My 2003 Civic Type R EP3
- Thread starter Neil_M
- Start date
white sport
RMS Regular
Didn't know you got yourself a ep3 chum, looking well 
great work and I'm sure there is more to come
great work and I'm sure there is more to come
white sport
RMS Regular
Got more stuff for mine but not fitted or anything so leave it till new year lolCheers there sure is... If only the postman would hurry up
Neil_M
RMS Regular
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- #107
A few more photos as I kept working on the air-box...
The lower half is finished, a little more cut out along with a little tidying and smoothing.
The air feed hose has arrived, so that is fitted to give you an idea of the layout.
A little closer.
Closer again.
And a more direct angle.
Many people report the Hondata air-box mod doesn't sound much different. That's likely due to a large resonator being left in the lid of the air-box. So this was opened up.
This is the exit to the resonator from the main air feed to the throttle body (within the air-box lid).
Sections of plastic were epoxied in place to seal off the resonator section.
A view from the inside of the intake pipe.
Stiffer springs arrived for the gearbox, along with some Hondabond to seal things back up.
Hard Race hardened rubber tie rod ends arrived.
Hard Race hardened rubber trailing arm bushes arrived with pins.
Hard Race hardened rubber bushed lower control arms arrived with new bolts and washers.
A brass steering rack slider arrived. The grease is extremely pungent.
Gearbox cable bushes arrived too.
All going well the gearbox springs and bushes along with the air-box should be fitted over the holidays. I'll try to do the gearbox oil too.
The lower half is finished, a little more cut out along with a little tidying and smoothing.
The air feed hose has arrived, so that is fitted to give you an idea of the layout.
A little closer.
Closer again.
And a more direct angle.
Many people report the Hondata air-box mod doesn't sound much different. That's likely due to a large resonator being left in the lid of the air-box. So this was opened up.
This is the exit to the resonator from the main air feed to the throttle body (within the air-box lid).
Sections of plastic were epoxied in place to seal off the resonator section.
A view from the inside of the intake pipe.
Stiffer springs arrived for the gearbox, along with some Hondabond to seal things back up.
Hard Race hardened rubber tie rod ends arrived.
Hard Race hardened rubber trailing arm bushes arrived with pins.
Hard Race hardened rubber bushed lower control arms arrived with new bolts and washers.
A brass steering rack slider arrived. The grease is extremely pungent
.
Gearbox cable bushes arrived too.
All going well the gearbox springs and bushes along with the air-box should be fitted over the holidays. I'll try to do the gearbox oil too.
white sport
RMS Regular
Neil let know what the shifter bushes are like when fitted
j44nty
RMS Regular
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I wish I had the motivation to go at my cars like you do. It's a great toy to go with all your other great toys lol.
Neil_M
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I sure will. They will hopefully get installed tomorrow along with the shifter springs. I will however leave the Hondabond to cure for a day or two.
More toys are needed
! I actually do it as a wind down from work, nip out to the garage for an hour or two . Things not done right will annoy me, so there is some natural motivation to fix something.
jordan 375
RMS Regular
Did you buy the pivot ball aswell for the actual shifter mech? The springs and bushes you have will make no difference to actual play inside
As for the oem airbox setup, it's cost affective but if you end up wanting the most from the Engine and or cams I'd recommend the gruppe m. You seem to be going in the right direction so I'm sure something is in the cards for the future Nice to see someone doing it right instead of the normal slammed,rash mods
gpaevo
RMS Regular
I fitted a buddy club race short shifter assembly to mine and it is superb. No play what so ever and gear change feels like the bolt on a rifle.
Would recommend a complete new assembly.
Would recommend a complete new assembly.
gpaevo
RMS Regular
Yeah bud. Forgot to take the for sale advert down and a fella offered me a good price. I then found the Buddy Club one with 48% off in one of those Xmas sales.
To he honest I'm nearly sure they are exactly he same just in a different box.
Daniel
RMS Regular
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- Silvia PS13
Had a wee nosey through. Very nice motor! Actually came to a similar conclusion to yourself. Still really wanting an MX5 but think one of these might be more reliable. As you say, it's getting harder and harder to find a good one (or pretty much any honda lol). This looks sweet though. Good to see its well looked after!
svensktoppen
RMS Regular
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Great wee project this, subscribed
Looking forward to seeing you round Kirkistown
As I think some have said already, don't go overboard. Get it on track first, see what works and what doesn't for you, and then spend the money where it matters for you. Really easy to get carried away by browsing Interweb forums and shiny catalogues.
Looking forward to seeing you round Kirkistown
As I think some have said already, don't go overboard. Get it on track first, see what works and what doesn't for you, and then spend the money where it matters for you. Really easy to get carried away by browsing Interweb forums and shiny catalogues.
Neil_M
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Cheers dude.
I was pretty much told with the EP3 that if the engine and gearbox are fine, you're well on your way.
However finding one that meets those basic requirements, has been looked after is fairly difficult.
There are much more tidier Mk2 / Mk2.5 MX5s out there IMO. I looked at quite a few MX5s with @aza89 many of which were rotten.
I've been lucky enough to be able to put my money right into mods or maintenance items and not have to weld the car back together.
Great wee project this, subscribed
Looking forward to seeing you round Kirkistown
As I think some have said already, don't go overboard. Get it on track first, see what works and what doesn't for you, and then spend the money where it matters for you. Really easy to get carried away by browsing Interweb forums and shiny catalogues.
Cheers batman, thanks for all the likes.
Thanks for the advise too, beyond a rebush, and set of tyres, she's nearly good to go for the track.
I've actually struggled getting good info from the forums on the EP3. The local guys on here have been of much more help.
Neil_M
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A quick snap of the PCV that was replaced, along with the hose and clips.
Anyway, more interesting things... Time to install the gearbox springs and cable bushes.
Air-box removed.
Starting into removing the bushes... the first pressed out with my thumb and surprisingly little force.
The larger bush is easily removed with a screwdriver through the centre part, and lever it out.
Gear change mechanism out. Ready for a good clean.
Old springs about to come off.
New springs installed and assembly put back together.
Shifter bushes installed.
The assembly was of course torqued down and sealed with a smear of fresh Hondabond. Also not pictured, I treated the shifter cable boots with silicon grease to keep them supple.
Gearbox oil change time, doing this on a very cold dark night is not recommended.
It was however made much easier by using this fluid pump and heating the gearbox oil. It was a two second job, with no mess.
Gearbox rinsed down with degreaser, you can see I used new fill and drain plugs with new washers. Clearance is pretty tight.
I have to say the gearbox is now a joy to use. These simple, cost effective mods have made a major difference to how the car drives. It's now keener to change gear with a much more positive action.
The gearbox oil is a no brainer, however I did drive the car before changing the oil and after fitting the bushes and shifter springs... These made the majority of the difference. Highly recommended. @white sport do it... though I see the springs I went for have went up in price a little.
The gear shift assembly does of course still have play in it. Though I would suggest the above worn parts were highlighting it. I may have a new assembly ordered, which should tie that up.
Anyway, more interesting things... Time to install the gearbox springs and cable bushes.
Air-box removed.
Starting into removing the bushes... the first pressed out with my thumb and surprisingly little force.
The larger bush is easily removed with a screwdriver through the centre part, and lever it out.
Gear change mechanism out. Ready for a good clean.
Old springs about to come off.
New springs installed and assembly put back together.
Shifter bushes installed.
The assembly was of course torqued down and sealed with a smear of fresh Hondabond. Also not pictured, I treated the shifter cable boots with silicon grease to keep them supple.
Gearbox oil change time, doing this on a very cold dark night is not recommended.
It was however made much easier by using this fluid pump and heating the gearbox oil. It was a two second job, with no mess.
Gearbox rinsed down with degreaser, you can see I used new fill and drain plugs with new washers. Clearance is pretty tight.
I have to say the gearbox is now a joy to use. These simple, cost effective mods have made a major difference to how the car drives. It's now keener to change gear with a much more positive action.
The gearbox oil is a no brainer, however I did drive the car before changing the oil and after fitting the bushes and shifter springs... These made the majority of the difference. Highly recommended. @white sport do it
... though I see the springs I went for have went up in price a little.The gear shift assembly does of course still have play in it. Though I would suggest the above worn parts were highlighting it. I may have a new assembly ordered, which should tie that up.
jordan 375
RMS Regular
As said above don't go mad with mods and see what works for you, good wee mods to start with. As for the shifter, haven't seen in your pics you replacing the pivot ball on the actual shifter itself. My car has basically zero movement side to side and front to back. For the sake of like £15 or whatever they are it's well worth it
Neil_M
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Any links to the pivot balls? No one seems to list anything for the EP3 specifically.
From reading up on the MTEC versions, they wear too. They are nearly the price of a full assembly too, and as mentioned before they don't have any interest in the EP3 application.
The Ktuned arms are intriguing too, but again, they themselves don't the EP3 application, but I have read some people have fitted them?!
From reading up on the MTEC versions, they wear too. They are nearly the price of a full assembly too, and as mentioned before they don't have any interest in the EP3 application.
The Ktuned arms are intriguing too, but again, they themselves don't the EP3 application, but I have read some people have fitted them?!
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