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Jan 21, 2016 12:56:06 GMT
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I’ve been lurking on here for some time, and I like all cars, but especially 80’s 90’s hot hatches. I’ve had various in the past, MG Metro, MG Metro Turbo, AX GT, 2x Mk2 Golf GTi’s and a Series 2 88 spec Escort RS Turbo. My other passion is air cooled VW beetles. I have a 73 bug, lowered and on air ride at the front. Its tatty but useable and fun. I’m restoring a 1970 bug that I’ve had 21 years now. However, my weakness is Honda’s. I love the build quality, the over engineering in all areas, the reliability and their quirkiness. I’ve owned a 1991 4 door Civic 1.6 Vti saloon, this had the B16a twin cam VTEC as standard and 4 bucket style seats. It was bloody quick and had a few mods.   I’ve owned a gem of a 1985 Mk1 CRX 1.5, currently being restored by the current owner for possible classic track days.  And this…. My 1990 Honda Civic 1.6i-VT (EF shape generically, but an actual EE9 for the Honda code geeks) This is the European version of the much desired Japanese market EF9 SiR. The EE9 has a few differences, and the JDM car is better equipped, but this car has history with me and my family. Quick overview, one of the first mass produced cars from Honda with the VTEC system. First production car (I believe other than Ferrari at the time) to have 100bhp per litre. The 1.6 engine was capable of 160bhp, the European car (mine) was supposedly 150bhp, but mines been rolling roaded at 172.3 with just K&N panel, 4-2-1 manifold and exhaust. Independent suspension all round, redline is 8000rpm, and 8500rpm limiter. Although not amazingly fast by today’s standards, it’s the way it has to be driven that I love. You rag the balls off of it and it asks for more. People slate Hondas lack of torque, but if you know how to drive one then they are very rewarding. I’ve been into quick Hondas since 2001, and I’m now 40. It still gets the heart racing when I give it some stick down the local B roads. Back in the day when I was in my 20’s all my friends had Hondas from a 1.6-16v swapped 3rd generation civic (later B20 VTEC and now turbo’d ) to a NSX and various in between. We noticed that we would do a trip to Santa Pod RWYB, race and drive home, or Southend seafront every Saturday with some silliness and make it home. We would nearly always pass Renault 5 GT turbo’s (which I also love), Turbo’d fords etc stranded at the side of the road. Whereas we never had a breakdown within the group in the 5 years we did what we did with our Hondas. Oh and they rust. The rear arches and sills especially. I bought this in June 2007 from the person who had bought it from my brother 2 years ago. It was my brothers 2nd car at 18 years old, and he looked after it very well but sold it to his best friend after 5 or so years for a DC2 Integra type R, which he still has. His friend was not so hot on the looki8ng after it side, and tried some bodywork, ruined it and let it sit in a damp garage for about a year. When he conceded it was beyond his capabilities to restore, I practically threw money at him. First thing was to book it into a bodyshop for new arches and sill sections as well as a few small repairs to the doors. It was mechanically excellent but the passenger side rear arch had rotted so badly the whole repair panel needed to be used. You can see from the pics that the repair panel came close to the side window. By August 2007 it was finally finished. I’m very happy with it and at the time was a definite keeper. (More of that in a bit….) It still needed a new suspension set up as the lowered springs it had for the last 5 years have killed the original shocks and it drove like a pogo stick. Also the exhaust is a bit on the loud side, so that will got changed when my bank account recovered for a Mongoose stainless system. It had 158K miles on it but as I have known the last 2 owners (my brother and his friend) I knew how well they looked after the mechanicals, its fast, the gearbox is smooth and the engine quiet. (Incidentally as of today 21-1-16 it has 186k on it and is still mechanically excellent. Heres a few pics. As it went to the bodyshop, all stripped down by me.  New arches in    It’s back and ready to be rebuilt. They did a good job!   I filled all the crevices and coated inside all the panels and rear panel with in excess of 5 litres of waxoil! Fingers crossed that will stop the rust returning!    Finished…    I then built it up over a few years with all the parts that I felt improved the look and driving feel. I found and had refurbished some rare Mugen MR5 split rims. Top Marks for the Split Rim Clinic. 1st class work. I fitted DC2 integra black recaros on home made adapters, alloy dual capacity radiator, 1 piece 4-2-1 manifold etc. J’s racing front lip in Urethane etc. Then, despite building for me my perfect (at the time Civic EF) I had to sell. We had lost our daughter in 2009 and we needed a headstone as the plot had settled sufficiently. Some things are way more important that metal boxes on wheels. I wasn’t able sell it as it was. I had hundreds of dreamers, or people wanting just the odd part from it so sold the seats, coilovers, front lip, steering wheel separately and put those bits back to standard. The chap that eventually bought the car took it with the Mugen wheels, mongoose exhaust and manifold as well as the double capacity radiator. This is the last photograph from that time. The morning I had to strip it of all the parts to be sold separately. I titled the photo ‘Last ever’ when I saved it. Little did I know how bloody lucky I would be in the future. I was properly upset on this day, but needs must.  And that was that until August 2014…. |
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Jan 21, 2016 13:22:07 GMT
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Love it (MB1 owner)
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,565
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Jan 21, 2016 13:49:44 GMT
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Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story. I had a 1.4 GL in the early 90's and have wished I had kept it ever since.
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Jan 21, 2016 14:48:42 GMT
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Great write up and a man after my own heart. I am a little patriotic so a fan of British tin but 4 of my all time favourite cars are Honda's so I'd consider them a joint favourite manufacturer. All your cars are exactly how I'd do it if I had one. Oem+ is epic.
I'm looking forward to any updates. I would love an EF but I imagine they don't hold up well in accidents and I have my Mrs in the car a lot of the time.
Please continue.
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Jan 22, 2016 10:09:43 GMT
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So, the new owner always promised to let me have first refusal but loved the car so wasn't planning on selling for a long time. I used to keep in touch with him, usually once a year send a PM through the 4th gen owners forum. He was always happy to chat. He never posted on the forum and is a very quiet private man. In July '14 we moved house and had a thought during the process 'I hope the Civic doesn't come up for sale for a while' mainly as we were broke! While also thinking that I 'it's nearly the time of year to make contact' Then on the 1st weekend of August I received a text message totally out of the blue, 4 weeks after the move.... Would I like to buy it back! I have one of the most understanding wife's there is, and was able to scrape together the cash. So I asked for some photos of it and brought it home. Almost exactly 3 years to the day that he collected it from me. Not only did he give me first refusal, but at pretty much the price he paid me for it when they are worth much more. However, he, as a proper enthusiast preferred to think of it going to be cared for rather than sold on multiple times or stripped for a profit which is the fate of many Honda's these days. Especially the rare VTEC ones... The old owner had used it daily, and looked after it so well its almost freaky. It was fully serviced once a year religiously, its exactly as I sold it. Mugen mR5's are still good, 4-2-1 one peice header, exhaust system, alloy radiator. If it wasn't for a couple of extra stone chips and small rust bubbles I wouldnt beleive it had been away. Credit to the previous owner, he looked after it amazingly well and as the car has sentimental value to me (having been in the family for years) I cannot thank him enough. My brother kindly agreed to drive me from Bedfordshire to Bristol to collect it. It was a nervous and exciting journey that I just wanted to be over. My brother was chatting away but I didn't want to speak. Nervous as to what I would find. It was extremely weird driving round the corner and seeing it there, it was also weird seeing the folder of receipts and seeing my hand writing on the older ones, and weird to drive it again. All cars, especially old ones develop characters I think. Little foibles, and quirks that the owner learns about. The same thing that when you let some one have a drive of your car, you give them a download of info. From how it's best to start it, to 'wait a few seconds between going forward and selecting reverse' etc. I slipped into that drivers seat like I'd never been away. It was MY car still. Certainly a unique purchasing experience for me. Mechanically it seems perfect still. Dirty, cobwebs and leaves in the engine bay, green stuff growing in the crevices etc. it had been outside for 3 years, but had fared well. Here's a couple of pictures the previous owner sent me prior to me collecting. I hadn't seen it since the day it drove off from my garage in 2011.    And at home on the drive. Where i washed it in the rain straight away and had the neighbours thinking the new bloke is a bit weird....  |
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,565
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Jan 22, 2016 10:51:36 GMT
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It's great you got it back. I'm not sure what it is about them but they just look right to me. Later models have always seemed wrong, the next one had the silly split tailgate, think it was the one after had really big headlights and looked like it was wearing glasses.
I'm getting thoughts about looking round for a really good one but they all seem to be either really rusty or damaged on every corner.
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lightyearman
Part of things
GYJDM - Grimsby based Japanese car club - Find us on Facebook
Posts: 639
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Jan 22, 2016 11:43:13 GMT
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Love the write up, its ace when a car goes back to its rightful owner!
I'm going to do a write up on the restoration and build of my EF9 siR CRX when i get chance
Bookmarked.
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'89 Honda CRX siR Glassroof Flint black fully restored track beasty
'90 Nissan S13 Pignose - pass the mig wire
'86 Mini - matt orange, 13" Wellers, Project 2018
'97 LDV Convoy home built camper/tramper van
'04 Saab 9-5 Aero HOT. Anyone want it?
'91 Honda VFR400 NC30 17,000 km from new
'87 Honda XR80 4 stroke baby crosser
'03 Mini Cooper S - honestly, they are fun...
'15 VW T5.1 LWB daily brick
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Jan 22, 2016 20:59:45 GMT
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Thanks for the comments. I thought no one would be interested.
Theres plenty to add. Ive been getting it back to how I had it but this time I want to do it better!
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,608
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Jan 23, 2016 13:50:55 GMT
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Great to see it and hear the long-term history.
Having enjoyed my CR-X SiR for many years I'm about to get started upon a pair of white ED hatchbacks that needed saving, & hope to lure my mother away from using the CR-X with one, other for myself, regardless of their lowly 1.5 SOHC dual carbs!
I'll admit I like the exterior style of the EG's too, but interior design fails after the ED/EE/EF, & why on earth should they need longer w-base?
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Last Edit: Jan 23, 2016 14:01:57 GMT by 79cord
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Jan 24, 2016 20:44:26 GMT
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Very nice motor mate, sadly I sold my one to a numpty who smashed it to pieces White is the best colour for these IMO Heres a pic of mine, flooded it with subtle bits like JDM rear speaker pods, JDM rear mid wing, JDM dash rubber and centre console etc, Bar the R32 GTR the 1.6i-VT was my favourite car of all time   |
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Last Edit: Jan 24, 2016 20:49:43 GMT by gouldygtr
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great story. i had one of these in white too, and i sold it to a chap on here, who despite claims of restoration etc. had it up for sale the very next day for £600 more.
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@ CRX_IN_SCOTLAND
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great story. i had one of these in white too, and i sold it to a chap on here, who despite claims of restoration etc. had it up for sale the very next day for £600 more. Unfortunatly that's the sad fate of Honda's like this. They get bought by 'enthusiasts' thrashed for a few days / weeks and then put up for sale with a much higher price tag. This is the fate I was determined to avoid for my car. The thought of someone else getting it and not appreciating it made me feel sick. GouldyGTR - Nice, and White is the fastest colour for these.  I have always fancied a R32 GTR, Its interesting to hear you liked the VT 2nd to the R32. I like the civic as its a no frills drivers car, which I think is the same for the R32. Subsequent Skylines seemed to get porkier and more computer assisted if that makes sense. Ok, next update. So once I had it back, I took it for an MOT where it passed with no advisories which was pretty good. However, I had 0 cash, zilch, zero nada….. The car however did have lots of green, by which I mean plant life or similar. So, as it was spotless when I owned it I decided to ‘de-moss’ it. A very satisfying job. I also have a suspicion that the car was only ever washed at a £6 hand car wash (grit wash more like…) and the paint had suffered, and would explain why anything lower than the panel surface was dirty and green… So paint resto was required. I don’t have any polishing machines, so all is done by hand. It helped that it was the winter as the garage is cold so manual labour helped. The car had been used daily for 3 years in all weathers, so it’s understandable that things have got dirty. To be honest when I owned it previously it was garaged and I never took it out even if I thought it was going to rain. This was ridiculous, so this time it will be waxed and undersealed but I won't be as precious about it this time. I plan on using it and enjoying it. The rear quarter windows were removed, then the moss was removed with baby wipes (they do everything well! inside and outside the car) then T-cut, Auto Glym Ultra deep Shine polish and the Collinite wax. Window rubbers were cleaned, and treated with Auto Glym rubber treatment, the interior plastics were treated at the same time to cover all tricky areas while the window was out. Obviously done both sides. Before  After,  Next, I removed the rear spoiler, used baby wipes to clean the moss off, and also to clean the area around the boot hinges and around the tailgate rubber. I also fitted the rear wiper motor and arm after painting it satin black, supplied by one of the excellent member on the 4GUK forum. Sadly this forum is dying a slow death due to the evil that is Facebook. So if you fancy reading more about these cars the forum is an excellent resource. Google 4GUK and it will come up. There are some epic builds on there. Before  After  While the spoiler was off I T-Cut, polished and waxed it and treated the underside plastic before refitting. I forgot pics but image a standard spoiler thats really shiny and makes the roof look a bit yellow. The previous owner said he had never opened the sunroof in the 3 years he had it. So I gently opened the sunroof, cleaned the area around it, polished the pop up spoiler thing, cleaned out the runners and regreased. I forgot the before pic but it was just dirty. Still makes me feel good seeing it all clean and spangly.  I cleaned under the rear lights and between the rear bumper and filler panel, but I couldn’t get pictures. The bumper paint has yellowed with age, so if I can't restore the paint, I may have to get them painted, same with the front bumper. Next up, was the front end. I had been noticing that the front looked on the wonk. The previous owner had to clean/lube the bonnet catch so had had the bumper off at some point. The passenger side headlight was a pond inside and had always leaked, but before, I never used it in the rain. So as it had been living outside for 3 years it had gotten too bad. This job I enjoyed as it had bugged me since the day I brought it back home. I decided to swap the headlight, clean up under the bumper, front panel etc, loosen the filler bar and re-align everything. New headlight courtesy of another 4GUK forum member as a good price. Import plate on (since changed back to UK style) and things don't look 100% straight.  I also got to use my inspection pit for the first time since moving in. So nice not having to lie on wet ground and leaves any more. Bumper off and it’s collected quite a pile of leaves since I was last in here.  Some detail spray later its good again. I stone chipped it all when I owned it before, and it’s held up rather well.  Comparison between the old and new headlights   Headight in and aligned. Seems it’s been out before as using the marks left by the old bolt positions it was way off. Part of the reason I think the front looked out of line. Some fiddling and measuring the gaps around the light with the bonnet closed are the same as the drivers light and just under 1mm out at the point the light starts to curve downwards. You'd never notice. Filler bar loosened, re-aligned with a magnetic spirit level. Bumper re-fitted, this was tricky to set up as it’s gone a bit wobbly on top edge with age. It’s better than before I started though. All done, much better.  Both headlights putting out decent light now.  The eagle eyed of you may notice the indicators are clear again..... This was an expensive learning curve. Indicators for these now go for almost as much as I initially paid for the car in 2007…. Years ago I painted them amber with glass paint. The last owner had the car hit while parked so had to source another. This one was pricey and had a small hole in it. The hole was covered up with amber tape and the whole unit re-painted. I stripped this with acetone and white spirit and was a bit miffed when I discovered the hole. I started to strip the driver’s side and for some reason the plastic lense reacted badly going really cloudy. It won't polish or wet and dry out. It’s buggered basically. I painted it amber again out of desperation. I've asked about and looked on the net and I am still none the wiser why it happened. Then I found a pair of indicators in Thailand. I won’t say the cost, but in hindsight I would never had spent £5 on glass paint 5 years ago. No pictures as when it happened I wasn’t in the mood to capture it. More updates soon. Thanks for the nice comments. Stu. |
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Another quick update. I decided to clean the engine bay paint with a toothbrush, a rag and wd40, it still needs a bit of finishing, but it highlighted a load of rusty bolts. So, money being tight, I went to a variety of scrapyards and realised the 10mm bolts that hold the door check straps on most Hondas are the right ones, and as they are hidden away most are in their original plated finish. After filling a freezer bag with bolts, some puzzled looks from scrap yard owners, no payment required for any of it. (I think they thought I was weird and wanted me gone...) I set about changing as many 10mm bolts from the slam panel, wings, and anything bolted to the firewall. Here's some pics as an example.   While I was at it, I repainted the radiator brackets and the battery tie down bar. The battery tie down was coated in a plastic coating which had flaked off on one side but not the other, and it was impossible to sand it off. So I burnt it off with a blowtorch. All was wire brushed, primed and painted.      I also found 2 battery tie down rods that weren't corroded at the scrappy, and some nuts from stock that matched the Honda bolts. Old vs new(er)  Then I had a spot of luck, when I opened an old box file of my Honda Tuning mags there was my old Spoon Sports Gear knob! I'd forgotten about that, but what a nice discovery. I love the feel of the Spoon Sports Duracon knob. Probably because it reminds me of my first car. A 1983 1.0 Austin Mini Metro...  Next job was the usual Honda / Rover issue of only having 2 speeds on the blower. I am very happy with this little fix. I bought a MG/Rover Heater fan rheostat / relay thing on ebay with the idea of re soldering the wires. However, the connector is identical, and the terminals are the same. So I used my old one as a template in card, marked the larger new one, used a hacksaw to cut it to size. Being careful not to damage the wires. Drilled 2 new holes and in it went, and worked a dream. You can see the larger Rover one on left in the picture below.  Cut down  Fitted and connected to the original plug  Over Christmas I took all the Mugen wheels off and split them for some polishing and general clean up. It was hard work but the quality restoration I had done on them before I sold them with the car shows its worth. 3 years of daily driving and they are remarkably clean. Enjoyable job, but quite laborious when it comes to polishing 29 bolts by hand, per wheel.... There is a little paint damage, but considering it was a daily driver for 3 years the quality of the initial restoration is obvious.      Not a thrilling update, but the plan to make the car better and cleaner than when I owned before is going well, and with some luck and thought, so far it’s been quite cheap. Based on the chap / free improvements I decided that one of the things that always bothered me was the exhaust silencer being polished and the inlet and outlet pipes being in raw finish. So I spent an afternoon in my pit polishing the pipes with meguires all metal polish, a drill and a cheap polishing head from Halfords. The Meguires polish is, I think, made from actual magic. It’s easy to work with and gives an amazing finish. BEFORE  AFTER    I've also refitted the stock air box and removed the resonators so it’s taking cold air in from behind the headlight and via the inner wing. Whilst doing this I noticed the Tegiwa alloy radiator was weeping. It looks like the metal cooling fan shroud has rubbed through one of the capillaries. It’s lasted well, 5+ years, but it never fitted nicely and I always thought was overkill for a standard engine. So much research and I scored myself a Nissen original brand new radiator on Amazon of all places. Shipped from Germany. These radiators are different to the other civics of this age and type. They will fit but the radiator cap is in a different place and the inlet and outlet stubs are 32mm rather than the other models 28mm (I think) I love how the label on the side has yellowed with age. Lovely and new -    Currently I have the rear bumper off to replace the metal support that was rotten, I ordered a new support bar and the associated screws and bolts from Lings Honda Spares. A good website where you can browse the parts diagram for your car and order online. There's something satisfying about removing something rotten and using a perfectly fitting manufacturers replacement parts.  The old one looked like a relic from the titanic! No surprise it was sitting on the wonk and rattled! Mounting points had rotted through or were close to.     Shiney new one, and new screws. Excuse the state of the bumper. Once it’s repaired it will get a good clean and 3 stage cut/polish/wax.    And a quick one of the front bumper with the Charge speed rep poly lip. I contemplated going for a genuine one from various manufacturers but considering the speedbumps near me, the high kerb opposite my garage and the fact that my 1st J's rep from the states many years ago fell off and rubbed along the M1 necessitating a (expensive) replacement... I decided a poly rep was more suited. Not as good a fit as my others, but a sharp knife and a little heat did the job nicely. I know it’s not a look that every one likes, but I love the way it bulks up the front end. With the skinny OEM lip on it was visually weak.  Next is to re-drill and attach the nearside rear bumper hanger. The replacement arch all those years ago didn’t have the holes in it so I used a zip tie…. I know I know bodge-tastic.. Lots of little odds and sods have come from members of the 4GUK forum. Even though its quieter than ever, there’s some old diehards on there that are still helpful. Next job brings us almost up to date. I need to change the camshaft end seal and degrease the years worth of oil from the block. I’ll do this at the same time as the radiator so I can get better access. Cheers Stu |
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Chris™
Part of things
This is clearly filler material.
Posts: 519
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What a great story about being re-united with your car! Really nice to see it being cleaned up and lavished with some attention  |
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1989 Volvo 340
1986 Suzuki SJ413
2000 BMW 318ti
2006 Lexus IS250
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What a brilliant write up, i love the fact that you've got back the car that meant so much to you. All of the jobs you are doing i'd do too. keep up the good work.........Bookmarked !!
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1980 Vauxhall Cavalier MK1
1970 Mobyleete 40T custom
1978 Mobylette 50V
1965 Moulton Standard
1979 Raleigh Grifter custom
1980 Raleigh Grifter
1982 Raleigh Grifter BMX custom
1982 Raleigh Bomber
1987 Strida
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,608
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Wow, polishing the exhaust system is dedication. Wish stainless systems were more common/cheaper here... but Standard lasts nearly 20yrs without salt...
Rover fan resister wires look a little thicker than the older design? so hope they last better?
Not a fan of the way the new frt spoiler covers the bumpers lower lip instead of sitting below, though I guess the added depth would look good.
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Great story, and look forward to following your progress.
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 1965 Mk1 Mini 1989 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Sport 2004 Audi A2 TDi 2007 Lotus Exige S 2011 Mini Cooper SD |
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This week has been engine week. The Cam seal had always weeped a bit but the weep had turned into a torrent. The front of the engine block was about 5mm thick with oil in places. Which stank when it was hot. With the radiator removed, I taped a bin bag around the exhaust manifold and armed with a pump spray, some old discoloured paint thinners and a tooth brush I attacked the block. A horrible but satisfying job. Although some of that satisfaction may have been due to the fumes in the garage….. 2 litres of thinners later and it was almost done. Just a few fiddly bits to attack. On a slightly seperate note, I realised that Paint Thinners has the same effect as old Mary Jane... I realised this when I noticed my wife laughing at me from the kitchen window. I had a tea in my hand but was just staring at the water butt next to the garage. I also felt the need to say 'hmmmmm' alot to myself..... I may vent the garage better next time. Although in my defence I had the windows open, the door open and it was blowing a gale. Anyway, a before and after. If anyone can tell me how to stop little white spots appearing on the alloy block it would be appreciated.  Next, was off with the valve cover (to be changed for one from my parts stash :twisted: ) Lovely 187,000 mile cams etc, with no wear and all looking clean and golden.  Where the magic happens. Middle lobe is the VTEC lobe.  The possibly original VTEC solenoid gasket and filter. pretty clean, although it wasn’t rubbery. It was more like brittle plastic.  Skunk2 Cam seal. I like the over the top packaging, owners pack etc!   Brand new solonoid gasket from H-Tune, as was the cam seal. VTEC solenoid cleaned internally and externally.  I've been collecting some bits and pieces over the winter, some new some 2nd hand, and I cannot wait to fit them. Nothing amazing, more to give the car a little refresh and make it feel like mine again, but they are bits that I have liked over the years. Especially the Spoon Sports steering wheel. The newer ones just don't look the same with the blue and yellow/green colouring on the horn push. The valve cover was sold as 'with original packaging' which is always nice. However, when it arrived the box was 'very' second hand. Which I think is a shame. I'm calling it a day with the named stuff. A treat is a treat but even second hand the prices for Spoon Sports or Mugen items are stupid, and you need to be quick or lucky or both. At the end of the day it’s just a Honda Civic.   Last night I got the sub frame sprayed internally and externally with waxoyl and the new Nissen OE radiator in. I will fill and bleed it one evening. One rather annoying issue was with the Spoon Sports radiator cap. The website said Type D was for most stock applications and Type F was for most aftermarket. As my radiator is a direct replacement for the factory item I purchased the Type D. It was wrong. I need the type F but as I have opened it and cut the bag to get it out it can’t be returned… Hopefully I can waxoyl under the arches next weekend and just start using it. I’m determined not to be all precious about using it in the rain. Thanks for the positive comments. I was worried as the car is a little odd ball and the younger generation of Honda owners seem to like to alienate themselves a bit, that this thread wouldn't be of any interest to anyone. Cheers, Stu |
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Jul 25, 2017 16:01:58 GMT
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Update, a change of wheels and an idea I've been itching to try out. I appreciate honest opinions.... I had to sell various things for family reasons and my split rim Mugens was one of them. I then had a chance a few weeks ago to purchase some rare and lightweight (5kg per wheel) Mugen RNR wheels. They were a good price.... for a reason. On fitting tyres one started to inflate the paint at the base of the spoke like a balloon. Long story short, the wheel had been repainted recently by the previous owner and had covered a crack. As the paint hadnt set properly it ballooned and then popped. I found a firm who said they could repair it. However the alloy mix Mugen use and the lightweight construction meant that the Tig process basically ruined the wheel. The crack was bigger and I wouldnt trust the wheel even if I had it replaired properly. I hunted the japanese auction sites and finally found a single Mugen RNR in the right offset. A sum of cash, a raping by the shipping cost, and then another bend over and bite down situation when paying customs, VAT and parcel forces £14 to send me a letter... I had a set of wheels again. Next I tried to find dimensions of a Side stripe that was offered by Mugen in the 90's. Impossible, there were ones on US ebay and I ordered some but they were absolute wibblepoo. So, I found some mugen images from brochures and printed them off. Then found EG chassis civics in the scrappy and neasured dimensions like door handles and fuel flaps. I used this info to find the scale of the images I had an therefore the dimensions of the original side stripes. A graphics company agreed to produce some and checked a few dimensions from my images with their software. I'm confident that they are now as accurate as possible without having a genuine set to copy. Anyway, pictures, flame away as they say in the US of A.    |
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,608
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Jul 25, 2017 19:38:42 GMT
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Definitely a fan of the RNR's for their lightweight delicate style. I bought some for my SiR (even though they're now on my Accord & look too good to move). Shame the Rota copies were never distributed here as just thinking about them makes me want more.   Similar story of getting a set with one cracked spoke & having to source a replacement from Yahoo Japan (with a friend to bring it from Japan personally). At least seller knew it was cracked even if he didn't know what the wheel's were so I probably got them for scrap value! Doesn't sound like selling the MR-5's was a financial gain in the end! Rear wing not shaped as nicely as the factory, but does match the race look. |
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Last Edit: Jul 26, 2017 0:35:02 GMT by 79cord: picture
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I have always fancied a R32 GTR, Its interesting to hear you liked the VT 2nd to the R32. I like the civic as its a no frills drivers car, which I think is the same for the R32. Subsequent Skylines seemed to get porkier and more computer assisted if that makes sense. 
