More than a couple weeks passed by, according to the timestamps attached to these photos. I suppose I was waiting for parts/payslip to come in. I doubt I did anything noteworthy with the car, hence why I’ve no photos from that period. I will have swapped in the Walbro 255l/h in-tank fuel pump during this time, which was straight-forward enough.
Here’s that idle-air-control-valve (IACV) I spoke of previously. Mine didn’t seem too clogged up, but I sprayed it with a load of PlusGas release-agent and some WD40, just to be on the safe side.
With the EG Civic subframe bolted up to thy chassis, I went and slapped the rear torsion mount on. I chose to go the genuine route, so these are actually made by Hasport and not somewhere in East Asia or wherever. Polyurethane bushings are classed by the manufacturer themselves as “Street” but now that the car is on the road, I can now tell you how “not-Street” they feel.
After about a thousand miles or so, the dashboard rattling has settled down, but my glovebox and its contents dance about at idle, and the entire dash does and will bounce if I come off the clutch too quickly. Be warned, polyurethane is not used by OEMs for good reason: NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). So when Hasport market their softest mounts as “Street”, don’t mistake that for OEM-like.
I plan on modifying them using rubber inserts, starting with the torsion mount that supports the rear of the engine/gearbox via the subframe, as that is the one of three mounts that transmits vibration into the cabin the most.
Steering rack off of a DC2-R simultaneously mounted to the subframe with the universal joint sent through into the footwell.
ST7 is the part number associated with Integra DC2 Type R and maybe perhaps the JDM SiR also. either way, that’s a dead giveaway as to the original habitat of a component, so make sure you check for that in case some sly seller tries to do you dirty and sells you standard EG Civic parts (or maybe they’re uninformed).
Oh yeah, if you look closely, you’ll see on the right side of the image, that there’s a rubber bushing missing between the D-bracket and the steering rack I spoke of previously.
Pictured is the gearbox with its mount bolted on, along with the shifter cable stay bracket I gave a nice tickle with Hamza’s angle grinder. Don’t know about you lot, but I like the look of flap-disc marked steel.
Another “bollocks” moment. Before you write me off for ranting again, hear me out. Another part of Hybrid Racing’s “swap kits” was the power steering kit. The stainless braided lines and fluid cooler all checked out fine and dandy, exactly what you’d expect for the price. BUT, the bloody reservoir they include is 1000% a cheap, replica part of the original Honda part. Now, this was a problem, why? Because the return hose they provide couldn’t slide over the port on the reservoir. I tried everything, but the shit was incorrectly sized. I can’t remember the measurement off the top of my head, but it didn’t match the port size on the OEM reservoir, so yeah, excellent replication there by China/Taiwan or whomever the fock!
You’re probably thinking, “oh just use the OEM reservoir you moaning twat!” The thing is, the orientation of the ports were inconveniently positioned on the OEM part, hence why Hybrid Racing include one with ports positioned in a way where you can run hoses adjacently into and out of the tank.
Long story short: off eBay (again) I purchased a silicone reducer and an aluminium straight joiner, just to complete the plumbing for the power steering “kit”.
Around this time in early May, I was feeling under the weather. I put it down to co-worker getting jabbed “for protection against” covid, and then passing something on after he suffered the post-injection side effects. Anyhow, one of the last jobs I cracked on with was the front suspension assembly, before I was down-and-out for a week in bed.
Issues I was having could have been due to the powdercoating on the suspension parts that weren’t allowing me to line up some of the bolt holes. Namely, the compliance bushing bolts. T’was a bit of a bitch filing the powdercoating off of the seating faces on the suspension arms, especially when you feel like death.
Also, I wished I had asked for all the original EG Civic hardware to bolt the subframe & lower arms up with. Some EK Civic bolts are too long when screwed into the chassis, so I remember having to buy some flanged bolts of eBay. It’s always the little details that slow you down. Preparation is invaluable; I have learnt the hard way.
I’m gonna close it here, as this was the last photo I took before I came down with a nasty throat infection. Be back soon…
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