Project Tamama

And so a new year .....

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 2 comments

Welcome to Project Kiiro Saru!

Hi everyone

Your probably wondering what my blog is about, so I'll get it out of the way so you can go read someone elses if it doesn't interest you...

Dont all leave pls lol

The basic concept of this blog is to keep track of the rebuilding of my 1991 Honda Civic EG5 hatchback, from working car, to shell, to erm better working track slag ;)

Sound intresting?

A short history for you:

Ive been into messing with cars since an early age, my dad used to mess with cars in the 60's and 70's, and would always rope myself and my older brother into helping do oil changes etc as we grew up. So it was only natural that when we were both old enough to drive we caught the bug.

For me - it was Honda 1992-1995 (EG) Civic hatchback, I love them!
I bought my 1st in september 2001, a black 1992 K plate EG6 VTi and over the next few years leant more about the car and loved it to bits

My old black munkee Civic VTi.


But even by late 2003, and with plans still on going with my VTi, I had decided in the future I would love a project to test my own skills and knowledge!

I wont bore you too much with the to'ing and fro'ing and 1000's of ideas I had over the next year or more but lets just say by August 2005 I had finaly settled on one:

A Carnival Yellow track Civic

The following mods and parts have been picked up or done over the last 8 months lets just say i get lucky with car parts ;)

B16B EK9 Engine and gear box
5 stud conversion
ITR and EK9 alloys
ITR steeirng rack
ITR suspension
ITR front 24mm A/R bar
Std rear 16mm A/R bar
NSX calipers with 282mm front disks
MB6 calipers with 262mm rear disks
Fully stripped out shell
Black VTi Dash and dials
JDM tail gate
JDM Rear spoiler with brake light
Lots of other cool JDM bits and mods too small to mention now but will mention later.

Finished off with my usual zero regard for what anyone thought of it, only that it would be MY ultimate EG civic so :P to you all lol!


So 1st a good base car was needed, which turned out to be a very early (1991 J reg registered) Milano Red ESi EG5. With its 1.6 SOHC (vtech y0! ;) ) engine, disks all round, and £250 price tag it was a bargian I couldnt pass up (one of a great many).

Aww bless look how std it was (picture at the top)

Thats my JDM Munkee in the passenger seat, hes currently running 29psi of boost ;)

My ickle D16Z6, it ran fine for all of 5 mins once i put the right amounts of oil and coolant in it 0_0

It didnt last long within hours the engine was out and being sold off, and over the next few months slowly (its cold in winter you know and im incessently lazy) the interior came out, the sound deadening was painstakingly removed and sanded down, and lots and lots of mods where bought for the usual "Chris_Gee" prices ;)

And thus the car ended 2005 alot diffrent to how it had started it, with a new owner, and a radicaly diffrent "look" lol

Inside the cockpit!

posted by Chris_Gee @ 7:16 PM 0 comments