EP3 TYPE R COSMIC GREY

[DEANO45]

well.. back again after nearly 3 years after owning a premier edition Ep3 had a few cars more cars in that time I owned a S2000 and some cars not worth mentioning but back now in a early 2005 Ep3 Type r Comic grey with 94k miles it’s had 3 owners since new last one having owned this for 10 years. The car itself is totally standard just what I was looking for. I can’t believe how much these cars have gone up in valve Anyway picked this up a couple of days ago not done everything to it yet other than a quick clean having said that I already have a list of items needed but I’m over the moon And can’t wait to start.

Things I have done since owning the car as follows with new stuff adding as I go.

Engine

Engine bay deep cleaned.
Intake manifold cleaned and repainted.
Repainted rocker clover -new gasket-seals-stainless steel nuts.
Grey D1 washers/bolts upgrade in various places around engine bay.
New injector seals x12 - repainted fuel rail gloss black .
New Iridium spark plugs .
New Genuine Honda oil filter and 5L millers nanodrive oil.
New PVC valve and flexi pipe.
New black washer bottle cap.
New idle pulley.
New Aux belt.
New cabin filter.
New Engine mount.
Powerflex gearbox mount insert (Black)
New genuine Honda lower strut brace.
Tegiwa shift bushes upgrade.
Tegiwa short shift.
Injen 3" custom intake
Replaced engine under tray.
New nissens Radiator + M2 black silicone hoses.

Interior

Pioneer sph-120
New Pioneer front speakers.
Refurbish gear knob.
Refurnish door grab handles.
led bulbs upgrade.
Dc5 alloy pedal covers.

Exterior
New Honda grill badge.
New Honda tailgate badge.
Headlight Refurbishment.
Osram cool boost bulbs
Led sidelights.
Led number plate lights.
Chrome indicator bulbs F/R
wind deflectors.
refurbished wiper arms.
Jazz washer jets.
repainted the brake callipers (red).
Front fog light kit

Chassis
Rear brake line brackets L/R.
Braided brake lines F/R.
Adjustable rear camber arms.
camber bolts.
Eibach Sportline lowering springs
New rear shocks x2
New JDM rear anti roll bar and drop links.
Rear arch carpets removed rust protected and colour coded .
New rear crash bar

 

[DEANO45]

Found some time today to start getting a few things done .. decided to remove the roof rail inserts and I'm glad I did full of mud but came
out looking good.

also brought a few service items including a new aux belt the one on the car looked old so that is a must today also a new air filter and cabin filler.

Aux belt on it's last Leggs.......................................................

And finally i removed the bonnet sound deadening it was really dirty 16 years worth and full of dead inserts on the plus side looks so much better and clean.

 

[DEANO45]

Small update ..decided to remove the centre console as the stereo was loose and found it was not screwed in at all and just pushed into the aperture also the lower storage compartment was loose so x8 screws replaced and looking has it should.

Next thing to tackle was the gear knob in was in a right state of wear and being the first thing you look at when you get inside. All things considered it came up really well and makes a massive difference to the look of the interior now.

Before

After

last of all I managed to change my cabin filter what a state that was in don’t know when this was last changed but it was a mess old v new.

 

[SmokeyGoose]

Hi Dean , thanks for posting this, the car looks great. How did you refurb the gear knob?

 

[DEANO45]

Hi Dean , thanks for posting this, the car looks great. How did you refurb the gear knob?

Hi, … It’s pretty easy find a drill bit around the same size place some masking tape around the top and place the gear knob on. Then attach to a drill make sure it’s secure enough so the drill does all the work.

use some 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper to get rid of the outer layer you’ll know when as it’s a massive difference depending on the condition of the gear knob depends how much you have to remove .

The final bit is easy just use some autosol to polish to a mirror finish.

hope this helps you.

 

[DEANO45]

Small update: I have started the the long and arduous job of getting the engine bay back into a respectable condition so spent a long time degreasing the engine bay and cleaning components still not where i want to be with it but it's a work in progress the rocker cover has the standard paint flake and will get that sorted next year in better weather.
I did manage to remove a load of rusty bolts and replace with some stainless steel D1 spec washers/Allen head bolts and also a new battery tie as the original one was tatty. along with that a new grill badge for good measure.

last of all I replaced the key fobs with new Honda jazz cases .

 

[DEANO45]

Small update: A few more bits arrived from tegiwa decided to replace the spark plugs as I had no record of when they were last changed to be fair they were not that bad but changed they anyway with some new iridium plugs I got on Black Friday along with a new black washer bottle cap and some jazz washer jets .

And finally the interior grab handle were in a right state so set about refurbishing them

Before

After

 

[Craig82]

Nice work so far. Little things make all the difference.

 

[DEANO45]

Nice work so far. Little things make all the difference.

Thanks Craig , it's coming along .

 

[DEANO45]

This happened today …another delivery arrived this time for the Ep3 and for me was a must ever since I brought the car the steering wheel has really let down the otherwise really good condition interior so managed to find a really good used one complete with airbag . Going to get the old one re-trimmed 3mm thicker in alcantara with red stitching .


The current not so good steering wheel….

And the replacement……

 

[Craig82]

Nice, this is something on my radar too.

 

[DEANO45]

First post of the new year so happy new year everyone .. Anyway first thing first was to fit my new stereo I got for Christmas I do like the original stereo but it just does not cut it in this day and age so that will be put away and kept. So i asked for an Alpine Ute -200BT I’ve always liked Alpine and it had great reviews with everything I needed and it looks great too which is a bonus the Only problem now is i’m going to have to replace all the speakers.

I also managed to swap over my recently brought replacement steering wheel as the original was too worn the swap over was easy and I’ll get the original wheel refurbished at so point in the future. At least now the interior is looking a whole lot better.

 

[DEANO45]

Managed to get out and give the car a clean and decided to give the paint a bit of protection as I had noticed the water was sitting on the paint work longer than it should so gave it a really good clean snow foamed it and then clay bared the whole car then went over the car with meguiars ultamate Paste wax followed up with some dodo juice supernatural paint sealer it works wonders .

Also replaced the indicator bulbs for some silver/Crome ones to get rid of the fried egg look.

 

[DEANO45]

Small update.. managed to get a few more things done and my priority was to get the headlights sorted as they were very oxidized and let the front end down managed to get rid of 16 years of grime and they come up really nice.

I've also had an annoying rattle from one of the heat shields so got the car in the air and straight away the cat heat shield was the problem two of the 4 bolts holding it together had rusted away. I thought about just removing it and maybe I should have anyway decided to use some steel cable ties and now no more rattle how long this is going to last I don't know . I might end up removing it all together at some point why I was underneath I decided to remove the dive shaft heat shield as that felt loose on its mounts and are prone to rattle . it was good to get a look underneath the centre exhaust pipe needs replacing with something better so I will be getting a shopping list ready for that.

Last of all replaced the rear tailgate badge for a new fresh one its amazing what a new badge does.

 

[Craig82]

Great updates and attention to detail. Looking very fresh.

 

[DEANO45]

Great updates and attention to detail. Looking very fresh.

Thanks Craig , still lots to do but so glad i got another ep3 ,,

 

[Craig82]

Thanks Craig , still lots to do but so glad i got another ep3 ,,

Addictive little things!!

 

[SK-R]

Awesome thread Deano, gotta love an OEM+ restoration of an EP3. Car looks lovely, in the best colour (imo) as well.

I did something similar to mine a few years back, they are great cars to work on. So simple compared to all the modern stuff

Whats next?

 

[DEANO45]

Awesome thread Deano, gotta love an OEM+ restoration of an EP3. Car looks lovely, in the best colour (imo) as well.

I did something similar to mine a few years back, they are great cars to work on. So simple compared to all the modern stuff

Whats next?

Hi, Sk-R
thank you for the feedback it is much appreciated. its like you said they are great cars to work on and I love the simplicity and character these cars have.

Anyway what's next ..... as your properly aware when you had yours you had a list of jobs to do and now I'm in the same boat I'm not going to concentrate on one area but I do have a long list . What I can tell you is I have just ordered some new brake line brackets for the rear and a full set of Hel braided lines.

 

[DEANO45]

Small update ... decided to do the hondata airbox mod and also the resonator delete on the inside lid I've also decided not to use the standard air intake pipe instead I have opted to use one from a Mercedes C class which is a perfect snug fit and channels the air much better also brought some new airbox bolts to finish the job.