying mount in Northrend. I like that game as I can play for 3 months straight, then take a 2 month break and then start playing again with no consequences. It’s perfect for a guy like me that has other projects and things that are going on all the time.

Here is a link to my World of Warcraft character Wildbruiser.

Tags: World of Warcraft

The Legacy of Rocky and Ceazer Continues In The RC D16 Turbo Build

Bart Piotrowski

– December 23, 2008Posted in: Mixed Bag

I lost both my dogs this year to old age and diabetes so in order to keep their legacy going I am now dedicating my D16 Turbo Build to both my dogs Rocky and Ceazer. So from now on it will be called the RC D16 Turbo Build as in Rocky & Ceazer D16. You can click on Rocky and Ceazer to go the posts about them on my other blog. Some people might say why you doing this they were just dogs, NO they weren’t just dogs they were the best pals ever. It didn’t matter if I had a good day or a bad day they were always around to cheer me up and my brothers and sister. Rip in Peace Rocky and Ceazer.

Rocky Piotrowski Farewell Great Friend and Companion

Bart Piotrowski

– December 23, 2008Posted in: Mixed Bag

Rocky Piotrowski our 2nd family dog fell ill on Friday from a pinched nerve in his spine and with his complications of diabetes lost feeling and mobility in his rear left leg. After some x-rays and a diagnosis from the vet he was put on some medication to try to fix his issue and get his mobility and feeling back. Unfortunately even with the medication and care he was unable to regain his the mobility back and with him suffering like this the only choice we had was to let him join our long pasted dog Cezar in doggy heaven.

Ever since Friday even with the medication to make him feel better he was so sad as he was stuck laying on the floor and could not move around. He couldn’t go pee unless I carried him out side and helped him stay up. It was a very sad thing to see him like this as I know it wasn’t his fault but just old age and complications of diabetes. From the x-ray we also found out that his hip joint had deteriorated and this was probably causing him pain too.

He had a loud bark to let you know he was around or that he needed food or water but was extremely passionate and caring. He was as gentle as a butterfly and even allowed my little 4 year old nephew feed him food right into his mouth and never showed any aggression at anyone. He wasn’t too friendly to other dogs but he stayed at home and in the back yard so that was never an issue. When I was smaller he use to jump on my bed and keep my feet warn on cold winter nights and never asked for anything but food and a pat on the back. We got him in 1996 and he past away Today Dec 22, 2008 at 12:00pm. Rocky lived to be 12.5 years old which is a decent age for larger dogs of his size. He was a great dog and friend, the best golden retriever/lab cross ever..

Rest in Peace Rocky and take care of Mortimer and Ceazer in Heaven.

Tags: Family Dogs

Does Your Honda Civic Have Quarter Panel Rust?

Bart Piotrowski

– December 21, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

Does your Honda Civic have quarter panel rust? Yeah I thought so… Most people know that a Honda Civic’s weakest link is the integrity of the body. If you own a Civic that is 10-15 years or older and it’s seen a few winters than it’s bound to have some rust.You can patch it up for a year or two but that usually won’t last so the best bet is to cut out the rusted panels and weld in new pieces.

Tags: 92-95 Honda Civic, Body and Paint

First Snow of the Season and My 1993 Honda Civic Does Well

Bart Piotrowski

– December 18, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

We’ve had our first big snow storm this season and my Honda Civic drives pretty good in it. I swapped my wheels back in October to my old 13″ steel wheels and added a set of snow tires upfront and a good pair of all seasons on the rear. She’s a bit lower then a stock 1993 Civic but being front wheel drive and 5 speed the traction in snow is great. She’s no 4×4 but she handles way better then any other rear wheel drive vehicle on the road. Caution is always a good thing to have in the winter months and having more control is always easier on the nerves. Below is a picture of my 1993 Honda Civic in the snow, click on it for a larger image.

Tags: 1993 Honda Civic Project, 92-95 Honda Civic

Another D16 Civic Thats Running 372whp on Boost

Bart Piotrowski

– December 17, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

Another great find of a Honda Civic running 372whp on a D16 Turbo Engine. Click Here for the Link. He swapped his intake manifold and got a bigger turbo and gained a good amount of Horsepower.

Tags: 92-95 Honda Civic, Turbo

Early XMAS Present for me from my Good Friend Tracey

Bart Piotrowski

– December 16, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

My good friend Tracey gave me an early XMAS present tonight which really made me happy. She got me a 3.5 gallon parts washer from KMS Tools.

I was at KMS Tools a few days ago looking at some other tools and mentioned to her that I will probably need a parts washer in the near future, but never thought that she would buy one for me. I have lots of bolts, nuts, brackets, and other pieces that still need cleaning for the turbo build so this will be the perfect cleaning solution, and being so small it’s perfect for my type of usage. Thanks Tracey for getting me this great gift which I know I will use and I’m sure you will too while helping me wash some of the parts too.

3.5 Gallon Parts Washer

Tags: Ultimate Garage

D16Z6 Bottom End Parts Are Here!

Bart Piotrowski

– December 15, 2008Posted in: Automotive & Garage

My D16Z6 Turbo build parts finally arrived today and man did I have a smile on my face after opening the box. The Vitara pistons and I-Beam rods are of great quality and craftsmanship and the block guard looks nice too.

I have all the gaskets that I will need to redo the bottom end now and with the pistons and rods here, I just need to finish chasing the treads on my block and it’s totally ready for the machine shop. I will have to see if I can squeeze in the machining before Xmas but if not then early January is fine too.