TDSAutoMag

We’re Back! During the holiday period I chose to use that time wisely & came up with some plans for 2023. The main goal is to bring you guys some more consistent content. Currently there are a few on going projects on the site which I’ll be updating in the coming weeks. In addition to this, there are some new projects which are in the works that I’ll be adding as the year progresses. Where possible I’ll be adding some event coverage between the build updates & I’ll also have some behind the scenes track day content for you guys. The ultimate goal is to bring you guys as much as I possibly can within the automotive scene here in Barbados. Having said that, I look forward to flooding your timelines with some local content. I’ll start off with an update on a project I gave you guys coming on to the ending of last year, ReWeld’s EP3 Civic Type R.

Picking up where we left off, Reudon found himself in quite the fortunate situation. He was able to land his hands on yet another sought after JDM machine & he already had a vision brewing in his mind. Before we get there, I’ll break it down for you.; one of the biggest thrills for him is being able to enjoy these cars by utilizing them from varying perspectives. Firstly, learning the ins & outs of these machines while carrying out his daily duties & also being able to enjoy them at their full capacity which is where the cars deliver maximum satisfaction. One of the biggest driving forces behind owning a Honda for Reudon was the attraction of the K Series motor. This wasn’t solely based from the performance side of things but also the reliability which it maintained while dominating in its field. The journey ahead would be an interesting one,  especially coming from the likes of a turbo car with a huge punch of midrange torque compared to the high revving K series platform. In the back of his mind he was still a bit hesitant on how the EP3 would standup to the test.

However, like most car enthusiasts he had a few things in mind that would transform the EP3. Executing these plans was a must before he began to enjoy what his new daily machine had to offer. Reudon was lucky enough to have a few goodies thrown into the mix when he purchased the car. In today’s post we’ll take a look at what fits his plans moving forward & some of the necessary changes which he already had on the cards.

For those of you who would have missed the intro to this build I’ve provided the link below:-

ReWeld’s EP3 Build… Introduction 

The previous owner had plans of refreshing some components on the car but didn’t get the opportunity to do such.  It was nice of him to include them with the sale of the car…

A few of the suspension components to be installed…

The car had a suspension noise at the rear & these bushings should resolve the issue…

Along with the bushings, there was a rear camber kit to replace the worn out factory arms & he also picked up some billet control arms…

In addition to the arms, Reudon received some replacement shock mounts…

A red stitched shift boot was ordered to replace the factory Type R rubber unit…

A slew of replacement badges were purchased to give the car a subtle refresh as the factory badges were beginning to show their age…

Prior to the sale, the left side door lock broke & the previous owner made sure to land a brand new OEM replacement…

To add something extra to the front end, a set of fog lights were acquired. These are the one thing thus far which Reudon was on the fence about having installed…

Being in the great position of having these items thrown in with the sale made it a breeze to deal with the minor maintenance issues associated with the EP3…

Having that side covered, Reudon could then focus his attention to the appearance of the car & personalize it to suit his style…

He went ahead and picked up some Avid wheels & had them wrapped in a set of Sportrak 225/45/17 tyres…

Out with the factory EP3 wheels…

For a more aggressively styled wheel bringing the classic combination of white on white together…

A look at the fitment on the new wheels…

Another tribute to an era past which carried over from the Evo VI was the addition of the yellow & white plates…

Another goodie which came with the car was a set of Tein Basis coilovers. These allowed Reudon to adjust the ride height to suit the desired fitment for the new wheels…

Front end shot showing off his signature white plate…

One more major thing to note, upon taking the car for a drive the car felt significantly slower than what Reudon initially expected. For a brief moment regret was starting to set in & the major blame for such was having grown so fond of powerful punch the Evo delivered. Thus making this NA car somewhat of a dull road going experience but then he remembered the previous owner mentioning the car was equipped with a Hondata V2. This immediately added a large glimmer of hope & Reudon reached out to Rastaman Tuned who went to work on making some adjustments to the map so it can be suitable enough for the moment…

The results were so great, Reudon was curious as to what numbers the current setup put out & they both wanted to get the graph as linear as possible…

With the assistance of Rastaman Tuned, the car put out 204hp & after the dyno session it was able to make solid gains throughout the range ending on 222hp…

The car still retained the factory PRB intake manifold & throttle body along with a factory header & 2.5″ exhaust…

After driving around the car for a bit the short shifter kit the car came with was becoming more of a burden than anything else…

Reudon went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Hybrid Racing shifter & while he was at it picked up a set of their cables & upgraded gear selector springs…

A closer look at the billet & steel constructed unit which would allow for up to 50% on the throw & gate spacing…

A look at the Hybrid Racing shifter cable ends which featured spherical bushings compared to the rubber bushings found in the OEM cables…

A look at the teardown process in an effort to have the gear selector springs fitted…

OEM springs removed & Hybrid Racing springs ready to be installed…

Next on the list was to remove the factory shifter which required pulling down a portion of the dash…

A few shots of the side by side comparison of the two shifters…

Likewise with the shifter cables you can clearly see a massive difference in construction…

A full overview of the cables laid out before fitting them in place…

Going up, almost there…

Fully back together, this took quite some time to execute but based on the review from Ruedon it was very much worth the effort in the long run…

When Reudon first got the idea to purchase a EP3 he had made up in his mind that he would purchase a set of coilover suspension for it. The car he ended up with came with a new set of Tein Basis which would be great for most. However, having the ability to adjust dampening was of high value to him & he wasn’t quite satisfied as yet…

This caused him to go ahead & place an order for a set of K-Tuned K1 Street coilovers…

A quick comparison before he fitted them to the car & started playing around with the dampening to determine what best suits his likings…

Once he was finished installing the final piece to his refurbished suspension, it was time to have the car professionally aligned…

Reudon decided to give the guys at Brake Pro a chance to work their magic…

The view as they went to work on making the necessary adjustments…

At the end of it, Reudon drove away a happy customer & was now ready to fully enjoy the effort he placed into creating his version of a proper road going EP3 Type R.

On that note it brings us to the end of this installment, I hope you guys enjoyed the updates. Stay tuned for more to come on this build series…