SVX's Car Adventures
- Thread starter SVX
- 129 comments
- 18,093 views
- 14,378
- Wellington
Right? I want to EZ30 swap it. Comfortable daily.
I realised the last decent pictures of my interior were of it in a pretty bad state, so I thought I'd take some updated ones since I cleaned it today.
Next steps are to somehow shampoo the seats, and to get rid of the weird mud stains on the foot well plastics (without creating too slick of a surface). I took the passenger door card off today also to clean the speaker honey combs, a job I've been meaning to do since I got it.
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- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
Well, what's stopping you? Since the 24 Hours of Lemons now hosts races in New Zealand these days, it's possible to dominate... 
Joke aside, it's a great-looking livery for something that was never really used all that much in Corollas. It also has Da Stance, which is definitely JDM as heck... 👍
Joke aside, it's a great-looking livery for something that was never really used all that much in Corollas. It also has Da Stance, which is definitely JDM as heck... 👍
- 14,378
- Wellington
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
- 14,378
- Wellington
Rather surprisingly another Corolla of my generation popped up at the local junkyard. Sadly, it was a Japanese market Fielder rather than NZ new GL, but I was able to find a few things to complete my interior. It was also rather rough...
Interior was just as bad. NZ had experienced a storm a day or two ago which probably didn't help matters, but it looked quite neglected! I didn't bother with the two boot panels since who knows what they had gone through...
However, I did grab these!
Two small things, but with my car, I like to think its the little things that count. Dividers were slotted in after a deep clean -
Cleaned the spring up and gave it a test fit.
Glued the board down, then gave the spring a lick of paint since it was a bit rusty.
And installed! It's really satisfying not having it flop about anymore. Sadly it looks like a chunk of the fabric is missing. I guess the previous owner caught it on something and tore it, ruining the spring; who knows. Not too noticeable thankfully. Apologies for the poor photos, it was a sudden decision to at 10pm after being rather bored...
Interior was just as bad. NZ had experienced a storm a day or two ago which probably didn't help matters, but it looked quite neglected! I didn't bother with the two boot panels since who knows what they had gone through...
However, I did grab these!
Two small things, but with my car, I like to think its the little things that count. Dividers were slotted in after a deep clean -
Cleaned the spring up and gave it a test fit.
Glued the board down, then gave the spring a lick of paint since it was a bit rusty.
And installed! It's really satisfying not having it flop about anymore. Sadly it looks like a chunk of the fabric is missing. I guess the previous owner caught it on something and tore it, ruining the spring; who knows. Not too noticeable thankfully. Apologies for the poor photos, it was a sudden decision to at 10pm after being rather bored...
- 19
- England
- KloakinDevice
- KloakinDevice
Damn awesome collection man!
- 2,810
- Tasmania, AU
- stigsdaddy
Nice thread mate. I've got a ZZE 'Rolla now, and they're not bad cars. Sadly I had to sell the Group A Celica, due to needing a four door car with a new bub on the way. I used to have an AE82 twin cam, years ago, and thanks to that car's bullet-proof reliability, I decided to buy another 'Rolla.
Got myself an '04 ZZE123 Sportivo for $6k with just 124,000ks on it. It's pretty tidy, except for a bit of clear peel on the roof and headlight lenses that are beginning to yellow. I've had it for about a year now, and it's proven reliable and quite a bit of fun when you find the right road. The only problem is it's completely gutless below 5k rpm. I've driven 1ZZ 'Rollas, and I can safely say that below about 4k the 2ZZ has no more guts than the 1ZZ really. Once you get over 6k though, the engine changes dramatically, and becomes quite an animal for a little NA 1.8.
I'd love to turbo the 2ZZ, because even a half decent disco potato set up will see 350hp at the treads. The problem is if I had the cash to do that, I could get a decent turbo car anyway, which I'd probably prefer. I decided a few months ago that I'll just use this car as a daily, and instead of putting money towards mods for it, I'll put money away to get a Focus XR5T, which is a way better base for mods IMO.
Still, I'm loving thrashing the guts out of the 2ZZ. There's something satisfying about a tiny NA engine revving over 8k.
Hope you enjoy your 'Rolla. I always liked the look of the ZZE wagon, and they're well built cars, so it should serve you well. My old AE82 lasted something like 8 years of constant punishment, and let me tell ya, I absolutely thrashed the hell out of that little 4AGE.
Got myself an '04 ZZE123 Sportivo for $6k with just 124,000ks on it. It's pretty tidy, except for a bit of clear peel on the roof and headlight lenses that are beginning to yellow. I've had it for about a year now, and it's proven reliable and quite a bit of fun when you find the right road. The only problem is it's completely gutless below 5k rpm. I've driven 1ZZ 'Rollas, and I can safely say that below about 4k the 2ZZ has no more guts than the 1ZZ really. Once you get over 6k though, the engine changes dramatically, and becomes quite an animal for a little NA 1.8.
I'd love to turbo the 2ZZ, because even a half decent disco potato set up will see 350hp at the treads. The problem is if I had the cash to do that, I could get a decent turbo car anyway, which I'd probably prefer. I decided a few months ago that I'll just use this car as a daily, and instead of putting money towards mods for it, I'll put money away to get a Focus XR5T, which is a way better base for mods IMO.
Still, I'm loving thrashing the guts out of the 2ZZ. There's something satisfying about a tiny NA engine revving over 8k.
Hope you enjoy your 'Rolla. I always liked the look of the ZZE wagon, and they're well built cars, so it should serve you well. My old AE82 lasted something like 8 years of constant punishment, and let me tell ya, I absolutely thrashed the hell out of that little 4AGE.
- 14,378
- Wellington
Thanks for your kind wishes! That's really cool. Sportivos look great for sure. I've thought about an Aerotourer X which is basically a JDM Sportivo Fielder wagon, just for that little bit more oomph, but as you said, the money you pour into it, you're still handicapped by the Corolla base and lack of modifications for the chassis. I do remember watching a Best MOTORing video with the 2ZZ Celica on Ebisu West, and that under the cam-change, the sluggish response was nearly on par with turbo-lag (which is worrying for a naturally aspirated engine). The chassis dynamics do very well for what it is though. Considering it's a wagon, there's nothing to them - the Fielder S, the most base model that Japan got, was 1120kg with the same setup. New Zealand models I would expect are even lighter with there being a lot less equipment (no power windows for the rear, even). Engine response is good, and the handling is affirmative and direct (with some mushiness, but that's to be expected I guess).
I think if I decided to really go all out, it'd be a 2ZZ/6 speed swap and a Blitz bodykit:
Good luck with your Sportivo!
- 14,378
- Wellington
Quite a lot actually.
Early last year I had my headlights stop working. My natural thought was the headlight stalk contacts wearing. This is a common fault with the part number, and had already happened before (cleaning the copper contacts with a sheet of paper). Pictured are the contacts which engage the headlights when activated with the stalk.
The symptom was the main bulbs stopping, but with park lights and high beams still being fine. Quickly I had a brand new stalk couriered from Toyota Japan.
Waiting the few days for it to arrive proved to be very sketchy, as being a nightshift delivery driver, fog and high beams (my only form of lighting!) proved to be a great cause for some Silent Hill type stuff. I was driving to deliveries at about 20km/h, sometimes lower. It was not fun.
Embarrassingly, I soon found out both bulbs had blown at the same as the new stalked proved to do nothing! These were quickly replaced (and since replaced again a couple months ago when those blew too).
Speaking of blown bulbs, I had the remainder of bulbs I hadn't replaced when I first got the car finally go- the passenger map light, demister and A/C illumination. I installed these with an install of a Bluetooth adapter that utilises the standard headunit's CD changer plug to act as a receiver. I personally hate the look of aftermarket headunits, so it keeps everything looking original with just as much functionality. I listen to music via Spotify, but the dongle also provides USB and AUX support. I have it chilling in my glovebox as a result.
Ever since I got the car, I had a weird clicking noise occasionally when putting the window down with the door closed. Regreasing the mechanisms and pulling it apart multiple times did nothing, so it was chalked up to just one of those things. That was until suddenly I couldn't open the door if the window was down. What was actually happening was that the door stay that prevents the door from swinging past it's hinge had been getting chewed up against the door, which then made it get stuck midway between opening.
On investigation with a brand new stay, I discovered a manufacturing fault where it would fall into the door skin was actually rubbing against the window itself as well. To prevent any further marking to the door, both the driver's and passenger's stays were slightly bowed to just curve away from touching the window.
It was around about then I had managed to bring my rear pads to bare metal and destroy my rear rotors (if you're gonna wear something out, go the full mile!)
And then shortly after, finally repairing the destroyed valve cover seal which had been leaking ever since I got it, just marking three years of ownership.
Which was great, until shortly after this it was in an accident while parked outside my house.
Thankfully the person stopped after the accident, and everything was repaired under insurance, which finally meant my rear bumper could look less of an eyesore!
In-between the accident and repairs, I also managed to finally get my full license (meaning no curfew, and taking passengers is legal). As a result I took it on two trips up to Taupo and once to Rotorua (around 400km each way), after longing to go on a road trip ever since I got my license! The car proved to be a fantastic trip companion, sporting a comfortable night of accommodation for me and my best mate, a four up trip to Mt. Tongario Crossing (with gear) while not causing any strain on me as a driver, having never done the six hour or so stints as a driver before.
As of now it's cresting on 270,000km and campaigning with me and my now full-time position as a pizza delivery driver (though not as much strain with a couple of company cars on-board). More than ever I have grown attached to this car. My lack of desire to modify it to something silly still remains low, with it really pretty much being everything I had wished for when I first began learning to drive all those years ago. While low goals as far as optimism goes, the innocence of road trips with friends, endless night drives listening to some of my favourite songs in tow made me more attached to this car than I ever imagined. Kindling brand new friendships that have gone on to be some of the most significant part of life, with so many memories and discoveries- both good and bad- having my Corolla play audience to. The clutch feel still sucks, it's still a massive pain for deliveries on tight streets, and I've used joysticks with more steering feedback, but it feels crucially wrong to ever get rid of it, no matter how impractical or inefficient it might be compared to something else.
As a result, if I were to get a fun car, it would be alongside this, and not a replacement, which has halted the progress of that somewhat. Garage rent is a premium here, and street parking (as you can see...) is not viable, so it's ruled out having anything fun, not really due to a lack of funds but just with somewhere to put it. With my recently acquired second job along side my full time delivering, I'm hoping to push through the strain and hopefully reap the reward of having something cool to look at modifying and hopefully driving on the track!
Early last year I had my headlights stop working. My natural thought was the headlight stalk contacts wearing. This is a common fault with the part number, and had already happened before (cleaning the copper contacts with a sheet of paper). Pictured are the contacts which engage the headlights when activated with the stalk.
The symptom was the main bulbs stopping, but with park lights and high beams still being fine. Quickly I had a brand new stalk couriered from Toyota Japan.
Waiting the few days for it to arrive proved to be very sketchy, as being a nightshift delivery driver, fog and high beams (my only form of lighting!) proved to be a great cause for some Silent Hill type stuff. I was driving to deliveries at about 20km/h, sometimes lower. It was not fun.
Embarrassingly, I soon found out both bulbs had blown at the same as the new stalked proved to do nothing! These were quickly replaced (and since replaced again a couple months ago when those blew too).
Speaking of blown bulbs, I had the remainder of bulbs I hadn't replaced when I first got the car finally go- the passenger map light, demister and A/C illumination. I installed these with an install of a Bluetooth adapter that utilises the standard headunit's CD changer plug to act as a receiver. I personally hate the look of aftermarket headunits, so it keeps everything looking original with just as much functionality. I listen to music via Spotify, but the dongle also provides USB and AUX support. I have it chilling in my glovebox as a result.
Ever since I got the car, I had a weird clicking noise occasionally when putting the window down with the door closed. Regreasing the mechanisms and pulling it apart multiple times did nothing, so it was chalked up to just one of those things. That was until suddenly I couldn't open the door if the window was down. What was actually happening was that the door stay that prevents the door from swinging past it's hinge had been getting chewed up against the door, which then made it get stuck midway between opening.
On investigation with a brand new stay, I discovered a manufacturing fault where it would fall into the door skin was actually rubbing against the window itself as well. To prevent any further marking to the door, both the driver's and passenger's stays were slightly bowed to just curve away from touching the window.
It was around about then I had managed to bring my rear pads to bare metal and destroy my rear rotors (if you're gonna wear something out, go the full mile!)
Which was great, until shortly after this it was in an accident while parked outside my house.
In-between the accident and repairs, I also managed to finally get my full license (meaning no curfew, and taking passengers is legal). As a result I took it on two trips up to Taupo and once to Rotorua (around 400km each way), after longing to go on a road trip ever since I got my license! The car proved to be a fantastic trip companion, sporting a comfortable night of accommodation for me and my best mate, a four up trip to Mt. Tongario Crossing (with gear) while not causing any strain on me as a driver, having never done the six hour or so stints as a driver before.
As of now it's cresting on 270,000km and campaigning with me and my now full-time position as a pizza delivery driver (though not as much strain with a couple of company cars on-board). More than ever I have grown attached to this car. My lack of desire to modify it to something silly still remains low, with it really pretty much being everything I had wished for when I first began learning to drive all those years ago. While low goals as far as optimism goes, the innocence of road trips with friends, endless night drives listening to some of my favourite songs in tow made me more attached to this car than I ever imagined. Kindling brand new friendships that have gone on to be some of the most significant part of life, with so many memories and discoveries- both good and bad- having my Corolla play audience to. The clutch feel still sucks, it's still a massive pain for deliveries on tight streets, and I've used joysticks with more steering feedback, but it feels crucially wrong to ever get rid of it, no matter how impractical or inefficient it might be compared to something else.
As a result, if I were to get a fun car, it would be alongside this, and not a replacement, which has halted the progress of that somewhat. Garage rent is a premium here, and street parking (as you can see...) is not viable, so it's ruled out having anything fun, not really due to a lack of funds but just with somewhere to put it. With my recently acquired second job along side my full time delivering, I'm hoping to push through the strain and hopefully reap the reward of having something cool to look at modifying and hopefully driving on the track!
- 14,378
- Wellington
Prior to all of that, some fleet stuff...
Low kms Impreza came into the yard with a minor front impact. With the usual scenario being body damage = good engine, but parted out because of repairs being too expensive, we decided to take a gamble. Having over 100,000km less mileage than the problem prone engine that was in there already, @GDII and I set out to grab it.
It had always been one of my goals to utilise the sketchy home-brew engine crane equipment provided at the yard. The removal went pretty smoothly with no issues - seeing as it was offered as a package deal, we took the transmission as well. After removal, it was taken back home where it was serviced with new fluids, cambelt, water pump and sparkplugs, along with the AVCS from the old engine (Subaru's VVT).
Despite this, the car still seems to have issues. An extreme fuel usage (seriously, 300km on a single tank of regular driving) and a constantly confused transmission, which would mistake first gear for other gears. The last issue is particularly bad as what happens is that it'll select a gear on the conclusion it is the first gear of the transmission, when in reality it is second or third. Because the tiptronic selector also displays it as being in first gear, shifting out of the gear isn't possible. This can mean coming onto a hill, or a hillstart, it'll attempt to ascend in second or third gear and just about stall. Particularly bad if you live on a steep street like I do!
I attempted to fix the transmission issue with an imported transmission control module from Japan out of a near-new car, but it didn't seem to change anything. I have concluded that it is a sensor apart of the transmission, as resetting the ECU (by disconnecting the battery for a period) removes the issue for a short time. The higher than usual fuel usage may be due to a failure of a part my dad has a spare of, so when he finally gets away from rental property duties, that will be seen to.
As for now, enter the Mazda 6-
An NZ new 2006 Mazda 6 wagon was purchased as a late night impulse buy by my dad as a new car for my mum - the catch being it was a 236,000km example for just a shade over $2000...
...with a blown engine.
So, what do?
Buy another one, of course.
Found as a part of an insurance write-off auction, this was a low mileage Japanese import Atenza 23Z that was scored for $200. Being a recovered theft write-off, it's exterior was very evidently worse for wear. But the important thing was it's engine - being the Japanese model, it was a few hp more than the one received in our locally sold offering (most likely due to fuel + tune differences), it had also only traveled a smidge over 130,000km, which meant it would see plenty of life for the years to come in the wagon. In the day of the factory immobilizer, it's destroyed ignition (and lack of a key) prove to be a slight roadblock at first. With some creative taping of keys and ECU swapping, quite surprisingly it sprung into life first pop.
(it's a shame my mum can't drive manual, as swapping that in would've been pretty cool)
Now you see it...
Now you don't (thanks again to @GDII for the removal)
...cut it...
...and throw it into the back of your trailer, of course.
...with your dad's digger, of course (as you can tell, my dad enjoys collecting things he doesn't need).
I was skeptical of the project at first, but after having driven it for awhile, I think it was well worth the effort and time that went into getting it back on the road. There's something about Mazdas in the last fifteen years that seem to have really hit the nail on the head when it comes to building cars you want to be in, on a budget. The 6 always has the torque to spare at any time, with the transmission never stuttering or faltering on it's course to do so- it just knows it has a job to do, and does it. It made a refreshing change of pace from the lethargic at best auto trans best found in Subarus from the 90s to the mid 00s, and really shows how dated the opinion of an automatic "ruining" a car. The interior, while dated compared to contemporary options of this day, isn't ugly, uncomfortable or tasteless. It's unoffensive, but welcoming, with a pleasing centre stack design and digital display easily maneuvered during driving.
My current job puts me into the seats of a lot of regular import fleet vehicles, such as ~2012 CX-5s and Atenzas, and despite the varying levels of mileage and condition, all hold up as something I could see myself owning. To me, I have, and will always think that a daily driver should be a vehicle that makes your life as easy as possible - it's what you get to bypass the shortfalls of public transport after all. With the well thought-out interior designs and good power units, these cars I can see as just that. I think if a car invokes a feeling of not minding being in it as long as required - whether a traffic jam or a ten hour road trip, it's design as being effortless transport has been successfully achieved. In the same segment, I just don't see the success fall true for so many of the other offerings. The only one I can think of could maybe be a fourth generation Legacy due to it's novelty as being a powerhouse twin turbo sports wagon, but even then that has it's limits with an average interior.
Low kms Impreza came into the yard with a minor front impact. With the usual scenario being body damage = good engine, but parted out because of repairs being too expensive, we decided to take a gamble. Having over 100,000km less mileage than the problem prone engine that was in there already, @GDII and I set out to grab it.
I attempted to fix the transmission issue with an imported transmission control module from Japan out of a near-new car, but it didn't seem to change anything. I have concluded that it is a sensor apart of the transmission, as resetting the ECU (by disconnecting the battery for a period) removes the issue for a short time. The higher than usual fuel usage may be due to a failure of a part my dad has a spare of, so when he finally gets away from rental property duties, that will be seen to.
As for now, enter the Mazda 6-
...with a blown engine.
So, what do?
Buy another one, of course.
(it's a shame my mum can't drive manual, as swapping that in would've been pretty cool)
So, an empty ruined shell with no use is left.
What do?
Strip it...
What do?
Strip it...
My current job puts me into the seats of a lot of regular import fleet vehicles, such as ~2012 CX-5s and Atenzas, and despite the varying levels of mileage and condition, all hold up as something I could see myself owning. To me, I have, and will always think that a daily driver should be a vehicle that makes your life as easy as possible - it's what you get to bypass the shortfalls of public transport after all. With the well thought-out interior designs and good power units, these cars I can see as just that. I think if a car invokes a feeling of not minding being in it as long as required - whether a traffic jam or a ten hour road trip, it's design as being effortless transport has been successfully achieved. In the same segment, I just don't see the success fall true for so many of the other offerings. The only one I can think of could maybe be a fourth generation Legacy due to it's novelty as being a powerhouse twin turbo sports wagon, but even then that has it's limits with an average interior.
- 1,759
- NZ
It went mostly well except for me jamming my finger in the bell housing when attempting to remove the gearbox. Still hurts to this day.
These engine removals seem to go rather well. Not too much to remove to get them out but definitely a learning curve swapping between manufacturers and era of car to figure out how they have done some things. I'm used to 80s and 90s Toyota of which have the same way of doing things.
It's great the Mazda works well and after driving it for a little bit it is a nice car to drive and has enough power to be fun but plenty of comfort and stability to be a good daily or road trip car. Just like you describe.
Too bad the Impreza doesn't want to work properly. It was interesting test driving it with the dud gearbox issue. Never driven a car so slow.
- 14,378
- Wellington
Oh yeah. I finally got a project. Like, a month ago. 1995 Honda Civic SiR.
I had always followed along the idea that to have your best project car, it should be a second car- not your daily. You can have really cool daily drivers, of course, or cars that can do it all- modern cars are especially good at this. But I've always felt with older cars that it's simply nicer to have a car that you can depend on to take you to and from work, and another car where you don't have to fret if something random buggers out. Being only 19, this always held me back somewhat from actually achieving that goal. With the Subarus, it wasn't a simple case of plonking the car on the drive- driveway space flatout doesn't exist! However of months of scouring the local classifieds, the Civic cropped up. With my parts sourcing business mainly specializing in Hondas, even moreso Civics, over the past years I had gained so much knowledge from them that it seemed almost natural to go for one for myself.
The main things I was looking for in a project car was an aftermarket, and the sense of saving something. NZ gets a lot of cool cars, but unfortunately their low price brackets can make them fall in the hands of some seriously questionable owners. On the face of things, the Civic escaped a lot of it. Digging deeper, there was a bit more to the table. A horrible fartcan exhaust, a borderline dangerous cheap three spoke SAAS wheel and a dodgy paint all come to the surface. But mechanically, asides from the exhaust and some Ultra Racing bracing, completely stock.
I ummed and arghed about it for awhile as the auction finishing date loomed closer. I was going off four photos- a normal person would ask for more, but I figured the mystique would help my cause for bagging a good deal on it. The day came for the auction finishing date while I was at work one afternoon. I thought about it time and again, and told myself that if it all goes pear shaped, I'm sure I could make my money back in parts, especially for the lower mileage engine (183k). I put in my autobid, and went to work.
Some hours later I finished work and immediately went to my phone to find that I had won it, just $10 over the last bid which was placed on the following week. I was surprised- I was expecting a lot more of a bidding war, but I took it.
I made sure to agree to come to an agreement with the seller to have the car sold with a current Warrant of Fitness prior to buying. The car was based up north in Auckland, over eight hours and 620km away. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly fly through its inspection. It failed with worn engine mounts, wipers and a damaged radiator support panel. With the car in the bodyshop for the repairs, rust was discovered on the roof towards the bootlid, which was also promptly fixed. The car then went through it's inspection without a hitch.
With it finally being road legal, I booked my flights and arranged to buy the car and drive back to Wellington that following weekend. The timing coincided with Toyota Fest which was being held at Hampton Downs, so after purchasing the car I prompted to head straight there for the one time I didn't actually own a Toyota.
As expected, the car was not quite as clean as it made out to be in the photos. In a past life- I was now it's seventh owner- it had a respray in an original black but with a blue flake. Unfortunately, this seemed to have been done by Stevie Wonder with runs everywhere, and minimal prep work as paint was bubbling and flaking in multiple places. A lot of these panels are parts I had planned to replace anyway, so I'm not horrifically bummed. Depending on how long I keep the car, maybe a(nother!) repaint could be on the cards. While driving, a crunch from fourth to fifth had been made apparent and some pretty worn bearings.
Mods wise, these were mainly only good surprises. It had been given new engine mounts- but uprated to a full Hardrace kit. The seller had warned me prior to installing them being a stiffer mount, but I wasn't too phased as it wasn't going to be a car I'd have to deal with day-to-day. I was pretty happy to report that they didn't seem to be too bad either, and that's coming from someone who has nearly double the width of my wheel in sidewall. Other than that, a few Ultra Racing bits had been added- fender braces, three-point strut bar (alongside the OEM
) and a cross member brace. I can take or leave UR, but the other mods are what are to go first; a dodgy SAAS wheel (with accompanying boss kit, which broke the indicator return spring), auto parts special fartcan, and some unnamed 16" wheels shod in tyres that I can't even decipher the brand to.
For a Civic, though, these were minor. The main things were there- a healthy (and recently serviced) B16 and S2C five speed, an almost completely unmolested interior, and 'dat orange gauge cluster. I have a major hankering for interior bits and pieces; to me it's where you spend all of your time, so it should be one of the biggest priorities, so (admittedly 90% of the reason I got the car...) having it all was a dream come true.
The biggest thing was driving it. My actual road experience in cars is still relatively small, even more so when it comes to sporty cars, so bringing it to 8k the very first time, pointing the steering wheel to where I want to go and just having the car react unphased and straight away was a massive shock, and a completely new drug. Despite the larger wheels and questionable tyres, the car never seemed to falter in going wherever you wanted it to go, then and there. It's brought in an even larger desire to get out to the track and actually find it's limits, as I know for a fact that reaching them on the road at a reasonable speed will be unthinkable.
I'll never forget the night I came home to immediately head to Yahoo Auctions Japan and for the first time, feel overwhelmed with what I can buy for it. A never-ending stockpile of parts at the ready: it was surreal, and made my excitement to get stuck in even higher. Keep tuned!
1995 Honda Civic SiR - 07/03/2019- 08/01/2020
I had always followed along the idea that to have your best project car, it should be a second car- not your daily. You can have really cool daily drivers, of course, or cars that can do it all- modern cars are especially good at this. But I've always felt with older cars that it's simply nicer to have a car that you can depend on to take you to and from work, and another car where you don't have to fret if something random buggers out. Being only 19, this always held me back somewhat from actually achieving that goal. With the Subarus, it wasn't a simple case of plonking the car on the drive- driveway space flatout doesn't exist! However of months of scouring the local classifieds, the Civic cropped up. With my parts sourcing business mainly specializing in Hondas, even moreso Civics, over the past years I had gained so much knowledge from them that it seemed almost natural to go for one for myself.
The main things I was looking for in a project car was an aftermarket, and the sense of saving something. NZ gets a lot of cool cars, but unfortunately their low price brackets can make them fall in the hands of some seriously questionable owners. On the face of things, the Civic escaped a lot of it. Digging deeper, there was a bit more to the table. A horrible fartcan exhaust, a borderline dangerous cheap three spoke SAAS wheel and a dodgy paint all come to the surface. But mechanically, asides from the exhaust and some Ultra Racing bracing, completely stock.
I ummed and arghed about it for awhile as the auction finishing date loomed closer. I was going off four photos- a normal person would ask for more, but I figured the mystique would help my cause for bagging a good deal on it. The day came for the auction finishing date while I was at work one afternoon. I thought about it time and again, and told myself that if it all goes pear shaped, I'm sure I could make my money back in parts, especially for the lower mileage engine (183k). I put in my autobid, and went to work.
Some hours later I finished work and immediately went to my phone to find that I had won it, just $10 over the last bid which was placed on the following week. I was surprised- I was expecting a lot more of a bidding war, but I took it.
With it finally being road legal, I booked my flights and arranged to buy the car and drive back to Wellington that following weekend. The timing coincided with Toyota Fest which was being held at Hampton Downs, so after purchasing the car I prompted to head straight there for the one time I didn't actually own a Toyota.
Mods wise, these were mainly only good surprises. It had been given new engine mounts- but uprated to a full Hardrace kit. The seller had warned me prior to installing them being a stiffer mount, but I wasn't too phased as it wasn't going to be a car I'd have to deal with day-to-day. I was pretty happy to report that they didn't seem to be too bad either, and that's coming from someone who has nearly double the width of my wheel in sidewall. Other than that, a few Ultra Racing bits had been added- fender braces, three-point strut bar (alongside the OEM
) and a cross member brace. I can take or leave UR, but the other mods are what are to go first; a dodgy SAAS wheel (with accompanying boss kit, which broke the indicator return spring), auto parts special fartcan, and some unnamed 16" wheels shod in tyres that I can't even decipher the brand to.For a Civic, though, these were minor. The main things were there- a healthy (and recently serviced) B16 and S2C five speed, an almost completely unmolested interior, and 'dat orange gauge cluster. I have a major hankering for interior bits and pieces; to me it's where you spend all of your time, so it should be one of the biggest priorities, so (admittedly 90% of the reason I got the car...) having it all was a dream come true.
I'll never forget the night I came home to immediately head to Yahoo Auctions Japan and for the first time, feel overwhelmed with what I can buy for it. A never-ending stockpile of parts at the ready: it was surreal, and made my excitement to get stuck in even higher. Keep tuned!
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- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
The first time throwing a car into a corner and having it stick is always an amazing feeling. The first time I threw the Abarth at some corners I couldn't stop grinning - it just stayed pinned to the corner and begged for more. A world away from the Panda's will I make it or not? feeling. Congrats on the new project!
- 2,235
- Norway
Just take caution with that.. While a Panda or a Corolla will squeal, whine and roll in a corner giving you an idea you should slow down, a properly set up driver's car like an Abarth or a Civic will just grip, grip and grip until it doesn't and lift-off oversteer sends you in a ditch 
- 14,378
- Wellington
Just take caution with that.. While a Panda or a Corolla will squeal, whine and roll in a corner giving you an idea you should slow down, a properly set up driver's car like an Abarth or a Civic will just grip, grip and grip until it doesn't and lift-off oversteer sends you in a ditch
Yeah, too right. With the dodgy tyres I was just surprised they gripped as much as they did - I was expecting understeer similar to my Corolla. The light weight could be helping their cause, though.
In other news, past couple of days I decided to finally restore my headlights.
They weren't terrible, but the slight fogginess had always bothered me, and never came quite right. I decided to go straight to clear plastic and wet sanded them using AMMO NYC's guide: 800>1200>2000.
After that, I did three passes with my DA and CarPro Clear Cut, with a Rupes Bigfoot fine polishing pad. To further enhance the surface, a further three coats of Autoglym Super Resin Polish and a Rupes Bigfoot ultra fine finishing pad were used.
Originally I had planned to use Rupes Protective Sealant (P808) to restore the UV protection, but noticed a Rustoleum "Wipe-It" product while I was buying sandpaper. The person at the store had recommended it throughly, lasting far longer than a regular sealant. Time will tell if it works!
Often I have seen videos on using a clear coat. I was close to doing so myself, but upon further research, decided against it. Due to the constant battering from both sides of the lens, over time it doesn't cloud- it cracks. I decided against this as that would mean a complete cycle of the process (as opposed to just rebuffing).
With the success I did it again, for my mum's Mazda6 which was in dire need of it.
Job well done I would say!
- 14,378
- Wellington
Back in February I head down to Christchurch in the South Island for a music concert. I had flown there by myself, and with the spread out geography of the area, I sought to try my hand at renting a car for the few days I was there. Initially, it was looking more and more likely that I would be stuck with something dreary- Nissan Tiidas, Corollas all were prepared at the ready. I was about to pull the trigger on one until a small, locally owned company gave an even more favorable option: an NA Roadster. I rang to confirm my booking, and proceeded to wait for the guy to arrive.
From the experience, I do understand how people can work with their only car being their fun, project car a bit. With the small capacity engines, a lot of the time the car would probably be just as economical as a daily driver in a first place. It was just the other sides of the car that brought it down- namely the interior design. While a no-nonsense approach for a fun car is what you want when hitting the local twisties, when you're stuck in traffic, or on a roadtrip, I know I would end up resenting it. Non-existent air conditioning, cup holders, or any form of lighting at all proved to make things a bit stressful when making my way around for sightseeing. For me, though, that's where something like an NB comes into the picture. The well designed modernisation of the ethos that was made with the first car, for me, brings the best of both worlds into the picture.
It's funny to say "I miss my rental car", but it really gave me an insight of simple being just as cool as those ten year nut and bolt restorations. The simplistic design giving a great reminder that the fun of driving is always there, and there isn't some requirement that it has to have this amount of power, or these mods. Just getting in and driving can be just enough to leave you content.
Now, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why renting an old Roadster was so significant. For me, it was my first chance understanding what a "special" car is like to live with. Something that incites you to drive it, where the driving experience is weighed by the fact of how good the actual car is to drive, not the enjoyment coming from the fact you can drive in the first place. I've owned my Corolla for four years now, and once the original honeymoon period of going 'hey, I can go anywhere now!', you start to lose sight of the excitement of jumping to the keys in the first place. There comes a point where you want the actual driving experience to be just as pleasurable. I wanted to understand why the answer was always the Miata- is it hype, or is it justified?
The car that arrived was a 1990 Eunos Roadster. Equipped with the first generation 1.6, it was wasn't going to set any record alight. However, as soon as I got into the car, I started to understand why- despite its (often very valid) criticisms and complaints, this car is considered one of the few benchmarks as an entry level sports car. Something for new drivers to enjoy without risk of getting over their head. The tight gearshift, great pedal positioning and detailed front grip feel made even the smallest of drives look more towards the journey, than the destination. The mechanical feel made it feel like so much responsibility was put towards me, as the driver: like I was manhandling some street monster, when in reality the taxi next to you would come close to lapping you in a drag race.
I'd still like to try a 1.8 for size, but the 1.6 did feel like a lot of fun. I think that on a track, it would be on the underpowered side, but if it were to be your only car that you still wanted to have fun in now and again, I think the compromise would be worthwhile. Just having the ability to pick a line so accurately and have confidence in what you were doing with the detail feedback provided just made even less spirited drives so much more satisfying. The example I was driving was very low mileage, but had a few issues which tainted the experience. I was never really able to have full confidence in the car with a scraping sound roaringly apparent in the back, leaving a bit of a burning smell. The diff seemed to be leaking a lot of oil, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause. Shifting anywhere over 6.5k was also an impossibility with a rooted transmission mount vibrating the gearstick like a trampoline, leaving my hand numb trying to even reach for it.
The car that arrived was a 1990 Eunos Roadster. Equipped with the first generation 1.6, it was wasn't going to set any record alight. However, as soon as I got into the car, I started to understand why- despite its (often very valid) criticisms and complaints, this car is considered one of the few benchmarks as an entry level sports car. Something for new drivers to enjoy without risk of getting over their head. The tight gearshift, great pedal positioning and detailed front grip feel made even the smallest of drives look more towards the journey, than the destination. The mechanical feel made it feel like so much responsibility was put towards me, as the driver: like I was manhandling some street monster, when in reality the taxi next to you would come close to lapping you in a drag race.
I'd still like to try a 1.8 for size, but the 1.6 did feel like a lot of fun. I think that on a track, it would be on the underpowered side, but if it were to be your only car that you still wanted to have fun in now and again, I think the compromise would be worthwhile. Just having the ability to pick a line so accurately and have confidence in what you were doing with the detail feedback provided just made even less spirited drives so much more satisfying. The example I was driving was very low mileage, but had a few issues which tainted the experience. I was never really able to have full confidence in the car with a scraping sound roaringly apparent in the back, leaving a bit of a burning smell. The diff seemed to be leaking a lot of oil, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause. Shifting anywhere over 6.5k was also an impossibility with a rooted transmission mount vibrating the gearstick like a trampoline, leaving my hand numb trying to even reach for it.
From the experience, I do understand how people can work with their only car being their fun, project car a bit. With the small capacity engines, a lot of the time the car would probably be just as economical as a daily driver in a first place. It was just the other sides of the car that brought it down- namely the interior design. While a no-nonsense approach for a fun car is what you want when hitting the local twisties, when you're stuck in traffic, or on a roadtrip, I know I would end up resenting it. Non-existent air conditioning, cup holders, or any form of lighting at all proved to make things a bit stressful when making my way around for sightseeing. For me, though, that's where something like an NB comes into the picture. The well designed modernisation of the ethos that was made with the first car, for me, brings the best of both worlds into the picture.
It's funny to say "I miss my rental car", but it really gave me an insight of simple being just as cool as those ten year nut and bolt restorations. The simplistic design giving a great reminder that the fun of driving is always there, and there isn't some requirement that it has to have this amount of power, or these mods. Just getting in and driving can be just enough to leave you content.
- 27,162
- United Kingdom
Somehow missed all these updates until now, but great choice. I've only ever driven more basic Civics of that generation, but combining my experience of a few of those with experience of Honda's VTEC stuff, it must be a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing how it ends up.
Counter-intuitively, the best driver's cars shouldn't just grip harder, but also be more predictable when grip finally runs out. It's amazing how progressive great cars can be, even if their grip limits extend well beyond what you can safely use on the road.Just take caution with that.. While a Panda or a Corolla will squeal, whine and roll in a corner giving you an idea you should slow down, a properly set up driver's car like an Abarth or a Civic will just grip, grip and grip until it doesn't and lift-off oversteer sends you in a ditch
Great to hear you had fun in it. I know they've become a cliché, and I know they have a few high-profile detractors, but I think they're honestly brilliant fun and there probably isn't a car to touch them in terms of what they offer for the money.
As I discovered to my (literal) cost they can be a time and money sink if you want to keep them in top condition, and more if you really want to go down the modification route, but by the time I sold mine with a little extra bracing, stiffer bushes, a proper alignment, good tyres and brakes and a healthy engine, there aren't a significant number of cars I've driven during the course of my career that I'd prefer to take down a twisty road on a sunny day.
Big fan of the sentiment at the end of your post too. Whatever car you have, and however you drive it, just going for a drive in the first place can be enjoyable. I don't do it enough.
- 14,378
- Wellington
Me too. I'm buzzing with a lot of ideas of what way I want to go about it. The main objective is to keep the interior- I really don't like stripped interiors, and I don't think I'll be seeing the track a massive amount, so I don't want to ruin it's streetability too much. I was at a track event earlier in the month and scoped out this purposeful EK4-
--
A few small changes to the Corolla, ticking off some jobs that I have wanted to do.
Main thing were floormats. Have always wanted a proper set that would fit my car- for a few years I ran some random EK Civic ones that almost fit, but they would mark my shoes. Found a set with a rad confetti style colourway out of a Japanese market Fielder, which were a Corolla Hakata option. Corolla Hakata is a long standing Toyota dealership chain, so kinda neat to have a more specialty floormat than a regular Fielder one. I gave them a good going over with a carpet extractor before installing them, just for the extra freshness.
It's a bit silly to spend time and money on this, but to me it satisfies me the most knowing it's done. These cars are almost exclusively neglected, so it's a nice feeling making a tidy one, despite it's high mileage and initial company car life.
- 14,378
- Wellington
So, Civic stuff.
A few things cropped up whilst taking it home after buying it. First to be noticed was a rather audible wheel bearing, which was fairly shagged. The other was particularly worrisome- a crunch into fifth gear. Syncro wear on performance Honda gearboxes are alarmingly common, unfortunately due in part to a common terrible owner base. What stuck out to me though was the fact it was fifth gear, which was rather uncommon as usually it's from a hard pull from second to third. Being in fifth, it wasn't an essential gear (especially at the RPMs to actually get it to crunch in the first place), so I just babied it by double-clutching when entering a motorway.
I took it to my mechanical friend to throw it onto the lift and bring up anything else he saw. Thankfully, it was mainly positive. We found a rather large gearbox oil leak, coming from a torn axle seal, and the rear trailing arm bushes (which had been replaced with polyurethane). The bushes were in really poor shape, and seemed to be a potential cause for the slightly weird handling dynamic the car presented. The rear end seemed awkwardly unnerved, as if it wasn't quite sitting on the road properly. I originally chalked it up to needing an alignment, but the large amount of play in the bushings seemed to fit the bill pretty well too. The axle seal was also a good sign that the synchro wear was more a lack of oil in the gearbox, as there was no real telling as to how long it had been leaking.
With the diagnosis completed, I ordered the parts. I grabbed a pair of wheel bearings (as I'm planning to track it, I figured the other side would probably give out eventually if it hadn't already), three quarts of Honda MTF ($45 p/quart, on sale...), and trailing arm bushes. I opted for Hardrace for the replacements. They were hardened rubber, allowing less play than OEM, but not as stiff as a polyurethane alternative (while also being longer lasting). My mechanic already had an axle seal on hand.
The repairs went pretty swimmingly, and made for a surprising dramatic change. I haven't been able to put my foot in it much since doing the work (more on that another day), but the rear didn't seem quite as unnerved on the way home. It felt responsive, and not wanting to have a mind of it's own, which was a big win. A bigger win, however, was fixing the crunch. Instantly I noticed a dramatic improvement with it going into reverse straight away (usually it took a few vague attempts). This was a massive relief as it would leave a rather expensive repair bill on its own. The gearbox felt so much more tighter and encouraging to row through, instead of the weird mushy feeling. I originally had come to the conclusion that the linkages or bushings had worn out because the gearbox that Hondas are renown for, falling back onto economy models, had felt alarmingly disappointing. Mushy and vague were my initial impressions, which lead me coming away slightly disheartened as I had always believed that it was one of the most key points of the manufacture. When draining the fluid, it seemed that motor oil had been used. Surprisingly (and unfortunately) common within the Honda community to mask synchro wear, the crunch could've been from a really old replacement, or just plain too lazy for the proper Honda MTF. By any account, I'm glad the proper stuff is in it now.
During that time, I've progressively bought parts to make it cool.
The first order of business was an EK9 steering wheel that my mate sold to me for a good price, a mere hour after I picked up the car in fact. It's tidy, and OEM, however my car is a non-airbag model, which very may well run into issue with the airbag steering wheel come inspection time.
Shortly after that, I bought another steering wheel. But not just any steering wheel-
Those who have a keen eye on Honda stuff will notice what is most significant about this wheel. It's known as the Mugen FG-360, and it's considered as one of the most rare Mugen steering wheels offered to the public.
I was on Facebook, doing my regular scanning looking for parts when it stuck out to me. I noticed the horn placement looked familiar, and when I saw that it had the proper Mugen stamping, I couldn't believe my eyes. In the past few years, Spoon and Mugen parts have doubled, and in some cases, tripled in value. With 90s tuner nostalgia settling itself into the community, more and more people sought to throwing Mugen and Spoon catalogs at their cars for the ultimate period correct build. This left the more desirable parts to rapidly increase in value- like this steering wheel. Once a $500 USD steering wheel used, values have rapidly increased, soaring upwards of thousands of dollars.
Initially, I was dubious as to whether it was real. The covering looked completely off, for instance. For the $30 asking price, and no internet information on a replica existing, I screamed at @Korza until he was able to pick it up. Upon arrival, it ultimately did seem like it was a completely authentic steering wheel, just recovered. It took me weeks to come to terms with the fact I owned such a coveted steering wheel, and more so when the interest of overseas buyers wanting to grab it off me. Ultimately, I want to restore it- I'm looking at getting it recovered in the original material, and enlisting a CAD modelling program to replicate the Mugen 'coin' in an anodised metal as a project.
After this, a hunt for wheels began. I came close to some SSR Type Cs, until the seller mentioned they were 114.3, which was a major bummer - I don't want to run adapters, and a DC2R 114.3 swap would offset a lot of work I had just done, so unfortunately I had to pass on a great deal. If only!
That was until I scoped these on Facebook.
Racing Hart Superlatives, 4x100/4x114.3, +43.
These are a more obscurer wheel, and in a way, a homage to the centre lock DTM wheels of the 80s, like on the well known 190E:
The centre cap is a disc, which covers the lug nuts. The centre cap then has a few additional accessories to further mimic the style of a centre lock wheel:
Unfortunately, mine were missing a large majority of these parts. The plan is much the same with the steering wheel, which is to eventually replicate these additional parts to entirely restore the wheel. The main part of the centre cap, the main disc, is there- and this is what most commonly is missing. Without it, these wheels can almost be mistaken for OZ Racing rally wheels which are oh-so prominent on Evolutions and Celicas.
Then, I struck gold.
At my Pick a Part scouring, a Primera caught my eye. Could it be? Not a chance.
There sat a Primera with the exact wheels (or so I thought), in the right bolt pattern. A week after I bought them. All that was left was a pair, and with the driver's side being heavily destroyed from a curb impact, my attention then strove to looking for any of the centre caps, potentially providing the accessories I needed. Scouring through the interior, and not finding anything more than creepy handwritten love letters and (unused!) condoms, disgusted, I was ready to admit defeat- until I saw a glimmer of red in the distance. laying underneath the car was a set of three centre caps, with an anodised red metal locking nut. A piece to the puzzle I thought!
It wasn't until I got home where I realised that there was something really different - the locking nut I thought I was missing turned out to be something completely different, along with a much bigger centre bore. Researching provided nothing, until a friend somehow remembered a very similar wheel coming under the name of Racing Beat.
Manufactured under Takeuchi Project, Racing Hart sold a lot of their wheels under the Racing Beat brand, who are known for their specialty within Mazdas.
The wheel in question is a Racing Beat LSR, LSR standing for Land Speed Record, which is rather fitting with it's aerodynamic flat design. Only one fitment was released, being the same 15" fitment that I have of my Superlatives- the main differences being the entirely (far more 80s!) colourway, and more believable faux-centrelock. By any chance, I picked it up the remaining wheel anyway- for $50, with a good tyre, it was simply too good of a deal to pass up (and will suit being my spare wheel very well I imagine!). The most puzzling thing is about how it exists here in the first place. From what I could gather, it was a US wheel, and offered in black and white- silver being the Racing Hart alternative. The weird story to it, along with the steering wheel find, makes me happy to no end with these being once in a life time occurrences. Stories like this, to me, are what make a car. My plan from the start was to make a car that was completely and truly able to reflect my obscure interests to a T. I didn't want a cookie cutter Civic, with the same parts that I could spend my savings on at any time on eBay. I wanted procession, and story. A car that can be acknowledged as "my" car.
Ultimately, the plan is to have all five wheel restored, and make a complete set of both designs of centre caps, if possible. For completionist's sake, I want to complete the original Racing Hart centre caps, but with a good starter base to the LSRs- I'm slightly more partial to their design as well- I'd like to have a complete set of those as well, to interchange at will.
That's all for now!
A few things cropped up whilst taking it home after buying it. First to be noticed was a rather audible wheel bearing, which was fairly shagged. The other was particularly worrisome- a crunch into fifth gear. Syncro wear on performance Honda gearboxes are alarmingly common, unfortunately due in part to a common terrible owner base. What stuck out to me though was the fact it was fifth gear, which was rather uncommon as usually it's from a hard pull from second to third. Being in fifth, it wasn't an essential gear (especially at the RPMs to actually get it to crunch in the first place), so I just babied it by double-clutching when entering a motorway.
I took it to my mechanical friend to throw it onto the lift and bring up anything else he saw. Thankfully, it was mainly positive. We found a rather large gearbox oil leak, coming from a torn axle seal, and the rear trailing arm bushes (which had been replaced with polyurethane). The bushes were in really poor shape, and seemed to be a potential cause for the slightly weird handling dynamic the car presented. The rear end seemed awkwardly unnerved, as if it wasn't quite sitting on the road properly. I originally chalked it up to needing an alignment, but the large amount of play in the bushings seemed to fit the bill pretty well too. The axle seal was also a good sign that the synchro wear was more a lack of oil in the gearbox, as there was no real telling as to how long it had been leaking.
With the diagnosis completed, I ordered the parts. I grabbed a pair of wheel bearings (as I'm planning to track it, I figured the other side would probably give out eventually if it hadn't already), three quarts of Honda MTF ($45 p/quart, on sale...), and trailing arm bushes. I opted for Hardrace for the replacements. They were hardened rubber, allowing less play than OEM, but not as stiff as a polyurethane alternative (while also being longer lasting). My mechanic already had an axle seal on hand.
The repairs went pretty swimmingly, and made for a surprising dramatic change. I haven't been able to put my foot in it much since doing the work (more on that another day), but the rear didn't seem quite as unnerved on the way home. It felt responsive, and not wanting to have a mind of it's own, which was a big win. A bigger win, however, was fixing the crunch. Instantly I noticed a dramatic improvement with it going into reverse straight away (usually it took a few vague attempts). This was a massive relief as it would leave a rather expensive repair bill on its own. The gearbox felt so much more tighter and encouraging to row through, instead of the weird mushy feeling. I originally had come to the conclusion that the linkages or bushings had worn out because the gearbox that Hondas are renown for, falling back onto economy models, had felt alarmingly disappointing. Mushy and vague were my initial impressions, which lead me coming away slightly disheartened as I had always believed that it was one of the most key points of the manufacture. When draining the fluid, it seemed that motor oil had been used. Surprisingly (and unfortunately) common within the Honda community to mask synchro wear, the crunch could've been from a really old replacement, or just plain too lazy for the proper Honda MTF. By any account, I'm glad the proper stuff is in it now.
During that time, I've progressively bought parts to make it cool.
The first order of business was an EK9 steering wheel that my mate sold to me for a good price, a mere hour after I picked up the car in fact. It's tidy, and OEM, however my car is a non-airbag model, which very may well run into issue with the airbag steering wheel come inspection time.
Shortly after that, I bought another steering wheel. But not just any steering wheel-
Those who have a keen eye on Honda stuff will notice what is most significant about this wheel. It's known as the Mugen FG-360, and it's considered as one of the most rare Mugen steering wheels offered to the public.
I was on Facebook, doing my regular scanning looking for parts when it stuck out to me. I noticed the horn placement looked familiar, and when I saw that it had the proper Mugen stamping, I couldn't believe my eyes. In the past few years, Spoon and Mugen parts have doubled, and in some cases, tripled in value. With 90s tuner nostalgia settling itself into the community, more and more people sought to throwing Mugen and Spoon catalogs at their cars for the ultimate period correct build. This left the more desirable parts to rapidly increase in value- like this steering wheel. Once a $500 USD steering wheel used, values have rapidly increased, soaring upwards of thousands of dollars.
Initially, I was dubious as to whether it was real. The covering looked completely off, for instance. For the $30 asking price, and no internet information on a replica existing, I screamed at @Korza until he was able to pick it up. Upon arrival, it ultimately did seem like it was a completely authentic steering wheel, just recovered. It took me weeks to come to terms with the fact I owned such a coveted steering wheel, and more so when the interest of overseas buyers wanting to grab it off me. Ultimately, I want to restore it- I'm looking at getting it recovered in the original material, and enlisting a CAD modelling program to replicate the Mugen 'coin' in an anodised metal as a project.
After this, a hunt for wheels began. I came close to some SSR Type Cs, until the seller mentioned they were 114.3, which was a major bummer - I don't want to run adapters, and a DC2R 114.3 swap would offset a lot of work I had just done, so unfortunately I had to pass on a great deal. If only!
That was until I scoped these on Facebook.
Racing Hart Superlatives, 4x100/4x114.3, +43.
These are a more obscurer wheel, and in a way, a homage to the centre lock DTM wheels of the 80s, like on the well known 190E:
The centre cap is a disc, which covers the lug nuts. The centre cap then has a few additional accessories to further mimic the style of a centre lock wheel:
Unfortunately, mine were missing a large majority of these parts. The plan is much the same with the steering wheel, which is to eventually replicate these additional parts to entirely restore the wheel. The main part of the centre cap, the main disc, is there- and this is what most commonly is missing. Without it, these wheels can almost be mistaken for OZ Racing rally wheels which are oh-so prominent on Evolutions and Celicas.
Then, I struck gold.
At my Pick a Part scouring, a Primera caught my eye. Could it be? Not a chance.
There sat a Primera with the exact wheels (or so I thought), in the right bolt pattern. A week after I bought them. All that was left was a pair, and with the driver's side being heavily destroyed from a curb impact, my attention then strove to looking for any of the centre caps, potentially providing the accessories I needed. Scouring through the interior, and not finding anything more than creepy handwritten love letters and (unused!) condoms, disgusted, I was ready to admit defeat- until I saw a glimmer of red in the distance. laying underneath the car was a set of three centre caps, with an anodised red metal locking nut. A piece to the puzzle I thought!
It wasn't until I got home where I realised that there was something really different - the locking nut I thought I was missing turned out to be something completely different, along with a much bigger centre bore. Researching provided nothing, until a friend somehow remembered a very similar wheel coming under the name of Racing Beat.
Manufactured under Takeuchi Project, Racing Hart sold a lot of their wheels under the Racing Beat brand, who are known for their specialty within Mazdas.
The wheel in question is a Racing Beat LSR, LSR standing for Land Speed Record, which is rather fitting with it's aerodynamic flat design. Only one fitment was released, being the same 15" fitment that I have of my Superlatives- the main differences being the entirely (far more 80s!) colourway, and more believable faux-centrelock. By any chance, I picked it up the remaining wheel anyway- for $50, with a good tyre, it was simply too good of a deal to pass up (and will suit being my spare wheel very well I imagine!). The most puzzling thing is about how it exists here in the first place. From what I could gather, it was a US wheel, and offered in black and white- silver being the Racing Hart alternative. The weird story to it, along with the steering wheel find, makes me happy to no end with these being once in a life time occurrences. Stories like this, to me, are what make a car. My plan from the start was to make a car that was completely and truly able to reflect my obscure interests to a T. I didn't want a cookie cutter Civic, with the same parts that I could spend my savings on at any time on eBay. I wanted procession, and story. A car that can be acknowledged as "my" car.
Ultimately, the plan is to have all five wheel restored, and make a complete set of both designs of centre caps, if possible. For completionist's sake, I want to complete the original Racing Hart centre caps, but with a good starter base to the LSRs- I'm slightly more partial to their design as well- I'd like to have a complete set of those as well, to interchange at will.
That's all for now!
- 27,162
- United Kingdom
Some good sleuthing there! So which steering wheel are you going to fit, the Mugen or the Type R?
- 3,676
- South Australia
You have been very, very busy sir!
The Impreza’s gearbox issue is very strange. Did you end up switching out the sensor? I’ve not known an automatic to so hopelessly hunt for a gear.
Nice work with you mum’s Mazda. I think our dads might be very similar people when it comes to purchasing decisions. A lot of the time in my dad’s case, it’s not if he needs it, or even actually wants it; it’s all about if he’s got a plan for it. I swear he’d bring home the most obscure, out of character rat trap & not only convince everyone he’s got a good idea for it, but actually follow through to the hilt. A skill not transferred with blood
The Civic! Great choice! Legendary little track car with everything you’d ever want for a project. Every time I see a cheap one for sale, I have to remind myself I already have way too many broken cars. It seems to get harder each time
Hell of a win with the floor mats, mugen steering wheel and those beautiful, 80stastic wheels! Sometimes the world just seems to provide the perfect opportunity, at just the right time. Can not wait to see the Mugen restored (props for that, you’re doing the Honda community a service) and those wheels fitted up.
Just as an aside, your writing style has developed really well mate. The anecdotes and side thoughts in each post are very interesting to read and are extremely well written. It gives a lot of insight into where you’re at and always seems to be a good reminder of the pure joy that cars can bring. Top job 👍
Edit: I literally went on marketplace straight after typing this, and this is the very first thing that came up.
I don’t need it... I don’t need it... I don’t need it
The Impreza’s gearbox issue is very strange. Did you end up switching out the sensor? I’ve not known an automatic to so hopelessly hunt for a gear.
Nice work with you mum’s Mazda. I think our dads might be very similar people when it comes to purchasing decisions. A lot of the time in my dad’s case, it’s not if he needs it, or even actually wants it; it’s all about if he’s got a plan for it. I swear he’d bring home the most obscure, out of character rat trap & not only convince everyone he’s got a good idea for it, but actually follow through to the hilt. A skill not transferred with blood
The Civic! Great choice! Legendary little track car with everything you’d ever want for a project. Every time I see a cheap one for sale, I have to remind myself I already have way too many broken cars. It seems to get harder each time
Hell of a win with the floor mats, mugen steering wheel and those beautiful, 80stastic wheels! Sometimes the world just seems to provide the perfect opportunity, at just the right time. Can not wait to see the Mugen restored (props for that, you’re doing the Honda community a service) and those wheels fitted up.
Just as an aside, your writing style has developed really well mate. The anecdotes and side thoughts in each post are very interesting to read and are extremely well written. It gives a lot of insight into where you’re at and always seems to be a good reminder of the pure joy that cars can bring. Top job 👍
Edit: I literally went on marketplace straight after typing this, and this is the very first thing that came up.
I don’t need it... I don’t need it... I don’t need it
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