My favourite blue toy. DC5

[Kevin85]

This is a first for me, I'm not a show and tell guy. You should feel privileged.


I wanted the fastest fwd N/A car around a circuit I could buy, so went about importing a DC5.


Importing a car from Japan is always something I've wanted to do, so I kept my eye out for a unmodified blue 'pfl'. One came up with ohlins coilovers, but otherwise standard. Few marks here and there and around 100,000km. Mine. I think it's a C pack, it has rear tints and a rear wiper.


At the docks:

I bought it in Sept, and it arrived in November I think. I set about taking it to pieces to wax it up and make sure everything was mechanically sound. I'm the only idiot who buys a perfectly good car and turns it into a kit car it seems.


I don't have many photos of it, but these are the ones I do have:

It was very cold and I'm very lazy, so progress could have been faster. I also went on holiday in January for snowboarding madness, which added to the delay.


The pads and discs needed replacing, as did the tyres. DS2500 pads and two piece SPD/Buddyclub discs were fitted, along with a set of RE070 boots. I also fitted a set of Skunk2 rear camber arms to have the alignment properly set.

I'll update this when I get bored.

 

[Kevin85]

Went to Bedford in April, forgot to stiffen up the shocks and had a massive spin on the fastest corner of the circuit. Overtook an mx5 and didn't get back onto the line in time, tightened the corner which was a fast left right kink. Back end came round, caught it one way and it promptly spat me round the other way. Spun round and ended up in the middle of the circuit rolling backwards with the following cars coming towards me. If I'm honest, it was fun, but only because I didn't hit anything. I wound the shocks up and it felt much better.

I effectively bought the car blind, in that I had never driven an integra, or even sat in one. Never owned a Honda. Leap of faith, I knew it was going to be good by all the words I had read about them, I just didn't know how good. It was that day I realised I made the right choice going with the dc5.

I've got footage from that day on some kind of data storage device somewhere. Might upload it one day.


I found a very short slip of me chasing my cousin's S2000.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlH7QAPvCXE

 

[Kevin85]

Nurburgring trip was in May, after saying I would never drive the circuit due to risk reward ratio, I'm so glad I did. The car performed faultlessly everyday. Of course the anti honda banter was flowing, until they sat in it of course. My Nissan devout friend even exclaimed at the end of a lap "this car is effing incredible", which was caught on camera. He was obviously overjoyed about that.

Airtime. Funnily enough my Mrs didn't care about my spectacular 6mm airtime, she was more concerned about the other girl that was in my car.

Because ohlins suspension.

Chassis rigidity y0

One of the laps, still learning the circuit and with a low clutch. Gears weren't clearing properly, I thought it was a selector issue but some information on here pointed me in the direction of low clutch. There might be swearing, can't remember. There usually is on my footage, I swear a lot. Not angry, just Irish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1-nbDoSYiM

 

[Kevin85]

I then spent months driving it around untill the time came to actually replace the clutch. It was fine in normal driving, and I was spending the summer doing other fun things, away from driving on circuits.

I decided to throw some parts at it while the clutch was out, as you do. It's against my religion to work on my car and replace parts like for like. I was replacing the clutch like for like so had to upgrade other areas. It almost got out of hand, but I stopped myself splitting the gearbox for fd, diff etc.

Parts:
Mishimoto radiator (didn't intend on fitting this, but my oe was leaking so had to be done)
Clockwise baffle
Buddyclub extended ball joints
Superpro lca castor increase bushes
Spoon rigid collars front and rear
Oe clutch
Normal service gubbins
Tried to fit a clockwise flywheel, bit that turned into an ultra saga and didn't fit in the end.

New wheels and tyres:
F: ATech Final Speed 17x8 +35 235/40 ns2r
R: Technicraft t6 17x7 +40 215/45 ns2r.

Japanese, forged, and very light.

The wheels didn't fit under the front arches properly, so I decided to make them fit.

Before:

After:

Got it aligned, and it was ready for Spa.

 

[Kevin85]

I intended on having the new setup rolling for a shakedown at Bedford before Spa, but the flywheel saga meant I lost over a week and couldn't make it. I only got it aligned two days before we left, so I was very apprehensive about driving it in anger for the first time at a potentially rainy/sleety/foggy Spa.

It was just me and the girl, as it was an all expenses paid trip for my 30th which was back in January. We stopped for a night on brugges, which was nice enough but not Spa.

Spa was amazing, the car was amazing. I had nothing to worry about. The weather was cold and dry, perfect.

It was a 'public driving experience', and they operate an overtake anywhere policy, which was great fun and worked well. It consisted of 4x25 minute sessions. I could have done with more to be honest, but it was a gift and so I shouldn't whinge too much.

The compression at the bottom of eau rouge was causing my left rear arch to chew into the tyre, so the lever bar came out and I performed some emergency racecar surgery (bent it out of the way) The paint cracked but I didn't care, there was zero chance I was going to let some paint stop me going back out. I'll take a photo for you to wince at.

Everytime I drive this thing in anger, I'm amazed at how good it really is. The rear suspension is magic, it feels like it's got rear wheel steering sometimes. Such a joy. I definitely made the right choice with the dc5.

Silent assassin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOj69NiMJ_s

The most eventful session:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EumQi5-3UyY

 

[Kevin85]

I went to Donington with Honda's/Lotus On Track, it rained, a lot. It was my first time on a wet circuit, and it went much better than I thought it would. Pushing in the rain is great fun, even on an extremely slippery Donington surface.


I met some very welcoming people, you know who you are. I'm terrible with names.

Few photos, taken by 'Linus'. I hope you don't mind me using them.

Onboard footage from the day:


Chasing/being chased by one of the quicker Elise's on a drying track.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8MA6WZYu9Q


Last session, lots of people had gone home due to the rain but I was having far too much fun for any going home. I had been out for over an hour, only stopping for fuel, and then back out again. The rain didn't stop and things started to get a bit silly. A friend of mine that drifts, turned up out of the blue, so inevitably sideways happened. Then one too many sideways happened. Then, the gravel happened at 16:25, with the track due to close at 16:30. No damage done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQVq1yIF4Ng


I've got loads of footage from the day, I'll chop it up properly at some point and get more bits and bobs up.

 

[Kevin85]

I've just copied and pasted all that, I'll make the font bigger and liven up the youtube links sometime between now and the end of time.

 

[stayfreejc]

Awesome read mate. Really enjoyed that. I was so close to getting a DC5 before I got my Champ white FN2. Still regret not getting one.

 

[Partyvan]

Great read, great car, very funny. You're the first Londoner I'm inclined to like.

 

[Chris.]

Good to meet you briefly Kevin. Will probably see you at a track soon.

 

[Allen_]

Great right up.

Certainly putting the Teg through its paces and to good use.

 

[Kevin85]

Great read, great car, very funny. You're the first Londoner I'm inclined to like.

Haha, fair play, thanks. Don't count your chickens too soon though, my accent is very deceptive. I live in Watford, but I was born in Dublin.

 

[Kevin85]

Good to meet you briefly Kevin. Will probably see you at a track soon.

I wanted to have a proper look around your s2000, it looked great out on track!

 

[Kevin85]

Mote footage from Donington, from the blue Elise in one of the videos.

https://youtu.be/YzN7SaMFNps

 

[Chris.]

How tall is he! :lol:

 

[NeilVtec]

Awesome read & write up. Great work on the DC5 so far. everything done for a purpose and then used the way it was meant to be!! Look forward to seeing / reading more on this!

I Can't wait to get the "new" EP3 on track at the ring and spa now. And obviously some UK circuits... It Will be a change in scenery from my old Track EK9 from years gone by!!

 

[Kevin85]

Talking ***** and giggling like girls while sideways in the rain. Fun times.

https://youtu.be/wVncr6xoUgk

 

[Partyvan]

I've just realised who you are! I enjoyed that vid the first time round on Track Time ^

 

[Kevin85]

Nice one.

 

[dotty]

Awesome read & write up. Great work on the DC5 so far. everything done for a purpose and then used the way it was meant to be!! Look forward to seeing / reading more on this!

I Can't wait to get the "new" EP3 on track at the ring and spa now. And obviously some UK circuits... It Will be a change in scenery from my old Track EK9 from years gone by!!

Indeed. Very rare with DC5 owners these days ! All the gear and no idea a lot of them .. Big brakes etc , that work really well at car shows