Sell Pork buy Honda. Durp.

[Snoozin]

Yesterday, I put the intake. There were no tears, copious swearing and ALMOST one snapped bolt. But not quite.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-955-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The garage is only wee, so this is a door-up jobby. Yay for a break in the weather.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-957-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Car goes up, bumper comes off. More stuff needed to come off, too. How easy is it taking off a modern car bumper. This appears to be attached with 2 self tapping screws, 3 push-in clip things and a 10mm bolt. And maybe a hearty splurge of hopes and dreams.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-962-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The old intake arrangement consisted of this piece of convoluted hose feeding the original airbox. In the interests of total originality, I still have the big resonator that sits up in the guard and all the pieces required to reinstate to OEM will be kept.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-963-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The airbox has to come out. Along with the radiator overflow bottle and it's bracket. And the support bracket for the airbox. And you also need to undo a stay that connects the clutch flexible hose to the hard line. This becomes evident later in the swear-fest, after Richy says "surely I don't actually need to remove that part."

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-976-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Next, we attach this wee stainless bracket to the bellmouth part of the kit. 

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-981-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Then, you slide the bellmouth into the OEM intake arm. You'll see there's a wee spring on the end that goes around the circumference of the arm. This keeps enough tension on the joint to prevent slippage, in lieu of some ghastly looking hose clamp. 

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-985-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

THEN, oh boy, what a humdinger of a step... the wee bracket bolts onto the mounting tab vacated by one of the three bolts that secured the original airbox. MAGIC. But yeah nah, it located perfectly.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-991-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The filter - a K&N item made specifically for the kit - then slips onto the bellmouth. It's a pretty tight fit, so it stays put. For now at least. Until the next step. When it seems to be a real sausage in a hallway situation right when you don't want it to be.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-994-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Unfortunately, I had to use all 7 of my hands to complete this step, so couldn't document the in-progress part. That's a big V-band clamp at the wide end of the airbox. After you have successfully managed to spend most of your life maneuvering the airbox into general position - I took the headlight out also to help - you then have to deal with clamping the bellmouth, filter, and airbox together with this big clamp.

Now, the filter loses any conviction whatsoever to retain its interference fit to the bellmouth flange at this stage. This results in MUCH fumbling, and I'm pretty sure one of the instructions in the manual was "say FUCK a lot," but I don't read Japanese so I'm unable to confirm. So yeah, it's quite a challenge to ensure the clamp, er, clamps all three of the components. Often times you'd be like "YUS GREAT SUCCESS" only to realise the bottom (which is totally inaccessible) wasn't properly clamping.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-995-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Anyway, after saying 'fuck' about 589 times, it paid off and I got it all clamped up. I also added the trumpet to the bottom (fixed in place with aluminised tape) and fixed the bottom snorkel part with the supplied bracket. No pics, cos it was dark and I was mainly fumbling about trying to finish it off.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1018-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The next day, the all important task of fitting the sticker was on the agenda. I struggle to attach a WOF sticker without it being 78% air bubble, so trying to place this no doubt expensive adhesive thing was slightly stressful. But we got there.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1009-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Final step! Stand back and admire the view. Took it for a test doort round to sheepers place, seems to have fattened up the midrange noticeably in conjunction with the headers. And there's heaps of noise, so this unequivocally means it is faster. 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

[HighLUX]

Vids of hitting tec doooorts plz

[kws]

I hope you touched up that surface rust behind the bumper.... or are you going to start twitching now until you can touch it up? 

[Snoozin]

Nah it can stay that way. This isn't a restoration, it's preservation - if I was to touch that up or repaint it, it would lose that original look that it has, they don't stick much paint on them down there. If it was actual rust then yeah it would warrant attention but for now just a clean is adequate.

[kws]

Fair enough. The rest of the car (and your past cars) is so minty mint I was wondering if you were a bit ocd for detail like that. 

[DB8-TypeR]

I found installing the airbox first then filter then clamping was the easiest way. 

They do sound good though, not too loud

[Snoozin]

The clamping was just painful, putting all the bits in was comparatively easy, albeit a bit tight to pass the inlet trumpet part under the chassis rail and not scratch the nice shiny top bit. V-bands are a pain anyway, just that one is especially suckful. At least the whole thing doesn't have to come out to remove the filter though!

[Honda Ass Dragger]

Nice Intake, I would suggest checking on the inner guard intake/velocity stack after a few days found mine rattled free a couple of times

[Snoozin]

4 hours ago, Honda Ass Dragger said:

Nice Intake, I would suggest checking on the inner guard intake/velocity stack after a few days found mine rattled free a couple of times

OK solid idea, I did wonder if that was likely. Will check it out again after a few km and see how it's faring.

[Snoozin]

How to be a nerd, Part 7

I've always loved the NSX-R steering wheel/horn button combo, and have long wanted to pop one into a DC2R as homage to the original Type R. Since I had my first one, all those years back.

Anyway, these steering wheels are actually still available, as is the horn button and the trim ring. The steering wheel price is $1440.00. Yeah um. Maybe not. The trim and horn button, while expensive (for what they are) don't break the bank, so I hatched a plan.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1060-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Here, you can see I bought a contemporary MOMO Tuner wheel. For all intents and purposes, this is an NSX-R steering wheel. It feature a marginally different offset in the spoke, and a different printed logo, but still has the red stitch and pretty much identical rim/grip style.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1066-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is a gen-you-wine NSX-R horn button, and trim ring. 

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1072-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

And this is a detail shot of a gen-you-wine NSX-R horn button and trim ring wedged into a MOMO Tuner. There's something pretty cool about these brand new OEM beauty pieces, or maybe that's just me swooning irrationally. But yes.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1076-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is what the assembled item should look like. I've got a WOF due in September, so I'll pop it on after that as I have to replace the OEM airbag wheel for WOF time.

Fun.

[Snoozin]

The horn button and the steering wheel are still in their box. But instead I did some other stuff, we'll call this "Gen 2.0" of the project/not really a project. 

Last weekend, I fitted up the option OEM skirts and rear caps, made sure it all fit OK (which it did, because it's OEM) and trekked to Hamilton to get my mate Brendan to paint it all up. This stuff is all pretty rare - the skirts came up cheap locally so I pounced on them, but the caps I ended up having to spirit across from the USA. I've had it all for about 6 months I guess.

The skirts needed some cracks repaired - luckily this was easy, as they're made from ABS. 

I foolishly forgot to take any photos during the paint and final fitting process. A cool trick for those at home, is to use side skirt trim for a Toyota bB to act as the NLA Honda weatherstripping that seals the edges of the kit against the side of the car.

But anyway. I also scored a cheap set of Advan RG in 16x7.5" flavour just this weekend. They aren't mint, but present really well. They have a bit of light kerbing on 3 of the wheels, some stone chips as expected through age, and plenty of marks and chips on the inner barrels. I spent HOURS removing baked on brake scum, tar spots, and cutting the paint to remove light scuffs and they turned out pretty awesome I reckon. A bit of a bucket list wheel for me, I had some 17-inch versions on my old Torneo Euro R if anyone remembers that...

Anyway, pics of wheels and kit on car. They tyres are a bit too tall, these are a 205/50/16 where the 205/45/16 on the stock 16's fits (and looks) much nicer. Just lame-o phone photos for the moment, I'm intending to get out with the camera (and the car on 17's) soon for some nice pics of how it all looks with it's flash new aero.

DC2R Phone (41)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (44)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (42)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Bloody good though, eh.

[fuel]

small world, I know Brendan (and his brothers) from Taumarunui.

[Snoozin]

Still haven't gotten around to getting out with the real camera, but here it is on the RG with the tyres from the original white wheels fitted up, as the 205/50 that came on the Advans were balloon as.

I also had all the kerb damage on them tidied up and the edges repainted, they all look pretty mint now.

Very happy. Spent the weekend putting km's on it, and loved every one. This car rules.

DC2R Phone (48)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (49)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (50)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (46)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

[kws]

It's a properly good looking car 

[Snoozin]

Took it to the drags, ran a best of 14.3 @ 97mph and then a string of 14.4s all day. I think it's got more in it, I just need to not drive like a dickhead.

So I gave it a wash (since we're allowed to in Auckland now) and took a few pics of current state of play, wearing the OEM skirts, Advan RGs, Mugen bits under the bonnet etc.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1087-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1172-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1096-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1100-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1133-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1139-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1149-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Turns out it's a pretty decent wee car, sort of running out of things to do on it though which is weird. Although there is some signs of the early stages of a common rust affliction on the top of the hatch opening, so I'll sort that out in the new year.

[kyteler]

 

 

[Snoozin]

Hey, still got this Honda.

I put it in the Ellerslie Classic Car show with the Japanese Nostalgic Car group. Pretty cool to be asked to take it along, I guess it makes all the minting up worth it. Pulled the front off, polished and re-cleared the headlights and generally spruced it up a bit more. Loads more OEM fastners and brackets have made it into the mix under the bonnet. But that's not important.

I have a wheel addiction issue, and got these old TE37s off George. I needed to get one fixed, as it has a pretty gnarly bend in both sides (one thing I have learned from fixing bent wheels, is that if one side is visibly bent, then the other side will also be bent, regardless of if you can see it).

Here they are, after being made round again.

20210312_074441 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Next, I take these to Creosote Charlie for a spot of acid dipping, and we always have a yarn about some aspect of his XR8 ute, every time I shoot down there to get the paint stripped off wheels. He always under promises and over delivers on the service, usually it's a "they'll be ready in a week" which turns into a phone call the same afternoon I dropped them off or the morning following.

20210315_154335 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

And yeah they look nice all raw and aluminium and all that, but I chose to get GT Refinishers to slam a coat of jam on them. This is a close close match to an OEM Rays colour, it's called Magnesium Blue. Cool, in the know kids call it 'Mag Blue.' Haters like Tank will say it's black.

20210323_175153-01 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20210323_175213-01 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20210323_175236-01 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

It's got a pearl in it that goes pretty flippin' hard (see what I did there?) in the sun. Now awaiting gen-you-wine deckils from Japan, and some proper Rays blue valve stems to finish off the resto.

Looks beaut I think.

Expect photos some day. 

I might stop buying wheels.

[Snoozin]

Been tinkering away on this, engine bay is even tidier but I'm pretty hopeless and haven't taken any pics. However, I went for a drive the other night and took a few neat ones.

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-196-2-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1258-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1219-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2000 Honda Integra Type RX-1286-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

[Snoozin]

Fitted up the TE37, finally. The tyres are Lakesea Gredge 07RS semi slicks, a re-branded Zestino that's a 140TW DOT rated semi. They were meant to be Zestino, but the local distro got sent an incorrect batch of 205/45/16 only with the Lakesea branding. Subsequently, these were specialled off at $50 per tyre, which I decided was a no-brainer to get the TE's shod in some rubber. I like the look, although I think I prefer it best on the RG still.

DC2R Phone (63)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

DC2R Phone (64)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The classic Honda driveway exit pose.

DC2R Phone (60)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr