Project EJ8… Part 5
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:
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…
Justin’s AP1 Build… Part 1
It has been a rocky couple of months for Justin’s S2000; we last let off with Justin putting in some work to the car’s appearance in an effort to add his personal touch. In doing so it was a race with the clock which ended with him barely finishing in time to debut the new look at the Honda Craze meet.
Satisfied with the new look, Justin could now sit back and start to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Or so he thought, this was short lived as he was involved in an accident after the throttle stuck putting him in an unavoidable situation. Fortunately he suffered no injures but the car wasn’t as lucky. Today, we’ll take a look at the damage done to the car along with the process involved to getting it back on the road in its pristine state.
For those who may want to view this build from the start I’ve provided the link below:
Justin’s AP1 Build… Introduction
After the damaged panels were removed Justin snapped a few photos. Luckily the car received no suspension or chassis rail damage but the radiator support and left side under fender would require some repairs…
Saddened by this but still eager to have the car back together, Justin assessed the damage and promptly got the ball rolling to have it repaired…
A look at the repairs to the front as they were in progress. Justin was able to source a headlight and fender locally which made the entire process somewhat easier…
On top of the fender and light that needed to be replaced, the hood was also damaged beyond repair. After some searching locally, Justin was able to get a slightly damaged carbon hood which worked out quite well…
In the process of fitting up the bumper to test the fitment on the panels…
This was a success and the fitment was just where Justin wanted and it was time to move forward with the next stage…
Not sold on the idea of having a fresh front end which may not blend well with the remainder of the car. Justin decided to strip the car down and have the entire thing painted…
A look at the car fully sanded and prepped for the paint stage…
Blown! A shot taken in the booth of the S2K where it was left to bake after a fresh coat of white was applied…
Unfortunately, as a result of the collision, the radiator suffered serious damage and would require a replacement…
The Koyo unit was working exceptionally well for the period of time Justin had the car, wanting to maintain the same level of cooling he replaced it with a new one…
Between the accident and the bodywork stage the wheels received some curb rash. Being a very meticulous guy, Justin wanted to return to the streets better than he left, and had them resprayed going a step further by applying some Traklite decals…
With the car fresh out of the booth, Justin brought it home and torn it apart to begin cleaning the underbody and suspension components…
Justin was completely blown away because up until this point he had no clue the level of upgrades which were made to the suspension setup. Thus making the packaged deal he got all the more worth it, especially with the track focused plans he has in mind for the car. With all this work already complete, Justin can focus his attention on racking up some seat time…
The car came on a set of Ohlins Road and Track DFV coilovers which are said to be an exceptional balance between performance and comfort. Going along with these is a Megan Racing upgraded rear sway bar and upper control arms with camber adjustment…
Still not finished with the rear end, a set of EVS Tuning spherical toe arms were added for further adjustability. Not pictured are a host of Cusco braces used to improve rigidity and steering response…
Much like the rear, the front end received a treatment of Megan racing upper control camber arms along with an upgraded sway bar. A set of extended Buddy Club Racing lower ball joints were also added to the mix of things…
With the wheels removed you get a better look at the 4 pot Stop-Tech big brake kit with slotted rotors. The wheel studs have also been swapped out for a set of ARP extended units…
A look at the freshly painted wheels fitted to the front end…
In the process of adding some detailed touches, Justin went at the Mishimoto oil cooler an applied the signature logo with a coat white paint…
A view with the front end fitted back together where you can see a glimpse of the oil cooler tucked behind the front bumper…
Under the hood, a few changes were made to the intake setup by extending the pipe and moving location the filter. A duct was ran from the front bumper within the wheel well up to engine bay providing a cold air feed to aid with lowering intake air temperatures…
As for the interior, Justin made a few track day focused upgrades…
The most notable change was the addition of race harnesses, that will keep both Justin and passenger firmly planted in there seats while making some hot laps…
An extended carbon shift knob was added to the OEM shifter…
With the extended knob, it would align the shifter with the Personal wheel making it easily accessible when going full tilt…
The final note worthy addition was an AEM oil pressure gauge for him to safely keep and eye on whats going on…
With everything currently checked off the to do list, Justin snapped a few exterior shots as the car was now ready to hit the streets after a few months hiatus…
Along with getting the car back on the streets, Bushy Park announced they were hosting the first track-day event after the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunate enough for Justin the car was back and in fine working condition to hit the track…
A few shots taken in the pits upon arrival at the Bushy Park Racing Circuit…
Justin as he makes a few adjustments to the racing harness in preparation to hit the track for the first time since owning the car…
A few shots captured by Michael Alleyne as Justin put in some laps…
To recap on the days activities, it was a good first outing for the car giving Justin an opportunity to get a full feel for the car around the circuit. Justin was absolutely blown away by the handling characteristics of the S2K chassis taking part in a few track battles. He was finally able to put the Ohlins suspension and Stop-Tech brakes to the test and the results were exceptional.The intake setup he went with proved to be efficient and worked well with minimal heat soak. The KoyoRad was amazing and the car saw zero signs of overheating and maintained temps within the recommended range.
The entire experience allowed him to have more accurate knowledge of where the limits are in terms of traction before oversteer. This allowed Justin to build a level of confidence that he could never gain by simply street driving the car. With that said, Justin believes he left a few seconds on the track due to lack of grip. Going in he knew the Westlake RS tyres wouldn’t be up to the task of delivering fast lap times, especially given the stretched fitment in place. This restricted him throughout a few sectors on the circuit causing his lap times to suffer. Using the Race Chrono app, Justin was able to gauge a ballpark figure as to where he stood in terms of lap times. Through the app there was a clear indication that under some adequate footing the lap times will drop. The sole purpose of the track day was to shakedown the car so he can identify both strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge gained Justin can accurately gauge what would be necessary moving forward with this build.
Along with the good also came some bad, the car made it through the event unscathed taking the grind like a champ. However, the following day Justin noticed a loud noise coming from the rear and upon inspection realized it was the CV joint. Prior to coming into the track day, Justin knew this could be a possibility as it’s rather common to occur under heavy track abuse. Rather than replace with another OEM spec CV joint, the plan moving forward is to place an order for some upgraded axles.
That brings us to the end of this post, thanks for taking a look. Stay tuned for the next post when we get into the necessary upgrades to satisfy Justin’s thirst for performance.
