Ok time to introduce you to the story of my 98 UKDM Integra Type R, or DC2 as they are known in short.
Well I have been a DC2 owner for around 9 months now... and the love for the car has now pretty much faltered, however at the point that I originally wrote this blog... the love was strong!
In fact over the last 9 months it became a bit of a project to get it exactly how I felt it should be :)
The goal of these posts is to stuff this blog full of how the car changes and improves during my ownership.
So that being said, I thought I would do a kind of time line of posts, about the happenings with my car, updating with my experiences/modifications and restorations :)
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The start of the story....
Well what has happened over the last few months since I bought it... I shall try and break it down a bit for everyone.
September 09 - Admitting to myself I could not live with the sound of the Apexi n1, I went about trying to find a replacement...
Awesome looks, but too loud
That came in the shape of a pretty hacked up HKS Hi Power, oh it definitely was not perfect, but it was an improvement.
So the apexi n1 came off...
And was sold to a fellow member on the DC2 forum www.itr-dc2.com he was the first member off the forums that I met in person, and I was happy to meet a good guy!
Anyway on went the butchered HKS hi power....
As you can kind of see in this photo alongside, the exhaust was no longer at its original upwards angle, and had been modified and bent... so it came out at an angle, and actually burned my bumper pretty bad, in the same picture alongside you can also just make out the heat tape I used to try and protect it from the exhaust.
Still the exhaust was the perfect noise, just not the perfect look... but did me fine for getting to JAE 09
October 09 - I then sold the HKS hi power pretty soon after JAE, made a very honest for sale ad, and managed to sell it for cheap to a member the DC2 forum, hopefully they have managed to rectify its problem, or moved on from it themselves.
I was then very lucky to be able to buy a standard exhaust from someone else off the DC2 forum :D Great guy and very honest, even though getting to his through London in rush hour was a lot of fun :S hehe.
But still I was so happy to get a standard system, and it was then put on very shortly after that.
During this month I also took part in a charity London tunnel run for "Bowel Cancer UK"(blogs about the Tunnel runs to follow), this was my third tunnel run, and the first in the Integra, definitely a lot of fun, and even my strange sense of humour went down well with the JAP car crowd...
November 09 - was pretty quiet on the Teg front, managed to fit in a small shoot alongside one of my Caterham 7 rental cars.
To me this shoot is symbolic as the DC2 is the closest I have come in a "sensible" road car to the feeling of being one with the vehicle that a Caterham can provide, its as raw imo.
I realise I noobed out when doing this rev counter picture, I didn't let the car warm up fully... so apologies for that guys :) It's just I really wanted that photo and couldn't wait. hehe Idle Vtec :S
Over christmas things were quiet with the car, pretty sure the o2 sensor went early in December, and my thread here talks about all of that fun I've had diagnosing it among other things :)
But I have been collecting modifications and researching improvements during this down time, a few of the things listed below....
- H Brace - bought from a member off the forum.
- Energy suspension engine mount inserts
- HEL braided brake lines
- Pro Sport gauges from the group buy that took place on here. - Oil temp and oil pressure :)
- Skunk2 gearnob - I couldn't resist... it was pretty :)
- Servicing items have been stock piled as and when Opiesoils have done a special deal hehe :)
Anyway its 2010 now, well and truly! and as the weather is starting to improve so the work on the car can start again...
First off was some fresh new number plates :D
Bought from Craigs Plates, can't recommend them enough, always helped me with plates and are very pleasant to talk to over the phone and email.
Anyway my rear plate had a nasty black surround around it... (can be seen in the shots above of the HKS and Apexi exhaust).
so that came off.... and cleaned it all up (yummy yellow paint stains on the rear number plate holder...) And on goes the fresh plate :)
notice the red surround ;) classy lol
And to replace my nice and illegal front sticker number plate (as mr Plod pointed out earlier this week hehe) I got a nice matching front one... Voila hehe
Also got myself a nice new parcel shelf to replace my "blingin" 6x9s hehe
I have also just today got myself a freshly refurbished b18 cam cover :D :D :D
So a little shoot was needed!
Future improvements:
I have booked my car in with TGM sport in Fleet for a big old service :)
-Cambelt, water pump, tensioners, thermostat, valve clearances, and fuel filter.
Once this has been done it will then have the following work carried out:
- Clutch (oem exedy one), and fidanza lightweight flywheel fitted
- Braided HEL clutch hose
- Gearbox oil change
- engine mount inserts fitted.
- Fitting of sandwhich plate + the two pro sport gauges
- Hardrace full bushes setup and new track rod ends and ball joints.
- New tyes - If I can't replace my Hankook RS2s I will be going with Yokohama prada spec 2s.
Then if time and funds allow possible improvements (toys) could come in the way of... Tegiwa air box, coilovers... and camber/toe adjusters. But we shall see :D
Trips planned this year:
To take it to that holy place that I have been going to for a few years now...
And I've been very lucky to fit it into a SPA session in March, so another track to add to my list :D
My goal with this car is to bring it back to its original glory, but improve where I can along the way. I would I aim to achieve a car that is 70% road with the rest being track focused.
Well thank you very much for reading all of this! I hope you found it interesting! And this is just the start... I will be updating and adding to this thread as I carry on with looking after and improving this awesome car :D
More updates to follow as and when they happen :)
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