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Fitting the wheels and brakes

Contributed by: enginebasics.com

With the rear sub frame finally in it was time to put the brakes on as well as mount the wheels and see what we would be working with as far as body modifications go.  When it came to the brakes, getting the factory brake lines of the civic was just not going to happen.  The brake lines where cut, extended, and bent to fit in the factory location, but now make their way around the new rear sub frame.  I used this brake bending tool to make sure the lines bend cleanly and didn't kink.

They then tied in to the rear RL brakes using the factory flexible brake line from the Acura RL.

The wheels.  It is the same as the front and obviously the wheels will not fit under the stock body.

I will have to add wheel flares to the rear of the body to have any chance of making this work.   With the wheels and brakes bolted on it really does give the impression that the car is almost complete.  Many people after seeing these photos thought the car would be drivable very soon, but the reality is it’s far from complete much less drivable.  The emergency brake needs to be figured out, driveshaft, wiring and control of diff, fuel cell mounting, fuel filler, and on and on and on.  If I had to give it a percentage I would say I’m 65% done.  This isn’t my first time doing a full build from the frame up so let me tell you that this last 45% is always the hardest.  I will work on the car for 4-5 hours only to see no progress, because it’s a lot of fab work or wiring work trying to tie all the loose ends up.  It’s at this stage that many projects end.  Anyone that follows car builds online knows that only 1 in 10 will actually ever get completed.   If your reading this right now and have a car build that has been sitting collecting dust, then learn to not be a quitter and get it done already! 

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