Jin’s Charmant Build… Part 1
We’re back today with another installment of Jin’s Charmant build. Much has happened since we last left off. Jin got word that the car had finally been painted and was ready to be collected; around the same time a similar message was received from the engine builder regarding the collection of the motor. We’ll be going through the process between leaving the paint shop and collecting the motor, along with the beginning stages of the reassembly…
For those who would have missed the first post in this series, I’ve provided the link below:-
Jin’s Charmant Build… Introduction
Jin paid a visit to the paint shop to ensure things were running smoothly…
Along with having the exterior resprayed, it was a must to have the engine bay done the same time partly because of the modifications to the firewall.
The underside of the hood after it was sprayed…
A view from the back…
A few more shots…
Already in a good mood about the completed paint work after months of waiting, Jin received a call from the engine builder…
This was one of the biggest turning points of this build to signal progression…
Upon arrival he was greeted with the completed motor on an engine stand. It was hard for him to contain his excitement after being back and forth between the paint shop and collecting parts to complete the engine build. Now it was time to start wrenching on the reassembly.
Home sweet home…
The car back at home with the exterior fully assembled…
A view with the lights and bumper fitted as good as they did fresh out of the showroom many years ago…
Jin busy putting in some work…
The standard Charmant rear end was removed…
Along with the full exhaust system that came with the car approximately 30 years ago…
The interior still hasn’t been assembled as yet, Jin still has a few things that need to be addressed before fitting everything back together…
A look at the engine bay as it is being stripped in preparation for the motor to be removed…
A few misc parts that were removed to either be replaced or discarded…
Factory 4A motor finally removed and some serious wrenching can begin…
With the motor already at home it was time to start the swap…
Not being new to this conversion, within a short space of time the motor was mounted into its new home…
After the underside of the fenders were degreased and power washed, it was amazing to see how clean this shell is after all these years…
A look at the rear fender arches as they are power washed to be prepared for paint…
Here you can see the arches have been painted and the Carina rear end has been installed…
While it was out, Jin had made sure to have it cleaned up and painted…
Another angle of the rear end now with the pan hard rod installed…
Next to make its way onto the car was the exhaust Jin kept from his previous build…
A look a the mudguards which are in pristine condition based on their age…
Taking a few steps back you can really get a feel for this project as it comes to life piece by piece…
Finally we arrive at the front to take a closer look at the 4A-GE 20V motor…
Some close ups of the T3 75mm velocity stacks…
Well on that note I will wrap things up, stay tuned for much more on this build to come and thanks for taking a look.
K-Swapped EK4 Build… Introduction
I would have previously mentioned that I had some fresh new content for you guys in the upcoming weeks. Today I’ll be bringing you Leon Brome’s K-Swapped EK4 Civic SiR. Interestingly enough Leon never really wanted a Civic, he lusted after the legendary JDM DC2 Integra Type R, but he came up empty handed after doing a search. He then resorted to the circle light GSR version of the Integra but sadly none he came across would be up to his standards. Still bent on purchasing a performance based Honda, Leon grew a fondness for the EK chassis; but with EK9s being extremely rare of which the price tag reflected, Leon’s search continued. Good luck eventually came in the form of a 4 door EK4 Civic SiR, which is what you will be seeing today.
After a few months of owning the car, Leon was faced with numerous issues one after the other. After having to pull apart the gearbox to have it rebuilt, Leon thought he had been through the worst. It wouldn’t be until a few months later that the engine would give out, leaving him in a sea of frustration. Leon bounced back and formulated a plan to rebuild the engine where he would increase both the ccs and compression. As he started to gather parts for the rebuild, he stumbled upon a K20A3 at a reasonable enough price to make him consider going the K Series route. After consulting with a few close friends and paying close attention to Chubz’ Special K project, Leon jumped at the opportunity and purchased the motor.
Leon didn’t quite mind the fact that motor was a K20A3, he saw it as the most cost effective way to get his foot into the K Series world. He already had a plan in mind for the motor to remain stock and over time make a series of changes. Leon’s goals for this project is to have a 250whp daily driven Civic while retaining the basic creature comforts (AC and PS). He also has plans on attending a few drag events and track days at the Bushy Park Racing Circuit.
I have a few shots before the car went off the road…
Nothing crazy happening with the exterior, just a CTR styled front lip…
Shots of the B16A power plant…
While the car was down, Leon sent it to be resprayed in a slightly brighter red…
As the car sat at home awaiting a windshield which was damaged due to a rusted support…
SiR wheels which have seen better times; Leon plans on replacing them and stepping up to a 17 x 8 wheel. A decision on the style still is yet to be made…
The partially stripped interior…
Out with the old; a look at a variety of B Series parts…
Opening the hood, you are greeted with the EK4 chassis tag…
Leon opted to have the bay sprayed a completely different colour to the exterior…
Wanting to be different, he went with a matte gray – slightly darker than the famed battleship gray…
Wanting to be sure to do things the right way, Leon would ditch the EK subframe for the more popular DC2 Integra replacement…
Hasport EKK2 motor mounts…
Leon quickly bolted them into place…
After a short while Leon received his Integra subframe, steering rack and bottom arms to complete the work on the front end before lifting in the motor…
Tucked away in the corner…
Sat the K20A3 motor with the original intake manifold…
On that note, that’s it for today’s post, thanks for taking a look at Leon’s K-Swapped EK4 build. Stay tuned for more to come on this build as it progresses.
TDSAutoMag 