'96 JDM Integra Type R
Discussion
1 month ago I had a 1974 Triumph Dolomite Sprint as my 'fun' car.
Now I have this, it's ever so slightly different
I've always wanted a DC2 since I was old enough to drive but despite owning quite a few other cars other the years (EP3, MX5, Clio 172) and 2 close friends both owning one I'd never indulged myself. The upkeep on the Triumph was becoming a pain as I really can't deal with maintaining good paintwork and also it just wasn't that fun to drive so 2 weeks before I was going to take it around the NC500 I sold it with the aim of picking up a DC2 for the trip. Unfortunately I just couldn't find a decent one in time so instead had to use a mates Mini Cooper S which was actually damn good fun on mountain roads.
However sitting on a beach on the north coast of Scotland I saw this on eBay in Scarborough which was kind of on the way home (in a 3 hour detour kind of way). We went to see it on the 12 hour home, it was pissing down (like proper thunderstorm pissing down), we went out on a 5 minute test drive in traffic and the throttle was sticking on idle . So of course as soon as I got home I sent a deposit and arranged to collect it the following weekend
I basically bought it on spec, the history and documentation the owner provided and the fact he seemed a genuinely nice bloke. Turned out it was a good hunch as the car is everything I could have hoped for.
In short the car has been used for competitive hillclimbing at Harewood for the past couple of years and has had a decent amount of upgrades because of this. Highlights being:
Kaaz LSD (not cheap!)
Tegiwa manifold, decat and Fujitsubo exhaust
BC coilovers
Carbon 'whale penis' intake
Carbon bonnet
GRP bucket seats with harness for the drivers one
C-Pillar and boot strut brace
New polybushes, engine mounts and camber arms
Socketed ECU with higher rev limit
Upgraded front brakes using Prelude calipers and braided hoses all round
Essentially it had everything I would ever do and more.
He was running without carpets so I had him put them back in and this is how it looked when I picked it up
A 6 hour train journey the following weekend put me back up North and I was ready to drive it 300 miles back home again. I knew I'd made
the right choice when after all those miles, the worlds most uncomfortable bucket seat and no radio I'd already fallen in love with it.
Now I have this, it's ever so slightly different
I've always wanted a DC2 since I was old enough to drive but despite owning quite a few other cars other the years (EP3, MX5, Clio 172) and 2 close friends both owning one I'd never indulged myself. The upkeep on the Triumph was becoming a pain as I really can't deal with maintaining good paintwork and also it just wasn't that fun to drive so 2 weeks before I was going to take it around the NC500 I sold it with the aim of picking up a DC2 for the trip. Unfortunately I just couldn't find a decent one in time so instead had to use a mates Mini Cooper S which was actually damn good fun on mountain roads.
However sitting on a beach on the north coast of Scotland I saw this on eBay in Scarborough which was kind of on the way home (in a 3 hour detour kind of way). We went to see it on the 12 hour home, it was pissing down (like proper thunderstorm pissing down), we went out on a 5 minute test drive in traffic and the throttle was sticking on idle . So of course as soon as I got home I sent a deposit and arranged to collect it the following weekend
I basically bought it on spec, the history and documentation the owner provided and the fact he seemed a genuinely nice bloke. Turned out it was a good hunch as the car is everything I could have hoped for.
In short the car has been used for competitive hillclimbing at Harewood for the past couple of years and has had a decent amount of upgrades because of this. Highlights being:
Kaaz LSD (not cheap!)
Tegiwa manifold, decat and Fujitsubo exhaust
BC coilovers
Carbon 'whale penis' intake
Carbon bonnet
GRP bucket seats with harness for the drivers one
C-Pillar and boot strut brace
New polybushes, engine mounts and camber arms
Socketed ECU with higher rev limit
Upgraded front brakes using Prelude calipers and braided hoses all round
Essentially it had everything I would ever do and more.
He was running without carpets so I had him put them back in and this is how it looked when I picked it up
A 6 hour train journey the following weekend put me back up North and I was ready to drive it 300 miles back home again. I knew I'd made
the right choice when after all those miles, the worlds most uncomfortable bucket seat and no radio I'd already fallen in love with it.
Honestly, I don't think it's as bad as people make out. Sure if you're trying to overtake anything you need to drop a couple of gears but normal driving, pulling onto motorways etc then out of Vtec it's fine. Obviously once in Vtec it absolutely flies. I do put some of this down to weight loss, as it must be a bit lighter than a standard Teg so lack of torque is going to be less noticable.
Bearing in mind my other car is an Alfa 159 2.4 diesel with remap, which has nothing but torque! (I do find it funny that the Integra has double the rev limit of the Alfa, the engine's couldn't be much different in power delivery)
Bearing in mind my other car is an Alfa 159 2.4 diesel with remap, which has nothing but torque! (I do find it funny that the Integra has double the rev limit of the Alfa, the engine's couldn't be much different in power delivery)
kingkongsfinger said:
More pics please, can we see the whale penis. 
Unfortunately I currently have no photos of my penis, however I'll be sure to get some soon Got the car home all ok, drove lovely all the way home. Obviously you start creating a to-do list when you're in a new car for that long.
First on the list was some tunes so I fitted my stereo and refitted the speakers into the doors, all a very nice and easy operation. However, I had now added weight to the car so it was only fair to remove weight elsewhere.
This was done by removing (and storing carefully in the attic) the rear seats. I can only come to the conclusion that Honda always intended on the rear seats to be removed as A) they remove completely without any tools, it's just a case of sliding them off the pivots and unclipping the bases and B) the boot carpet runs up the back of the seats, unclipping this and folding it down covers exactly the floor area that was previously taken by the seat base.
I also removed the slightly manky steering wheel and fitted my Momo Prototipo from the Triumph. This was only going to be temporary as I didn't think it'd suit the car but actually it works really well so that can stay.
After all this hard work it was only fair to take it for a blat over the downs. My mate in his Mk1 Golf joined me and we took some photos. He painted his Golf in Championship White as he loved the colour when he had his Teg so they look pretty damn good together.
The to do list is not very long now. First thing is to swap the drivers seat for a more comfortable bucket. The passengers is a Bimarco which the internet told me is a budget Polish brand which fairly decent by most accounts so I've ordered another one up to match. It's certainly alot more comfortable than the D2 drivers one.
The throttle is still sticking in heavy traffic which is a little annoying and a bit bizarre as it's fine the rest of the time including idling after a good run and from cold. I suspect the butterfly might be sticking or something so I'll take that apart when I get the chance and use a liberal amount of cleaner on it.
After this I intend on spending money purely on V-Power and using it as much as I can. Would be good to get out to any Sussex/Surrey PH meets if anyone knows of any? My main intention is to get it on track sometime in Autumn as I've never done a track day before (my experience so far is one lap of the Nurburgring).
MikeGoodwin said:
Theres a regular meet in Cobham once a month, guy named Dom (dom9) sorts it all out and puts threads in the local events. 11am on Sundays.
Some interesting stuff turns up, worth a look around and people seem decent. Had 2 so far and both have been decent turnouts (even with Goodwood on).
Be good to have a look round the Integra if you turn up - ive a soft spot for these
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Awesome, thanks! I can't make the August one due to a wedding but will definitely make some later in the year.Some interesting stuff turns up, worth a look around and people seem decent. Had 2 so far and both have been decent turnouts (even with Goodwood on).
Be good to have a look round the Integra if you turn up - ive a soft spot for these
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks for the positive comments guys, I'll keep this updated as I go along if the interest is there.
Spent a bit of time of on the Teg today and actually took some photos for once.
My Bimarco seat arrived very quickly from Poland so that's now fitted in the drivers seat. It's a damn sight more comfortable than the D2 and not that much heavier. Plus it matches which is always nice. Spent a long time getting the harness straps to the same length too
Fitted my horn push and a really crap din blanking plate above my stereo. All looks fairly finished in here now.
I cleaned the throttle butterfly and adjusted the cable in my first attempt at sorting my idle issue. If this doesn't work I suspect a new idle control valve may be required. Thought I'd get some photos of the engine bay while the bonnet was open, nothing too exciting here but at least I have a photo of my whale penis now! It's got a nice manifold and a cool little lightweight battery which I've only managed to flatten once so far.
My Bimarco seat arrived very quickly from Poland so that's now fitted in the drivers seat. It's a damn sight more comfortable than the D2 and not that much heavier. Plus it matches which is always nice. Spent a long time getting the harness straps to the same length too
Fitted my horn push and a really crap din blanking plate above my stereo. All looks fairly finished in here now.
I cleaned the throttle butterfly and adjusted the cable in my first attempt at sorting my idle issue. If this doesn't work I suspect a new idle control valve may be required. Thought I'd get some photos of the engine bay while the bonnet was open, nothing too exciting here but at least I have a photo of my whale penis now! It's got a nice manifold and a cool little lightweight battery which I've only managed to flatten once so far.
Little update for this.
Been using it quite alot over the past few months, the idling issue/revving is definitely resolved so good news there!
I've booked my first ever track day at Brands Hatch on the 13th November so dead excited for that, I've been doing a bit of prep in the meantime.
Bought another set of 96 spec DC2 wheels but in much better condition and with proper centre caps, really makes a difference to how it looks in my opinion. They also came with a set of still just legal R888s so hopefully it'll be dry enough to use them at Brands!
Rebonded the under frame of the bonnet to the carbon skin, it was wobbling around a s
t load at anything above 70mph so was getting a little worried I might end up with bonnet in my face. Used some Sikaflex and weighed it down with some brake discs found around the workshop. It seems to have stiffened it up a bit more, so I'll have to live with it for now! Still torn between getting a proper metal bonnet and painting the carbon one. Either way I definitely want it to look more stock and less Leisure Park racecar, but the weight saving of the carbon bonnet will probably see it stay and get painted.
Replaced the shifter bushes with some poly ones which has tightened that area up a bit. Changed the oil as I'm going to do this every 6 months, need to monitor oil consumption as it is a tad high and smokey at the moment (but that is the B18 life so I'm told).
Finally replaced the rear lamp seals that I bought from Honda months ago, this should stop puddles forming in the spare wheel well. At £75 for the pair it better bloody do anyway.
Think that's about it so far, so lets add some photos.
Been using it quite alot over the past few months, the idling issue/revving is definitely resolved so good news there!
I've booked my first ever track day at Brands Hatch on the 13th November so dead excited for that, I've been doing a bit of prep in the meantime.
Bought another set of 96 spec DC2 wheels but in much better condition and with proper centre caps, really makes a difference to how it looks in my opinion. They also came with a set of still just legal R888s so hopefully it'll be dry enough to use them at Brands!
Rebonded the under frame of the bonnet to the carbon skin, it was wobbling around a s
t load at anything above 70mph so was getting a little worried I might end up with bonnet in my face. Used some Sikaflex and weighed it down with some brake discs found around the workshop. It seems to have stiffened it up a bit more, so I'll have to live with it for now! Still torn between getting a proper metal bonnet and painting the carbon one. Either way I definitely want it to look more stock and less Leisure Park racecar, but the weight saving of the carbon bonnet will probably see it stay and get painted.Replaced the shifter bushes with some poly ones which has tightened that area up a bit. Changed the oil as I'm going to do this every 6 months, need to monitor oil consumption as it is a tad high and smokey at the moment (but that is the B18 life so I'm told).
Finally replaced the rear lamp seals that I bought from Honda months ago, this should stop puddles forming in the spare wheel well. At £75 for the pair it better bloody do anyway.
Think that's about it so far, so lets add some photos.
Further track day preparation has occurred.
This has consisted of a brake fluid change which was remarkably drama free considering the rusty bleed nipples on the rear calipers. They're not quite 10mm anymore but luckily I had some imperial sockets left over from the Triumph that fitted perfectly.
I've also ordered a Decibel Devils silencer as I'm very concerned I'll be well over the Brands Hatch Db levels as it is. Fingers crossed it keeps me on the right side of ok otherwise it'll be a waste of the best part of £300 when trackday costs and fuel to get there are added in!
Less than 2 weeks now so getting pretty excited, really hoping for a dry, cold day like today.
This has consisted of a brake fluid change which was remarkably drama free considering the rusty bleed nipples on the rear calipers. They're not quite 10mm anymore but luckily I had some imperial sockets left over from the Triumph that fitted perfectly.
I've also ordered a Decibel Devils silencer as I'm very concerned I'll be well over the Brands Hatch Db levels as it is. Fingers crossed it keeps me on the right side of ok otherwise it'll be a waste of the best part of £300 when trackday costs and fuel to get there are added in!
Less than 2 weeks now so getting pretty excited, really hoping for a dry, cold day like today.
Well Monday was a frigging great day despite some car problems!
Got up nice and early with the car fully loaded and got to Brands for sunrise, the track looked amazing first thing in the morning. The weather was perfect, nice and crisp with blue skies overhead, which for November was a right result.
After getting my sticker/number and paying for the garage I parked the Teg up, unloaded all my crap out of the boot and went for a wander around. I spotted James from this forum with his MX5 so went over to have a chat and then went into the briefing.
Soon after that I was out on my first lap of Brands Hatch for the sighting lap, James very kindly jumped in with me and being a trackday/racing/Brands Hatch veteren gave me some valuable insight into the track.
Going out on my first 'hot lap' was pretty daunting but the nerves soon faded and it was serious fun. I gave myself 15 minutes on with 15 minutes break for the rest of the morning, again with James out with me on one session which improved my driving lines massively!
Unfortunately my front brakes had developed a serious judder by mid morning, so lunchtime was wasted searching for a set of discs within driving distance of the track but nobody keeps obscure japanese brake discs in stock obviously. Instead I just cleaned them up and chucked on my sticky R888's for good measure. What followed, despite much brake judder, was the most enjoyable session of the day as my confidence had grown and the tyres made a big difference to the grip levels.
As we pulled into the pits after this session the steering felt really odd, with a few runs up and down the car park to confirm it - it was pulling really badly to the left. We checked the brakes were free and pulled the wheels off. Oddly the front left had tyre had ballooned but only on the inner edge. It was pretty odd and I'm glad I didn't take the chance of going back out on track. Putting it down to a dodgy part worn tyre (they came on some 2nd hand wheels I bought) we swapped back to my AD08 road tyres and went back out.
Another great session followed, probably a good half hour out on track, but as I pulled into the paddock the same thing happened again! So now 2 tyres had been killed I can only put it down the wheel alignment being too aggressive probably due to being set up for hill climbing and the short distances and tight turns associated with that.
That was game over unforunately as I only had 1 spare left hand tyre left, so it was time to pack up and go home!
Despite this I had an awesome day, everyone was really friendly, everything seemed to be very well organised by Circuit Days, I only queued to get out on track once all day and didn't have much traffic on track when I was out. Time to think about the next one!
Photos to follow!
Got up nice and early with the car fully loaded and got to Brands for sunrise, the track looked amazing first thing in the morning. The weather was perfect, nice and crisp with blue skies overhead, which for November was a right result.
After getting my sticker/number and paying for the garage I parked the Teg up, unloaded all my crap out of the boot and went for a wander around. I spotted James from this forum with his MX5 so went over to have a chat and then went into the briefing.
Soon after that I was out on my first lap of Brands Hatch for the sighting lap, James very kindly jumped in with me and being a trackday/racing/Brands Hatch veteren gave me some valuable insight into the track.
Going out on my first 'hot lap' was pretty daunting but the nerves soon faded and it was serious fun. I gave myself 15 minutes on with 15 minutes break for the rest of the morning, again with James out with me on one session which improved my driving lines massively!
Unfortunately my front brakes had developed a serious judder by mid morning, so lunchtime was wasted searching for a set of discs within driving distance of the track but nobody keeps obscure japanese brake discs in stock obviously. Instead I just cleaned them up and chucked on my sticky R888's for good measure. What followed, despite much brake judder, was the most enjoyable session of the day as my confidence had grown and the tyres made a big difference to the grip levels.
As we pulled into the pits after this session the steering felt really odd, with a few runs up and down the car park to confirm it - it was pulling really badly to the left. We checked the brakes were free and pulled the wheels off. Oddly the front left had tyre had ballooned but only on the inner edge. It was pretty odd and I'm glad I didn't take the chance of going back out on track. Putting it down to a dodgy part worn tyre (they came on some 2nd hand wheels I bought) we swapped back to my AD08 road tyres and went back out.
Another great session followed, probably a good half hour out on track, but as I pulled into the paddock the same thing happened again! So now 2 tyres had been killed I can only put it down the wheel alignment being too aggressive probably due to being set up for hill climbing and the short distances and tight turns associated with that.
That was game over unforunately as I only had 1 spare left hand tyre left, so it was time to pack up and go home!
Despite this I had an awesome day, everyone was really friendly, everything seemed to be very well organised by Circuit Days, I only queued to get out on track once all day and didn't have much traffic on track when I was out. Time to think about the next one!
Photos to follow!
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