TDSAutoMag

A project car can be very unpredictable, and things tend to hardly ever go exactly to plan. Today we’re back with another update on Project EJ8, it has been ups and downs since our last post. In preparation to get the car fired up, we’ve discovered a few chassis harness issues which required some unplanned electrical work to be taken care of. I also received some parts that are necessary in moving forward with the swap plans. In addition to this, we’ll take a look at the completed ReWeld intake setup.

 

For those who may want to view this build from the start I’ve provided the link below:

Project EJ8…

 

Taking a look at my door panels in comparison to the remainder of the interior pieces, they were in bad shape. In an effort to rectify this, I took an interior piece to have it paint matched so I could refresh the dated door panels…

I wasted no time and masked the fabric portion of the panel and went to work. Initially I was skeptical of the results…

But after the paint started to dry, I became hopeful that it was in fact a step in the right direction…

The transformation on the panels were quite a shocker to me, considering I had not a clue what the results would have been…

For a while I was avoiding adding camber arms to the front end of the car but eventually I had to come to grips with reality. After setting the car on the ground and taking a look at the fitment, I knew I would have no choice but to do so…

To execute the K swap I was in need of a E-plug connector to wire at the end of the engine harness…

As I started to fit the car together I still needed a few additional bolts, I hit up Downstar to get the necessary hardware and I also picked up one of their tees…

 

Throughout these last few posts, there was heavy mention of my fondness for USDM culture. Often identified by their heightened sense of attention to details from start to finish. As my EJ stood, I wanted to replicate this type of build with the focal point being my engine bay. ReWeld and I sat and discussed which components to either modify or fabricate to achieve the desired end goal…

When the time came around to discussing the intake system, I wanted to take things to another level and we came up with a concept that would go outside of what is typically seen here in Barbados. Automatically my mind went towards the use of pie cuts where necessary while fabricating the intake. However, in using aluminum this posed a problem in relation to the aesthetics, the welds would be quite sizable and force us to use wider angle pie cuts to accommodate them. Not keen on this method and also wanting to step away from the basic systems, we decided it would be best to fabricate out of stainless. This would allow Reudon to bring the pie cuts closer and push the limits on the concept design we had in mind…

A look at the intake being mocked up to determine the exact placement…

A closer look at the intake after determining the final placement and angles on the recently added extension…

Upon making the final adjustments to the setup, Reudon was able to fully tack it together in preparation for the final welds…

The final addition was to have a ReWeld tag made to complete intake system…

With everything tacked together, the intake was mocked up one last time. The next step would be for Reudon to get to work on welding everything in place…

Given the width and the offset on the wheels, the addition of the camber kit was absolutely necessary for me to achieve the desired fitment…

As with most projects, just when you think you have everything you realize that you don’t. I placed an order with AFHK Parts for a few OEM items…

A new hood rod and clip along with some other misc clips that I found were necessary while in the process of completing the engine bay…

While I was at it I opted to change out the gas pedal cover for a new one…

It didn’t make sense to stop there so I picked up some new ones for the clutch and brake pedal as well…

I’ve been having some harness related issues and before I could tackle what has been going on, I placed an order for some sheathing and heat shrink…

I made sure to purchase as many size as possible to have a wide range available for when we do start going at the harness…

A few more packages arrived with some much needed items…

The plan is to custom build an exhaust for the car; with this in mind I consulted with Reudon for a list of items needed for him to execute the system…

In addition to that, I picked up a Blox filter to go with the custom intake he was already working on…

I also picked up this billet aluminum piece…

In a previous post I mentioned to you guys that I will be running a OEM DC5 shifter. Not wanting to bolt it directly to the tunnel, I decided to pick up a base plate to give it some height and also to improve the appearance…

A few random shots of how the engine bay sat…

The car has been giving some problems where the chassis harness is concerned, this was the current state before loading the car up and taking it to be sorted…

A few shots of the car on the truck as it arrived to be dealt with…

 

With the car on location we decided to take a stab at getting the tunnel prepared for the base plate…

This meant having to cut a large portion of the tunnel…

A look at the results after going at it with the angle grinder…

A look at the car after we started the tear down before getting to work…

First up was to strip the harness and get started on the routing…

With that completed, we had a more accurate idea of the harness length going to the headlights…

A look at the state of things after a few hours in; for those who maybe unaware, harness work can be rather time consuming…

 

We decided to take a slight break around that time as Reudon arrived to lend a hand…

Remember that giant hole we cut in the tunnel? Well he came to aid with the solution for convering it…

After taking some measurements of the hack job we did, he started to cut out the tunnel replacement…

A look at the replacement for the tunnel…

It wasn’t possible to execute the welding necessary to complete the tunnel on site. I was able to get the use of a trailer and loaded the car up to have it sorted…

Locked, loaded and on the move…

A few shots taken at a quick stop while enroute to location…

While capturing content throughout the build process of Sol’s EK9, I was able to spend a considerable amount of time around Fred as he made the necessary adjustments to the chassis. After assessing what was needed to be done to properly mount the base plate and shifter to the tunnel, I was sold on having Fred execute the job. Having dealt with all forms of fabrication, this would be a walk in the park for him…

Moments after arrival, Fred wasted no time and quickly got to work on the task at hand…

A few shots taken throughout the process…

A view after the tunnel was welded and the appropriate holes were drilled to accurately mount the base plate…

Under Fred’s advisement, the following day I made sure to jack up the car and applied some sealant to the underside of the freshly welded tunnel…

The DC5 shifter and base plate bolted in place…

A first look at the custom built ReWeld intake pipe which came out way better than I initially envisioned…

A few more shots where you guys can get a better look at the weld work that was executed to the pies that make up the intake. Also note the addition of the ReWeld tag which was fully welded in place…

That’s it for today’s update on Project EJ8, I hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks for taking a look. The plans moving forward are to focus on the remaining wiring related issues and direct my focus towards getting the motor fired up…