TDSAutoMag

As of late, there has been a considerable amount of hype surrounding K swaps. Today I thought I would bring you guys something a bit different, still K series related but with a slight twist. We take a look at ReWeld’s Honda Civic EP3 Type R. Reudon is no stranger to the site & throughout the years, reference has been made to his welding work on various projects. Before we get into the EP3 build, let’s first get into what sparked the notion of owning a Type R.

A few years ago Reudon dove back into the car scene from the ownership standpoint after being on a 7 plus year hiatus. At the time the scene was flooded with Evo projects & builds. These were the new hype mostly due to a significant drop in price, coupled with the security of knowing traction issues would be at a minimal especially for those coming from FWD turbo builds. Being fully emerged in the performance scene with his fabrication business -ReWeld- he knocked out a ton of work on the varying setups dominating the streets & track at the time.

Growing up in the glory days of rallying, the fondness for the CP9A chassis held a special place in Reudon’s mind. In addition to this, being completely surrounded by Evos of varying generations it was just about destined for him to become the owner of his long time dream car. So naturally when a close friend made the decision to put his Evo VI on the market it peaked Reudon’s interest & a few conversations later Reudon became the owner of his very own Evolution VI.

Before getting into the specifics of the EP3 project, let’s take a look at the Evo journey that lead up to this point…

A few shots of the Evo VI before Reudon picked it up…

This followed by a full clean to give Reudon some time to sit & make a decision on his plans for the newly acquired CP9A…

Having the car registered & making some rounds from the driver’s seat, Reudon was starting to get back into the swing of project car life…

Being surrounded heavily by JDM car culture, this was a view of a typical Saturday afternoon lime…

Paying close attention to the builds which surrounded him paved the way for the upcoming plans to the Evo VI…

Given the condition of the exterior, Reudz thought it would be best to give the dated paintwork some love & restore it to its once glorious Satellite Silver hue…

A view of the car as it was being assembled after a quick respray…

While the car was at the paint shop, Reudz used this time wisely & placed an order for a set of BC Racing coilovers. Special attention was paid to the spring rates given the car would be now tasked with carrying out daily duties…

A view of the car following the completion of paintwork & with the new coilovers fitted. Reudz was going for that OEM plus appearance and left the car on the factory O.Z Racing wheels with a significant drop in ride height…

Being heavily involved with fabrication it was only a matter of time before Reudon started some work on the Evo…

After spending some time both driving & working on varying levels of built Evos, Reudon knew this was something he didn’t want. The goal for the car was to enjoy the driving experience based around how the car came from the dealership. Wanting to increase flow & efficiency Reudz went to work on fabricating a 3″ downpipe to match the 3″ stainless exhaust system fitted to the car. To ensure he got the maximum amount clearance & for some extra style points Reudz opted to use pie cuts for the bends…

A direct comparison with the factory unit…

Following this, the outside still felt as though there was something missing. Reudz went ahead & picked up some amber corners which immediately changed the appearance of the front end…

A few randoms of the car that were captured over time…

Things were going pretty good thus far & Reudz had no plans or intentions of putting the car up for sale. However, an offer that he couldn’t refuse to take was placed on the table so it was farewell to the Evo VI & hello new beginnings.

Reudz always said that if he wasn’t already in the midst of Evo ownership that it would be nice to try out a Honda. Now with the Evo out of the picture he was able to explore this avenue. We began discussing thoughts of a Honda with one main thing in mind, it had to be powered by a K series motor. Swap cars have been on the rise in a big way & this was his first go to but unfortunately, although they are quite popular nobody is willing to let go of there K swapped project for less than a small fortune. One can’t blame them after the wait time for parts & all the other associated occurrences when building a car from the ground up. Given the time frame to spec & assemble a swap car it just wasn’t suitable for Reudon’s needs. He wanted to have a well rounded, comfortable daily driver & the most reasonable bang for buck option would be to get a factory K series car. Bent on switching things up from the Evo, Reudz was more leaning towards a hatch…

After spending some time searching he landed on a Civic EP3 Type R…

A first look at the Civic, it came on the factory wheels & already equipped with a full exhaust system…

In relation to engine mods, it was basically untouched which is exactly the type of specimen Ruedz was looking for…

Talk about fortunate, these were the same style of Recaros that were in the Evo VI just with a varying colour scheme…

Reudz was able to land on a gem of a EP3 that checked all his boxes. Thanks for taking a look at this journey & stay tuned for the plans Ruedz has in store for this project…