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Tucker's Cosmic EP3

The new seals seem to be working, the windows don't seem to mist as often or as bad anymore although it has warmed up a little recently. She was due an oil change which I did this weekend along with the filter, the Hamp oil filter is now Blue!





MOT passed with only a couple of advisories, both front tyres are close to legal limit which I was already aware of and also only just scraped through on parking brake efficiency. I've previously adjusted the handbrake and both rear calipers are pretty new so I can't see them being the cause. When tightening the nut the carrier is wonky so maybe it's a seized spring on one of the calipers or a dodgy cable? Not a major issue for now but will need resolving before the next MOT.
 
This weekend I replaced the fuel filter as I don't think it's ever been done. No need for a 'special' tool as Honda describe, just got myself a universal tool.



You need to de-pressurise the fuel system before you start and it's also a good idea to not have a lot of petrol in the tank! I actually got paid doing a job on my car for the first time haha.



The tool made the job so much easier, especially when putting everything back it enabled me to torque it up properly.



Swapping everything over was pretty simple, it's obvious where the two 'o' rings that come with the new filter go once you've disassembled the old one.



Gave the area under the hatch a good clean while everything was out and also beneath the rear seat.





She started first time and the gauge was displaying the fuel level at exactly where it was before I started.
 
I needed to get the front tyres replaced as they were at the legal limit. Got a full set of Toyo Proxes T1R 215/45/R17. Just waiting for Chris to show up now and tell me how rubbish they are haha. I know they're not the best but got a good deal on them and they have to be better than the Arrowspeed's that were on the fronts since I bought it!



All four alloys have been kerbed in the past and I've been wanting to give them a refurb. It's something I wanted to do myself so I bought 2 used alloys, that way I wouldn't need to take the car off the road while I did it. Didn't get any before shots but I'm sure you've all seen a tatty old EP3 alloy with kerbing; that's one after filling and sanding back.



I went for Satin Black and then a Gloss Clear coat. Pretty happy with how they turned out, not perfect but they'll do.



Also got some Black metal valves to compliment them.



Got the new tyres fitted and whacked the wheels on the car. I'll do the same with the 2 alloys that I swapped out on the front to replace the rears but there's no rush for this as the tread is still fine and there are other things I need to prioritise.





Got to go lower soon, that arch gap doesn't look great haha.
 
Picked up some DME Adjustable Rear Camber Arms, arrived in a bit of a mess but after giving them a clean they came up ok.



I gave the black parts of the arms a freshen up using some Hammerite Smooth Black.



Also didn't fancy using cable ties to hold the brake lines in place, managed to get hold of a pair of brackets so it can be done properly.



Obviously I'm going to be getting some Eibach Camber Adjustment bolts for the front. I will be going with either Eibach or Spoon lowering springs and a new set of Shock Absorbers all round as they are 13 years old now and have covered 98k miles.
 
Got some Spoon lowering springs, they were in need of a real good clean but expected no less.



After a wash it was clear they needed a little more attention as paint had chipped in places and there was some surface rust.



I found some Spoon stickers that I could use, not that anyone will even see once they're fitted! I made sure to use these pictures as a reference for where the logos were meant to be positioned.



I removed any loose paint and sanded back the areas that were exposed. I used Jenolite Rust Converter to treat the rust and then painted them with PlastiDip Blaze Fluorescent Rubber Paint (Blue). I used PlastiDip as I thought it would be suitable for a spring due to it's flexibility and the fact that it won't chip/crack like ordinary paint. As it's rubberised the finish wasn't great so I put a coat of Hycote Blue VHT paint over the top and then a Simoniz Clear coat.



Happy with the final result and made sure to put the stickers on before the final clear coat to protect them a little. I've decided to get a full set of Bilstein B4 Shocks as OEM's are a little out of my budget and I'm not too sure about the quality of the Sachs from ECP.
 
Big box arrived for me today....





Hopefully I'll be able to get these fitted at the weekend.
 
Yeah limited to what nature has in store sadly! I occasionally get use of a ramp at the garage my brother works at, it does still rain inside there too haha!
 
TuckR said:
Got some Spoon lowering springs, they were in need of a real good clean but expected no less.



After a wash it was clear they needed a little more attention as paint had chipped in places and there was some surface rust.



I found some Spoon stickers that I could use, not that anyone will even see once they're fitted! I made sure to use these pictures as a reference for where the logos were meant to be positioned.



I removed any loose paint and sanded back the areas that were exposed. I used Jenolite Rust Converter to treat the rust and then painted them with PlastiDip Blaze Fluorescent Rubber Paint (Blue). I used PlastiDip as I thought it would be suitable for a spring due to it's flexibility and the fact that it won't chip/crack like ordinary paint. As it's rubberised the finish wasn't great so I put a coat of Hycote Blue VHT paint over the top and then a Simoniz Clear coat.



Happy with the final result and made sure to put the stickers on before the final clear coat to protect them a little. I've decided to get a full set of Bilstein B4 Shocks as OEM's are a little out of my budget and I'm not too sure about the quality of the Sachs from ECP.
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They look spot on mate. What drop front and rear do these spoon springs drop the car by? Cheers
 
Cheers Ricki. Not 100% sure but AFAIK they are a 25mm drop all round.

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Everything needed from the old struts was swapped over onto the Bilstein's and I also gave the rear top mounts a lick of paint as they were a bit rough.



Adjusted the rear camber arms to approximately the same length as the OEM's so the car can be used until I get the geometry set up correctly. I also swapped over the rubber sleeves for the springs to help reduce any noise.





Almost forgot the camber bolts for the front!



I've left them at the maximum negative camber setting, will be popping down to a local garage this weekend for alignment using their Hunter ramp. I will be using the FRSU settings (1 degree neg camber all round, 2mm toe in at rear, 1mm toe out at front) but may adjust them slightly to suit.
 
Krzys said:
Looking good now it's together and on the car!
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Cheers Krzys, shame nobody will see it. I'll get a picture of how she sits once the alignment is done.
EP3 Newb said:
Looks great mate. Awesome paint jobs

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Cheers Newb. Unfortunately it's being done on a budget so I've had to get handy with a spray can!

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You're welcome Tuck. I think the biggest compliment is that it doesn't look like it's been done on a budget!!

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Haha thanks mate, appreciate that. By doing as much as I can myself I'm keeping costs down, as most tends to be labour, which means I can buy more stuff! Unfortunately I'm doing it on my driveway and am by no means a mechanic so it'll take a lot longer to get everything done.

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I hear you on that mate. My first real stab at anything will be the fitting of my Tegiwa intake. You're doing great matey, mechanic or not

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Tracking done this weekend, took a little picture while she was up on the ramp.



Before & after.




They pointed out that the bushes on the front control arm were worn which I was aware of. I've booked in for them to replace them with Powerflex bushes and they will then re-check and adjust the alignment if necessary.
 
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