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EK4 VTi-R Project
- Thread starter mbikeboy
- Start date
mbikeboy
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This morning a new set of custom floor mats arrived. They fit perfectly and have definitely improved the look of the interior! 
A Hardrace shifter bushing kit also arrived, which I'm rather excited about. There's currently a bit of free-play with the shifter which was noticeable enough for me to decide to change the bushes. This is going to be a great and inexpensive upgrade. I'll fit these later this afternoon when I have some free time.
A Hardrace shifter bushing kit also arrived, which I'm rather excited about. There's currently a bit of free-play with the shifter which was noticeable enough for me to decide to change the bushes. This is going to be a great and inexpensive upgrade. I'll fit these later this afternoon when I have some free time.
None of your pics are visible. Stop using photobucket lol
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mbikeboy
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I've finally figured out how to do it with Flickr mate...here's the pics you've recently missed out on!
mbikeboy
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It's been a bit crazy around here of late...our poor Accord Euro was written off in a nasty smash a little while ago, so we had to find a replacement beast quick-smart. Whilst it's not a Honda, it sure is a sh*t-tonne of fun to drive, luxurious, and extremely practical...a 2012 Subaru Liberty GT Premium B-Spec Wagon. It was our impressively "sensible" solution for our soon-to-be family car, because nobody has time to go slow! 
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Back to the topic of Civic's now...I've been a bit cheeky and bought a few goodies for it recently, most are still in the mail and due to arrive very soon. Here's the break-down:
- A locally made performance radiator, and some silicone hoses to match.
- AEM fuel rail, AEM pressure regulator, Tomei gauge, and a new fuel filter.
- Air-Conditioning condenser (the current one looks yuk)
- Billet pulleys
- Skunk2 Pro intake manifold, Skunk2 70mm Alpha throttle body, Skunk2 throttle cable bracket, EGR blanking plates (not needed here), and a throttle body spacer to have "ported" to match the throttle body to the manifold.
- I've also enquired about some Blox coilovers from the USA and am awaiting reply for shipping costs...if they're ok, I'll be pulling the trigger on them as well.
Now for some urgently needed help!!! What air intake do I go for? Locally there is either Chinese junk, or paying WAY over what is acceptable for top-level stuff...not much in between. I have a 1995 B16A2 in an EK4 (what our AUS market got straight away), so would I be right in thinking that it is the same setup as an EM1 Si (which is what the USA got late in the game)? If so, what are some reasonably priced but quality air-intakes which will fit (keeping in mind there's a 70mm throttle body to be hooked up)?
Something else I have been wondering, is whether anybody's had issues with a hose/pipe free-mounted intake with a pod on the end hanging in-situ, etc? Our old Accord Euro had that with no dramas, but I'd much prefer things to be mounted properly and not bouncing around. All of your thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated!
- A locally made performance radiator, and some silicone hoses to match.
- AEM fuel rail, AEM pressure regulator, Tomei gauge, and a new fuel filter.
- Air-Conditioning condenser (the current one looks yuk)
- Billet pulleys
- Skunk2 Pro intake manifold, Skunk2 70mm Alpha throttle body, Skunk2 throttle cable bracket, EGR blanking plates (not needed here), and a throttle body spacer to have "ported" to match the throttle body to the manifold.
- I've also enquired about some Blox coilovers from the USA and am awaiting reply for shipping costs...if they're ok, I'll be pulling the trigger on them as well.
Now for some urgently needed help!!! What air intake do I go for? Locally there is either Chinese junk, or paying WAY over what is acceptable for top-level stuff...not much in between. I have a 1995 B16A2 in an EK4 (what our AUS market got straight away), so would I be right in thinking that it is the same setup as an EM1 Si (which is what the USA got late in the game)? If so, what are some reasonably priced but quality air-intakes which will fit (keeping in mind there's a 70mm throttle body to be hooked up)?
Something else I have been wondering, is whether anybody's had issues with a hose/pipe free-mounted intake with a pod on the end hanging in-situ, etc? Our old Accord Euro had that with no dramas, but I'd much prefer things to be mounted properly and not bouncing around. All of your thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated!
mbikeboy
Respected
It's been long overdue, but finally I've got around to doing the brake pads, rotors and painting the calipers! I'd been stuffed around plenty with the wrong size discs and pads sent back and forth (3 different rotors and 3 pads showed for my car), and it's been a rage-tastic experience. Finally I had the right combination and was able to crack on with progress!
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mbikeboy
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Today was a public holiday and the weather was amazing, so I spent a few hours today installing the subwoofer. I am kicking myself so hard not to have done this sooner...it's finished off the soundsystem and music sounds absolutely amazing!! I was really shocked at just how good the quality of the bass is, it's smashed my expectations!
Here's a couple of pics, nothing terribly exciting unfortunately! I had planned to install the sub/amp under the drivers seat, but there was a minor clearance issue with the seat when adjusting it, so had no choice but to install it in the boot (trunk as you'd call it hehe!). Please excuse the dirty boot, I had my dog in there the other day and haven't got around to vacuuming it!
Here's a couple of pics, nothing terribly exciting unfortunately! I had planned to install the sub/amp under the drivers seat, but there was a minor clearance issue with the seat when adjusting it, so had no choice but to install it in the boot (trunk as you'd call it hehe!). Please excuse the dirty boot, I had my dog in there the other day and haven't got around to vacuuming it!
mbikeboy
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The postman arrived with a couple of packages for me...yep, I'm just a little bit excited!! It's a Skunk2 Pro Intake manifold, and a Skunk2 Alpha 70mm throttle body!!
I'm still waiting on a few other items arrive before I install these on the car, but the end result will be well worth the agonising wait!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/YZWG9b]
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I'm still waiting on a few other items arrive before I install these on the car, but the end result will be well worth the agonising wait!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/YZWG9b]
[/url]mbikeboy
Respected
I've also taken on a new apprentice over the weekend...she's young, blonde, super cute, and goes by the name Rosie! 
The old master-tech Monty is doing an amazing job bringing her up to speed with things around here, and he's been absolutely sensational with her. He's 13yo, and his patience and care for her has been next-level extraordinary, such a wonderful thing to experience. 
The old master-tech Monty is doing an amazing job bringing her up to speed with things around here, and he's been absolutely sensational with her. He's 13yo, and his patience and care for her has been next-level extraordinary, such a wonderful thing to experience. 
Ahhh yesss pics again! Car looks great as do the photos. I'll have to give your Flickr account a follow. As far as an intake is concerned, I'm personally a big fan of the Ct engineering icebox. It has an oem look to it but is very functional. I'm not sure how outrageous shipping would be overseas though. Do you not have many options for suspension there either? I don't think I've ever ridden on a set of blox coils, but they're not a brand that's known for quality or customer service. The car looks great though man seriously. That would be my dream car for a daily driver
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mbikeboy
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Thanks for the kind words mate, and I must say that your builds are amazing!! Yeah it's definitely a fun little car to drive, and will only get better with time and more $'s thrown at it (wish I had more of both!).
One of the biggest challenges for this build is the rip-off prices for parts here. Sure you can buy anything you want or need, but you do pay a premium for it. For example, the Skunk 2 intake manifold was $295 plus $80 postage from the USA (delivered in a week), whereas to buy it locally $495 plus postage (and would take a week to deliver). Another challenge is that the majority of parts suppliers in the USA can't be bothered to deliver to Australia, and when they do, the postage costs are outrageous...double what it typically costs from Europe. The amount of searching online for the best price on each part is time consuming as you can imagine, hahaha!!
I appreciate your thoughts about Blox btw. What are your thoughts on the Function and Form Type 1 coilovers? Regarding the intake, I had been thinking along the lines of the CT engineering icebox, it's now just a matter of convincing them to post to Australia, hehe! As a backup plan, I'm thinking of the K&N 57i-3500 kit with the heat-shield...that's $285 plus $50 postage from the USA, instead of $450 locally, hahaha!!
One of the biggest challenges for this build is the rip-off prices for parts here. Sure you can buy anything you want or need, but you do pay a premium for it. For example, the Skunk 2 intake manifold was $295 plus $80 postage from the USA (delivered in a week), whereas to buy it locally $495 plus postage (and would take a week to deliver). Another challenge is that the majority of parts suppliers in the USA can't be bothered to deliver to Australia, and when they do, the postage costs are outrageous...double what it typically costs from Europe. The amount of searching online for the best price on each part is time consuming as you can imagine, hahaha!!
I appreciate your thoughts about Blox btw. What are your thoughts on the Function and Form Type 1 coilovers? Regarding the intake, I had been thinking along the lines of the CT engineering icebox, it's now just a matter of convincing them to post to Australia, hehe! As a backup plan, I'm thinking of the K&N 57i-3500 kit with the heat-shield...that's $285 plus $50 postage from the USA, instead of $450 locally, hahaha!!
Wow I had no idea it was that much of a struggle! That really sucks. I'm still jealous of the models you guys had available compared to us. We really got the short end of the stick haha.
As far as suspension goes, I'm not really dissatisfied with my function forms, but if I could go back I would've stuck with the progress coils I first had on my civic. The ff's are decent for a daily driver, relatively smooth and compliant, and haven't given me any problems. I would imagine the blox would be on par with them as they look almost identical. The progress just offer flexibility to change spring rates and the dampers feel a little more firm than the ff. Not to mention that all the parts are replaceable for cheap (for the US anyway). Depending on how much the blox would cost compared to your other options, they might not be a bad option. I'd really like to get another koni/ground control setup for my civic like I have on my integra.
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As far as suspension goes, I'm not really dissatisfied with my function forms, but if I could go back I would've stuck with the progress coils I first had on my civic. The ff's are decent for a daily driver, relatively smooth and compliant, and haven't given me any problems. I would imagine the blox would be on par with them as they look almost identical. The progress just offer flexibility to change spring rates and the dampers feel a little more firm than the ff. Not to mention that all the parts are replaceable for cheap (for the US anyway). Depending on how much the blox would cost compared to your other options, they might not be a bad option. I'd really like to get another koni/ground control setup for my civic like I have on my integra.
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mbikeboy
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The struggle is real, hahahaha!!
Yeah we got some pretty neat models here over the years thanks to the market being so different to yours. It still amazes me that the EK9 SiR was released 99-00...my EK4 VTi-R is the same thing and was sold from 95 onwards. You see plenty of CXi's and lower models here, but the VTi-R's are pretty uncommon and are bound to be a classic in the future. Ours is a keeper for sure! I've been eyeing off Integras and K engines with the intent of doing the same as yourself, but will hold off on that until we buy a house and I have a garage/workshop.
As my Civ is purely a street car and only gets used occasionally (it's a toy to tinker with tbh ), I'm really liking the idea of the Function and Form coilovers. I can get them at a really good price of $750 from the USA plus $70 postage. Equivalent suspension setups are approx $1400-$1800 here, and typical postage prices from the USA for suspension seems to be in the range of $350-400. It's a good deal that my credit card is liking hehehe! I really appreciate your feedback and experience with them mate.
Yeah we got some pretty neat models here over the years thanks to the market being so different to yours. It still amazes me that the EK9 SiR was released 99-00...my EK4 VTi-R is the same thing and was sold from 95 onwards. You see plenty of CXi's and lower models here, but the VTi-R's are pretty uncommon and are bound to be a classic in the future. Ours is a keeper for sure! I've been eyeing off Integras and K engines with the intent of doing the same as yourself, but will hold off on that until we buy a house and I have a garage/workshop.
As my Civ is purely a street car and only gets used occasionally (it's a toy to tinker with tbh
), I'm really liking the idea of the Function and Form coilovers. I can get them at a really good price of $750 from the USA plus $70 postage. Equivalent suspension setups are approx $1400-$1800 here, and typical postage prices from the USA for suspension seems to be in the range of $350-400. It's a good deal that my credit card is liking hehehe! I really appreciate your feedback and experience with them mate. That's not a bad price then. 750 aud is less than 600 usd which is about what I paid for mine.
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mbikeboy
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The postman delivered another part for me today, a Tegiwa tie-bar! I picked this up quite cheaply as a clearance item due to a couple of chips in the red anodising. I'm not a huge fan of red anodising tbh and had plans to deal with this, so have stripped the bar down, primed it and about to repaint it in the same red as my brake calipers. I'll post the results later on!
mbikeboy
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Well, yesterday evening I sold my motorbike...and surprisingly I'm not sad to see it be ridden away today. I haven't bothered to ride it in 2 years, it's gone to someone who I know will look after it, oh and there's now a heap of $'s to throw at the little Civ!!! 
I've already enjoyed a somewhat restrained online spending-spree, buying a hoard of Hardrace parts to improve steering and handling, and I'm currently waiting to hear back regarding some final-shipped costs on some items like a CT Engineering Icebox, and an OEM centre console armrest.
I've already enjoyed a somewhat restrained online spending-spree, buying a hoard of Hardrace parts to improve steering and handling, and I'm currently waiting to hear back regarding some final-shipped costs on some items like a CT Engineering Icebox, and an OEM centre console armrest.