Project Tamama

And so a new year .....

So 2006 started, more stripping (of the car :P), more parts buying, while trying hard to find a good body shop to respray my car yellow and sort a few spots of the usual EG civic rust. While also test fitting a few parts like the 5 stud conversion, ITR steering rack and other bits.

Mmmmm test fitting my EK9 alloys with my NSX calipers for clearance.

A genuine B16B from hondas Infamous EK9 Civic Type-R, the engine has so far been the most costly part at £2300, but with only 20K miles on it, its a prime example :)


Time dragged.... on and on.... and before I knew it, suddenly it was the start of April, the car was in a state ready to be shiped off to the body shop, but without a body shop planned to do the work (not a good start)!



So I started to look into the job with more vigor, but as i do so I realised both rear 1/4 pannels would need replacing (not an easy or cheap job to have done) and at £600 + the vat for 2 new sides with welding on top, my budget was looking to be destroyed.

The driveside is the worst, lots of rust around the bump strip clip holes (which i want filled in anyway), a badly fixed rear arch repair and some slight accident damage, the passengerside wasnt as bad but the sill had also gone :(

However I remember seeing a brand new shell for sale on the HondaRevolutions club forum just before christmas, if the price was right it and it wasnt yet sold it could be my new shell - heck I could even have the "worlds" only 2006 registered 06 plated EG civic - and that would earn much kudos (yes im sad so sue me :P )

So I called the garage who owned it, they only wanted £850 for it (not much more than trying to fix my existing shell) and were specialists in race and rally car preperation - this was too good to be true! So a few phone calls later and the deal was done, the shell was mine, and better they could arrange spraying etc all for the same cost of just respraying my existing shell O_O Over the moon would be a good way to describe my mood!

In the next few days I posted questions on many other car forums for help with the [url=http://www.dvla.gov.uk/]Dvla[/url] side of how I would register my car and other problems. After calling and then visiting the dvla office in Birmingham I was told I could never have an 06 registered Civic as hoped, but could "re-shell" my existing car (with resevations and rules) or it would go on a Q plate like kit cars etc (which I dont realy want).

The basic rules I needed to abide by where:

Vehicles that have been rebuilt using a mix of new/used parts.
In order to retain the original registration mark:

Cars and Car-Derived Vans must use:

The original unmodified chassis or unaltered bodyshell (i.e. body and chassis as one unit - monocoque); or

A new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original supported by evidence from the dealer/manufacturer (e.g. receipt)

And two other major components from the original vehicle - see list below

Suspension (front & back)
Axles (both)
Transmission
Steering Assembly
Engine

(info taken directly form http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/regrebil.htm all rights reserved and all that Copy right stuff)

This provided some "intresting" problems for me, the basic task wouldn't be hard, however out of the 5 components listed, im changing all of them lol
Another problem was that for all the main parts that i have changed they needed recipts, and since most of my parts where bought from club sites and forums ive been in a desperate rush the past few weeks to get back in touch with sellers and have them make me out recipts :D Plus one good side to being a horder of parts ive retained lots of the std parts so I can put my 4 stud hubs on, with my std saggy 156K mile suspension it will pass their inspection and I can always change back to the ITR 5 stud etc the day after the test ;)

And now your just about up to date, just today (22nd April 06) I delivered my other doors, wings etc to the garage for spraying, talked about what other features they can arrange for me to make it into more of a track day beast, and now im left waiting for the job to be done (talk about kid waiting for christmas lol) so i thought i would start this blog now to get all the back ground info typed up etc :)

The plan for this blog:

Ive booked 3 wks off work in june (my Mrs has exams so i needed to take some time off anyway) to rebuild my car from now two bare shells and a BIG pile of parts, into one fully working MOT passed track car, with a little help from my mates naturaly ;) Im planning on keeping this blog up to date daily with the ups and downs of the rebuild, as well as pictures of how its going (or not going)!

So if you know me - expect phone calls and to be giving up your june wkends to help me! lol

I do hope you find the project intresting and that you will pop back in June to see how its going, and the finished result!

Until then!

Chris_Gee

posted by Chris_Gee @ 7:36 PM