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Thread: My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build

  1. #151
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    More parts!

    After that November 4th trackday, I got some blisters on the edge of my palms with the leather steering wheel. Have been tossing up options to either get a suede wheel, or racing gloves, until a bunch of people told me to get both LOL

    I ended up ordering MOMO Mod.69, but when I came to pick it up, the shop were more than happy for me to exchange it for something else if I wanted to.



    Left: Mod 78. Moderate Oval grip, rear finger imprints, side palm cutouts and thumb insert grooves.

    Right: Mod 69. Chunky/Thick /round grip, rear finger imprints, no palm or thumb cutout/grooves.

    Both wheels are suede, with no stitching, and have the infamous yellow MOMO logo found on the likes of the NSX-R!



    The thick grip sounded great, but when I held it in person, it was too thick for me. I opted to take home the Mod.78 instead. Have ordered a new steering hub and quick release, so they should arrive sometime in January/February.

    Also got my hands on one of these babies. Shorai LFX27L3-BS12. 405CCA, 27Ah, 1.69kg/3.7lbs. Will get around to installing it after xmas



    These also arrived, to replace my Red Recaro TS-GS's I had sold off a few weeks ago.
    Brand new twin Recaro RSG-GK in Black/Black. It's a combination of Recaro's Glass mesh fabric and Alcantara.



    Split thigh cushions and close up of the glass mesh fabric





    Silver stitching along with silver Recaro logo's front and rear





    and of course, FIA approved too



    I must admit, the red seats do look better than the black, but it's hard to look past that glass mesh fabric on brand new seats!

    I had a trackday on Monday 7th Dec, so I installed one of the seats for that. Will write up a review shortly of how the day went, waiting for photos to be uploaded from the event!

    Also made use of the Black Friday specials. I set my alarm for 04:00am local time, woke up to join the XIDA bandwagon!



    In the box, are a set of XIDA RACE coilovers at 800/500lbs springs, recommendations from Ed based on my goals/current setup. They were $2000USD + $250USD for coaxial billet mounts + $385USD shipping. If you thought that was bad, I also got slugged $460USD for importation taxes and duties.. grand total? $3092USD... safe to say, that'd be my xmas present to myself for the next few years..

    They'll get installed, along with a set of new polyurethane bushings, Rigid collars, NB F+R subframes/arms/steering rack in the next few weeks
    Last edited by zco; 05-22-2021 at 10:08 PM.

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  3. #152
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! lucmor444's Avatar
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    Lovely coilovers - looking forward to your impressions.

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  5. #153
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build

    Gloves. Definitely gloves.

    I recommend a clean set of mechanics gloves for those that don’t want to spend money on racing gloves. Gloves help with perspiration and heat and can be crucial should you shunt and find yourself trying to extricate from twisted metal and broken glass.

    If you have blisters, try to remember to relax your hands. It’s really common with my students to have a death grip on the wheel. I remind them to take a breath on the straights and roll their fingers on the wheel to remind them to relax, like this:



    If I’m using comms with them, I listen to their breathing and voice for stress.

    Congrats on the recent purchases! You really cranked the mods to 11.

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  7. #154
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Ahh, great tips, thanks Steven! I won't be heading back to the track for a few months, but thinking of paying for tuition for a whole day after a shakedown of the incoming changes.

    Few photos from the December 7th trackday







    And some other cars that were on track as well



    Also, Christmas came a little early for me! I've been helping a mate of mine source parts for his cars, and he got me a little something for my car to say thanks for helping him out.

    Titanium bonnet rod, it looks bloody unreal! He picked up a few of them for his cars, and grabbed me one too while he was at it


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  9. #155
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Finally had some time to unbox the coilovers'



    They don't come with any dust boots, so I need to take some measurements to order coilover covers. Our roads are pretty shitty in Australia, and I dont want to risk damaging them, especially when I come off track. It might be a while before I get these onto the car, still very excited though!

    I quickly stitched together some photos for weight comparison

    Front



    Rear


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  11. #156
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Hello, its me

    It's been a while since I last posted. I've been quite busy with work, picked up a second part time job and also moved apartments! I have had some time to play with the car so I might as well fill you guys in on what's been happening.

    One of my mates picked up a new Yaris GR, and a few of my mates had finished a round of modifications so we decided to hit the drag strip for some fun. I tagged along in my mighty ~75whp car hehe

    Managed to beat my previous PB (15.9XX), new PB of 15.395! MPH did increase over the last visit, not sure what I'm doing differently. The launch compared to last time is still 2.2seconds, mph definitely went up so maybe the conditions were better? It did feel sluggish from 5500rpm onwards the last time I was at the drag strip, which is an intermittent problem I've been having, but seemed to have held up ok this time around.







    Also caught up with some friends and went for a nice drive on Australia Day, gorgeous cars!





    My coilover covers came as well, along with some new tyres. I got a decent offer on the old RPF1 + A052 combo, so I sold those off and bought a new set of RPF1's and fitted some new Bridgestone RE71RS tyres





    Fitted the coilovers onto the car, this is the height the XIDA Race coilovers were set at, straight out of the box. I'll write a review in my next post. Ideally, I would have liked to install them along with all my other suspension components, but I wanted to get rid of the Ohlins ASAP.



    Some wheels also arrived for me and my mates, I ordered 8 sets for all of us (mainly Honda owners) but here's a cool photo of all the diff colours that came in



    I initially ordered the titanium silver set, but got FOMO when I saw the titanium gunmetal set arrive, so picked that up too! The bronze set belongs to one of my friends. I'll most probably use the gunmetal set on my car, and keep the silver ones for a future car of some sort.

    Volk TE37SL 15x8.0 +35



    With the constant visits to the track, I continued my research into improving the car's setup. It seems that the NB's have improved suspension geometry than the NA's, so I got myself some NB subframes, control arms, a steering rack, and got to work making necessary modifications to some of the components.

    NB Rack de-powered, pinion welded to reduce play. I'll see if I like the ratios of a de-powered rack on track, if not I'll have to order a new manual NB rack



    I also grinded the gusset plates down on the NB front upper A arms. This increases the clearance between the arm and the coilover. If you run large camber angles up front, especially with ELBJ, you will most likely run into clearance issues. NB1 arms dont have the gussets on the rear, so you won't have that problem.



    Got myself some Mazda Competition subframe reinforcement gussets, I already have these on my NA subframe, but needed another set for the NB subframe.

    Here's a before photo, it's actually placed the wrong way around.. whoops!



    Flipped the plate around and got it MIG welded in place!



    All bushings were stripped, ball joints removed, and arms re-measured to ensure they weren't bent (search the miataturbo.net mega bushing thread. great info in there!) I dropped them off at the powder coaters two weeks ago, so I should get them back some time this week!



    My late night readings festered some paranoia within me constantly tracking my car. I came across many examples where cars were losing wheels mid track due to hub failures! eek! A quick google search brings up some horrific images. It seems like the regular racers are either using billet hubs or repacking OEM hubs with high temp race grease. I came across a thread on miataturbo with some pretty solid reviews on billet hubs from the guys at miatahubs.com and settled on those. They weren't cheap, and I spent a few days deliberating the purchase until I realised It would be much cheaper paying for the hubs than to have a hub failure on track (cost of towing, repair damage on suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres, panel damage, repaint the car etc..), not to mention the improved safety/decrease risk of injury. So here they are..

    Billet front and rear hubs, SKF bearings, ARP 2.5" bullet nose extended studs.



    They'll be fitted onto the car when I get the arms back from the powder coaters.

    Some more parts for the suspension refresh..

    -Superpro polyurethane bushing kit



    -Spoon Rigid Collars



    Here is a little video for those who aren't familiar with the concept



    Installation instructions





    Spoon sports make these for many other cars as well as their Honda's. You're looking at approx. $200USD for a few small, malleable spacers, so it's hard to not feel a little skeptical on whether or not they work. I used these on a Civic before but didn't really notice the difference. A friend of mine swears by them for his S2000, so I figured I'd give it another shot. Here's a write up from a few years ago from a R34 GTR owner http://www.speedhunters.com/2011/06/...s_to_the_gt_r/

    I picked these up from Supermiata/949 Racing

    -Bauer extended lower ball joints
    -Supermiata Forged CroMoly steel upper ball joints
    -Supermiata Forged CroMoly steel outer tie rod ends



    ..and lastly, all new suspension bolts for the install



    And that wraps up my suspension overhaul! Will post more pics when I get around to installing everything
    Last edited by zco; 05-11-2021 at 08:19 PM.

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  13. #157
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! LagBlu's Avatar
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    Great updates and parts as always. Those TE37...
    This car just keeps getting better. Have fun

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  15. #158
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    I am quite sure people think the 964 next to your Miata is actually more expensive

    Jokes aside, absolutely amazing build, love the quality of every single component on the car. And thanks for finding the time to type all these, I follow along in IG but nothing substitutes for a proper forum post! Keep them coming!

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  17. #159
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LagBlu View Post
    Great updates and parts as always. Those TE37...
    This car just keeps getting better. Have fun
    Thankyou! I still think the Watanabes look best, but they aren't suitable for racing / big brakes In saying that, I'm not even sure I want to use the TE37's on track haha TE37SL range is pretty much discontinued now

    Quote Originally Posted by HarryB View Post
    I am quite sure people think the 964 next to your Miata is actually more expensive

    Jokes aside, absolutely amazing build, love the quality of every single component on the car. And thanks for finding the time to type all these, I follow along in IG but nothing substitutes for a proper forum post! Keep them coming!
    Hahah, sadly, the Porsche would be 10x the value of our little Miata's lol Cheers Harry!

    Added a few more photos to the previous post

  18. #160
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Picked up the subframes and suspension arms from the powder coater earlier this week, and started assembling everything.





    Used new OEM Mazda bolts to do an alignment/bolt check, screws in perfectly fine.





    ELBJ's loosely fitted too



    In goes the SuperPro polyurethane bushings. Using the supplied installation grease, the upper arms were easy enough to push in by hand. Apply grease on every contact patch between two different materials.





    Lower arms needed a few simple tools: 2 spanners, m12 150mm bolt + nut and some washers, it'll cost a few dollars from your local hardware store.



    Fairly straight forward, tighten it until the bushing's lipped edge makes it through the bore, then push the rest of it in by hand.



    Final bolt check, all good!



    I have a tube of some Molybdenum grease which will be applied to all the bolts during installation. I also found out that I need the NB Rigid Collar subframe collars, instead of the NA set that I ordered. If anyone is interested in them, let me know!

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  20. #161
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    XIDA Review

    This post is outdated by a few weeks but I think some people may appreciate it. With the regular track attendance, I became friends with a guy named Alek (@racefix on IG). Alek is in charge of photography and operating the timing system on our track-days and he happened to be in search of a helping hand.. someone to run the timing system so he could focus on a few other things. I have plenty of time away from work so I figured it would be fun to pick up a part time job and watch race cars all day long! One of the cool perks of this job is that I can race anytime I want! This would give me plenty of seat time to improve my driving.

    Having recently installed the XIDA's, heading back on track has been on my mind, especially now that I'm working there as well. Moving from the Ohlins DFV 10/8kg to a higher sprung XIDA Race 800/500 (14.2/8.9kg) setup, I was expecting the ride to be a little stiffer, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Initial impressions on the street are an immediate noticeable improvement. The ride is so much more comfortable, less jarring, bumps feel much softer with an overall smoother ride. The car's response to my steering input feels very similar, but I was just driving on the streets at slow speeds. My comparison refers to both Ohlins and XIDA coilovers set on 1 damper click from softest.. fast forward to a few weeks, I find myself at the track ready to unload on the XIDA's

    She looks good all trailered up!



    Track marshalls performing a sound check to ensure we comply with noise restrictions.



    Supermiata's recommendations are to set the coilovers on the softest and slowly ramp up the dampers, 2 clicks at a time to find whats comfortable. The idea is to find the softest setting that eliminates any sort of wallowing feel. After getting comfortable with a few different damper settings, I decided to do a few hotlaps. The fastest times are usually set before noon, so I wanted to get as many laps in as possible.

    After 3 hotlaps, yep.. just 3, I lapped a 1:13.00. Thats 0.06 from my PB! Not sure if you guys remember, but my PB on the previous Ohlins setup was 1:12.94. I completed another 200 laps or so spanning across 3 track days and the closest I got to it was a 1:12.98, so things are off to a great start! The track was still cold and tyre temps were not quite optimal, but it was a very promising start to the day. There were a few corners where I could have shaved some time, lines were not clean, and corners that I previously took on full throttle were only partial throttle. On the 15th hotlap of the day, I managed to squeeze a 1:12.59 out of the car, again with a few mistakes as well. I spent the next 15 or so laps trying different approaches to the corners but started noticing the car felt sluggish. I think the day started to get a little too hot, car felt as if it was down on power and choking above 5500rpm. To be sure it wasn't just me, I handed the keys to one of the instructors and he came back with a 1:13.3. I called it quits by approximately 2pm and decided It wasn't worth wasting anymore tyres on it. I knew there was definitely more in it, but I'll save it for the next track day.





    Although I am now using RE71RS tyres, I dont believe they're THAT much different to the Yoko A052's. Both tyres are exceptional, and I'm confident the coilover change has allowed me to drive a much better lap. There are certain sketchy sections of the track where I was hesitant (on the Ohlins setup) that aren't even on the radar now with the XIDA's, and on the occasions that I ride the ripple strips, the car doesn’t even feel unsettled at all. The XIDA's definitely allow me to drive with more confidence and I am seriously loving it!

    Here are the coolest photos from the day. My friend taking the car for a spin.. the ND definitely looks more fun to drive!






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  22. #162
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    After attending the last track day, and going home not completely satisfied (knowing I have more in it), I decided to head back to the track 2 weeks later LOL new employee benefits were coming in handy!

    Same deal, get out as early in the day as possible, shake off the nerves and lay down some laps pronto! I had a baseline on the damper settings from the last visit so I turned up the dampers another 2 clicks from last time and boy did that make a huge difference. The car felt so much more alive, so responsive to my steering input.. I felt like the car moved exactly where I wanted it to! It understeered in 1 particular corner that I was taking too fast, which mis placed my car to take the next 2 corners.. laptime, 1:12.00. After getting some tips from Alek, I slowed it down a little at T3 and managed to breeze through T4 and T5. Overall, it was a much cleaner lap, and I ended up shaving a further 0.4 seconds off my time!

    I finished the day with a PB of 1:11.67 which now sits approx. ~1.4 seconds faster than my Ohlins DFV setup.





    To give you guys an indication of how this time compares to some faster cars, here are the results for a Porsche trackday, filled with cars that compete in the Porsche Supersprint series.



    Speaking of Porsches, I got to share the track with one of my dream cars! Hopefully, these two cars will share the same garage one day



    Until next time...

    Last edited by zco; 05-24-2021 at 06:05 AM.

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  24. #163
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Hello All,

    I didn't realise its been so long since I posted, hope everyone is doing well

    Due to some local council issues with residents and laws, the racetrack I frequently attended has been shutdown. They're working to get it up and running, a petition has been lodged to our State Govt, and the matter will be heard shortly. Might be a while before an outcome is reached though

    As for my car, have been a few updates to my car, but unfortunately, I've lost a lot of photos when I got a new phone, so here a some scrappy updates

    Recaros: I fitted the Black Recaro's in, then sold them for some Red RSG-GK, then sold those seats off as I found myself a set of RS-LTD seats. They were in really bad condition, so I sent them away to get them upholstered in some genuine Alcantara fabric.



    I deleted the seat belt holders as I couldn't get new replacements from Mazda (Discontinued) and also added in some parallel stitching around the edge of the seat.
    On the seat is also a new Momo Monte Carlo, in Black Alcantara with black stitching. We only get the Red stitching in Australia, so I had to import this from the USA.



    I'm still not 100% happy with them, so they've gone back to the upholsters for adjustment. I won't bore you guys with the details, I'll get some proper photos when they come back and get reinstalled.
    Car also needs a wash, I haven't washed it since my trackday in January!



    Future updates for my car: I have since deactivated my Instagram for some personal reasons so no more updates will be shared on Instagram. All updates will now be posted here for your viewing pleasure

    Speaking of pleasure, I received my Mazdaspeed Miata 6 speed transmission, brand new from Mazda Japan.
    What surprised me was that these gearboxes came pre-filled with oil. I'm not sure if its just oil for protecting the internals whilst they sat in storage, but it all leaked out of the end caps during transportation. I got it shipped via DHL/Air, so my guess on the leaks would be due to air pressure.







    Shiny new bolts, and factory markings





    I sourced a new gearbox as used MSM boxes were difficult to find, not to mention pricey and 20years old with unknown mileage. Cost of a rebuild was also ridiculous so I opted for a new one. The cost would be offset by the sale of my current 6speed box.

    There have always been rumours as to the differences between a normal 6 speed vs MSM 6 speed box, with the official Mazda brochure stating the MSM box came with shotpeened gears.



    Even part numbers on the parts catalogue are different for internals





    After me and my mates finished gawking over the new gearbox, I wrapped her back up and put her back into storage.

    Spoon gearbox anyone? haha



    The new gearbox is in preparation for some added power to my car. I have neglected spending money on more power as I knew it'd be costly trying to extract power out of a BP engine.

    Being familiar with the Honda world, it seemed easiest to go down the K Swap path.
    My friends at JDMYard.com are Australia's Honda specialists, importing parts and building Australia's fastest Hondas over the last 20years. I been in conversation with them over the last few months about doing a K Swap and they were keen to lend a hand.
    The boys let me pick from a bunch of engines they've had lying around over the last 5years, engines they kept for their own workshop cars and builds. We pulled all the engines out of storage and my mechanic mate helped me pick the best from the bunch.



    Spoilt for choice



    I ended up picking the one in the foreground



    A 2010 model K20Z4 engine from a FN2 Civic Type R (very similar to the USDM K20Z3). 201bhp, 11.0:1 Compression ratio, 8200rpm, 86x86mm bore/stroke.
    The engine sticker was most legible, all the bolts on the pulleys were still shiny, the clutch was still the original from factory with plenty of meat on it, flywheel was un machined and had no scorched markings or signs of abuse.



    The factory intake ports still looked minty fresh! This is the factory porting on a RSP-2 Head. This is the best flowing head from all the K20 variants, and got the hand ported treatment off the assembly line. This head is also found on the FD2 Civic Type R. The alloy and casting method that was used to produce this head is the same process used on the NSX!



    Regardless of how clean the engine was, it just made sense while the engine was out, to just replace things for good measure. I got a little carried away with ordering parts lol, here's everything that will be thrown onto the engine.



    I've finished partially tearing down motor and reassembling, will post upload photos and post updates soon! Til next time, hopefully not another 18 months before I post again
    Last edited by zco; 11-05-2022 at 02:40 PM.

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  26. #164
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Thanks for the comprehensive update; been drooling over your IG posts for a while, but it is just different when properly explained. Looking forward to the next ones!

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  28. #165
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! zco's Avatar
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    Engine preparation

    Here are some photos of my engine preparation

    I mounted the engine onto a stand, removed Water pump, water pump housing, alternator, intake manifold, throttle body, and fuel related items.





    Cleaned





    Cleaned



    Next was the Valve cover, sump, and timing cover





    Flipped the engine over, removed all the timing chain guides, chains, and tensioners. Oil pump balance shaft system was also removed from the bottom end (weighs about 4kgs), you can see it in the oil tray below.



    I prefer to keep my working surfaces clean, something about it is more satisfying and enjoyable. Happens when I'm cooking with the other half as well, I'm usually the one wiping down benches and organising dirty dishes into a clean pile, prepping all ingredients before I actually cook haha

    I spent the next 4 hours scrapping off all the sealant from the mating surfaces around the engine and came back the next day to start off fresh.



    New OEM baffle plate, bolts, OEM FD2R oil pump, Toda Oil pump chain, KPower pump adapter and pick up system.



    Here's a photo of it all installed. Torque'd down the bolts and used a red marker to highlight which bolts have been checked.
    Entire lot weighs about 1kg vs the original 4kg balance shaft system. Removing the balance shaft system will free up some engine hp, less parasitic drag, and should make the engine rev more free.



    Moving back to the top of the engine, Camshafts, springs, retainers, valve seats were removed.







    The replacement: Kelford drop in cams, and Supertech valvetrain accessories including titanium beehive valve springs, retainers, seats, valve locks and stem seals.





    Torqued down the bolts and made a note to measure and adjust the lash later.



    Slapped on new OEM Chain guides, TODA Chain tensioner, and all new OEM bolts, marked red. Looks like Honda mark bolts in blue (seen on the old bolts still fitted on the water housing on the right).



    Looks alot better than what she did before haha



    Gold links on the TODA chain makes it easier for engine builder to line up timing marks.



    Now the internals were pretty much sorted, it was time to reassemble everything back together.
    Given that the top and front of the engine is the first thing you see when you open the engine bay, I wanted to replace it all with brand new OEM items.

    New timing cover, water pump, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, VTC sensor, crank sensor, VTEC solenoid unit, and all required bolts were ordered from Honda.
    The alternator was still in great nick, but just looked tired when everything around it was brand new. My OCD got to me so I placed an order for that too lol



    The fuel system includes Acura RDX 410cc injectors, Radium fuel rail, Radium Direct Mount fuel pressure regulator.
    The OEM heat exchanger / oil cooler system has been removed, in favour of a Setrab billet thermostatic oil sandwich plate.
    In the background is the workshop car, Australia's fastest NA FWD drag car. 9.60s @139mph if I'm not mistaken
    The valvecover still needs to be replaced with a modified one, and the KPower sump needs to be slightly modified before installation into a RHD vehicle.



    Fitted is also a KPower RWD cast alloy manifold, and an adaptor plate to mate a Bosch DBW 74mm TB.



    New alternator arrived a few days later, got fitted, and engine was pushed into a corner and she sits there until the workshop finishes off some other client cars

    Last edited by zco; 11-13-2022 at 04:18 AM.

  29. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to zco For This Useful Post:

    dnaha (11-15-2022),Greasemonkey2000 (11-16-2022),HarryB (11-15-2022),lifebyevan (06-15-2023),MaRcOp01o (11-14-2022)

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